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A review by amym84
Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop
4.0
Etched in Bone marks the last book in Meg's story arc. I've heard recently that Anne Bishop will continue writing in The Others world with a spin off. So keeping all that in mind, here are my thoughts on Etched in Bone:
The book picks up after the Elders swept through Thaisia quelling the human uprising. The terra indigene are calling for stricter dealing with humans. As some communities were wiped out completely, some are struggling to get back on their feet again, the Lakeside Courtyard has seemed to have found its rhythm in regards to The Others and humans working together. The Elders see this and are curious. They want to learn and understand this dynamic because as far as they're concerned, more humans should still be eliminated from the earth. So they watch, and they observe.
But things for Lakeside are thrown into a tailspin with Lieutenant Montgomery's trouble-causing brother shows up. As tensions rise between the humans in the courtyard, the Elders don't understand how such a small insignificant human could potentially be a danger to the bigger picture. But not-wolf Meg has seen what is to come, and it will threaten the precarious peace that has been found.
For me, Etched in Bone just didn't read like it was the final book in a series (or story arc). I feel like there is so much left open, which is probably why Anne Bishop is continuing with a spin-off, but I felt like there was a lot left open for Meg and Simon and the others in Lakeside Courtyard.
I've loved this series from the moment I picked up [book:Written in Red|15711341]. I've loved the pacing and the slow build-up of what turns around and winds up happening in the end, and this is certainly true for Etched in Bone as well. But, as I said, when I think of this book in the context of being that last book in a story arc, it just doesn't feel finished. Maybe this feeling will change depending on what events the spin-off decides to take on, if we'll still get updates or revisit our beloved Courtyard family, but as of right now, I wanted to feel more closure with the storyline.
On it's own, however, I loved that Etched in Bone brought the focus back to the Lakeside Courtyard. I know [book:Marked in Flesh|22062202] took us out of the Courtyard to other places in Thaisia and for events that transpired in that book I understood why, but I loved the dynamic and the day-to-day routine of being in the Courtyard and so I was really happy that the focus had shifted back.
I've also personally really enjoyed the slow build-up of the relationship between Meg and Simon. It never really lost the tentative and sweetness about it as they both figure out what is really between them. Part of me really wants their relationship to go further, to move past the sweetness, but the other part of me understands that is not who their characters are. At least who they are yet. I do like how Anne Bishop dealt with the Meg and Simon relationship in Etched. Their devotion to one another is unquestionable. It makes me really hope that this is not the last we'll see of this couple.
In the context of the overall story I, like the Elders, was very interested in the way Anne Bishop shows how much damage just one bad person can do. How much havoc they can wreak. It's kind of a simple premise, but executed in a way that makes it easy to see the chain of events and where they lead from and where they're going, but unable to stop it.
I can't wait to see what Anne Bishop has in store for us next with this series / world. While I feel like there's so much more to explore in Meg's world, Thaisia itself is a big continent, not to mention all the other continents / places we have yet to venture. It would be interesting to see the rest of the world and the different dealings between the humans and terra indigene
The book picks up after the Elders swept through Thaisia quelling the human uprising. The terra indigene are calling for stricter dealing with humans. As some communities were wiped out completely, some are struggling to get back on their feet again, the Lakeside Courtyard has seemed to have found its rhythm in regards to The Others and humans working together. The Elders see this and are curious. They want to learn and understand this dynamic because as far as they're concerned, more humans should still be eliminated from the earth. So they watch, and they observe.
But things for Lakeside are thrown into a tailspin with Lieutenant Montgomery's trouble-causing brother shows up. As tensions rise between the humans in the courtyard, the Elders don't understand how such a small insignificant human could potentially be a danger to the bigger picture. But not-wolf Meg has seen what is to come, and it will threaten the precarious peace that has been found.
For me, Etched in Bone just didn't read like it was the final book in a series (or story arc). I feel like there is so much left open, which is probably why Anne Bishop is continuing with a spin-off, but I felt like there was a lot left open for Meg and Simon and the others in Lakeside Courtyard.
I've loved this series from the moment I picked up [book:Written in Red|15711341]. I've loved the pacing and the slow build-up of what turns around and winds up happening in the end, and this is certainly true for Etched in Bone as well. But, as I said, when I think of this book in the context of being that last book in a story arc, it just doesn't feel finished. Maybe this feeling will change depending on what events the spin-off decides to take on, if we'll still get updates or revisit our beloved Courtyard family, but as of right now, I wanted to feel more closure with the storyline.
On it's own, however, I loved that Etched in Bone brought the focus back to the Lakeside Courtyard. I know [book:Marked in Flesh|22062202] took us out of the Courtyard to other places in Thaisia and for events that transpired in that book I understood why, but I loved the dynamic and the day-to-day routine of being in the Courtyard and so I was really happy that the focus had shifted back.
I've also personally really enjoyed the slow build-up of the relationship between Meg and Simon. It never really lost the tentative and sweetness about it as they both figure out what is really between them. Part of me really wants their relationship to go further, to move past the sweetness, but the other part of me understands that is not who their characters are. At least who they are yet. I do like how Anne Bishop dealt with the Meg and Simon relationship in Etched. Their devotion to one another is unquestionable. It makes me really hope that this is not the last we'll see of this couple.
In the context of the overall story I, like the Elders, was very interested in the way Anne Bishop shows how much damage just one bad person can do. How much havoc they can wreak. It's kind of a simple premise, but executed in a way that makes it easy to see the chain of events and where they lead from and where they're going, but unable to stop it.
I can't wait to see what Anne Bishop has in store for us next with this series / world. While I feel like there's so much more to explore in Meg's world, Thaisia itself is a big continent, not to mention all the other continents / places we have yet to venture. It would be interesting to see the rest of the world and the different dealings between the humans and terra indigene