hgranger's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Solid start to a new series. The supernatural characters have just enough of a new angle to make things more interesting than the typical UF. The world building is sketched out pretty well too. It’s familiar enough to make sense while new enough to show a different approach to the supernatural idea.
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to get through this book. It is slow but you get to know the world and the characters .
It is good but not something I just couldn't put down. I will be reading the next book in the series as soon as I can get extra money to buy it and hopefully read it this year
It is good but not something I just couldn't put down. I will be reading the next book in the series as soon as I can get extra money to buy it and hopefully read it this year
laurenjodi's review against another edition
5.0
Written in Red
5 Stars
In an alternate world, humans co-exist with the terra indigene, the original race to inhabit Namid. The Others view humans as nothing more than meat and tolerate their existence for the few technological developments that they offer. Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, who escapes her controllers and finds refuge with the Others. But Meg is a valuable commodity and mercenaries are soon dispatched to return her. Will they be able to get past the Others’ defenses?
Original world building, engaging characters and an intense plot.
The Others are a fascinating race whether it is the shapeshifters who assume traits from their animal natures, or the vampires with their gothic overtones, or the mysterious Tess whose predatory identity is a well kept secret. Bishop never allows the reader to forget that the Others are monsters in every sense of the word. The shifters are not cuddly and sweet; the vampires are not sexy and sparkly, and the elementals are not benign beings in charge of the weather. That said, it is also quite obvious that the cruelty, greed and selfishness of human beings are the real evils in the world.
The heroine is the epitome of innocence. While many reviewers have emphasized Meg's “Mary-Sue” traits, for me her naiveté and sweetness are essential not only to her characterization, but to the plot progression as well. It is only a character of this type that can create the circumstances in which the Others would begin to see humans as something more than food. Despite her inherent goodness, Meg has a core of inner strength and courage that is very appealing and her spirited nature comes to the fore as she grows in confidence.
The suspense plot builds slowly and is told from multiple perspectives that slowly grab the reader by the throat. By the time the climax arrives, it is impossible to put the book down and the action has you on the edge of your seat.
All in all, a refreshing take on tradition Urban Fantasy tropes and I will be reading the next installment as soon as I can.
5 Stars
In an alternate world, humans co-exist with the terra indigene, the original race to inhabit Namid. The Others view humans as nothing more than meat and tolerate their existence for the few technological developments that they offer. Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, who escapes her controllers and finds refuge with the Others. But Meg is a valuable commodity and mercenaries are soon dispatched to return her. Will they be able to get past the Others’ defenses?
Original world building, engaging characters and an intense plot.
The Others are a fascinating race whether it is the shapeshifters who assume traits from their animal natures, or the vampires with their gothic overtones, or the mysterious Tess whose predatory identity is a well kept secret. Bishop never allows the reader to forget that the Others are monsters in every sense of the word. The shifters are not cuddly and sweet; the vampires are not sexy and sparkly, and the elementals are not benign beings in charge of the weather. That said, it is also quite obvious that the cruelty, greed and selfishness of human beings are the real evils in the world.
The heroine is the epitome of innocence. While many reviewers have emphasized Meg's “Mary-Sue” traits, for me her naiveté and sweetness are essential not only to her characterization, but to the plot progression as well. It is only a character of this type that can create the circumstances in which the Others would begin to see humans as something more than food. Despite her inherent goodness, Meg has a core of inner strength and courage that is very appealing and her spirited nature comes to the fore as she grows in confidence.
The suspense plot builds slowly and is told from multiple perspectives that slowly grab the reader by the throat. By the time the climax arrives, it is impossible to put the book down and the action has you on the edge of your seat.
All in all, a refreshing take on tradition Urban Fantasy tropes and I will be reading the next installment as soon as I can.
katieaboateng's review against another edition
3.0
I thought the narrators voice on audible was hard to listen to. I think I would have enjoyed this more in hard copy.
sophiarose1816's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Ever have a book that you have come to late, seen all the descriptions and praise, and just smiled in anticipation because you know that you are part of that target audience who are just going to love it through and through- hugging the Kindle to you and sighing contentedly. That was me and... I did indeed love this one- one, no two eyerolls, but for the most part, loved it.
Written in Red is the first book and introduces a dark, well crafted world. Humans are prey and the Others are not humans who get furry or sprout fangs. I do love when my monsters get to act like monsters so I sighed with happiness at the first sign that a human being stupid got eaten with relish and a little seasoning (okay, teasing about the seasoning).
The story begins with a brief explanation of the fantasy world which has some commonalities with earth, but all the power and magic and ruthless strength go to the non-humans who see the humans as little more than upright animals with opposable thumbs and cool gadgets.
The first chapter introduces a mysterious woman fleeing danger and choosing the Others' compound as the lesser of two evils. Meg applies for the job of Liaison between the Others and humans. In essence she is a glorified mail room clerk and postal delivery person now. This may seem comical, but the Others do a lot of mail orders to avoid contact with the human 'monkeys'. And, the Others' Courtyard in the boundary of the human city near the great lake is a clearing house for all the Others who live out in the Wild and away from human settlements.
