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A review by mels_reading_rook
Written in Red by Anne Bishop
5.0
Written in Red was a great urban fantasy read. The setting is much darker and grittier than the novels I usually read, but for me, that grittiness that the author brings to the pages only enhances the story she is trying to tell as she uses it to help establish the setting. This isn't a nice world the characters are living in - it's harsh, filled with monsters and magics that are significantly more powerful than you. And yet, people thrive and survive around the tentative truce between the divided species.
This book follows the story of Meg Corbyn, a blood prophet who has escaped from her not-so-gilded cage. She's determined to survive as long as she can, determined to live life the way she wants, and not how others tell her or force her to. Meg finds herself building a life for herself in the Lakeside Courtyard, a section of human given land controlled by the Others to keep an eye on them. She's hired to be the new Human Liaison by the leader of this area's Others, Simon Wolfgard, who's wary about allowing someone with a clear secret and a lack of a prey scent into the fold.
The story is a bit slow-moving, but it's because the author is taking her time to develop the characters and establish the setting they live in. She allows the characters to interact with one another, develop bonds, and establish their motivations. I didn't mind the pace at all because the author had entranced me with the characters and their interactions as they progressed through the story.
Even in the grittiness of the world, what I liked best about this novel was how the characters managed to find moments of levity that made me genuinely laugh. Not only did I care about the characters, I cared with them.
By the end, while the major conflicts of the story had been resolved, there were still some hooks left for her to pull on and follow in future books, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing where she takes the story next.
This book follows the story of Meg Corbyn, a blood prophet who has escaped from her not-so-gilded cage. She's determined to survive as long as she can, determined to live life the way she wants, and not how others tell her or force her to. Meg finds herself building a life for herself in the Lakeside Courtyard, a section of human given land controlled by the Others to keep an eye on them. She's hired to be the new Human Liaison by the leader of this area's Others, Simon Wolfgard, who's wary about allowing someone with a clear secret and a lack of a prey scent into the fold.
The story is a bit slow-moving, but it's because the author is taking her time to develop the characters and establish the setting they live in. She allows the characters to interact with one another, develop bonds, and establish their motivations. I didn't mind the pace at all because the author had entranced me with the characters and their interactions as they progressed through the story.
Even in the grittiness of the world, what I liked best about this novel was how the characters managed to find moments of levity that made me genuinely laugh. Not only did I care about the characters, I cared with them.
By the end, while the major conflicts of the story had been resolved, there were still some hooks left for her to pull on and follow in future books, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing where she takes the story next.