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aft888's review against another edition
5.0
I flew through this one expecting there to be more going on but it's a bit of filler.
diandra_s's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
chemwitch's review against another edition
3.0
3 stars.
Meg Corbyn and her friends are back, and this time they're going to stop whatever is happening to the Others. As they begin to narrow down the source of the mysterious disease plaguing the Midwest, there is just one question on everyone's mind: will they be fast enough to stop the Midwestern Others from destroying every human in the region?
Overall, I liked this book better than the first with one MAJOR exception.
They kept the romance to a minimum, which I liked with a few annoyances. I wasn't a huge fan of how they keep dangling the "slow burn" in our faces. Like, just let them be platonic. They don't have to have feelings for each other.
Anyway.
The plot was better than the first book, and I would marry Charlie Crowgard in a hot second. I was interested the whole way through and I never really felt like the book wasn't giving enough plot. Like the first book, there were a lot of exposition dumps but I didn't mind it so much.
My biggest problem? The fucking jokes. There are several instances in this book of "haha, females, am I right? Women are so hard to understand and emotional, hahaha, we're men and this is funny" and I just despise that type of humor and it pulled me right out of the story and into a bitter homicidal rage.
These jokes happened a couple times in the first book but I felt this one had them more prominently since Meg's pack of humans was entirely female. Every time I read one I had to do some deep breathing exercises to continue. They're just. So. Bad.
So, yeah, bottom line: If you like shitty misogynist humor, then maybe this is more than a 3-star read, I guess. It's decent otherwise. I just hate that shit. So goddamn much.
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5/26/19: A good book brought down by shit humor. Rtc?
Meg Corbyn and her friends are back, and this time they're going to stop whatever is happening to the Others. As they begin to narrow down the source of the mysterious disease plaguing the Midwest, there is just one question on everyone's mind: will they be fast enough to stop the Midwestern Others from destroying every human in the region?
Overall, I liked this book better than the first with one MAJOR exception.
They kept the romance to a minimum, which I liked with a few annoyances. I wasn't a huge fan of how they keep dangling the "slow burn" in our faces. Like, just let them be platonic. They don't have to have feelings for each other.
Anyway.
The plot was better than the first book, and I would marry Charlie Crowgard in a hot second. I was interested the whole way through and I never really felt like the book wasn't giving enough plot. Like the first book, there were a lot of exposition dumps but I didn't mind it so much.
My biggest problem? The fucking jokes. There are several instances in this book of "haha, females, am I right? Women are so hard to understand and emotional, hahaha, we're men and this is funny" and I just despise that type of humor and it pulled me right out of the story and into a bitter homicidal rage.
These jokes happened a couple times in the first book but I felt this one had them more prominently since Meg's pack of humans was entirely female. Every time I read one I had to do some deep breathing exercises to continue. They're just. So. Bad.
So, yeah, bottom line: If you like shitty misogynist humor, then maybe this is more than a 3-star read, I guess. It's decent otherwise. I just hate that shit. So goddamn much.
--------------------
5/26/19: A good book brought down by shit humor. Rtc?
serru's review against another edition
4.0
This was another enjoyable volume of The Others, although I didn't love it as much as the first one. The book picks up right where the previous one left off, dealing with the origin of the drugs "gone over wolf" and "feel good". At the same time, tension is increasing between humans and the terra indigene due to multiple planned attacks on the Crowgard. Still, the overall story moves at a slow, plodding pace and focuses more of each character's day to day routine, much like in the first book. I find it enjoyable enough to read, but it means the overall story can be lacking in tension and conflict. The "big fight"/climax of the story also happened super quickly and was wrapped up in a couple short chapters, almost as if it was an afterthought.
Meg even takes a more passive role in the story, essentially staying back at the homefront while Simon and the others go out to deal with the murders of the Crows, interact with the policemen, and generally are much more engaged with the world outside of the Courtyard. She wasn't even involved in the climax of the story, which was disappointing. Since she's the main character, I wanted to see her take a more active role in the story, and grow as a person. However, we do learn a lot more about blood prophets, and how the cutting and prophecies affect Meg, and the resolution of this book seems to promise that Meg will play a more important role later on in the series.