This Lakeside Courtyard is the big experiment run by Simon Wolfgard. He has hired a few humans and opened a few businesses to human customers to see how it works to allow this limited interaction between humans and Others. Something about Meg had him hiring her on the spot though she has no skill or experience. He doesn't know why the shivering, bedraggled human tempted him to this impetuous action, but he is riled up because she doesn't smell like prey and she has secrets. She's running from something.
And, the something has found her. Meg ran away from an institution where she was prized as a commodity rather than a person and she wants more, but she has to stay free. Human law doesn't apply in the Others' Courtyard so she begs a job to buy her some time in her flight from her handler. She has foreseen her own death and now just wants to live life to the fullest. She has no idea how and has to feel her way working and living among beasts, vampires, and elementals who can take on human skin.
It is the humans who are the most danger to her and trouble is coming from more than one direction. Simon learns Megs' secrets about the time he learns of the danger, but she has brought little Sam out of his two year silence and won the friendship of many in the Courtyard with her winsome ways. She is theirs and they will protect her.
Much of this book was very much the usual first in series introductions and getting the plot underway. It was not tedious and was interspersed with some action and nice moments of suspense. The intro to the larger cast of characters was neatly handled as were the switches in point of view between a half dozen characters with Meg and Simon getting the front stage much of the time.
I thought it was both a good use of humor and a way of describing the true differences between humans and Others when the Others had these headscratching moments over human conversations and actions. This actually explains a little why they figure out a certain human is acting suspicious, but she manages to stay ahead of them for quite a while because they can't get a fix on what she's up to. Personally, I thought, given how they handle stuff, that they should have just chomp-chomped the first time she crossed the line instead of the half-dozen chances she got to wreck havoc. Unfortunately, they start acting out of character as soon as poor Meg who might not like them eating the humans is installed.
Meg was my one big niggle. I liked Meg and liked that she was a bit of something different in some ways, but also felt she was something of a Mary Sue figure. The moving and shaking happens around her and with little time or effort, she suddenly has everyone's liking and loyalty. She wins over monsters who eat human for breakfast just by dropping off their mail and saying 'good morning'. She sweet talks a grieving and traumatized wolf pup out silence, out of his hidey spot, and into a shift in a couple of encounters. Good on her (I love that she is kind- I really do), but that shouldn't have impressed the big baddies much especially since her arrival signals quite a bit of trouble and bother for them. Her winning over the whole Lakeside Courtyard in a few days was far-fetched, but I am willing to get past that and see where this series is going. I think Meg will grow on me now that I'm past the intro.
In my re-read, I didn't feel as strongly against Meg- maybe this was because I was reading in retrospect and she grew on me. Or, maybe I've mellowed and it didn't bother me so much that she got her in without too much time going by which was the first bit of luck she had in life.
Simon was a fun cranky wolf character, but it was Henry the spirit bear grizzly, the ponies who are more than they seem, and the mysterious Tess that even the monsters tip-toed around that I enjoyed most. Actually, I liked everyone, including Meg, who lived in the Courtyard.
The last chapters were page-turners and I could barely breathe. I loved seeing the Others rise up in fury to show who and what they really are. Meg's worth to the hidden bad guy along with humans who are arrogant and greedy enough to buck the system are going to make this ongoing series stay exciting.
For my re-read, I chose to listen to this book and was thrilled by how much Alexandra Harris' narration work enhanced my opinion of the book and particularly Meg. Definitely recommend her audio work.
So, I loved my first outing with this series and its fresh take on paranormals and fantasy. I am definitely going forward with the series. Oh, and yes, if you were sandbagging like me and love urban fantasy or low fantasy, snag it when you get the chance.
Written in Red is the first book and introduces a dark, well crafted world. Humans are prey and the Others are not humans who get furry or sprout fangs. I do love when my monsters get to act like monsters so I sighed with happiness at the first sign that a human being stupid got eaten with relish and a little seasoning (okay, teasing about the seasoning).
The story begins with a brief explanation of the fantasy world which has some commonalities with earth, but all the power and magic and ruthless strength go to the non-humans who see the humans as little more than upright animals with opposable thumbs and cool gadgets.
The first chapter introduces a mysterious woman fleeing danger and choosing the Others' compound as the lesser of two evils. Meg applies for the job of Liaison between the Others and humans. In essence she is a glorified mail room clerk and postal delivery person now. This may seem comical, but the Others do a lot of mail orders to avoid contact with the human 'monkeys'. And, the Others' Courtyard in the boundary of the human city near the great lake is a clearing house for all the Others who live out in the Wild and away from human settlements.
