In this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.
Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others--vampires, shape-shifters, and even deadlier paranormal beings. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget....
After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki's don't have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what is out there watching you.
Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe--one of the shape-shifting Others--discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, ancient forces are roused by the disturbance in their domain. They have rules that must not be broken--and all the destructive powers of nature at their command.
In the sixth book, we leave Meg and Simon behind and travel across Thaisa to a small rustic lakeside resort bordering the small-town of Sproing. The resort sits along the shore of Lake Silence. Here we meet Vicki DeVine. I liked Vicki, she is damaged but has a strong moral compass and inner strength. It will be interesting to see her grow and trust. Vicki came by her little resort through a divorce settlement and it comes with some strict rules regarding the land, buildings, and lake. While Vicki owns the buildings it sits on land owned by the Others. I loved the premise and the little community with its quaint shops and bed and breakfast. I loved meeting the inhabitants and beginning to see Vicki build friendships and attachments.
Vicki befriends some of the crows and when trouble comes to the door, it is those crows who seek the help of Ilya Sanguinati, the vampire who lives across the lake. Murder, secret societies and people from Vicki's past, soon have Vicki, the town of Sproing and Officer Grimshaw realizing just how much influence the Others have in their little town. I loved every moment of it from the Elementals, Nahid's Teeth and Claw and the Crows. Bishop gave us a murder mystery, suspense, unexpected humor, justice and more. She is a masterful storyteller bringing both the landscape and characters to life.
If you have not read the previous five novels and are considering jumping in, I think Bishop did an excellent job of giving backstory and this is a great place to jump in. Of course, you'll want to go back and read/listen to the rest.
Alexandra Harris has been the voice of Meg for so long that it took me a minute to slip into Vicki's pov, but Harris is brilliant bringing the characters and the creatures of the Lake Silence community to life. I could not imagine Bishop without Harris, so I was delighted she will continue the series. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer
Reading updates
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Started reading
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10 February, 2018:
Finished reading
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10 February, 2018:
Reviewed