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diandra_s's review
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rvmama's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely loved this book. The characters, human and Other took up residence in my heart. Can't wait for the next one. Please let there be a next one.
kiaras's review
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lee25's review against another edition
5.0
Another amazing book by Anne Bishop.
I love the world of the terra indigene. I was worried when Ms Bishop finished the Lakeside books that I wouldn't enjoy this series as much - I had become so attached to Meg, Simon, and Vlad and others. But I shouldn't have worried, Anne Bishop creates incredibly real characters that I can't help but love despite (or maybe because of) their imperfections. So, while I do miss the Lakeside characters, I now also love Tolya, Jana, Tobias, and especially Virgil.
I love the world of the terra indigene. I was worried when Ms Bishop finished the Lakeside books that I wouldn't enjoy this series as much - I had become so attached to Meg, Simon, and Vlad and others. But I shouldn't have worried, Anne Bishop creates incredibly real characters that I can't help but love despite (or maybe because of) their imperfections. So, while I do miss the Lakeside characters, I now also love Tolya, Jana, Tobias, and especially Virgil.
lemonlaiime's review against another edition
4.0
I love the world that Anne Bishop has created for the Others. It’s an exploration every time and I am here for it!
That said, Wild Country felt bloated. I loved revisiting some favorite side characters and finding out what happened elsewhere during the events of Etched in Bone. But there were so many new characters who you needed to feel attachment to. Many of these characters have made brief appearances in previous books, so you recognize the name, but you don’t intimately know them. The few characters who floated to the top to be “lead characters” by the end were fantastic to read about. Like Jana, Virgil and Kane. But there were a few who had interesting entrances and then disappeared into the background while we focused on Jana.
There feels to be a lot of set up for a second book set in the town of Bennett. Hopefully we’ll be able to revisit soon!
That said, Wild Country felt bloated. I loved revisiting some favorite side characters and finding out what happened elsewhere during the events of Etched in Bone. But there were so many new characters who you needed to feel attachment to. Many of these characters have made brief appearances in previous books, so you recognize the name, but you don’t intimately know them. The few characters who floated to the top to be “lead characters” by the end were fantastic to read about. Like Jana, Virgil and Kane. But there were a few who had interesting entrances and then disappeared into the background while we focused on Jana.
There feels to be a lot of set up for a second book set in the town of Bennett. Hopefully we’ll be able to revisit soon!
amym84's review against another edition
5.0
4.5
Thaisia is trying to move on after the Elders wiped out the humans who were slaughtering various terre indigene Others. Some places, like Bennett, have turned into veritable ghost towns. But life has to move forward and the Inuits that survived the massacre know that reviving Bennett's economy is essential for the survival of some of the smaller settlements. Once again Others and humans will have to learn to work together in order for this new frontier to thrive. However, there are still those who are adrift in this altered Thaisia that haven't learned from the mistakes of the past and only look for opportunities for themselves. Outlaws circling around Bennett. They aren't prepared for what lurking in the Wild Country.
Wild Country definitely is more aligned with the original series than Lake Silence, and while I enjoyed the previous entry in this spin-off series, Wild Country just hit all the right spots that I was accustomed to when originally reading The Others.
I think the connection to the characters was quicker to develop because there are a few characters that we've already been introduced to from the parent series such as Jesse Walker (an Intuit woman living in Prairie Gold, she runs the general store) and Tolya Sanguinati. It also helps that we, briefly, get to revisit Lakeside as they are responsible for holding a "job fair" and sending candidates along to work in Bennett.
Mostly, it's the fact that Anne Bishop has built such an interesting world. I could read about the day-to-day interactions of these characters in this place forever. Especially the often delicate dynamic between Others and humans. There's not a lot of difference between what we've seen in the original series, but Anne Bishop continues to write characters that are interesting and situations that don't always have an easy solution. There's a lot more about perspective in Wild Country than I feel like we've seen before. Jana, the new human deputy assigned to Bennett, is a big proponent of this. She's 1) new to the police force having just graduated, 2) never worked with Others before, 3) Used to being undervalued because of her sex. Whereas the Others are quick to identity "bad" people, Jana knows the law, and she knows it's not always as simple as "good" and "bad" and her trying to get this point across to her boss Virgil Wolfgard makes for some very interesting exchanges between the two.