This Lakeside Courtyard is the big experiment run by Simon Wolfgard. He has hired a few humans and opened a few businesses to human customers to see how it works to allow this limited interaction between humans and Others. Something about Meg had him hiring her on the spot though she has no skill or experience. He doesn't know why the shivering, bedraggled human tempted him to this impetuous action, but he is riled up because she doesn't smell like prey and she has secrets. She's running from something.
And, the something has found her. Meg ran away from an institution where she was prized as a commodity rather than a person and she wants more, but she has to stay free. Human law doesn't apply in the Others' Courtyard so she begs a job to buy her some time in her flight from her handler. She has foreseen her own death and now just wants to live life to the fullest. She has no idea how and has to feel her way working and living among beasts, vampires, and elementals who can take on human skin.
It is the humans who are the most danger to her and trouble is coming from more than one direction. Simon learns Megs' secrets about the time he learns of the danger, but she has brought little Sam out of his two year silence and won the friendship of many in the Courtyard with her winsome ways. She is theirs and they will protect her.
Much of this book was very much the usual first in series introductions and getting the plot underway. It was not tedious and was interspersed with some action and nice moments of suspense. The intro to the larger cast of characters was neatly handled as were the switches in point of view between a half dozen characters with Meg and Simon getting the front stage much of the time.
I thought it was both a good use of humor and a way of describing the true differences between humans and Others when the Others had these headscratching moments over human conversations and actions. This actually explains a little why they figure out a certain human is acting suspicious, but she manages to stay ahead of them for quite a while because they can't get a fix on what she's up to. Personally, I thought, given how they handle stuff, that they should have just chomp-chomped the first time she crossed the line instead of the half-dozen chances she got to wreck havoc. Unfortunately, they start acting out of character as soon as poor Meg who might not like them eating the humans is installed.
Meg was my one big niggle. I liked Meg and liked that she was a bit of something different in some ways, but also felt she was something of a Mary Sue figure. The moving and shaking happens around her and with little time or effort, she suddenly has everyone's liking and loyalty. She wins over monsters who eat human for breakfast just by dropping off their mail and saying 'good morning'. She sweet talks a grieving and traumatized wolf pup out silence, out of his hidey spot, and into a shift in a couple of encounters. Good on her (I love that she is kind- I really do), but that shouldn't have impressed the big baddies much especially since her arrival signals quite a bit of trouble and bother for them. Her winning over the whole Lakeside Courtyard in a few days was far-fetched, but I am willing to get past that and see where this series is going. I think Meg will grow on me now that I'm past the intro.
In my re-read, I didn't feel as strongly against Meg- maybe this was because I was reading in retrospect and she grew on me. Or, maybe I've mellowed and it didn't bother me so much that she got her in without too much time going by which was the first bit of luck she had in life.
Simon was a fun cranky wolf character, but it was Henry the spirit bear grizzly, the ponies who are more than they seem, and the mysterious Tess that even the monsters tip-toed around that I enjoyed most. Actually, I liked everyone, including Meg, who lived in the Courtyard.
The last chapters were page-turners and I could barely breathe. I loved seeing the Others rise up in fury to show who and what they really are. Meg's worth to the hidden bad guy along with humans who are arrogant and greedy enough to buck the system are going to make this ongoing series stay exciting.
For my re-read, I chose to listen to this book and was thrilled by how much Alexandra Harris' narration work enhanced my opinion of the book and particularly Meg. Definitely recommend her audio work.
So, I loved my first outing with this series and its fresh take on paranormals and fantasy. I am definitely going forward with the series. Oh, and yes, if you were sandbagging like me and love urban fantasy or low fantasy, snag it when you get the chance.
el_catimi's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
It's a brilliant book, unlike anything else in urban fantasy, pretty dark yet full of cute moments and emotions.
angie_stl's review against another edition
4 1/2 Stars
When I first started this book, I wasn't sure how well I liked it. It took me a while to warm up to it, longer than usual for a new-to-me author. But at a certain point, I wanted to know everything, immediately. Of course that can't happen until some kind of interface to download books straight to the brain is invented, so I did the only thing I could, read as fast as possible!! So if there's anyone out there trying to decide if they want to read this book, don't go solely on a sample of the book. It's worth the time and money you'll invest, especially the last 20-25 percent! It is downright action packed, with hardly a moment for the citizens of the Courtyard, or the reader, to breath!!
When I first started this book, I wasn't sure how well I liked it. It took me a while to warm up to it, longer than usual for a new-to-me author. But at a certain point, I wanted to know everything, immediately. Of course that can't happen until some kind of interface to download books straight to the brain is invented, so I did the only thing I could, read as fast as possible!! So if there's anyone out there trying to decide if they want to read this book, don't go solely on a sample of the book. It's worth the time and money you'll invest, especially the last 20-25 percent! It is downright action packed, with hardly a moment for the citizens of the Courtyard, or the reader, to breath!!
readliftbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars because it kept me entertained and the storyline wasn't predictable. It wasn't similar to other books I've read and that was refreshing.
marsoplin's review against another edition
DNF. Do not read if you have self-harmed and cutting scenes trigger you.