Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

Etched in Bone (The Others, #5)

by Anne Bishop

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shapeshifters and vampires far more powerful than themselves...
 
After a human uprising was brutally put down by the Elders—a primitive and lethal form of the Others—the few cities left under human control are far-flung. And the people within them now know to fear the no-man’s-land beyond their borders—and the darkness...
 
As some communities struggle to rebuild, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings.
 
With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end—with her standing beside a grave...

Reviewed by kimbacaffeinate on

5 of 5 stars

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The uprising by the humans has ended, and some human towns and farms have been abandoned. Towns are being filled by Others with a mix of humans, and the Elders decide to observe Lakeside and their interactions with the humans and Not Food Meg. I loved being back in the Lakeside community despite the difficult times throughout Thaisia. ETCHED IN BONE focuses on the interaction between the humans and others as homes and jobs for the human pack are established. Cyrus James Montgomery, brother to Lieutenant Montgomery and his sister appears with his wife and two children. The tale that unfolds shares how the Others meter out justice as Bishop holds nothing back.

We see and hear a lot about the state of Thaisia after Namid’s claws, and teeth handled the uprising. Most of the land has been reclaimed leaving humans in smaller areas. There are food and gas shortages that even effect the Lakeside community. Ration cards have been distributed, and the Others are working hard to restore order. The Simple Life people are doing well as are most of the Intuits. We learn about progress being made, and even the Lakeside community aids the cause by interviewing humans for jobs on farms and cities being run similar to Lakeside. I loved all these little tidbits of information.

It was wonderful spending time within the Lakeside community. The interactions between the characters and the way Simon and the others handle situations as they arise kept me fully engaged. We learn more about the cassandra sangue and are rewarded with some answers. We learn what happens when one of their cuts is reopened. Meg is learning to use other methods, but does share some prophecy and finds herself in danger. One of my favorite parts of the story is a meal shared with the others and humans living within the Lakeside community. Montgomery's Mom is a force to reckoned with and made me smile. For those eager to see what develops between Meg and Simon, we are rewarded and I felt Bishop handled it beautifully.

While I was saddened to see our time at Lakeside come to a close, I was excited to learn that stories in this world will continue. LAKE SILENCE, the sixth book in the Others series will take us to the Jumble located on the shore of Lake Silence. Vicki and the town’s residents are facing a series of vicious murders in their community. I cannot wait to travel there!

If you haven't started this series, consider grabbing your earbuds. Alexandra Harris does a spectacular job of narrating. I love her pacing, tone and the unique voices she creates for each character.

ETCHED IN BONE was delightful from beginning to end and was the perfecting ending for the Lakeside community. I hope we still hear about these characters. Perhaps one of the Crows will be a penpal to a human in the Jumble community.

Audio provided by publisher This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 21 February, 2017: Finished reading
  • 21 February, 2017: Reviewed