There's a specific moment that almost directly connects with events that occur in Etched in Bone, but I felt like it took too much away from what was actually happening in Bennett. There was a certain extent where hearkening back to the previous series was appreciated but past that, it just dragged a bit in those places. The characters that Anne Bishop established in this book stand well on their own.
Like Virgil Wolfgard, I viewed this new book and these new characters as the building of a new pack. Both humans and the various Others that live in Bennett are embarking on a new way of life. There were a lot of mirrors to Lakeside but Anne Bishop keeps things from feeling too repetitive by the simple fact that she writes these characters so well. Imbues them each with such different personalities that even though we've been here before with tensions between Others and humans, there's always another facet that has yet to be explored.
It was interesting this time to see the Outlaws are part of an Intuit family of grifters. That instead of using their gifts for something that benefits many people in a good way, they're looking out for themselves. It's something we haven't seen in the series before, and it was interesting to see how those gifts that are closely related to / an off-shoot of the cassandra sangue could be used in a bad way.
I don't know why Anne Bishop decided that this second spin-off book would go back, in a way, to the previous series more, but I really enjoyed it. I hope this isn't the last we see of the residents of Bennett.
Thaisia is trying to move on after the Elders wiped out the humans who were slaughtering various terre indigene Others. Some places, like Bennett, have turned into veritable ghost towns. But life has to move forward and the Inuits that survived the massacre know that reviving Bennett's economy is essential for the survival of some of the smaller settlements. Once again Others and humans will have to learn to work together in order for this new frontier to thrive. However, there are still those who are adrift in this altered Thaisia that haven't learned from the mistakes of the past and only look for opportunities for themselves. Outlaws circling around Bennett. They aren't prepared for what lurking in the Wild Country.
Wild Country definitely is more aligned with the original series than Lake Silence, and while I enjoyed the previous entry in this spin-off series, Wild Country just hit all the right spots that I was accustomed to when originally reading The Others.
I think the connection to the characters was quicker to develop because there are a few characters that we've already been introduced to from the parent series such as Jesse Walker (an Intuit woman living in Prairie Gold, she runs the general store) and Tolya Sanguinati. It also helps that we, briefly, get to revisit Lakeside as they are responsible for holding a "job fair" and sending candidates along to work in Bennett.
Mostly, it's the fact that Anne Bishop has built such an interesting world. I could read about the day-to-day interactions of these characters in this place forever. Especially the often delicate dynamic between Others and humans. There's not a lot of difference between what we've seen in the original series, but Anne Bishop continues to write characters that are interesting and situations that don't always have an easy solution. There's a lot more about perspective in Wild Country than I feel like we've seen before. Jana, the new human deputy assigned to Bennett, is a big proponent of this. She's 1) new to the police force having just graduated, 2) never worked with Others before, 3) Used to being undervalued because of her sex. Whereas the Others are quick to identity "bad" people, Jana knows the law, and she knows it's not always as simple as "good" and "bad" and her trying to get this point across to her boss Virgil Wolfgard makes for some very interesting exchanges between the two.
There's a specific moment that almost directly connects with events that occur in Etched in Bone, but I felt like it took too much away from what was actually happening in Bennett. There was a certain extent where hearkening back to the previous series was appreciated but past that, it just dragged a bit in those places. The characters that Anne Bishop established in this book stand well on their own.
Like Virgil Wolfgard, I viewed this new book and these new characters as the building of a new pack. Both humans and the various Others that live in Bennett are embarking on a new way of life. There were a lot of mirrors to Lakeside but Anne Bishop keeps things from feeling too repetitive by the simple fact that she writes these characters so well. Imbues them each with such different personalities that even though we've been here before with tensions between Others and humans, there's always another facet that has yet to be explored.
