Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Published: March 5th, 2013

by: ROC

Series: The Others #1

Genres: Adult-Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Supernatural

Format: Paperback

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4.5 Stars 

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As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

 

Review

Words can’t express how much I enjoyed this book. Which is really surprising, considering the villain got on my last nerve. Annoying villain aside, I think that Anne has created a world that is unique in its own way, but still familiar at the same time. Big Bad Wolf? There are plenty; and not your average wolf either. These are wolves of nightmares. Vampires? Yep, but beware of shaking their hands. This is not a world where humans are in control. This world is run by shifters, vampires, elementals, and more. They are not to be messed with, and I really love the fear among the people here. Hey, sue me. It’s different from other UF I’ve read, and it’s refreshing. Among the humans and terra-indigene (wolves, vamps, etc…) are the cassandra sangue (blood prophets), who are enslaved for their skin. Wanna know what your future holds, good or bad? You can buy a cut for the right price. And this is where Meg Corbyn comes in. She escapes her imprisonment, and finds shelter among the terra-indigene. The question is, is she safe? 

It’s really refreshing to have a heroine who is learning basic human things. She knows what most things are, but wasn’t taught how to use them. What was more interesting, was the fact that her kindness to the terra-indigene confused them. They knew she wasn’t all human by her smell. Still, she had them scratching their heads a lot. And when the vampire elder invites her inside the gate to deliver packages, it doesn’t go unnoticed by everyone. Meg, being the human liaison, does more than deliver packages. She treats everyone kind, and goes beyond her liaison duties. Even Winter, the moody elemental, has taking a liking to her. And I will not talk about the ponies. Okay, that just made me want one. I don’t care if they can cause disasters, I’d kill to get my hands on Thunder. And what she did for Sam made me love her, even though I was scared for her safety. 

Simon Wolfgard: He’s one interesting wolf. I felt his frustration at not being able to figure Meg out. And I’m really ready to continue this series after that ending. I can only figure it’s about to get crazy. Simon runs Howling Good Reads (book store), so it’s no wonder I like him. He can be a jerk sometimes; and that’s only when he’s trying to figure out something. And I love how he handles Asia Crane.

Asia Crane: She has to be the most absurd antagonist, ever. Truly, I am not even kidding. And for what? Because she wants to have her own TV show; Asia Crane Special Investigator. Seriously, everything she did in this book was just crazy. And she was always going on about her alter ego, Asia Crane SI: What would she do? I wanted to reach in and blow her brains out.

There are all types of interesting characters to get to know. I love love love this book! It seems slow in pace, as we have to allow Meg to get herself together and learn her way around. Then, there’s the cutting thing. I won’t get into it, but I found its purpose in this story to be quite something. It gives this whole world credibility. If the terra-indigene can have “special meat” on hand, then there can be some unnerving qualities of the humans (or human-like in this case) around them. The Others are intimidating and I love it. There’s not really any action until the end (aside from that little feast at the beginning), but what action it is. The elementals went bananas because of The Meg. I’d hate to get on their bad side; especially Winter’s. 

If you are in need of something different to read, I think this book will do the trick. I didn’t want to put it down, and after a couple of sittings I was done. Great world building, awesome characters, and a premise that makes you think of past history. It’s truly wonderful. Highly recommend!