Some of Meg's interactions with the Others also seemed downright silly at times, such as when she buys dog beds and dog cookies from a pet supplies store for the Wolves. I guess it's meant to be cute and funny, but it feels a bit jarring and out of place with the darker aspects of the series. Which worked for me in the first volume, but since this is the second in a series, I was hoping for a little more than just a repeat of the previous book. That said, I still really liked this book and am interested in seeing how Meg and Simon's friendship/relationship develops. I had originally thought Meg seemed too naive and young for Simon, but this book makes it clear that Simon really has no clue about human interactions, so he's equally as immature as Meg in this respect and thus it gives their dynamic more balance. It also helps to further establish just how not human the Others are.
Meg even takes a more passive role in the story, essentially staying back at the homefront while Simon and the others go out to deal with the murders of the Crows, interact with the policemen, and generally are much more engaged with the world outside of the Courtyard. She wasn't even involved in the climax of the story, which was disappointing. Since she's the main character, I wanted to see her take a more active role in the story, and grow as a person. However, we do learn a lot more about blood prophets, and how the cutting and prophecies affect Meg, and the resolution of this book seems to promise that Meg will play a more important role later on in the series.
Some of Meg's interactions with the Others also seemed downright silly at times, such as when she buys dog beds and dog cookies from a pet supplies store for the Wolves. I guess it's meant to be cute and funny, but it feels a bit jarring and out of place with the darker aspects of the series. Which worked for me in the first volume, but since this is the second in a series, I was hoping for a little more than just a repeat of the previous book. That said, I still really liked this book and am interested in seeing how Meg and Simon's friendship/relationship develops. I had originally thought Meg seemed too naive and young for Simon, but this book makes it clear that Simon really has no clue about human interactions, so he's equally as immature as Meg in this respect and thus it gives their dynamic more balance. It also helps to further establish just how not human the Others are.
crochetchrisie's review against another edition
4.0
Finished it in a day. This book started to answer some of the questions in the series.
mischievous_monkey's review against another edition
4.0
A very good second installment to the series. I like how the author explores difficult topics (slavery, addiction, race relations, etc.) in a way that is unflinching yet humane.
The narration is very good as well.
The narration is very good as well.
lee25's review against another edition
5.0
I recently stated re-reading The Others Series after finishing Wild Country and not being ready to leave Thaisia behind, and I have to say that Murder of Crows was just as good (probably even better) the second time around.
Anne Bishop has the amazing ability of turning characters who would normally be villains into heroes. Even without hiding their dark side, she shows us their good qualities. In both the Black Jewels Series and The Others, she creates very dark and often violent worlds full of honourable and kind characters.
Murder of Crows has some very violent and repellent themes, but it is ultimately a story of hope, acceptance. and friendship; a reminder that good do things come to kind, gentle souls.
The re-read bumped my original 4 stars up to 5.
Anne Bishop has the amazing ability of turning characters who would normally be villains into heroes. Even without hiding their dark side, she shows us their good qualities. In both the Black Jewels Series and The Others, she creates very dark and often violent worlds full of honourable and kind characters.
Murder of Crows has some very violent and repellent themes, but it is ultimately a story of hope, acceptance. and friendship; a reminder that good do things come to kind, gentle souls.
The re-read bumped my original 4 stars up to 5.
nicolemhewitt's review against another edition
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This second book had me completely enraptured, just like the first! The story revolves around a drug that is affecting both humans and Others alike – in incredibly deadly ways. In this book, Meg’s prophetic abilities are kicked up a notch and relations between the humans and the Others starts to get very messy. There are some major showdowns and the danger factor is way high – I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and couldn’t wait to jump right into the next one! Another 5/5 stars.
This second book had me completely enraptured, just like the first! The story revolves around a drug that is affecting both humans and Others alike – in incredibly deadly ways. In this book, Meg’s prophetic abilities are kicked up a notch and relations between the humans and the Others starts to get very messy. There are some major showdowns and the danger factor is way high – I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire book and couldn’t wait to jump right into the next one! Another 5/5 stars.
lamom77's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed the second book in this series. It had an interesting ending, really wanting more, how long until Book 3???