It was interesting this time to see the Outlaws are part of an Intuit family of grifters. That instead of using their gifts for something that benefits many people in a good way, they're looking out for themselves. It's something we haven't seen in the series before, and it was interesting to see how those gifts that are closely related to / an off-shoot of the cassandra sangue could be used in a bad way.
I don't know why Anne Bishop decided that this second spin-off book would go back, in a way, to the previous series more, but I really enjoyed it. I hope this isn't the last we see of the residents of Bennett.
bethtabler's review against another edition
5.0
There is always one thing that you can depend on in life and reading. You can depend on the sun rising and you can depend on Anne Bishop writing a beautiful book. Every single time I have ever read a book of hers whether it is of the jewels line or the Others series they have never They are not always perfect. But in the end, I have loved them and loved what few imperfections they ended up having. The writing ends up flowing like prose. The world-building is so well done that you can almost see the rain falling on the blades of grass in the courtyard in The Others. You can feel the goosebumps travel your skin from hearing the Arwood. Not many authors can do that. It takes a steady hand and the ability to push and pull details, to add just enough here, and pull just enough there to get things just right and she is a master at it. And once again he did not disappoint. Wild Country was a high and delicious delight.
It was a delight that I so desperately needed. I have been fighting illness last month. It was able to take me from my misery and pull me into the world I have become so fond of and again immerse me in a fast-paced story with new characters that almost seem comfortable to me.
Speaking of characters. Something that Anne Bishop does, that I know of no other author that is doing is to not humanize or anthropomorphize werewolves, vampires, or any other lupine type creature. They are not human and will never be human. They are others and will always be. It adds a dividing line through the novel that I respect and admire. They can be friends as much as their species can come to understand each other, they can be lovers, as much as their species can allow. But they can not me mates, fall in love, or anything else. That can not be. It is a refreshing take on a somewhat tired out genre. Also, Anne shows how dangerous humans are. We are just dangerous in other ways. in much more dangerous and devious ways. Less respectable ways. It is in good balance with the rest of the novel.
The pacing was fantastic. Each section moved the story moved with each section have a specific purpose to the plot that added a noteworthy element to the plot. Not a word was wasted.
If you like stories that have werewolves, vampires, and creatures of others but are not stupid. No sparkle here folks. Just fantastic and interesting writing, about a town on the frontier trying to get started dealing with brigands and horse thievery, vagrants, and the like. This is the story for you.
I can not give this high enough praise another fabulous story out of Anne Bishop!!!
It was a delight that I so desperately needed. I have been fighting illness last month. It was able to take me from my misery and pull me into the world I have become so fond of and again immerse me in a fast-paced story with new characters that almost seem comfortable to me.
Speaking of characters. Something that Anne Bishop does, that I know of no other author that is doing is to not humanize or anthropomorphize werewolves, vampires, or any other lupine type creature. They are not human and will never be human. They are others and will always be. It adds a dividing line through the novel that I respect and admire. They can be friends as much as their species can come to understand each other, they can be lovers, as much as their species can allow. But they can not me mates, fall in love, or anything else. That can not be. It is a refreshing take on a somewhat tired out genre. Also, Anne shows how dangerous humans are. We are just dangerous in other ways. in much more dangerous and devious ways. Less respectable ways. It is in good balance with the rest of the novel.
The pacing was fantastic. Each section moved the story moved with each section have a specific purpose to the plot that added a noteworthy element to the plot. Not a word was wasted.
If you like stories that have werewolves, vampires, and creatures of others but are not stupid. No sparkle here folks. Just fantastic and interesting writing, about a town on the frontier trying to get started dealing with brigands and horse thievery, vagrants, and the like. This is the story for you.
I can not give this high enough praise another fabulous story out of Anne Bishop!!!