Review: Marked in Flesh

Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The Others, #4
Released: March 8th 2016
Publisher: Roc
Length: 399 pages
Source: Publisher for review
Buy: Amazon

For centuries, the Others and humans have lived side by side in uneasy peace. But when humankind oversteps its bounds, the Others will have to decide how much humanity they’re willing to tolerate—both within themselves and within their community...

Since the Others allied themselves with the cassandra sangue, the fragile yet powerful human blood prophets who were being exploited by their own kind, the delicate dynamic between humans and Others changed. Some, like Simon Wolfgard, wolf shifter and leader of the Lakeside Courtyard, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn, see the new, closer companionship as beneficial—both personally and practically.

But not everyone is convinced. A group of radical humans is seeking to usurp land through a series of violent attacks on the Others. What they don’t realize is that there are older and more dangerous forces than shifters and vampires protecting the land that belongs to the Others—and those forces are willing to do whatever is necessary to protect what is theirs…

As impossible as it may sound, with each new installment, Anne Bishop’s Others series becomes increasingly darker, more violent, and yes, much, much better. I still maintain that it’s not really urban fantasy, but that’s just my OCD talking. Who cares about the genre when the books are this good?

In Thasia, a world so much like our own but filled with creatures that represent nature in its purest form, the Humans First and Last Movement is growing stronger and louder every day. The more followers they attract, the more confident they seem, even when it would be far more prudent to plan in silence. Our friends among the terra indigene have to fight battles at two fronts. On the one side, the HFL movement is making life very hard for the few humans who’ve allied themselves with the Others. On the other side, though, the Elders have sent a warning to Simon that they’re nearby and watching. It’s very easy to guess which side scares Simon more.

As usual, Anne Bishop knows how to make her Others truly other. Even the moderately adapted terra indigene in the courtyards have very little in common with humans. Their logic is unlike ours, and so are their priorities. Seeing human behavior through their eyes sheds a different light on some of our habits and ways of thinking. The underlying social commentary is cleverly and subtly offered and it’s best to read these books with eyes wide open, both literally and metaphorically.

It’s no secret that we’ve all been waiting for some progress between Simon and Meg with bated breath and let me assure you, some progress is made. It’s still on their terms, however, and still somewhat understated, but that’s actually what makes their relationship so memorable.

My favorite thing about this series is that more is yet to come. I could spend thousands of pages in this world and not get tired of it in the least. If you are still unfamiliar with this series, please give it a chance. All four books have been breathtaking five-star reads. At this point, I’m confident the next one will be, too.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher for review purposes. No considerations, monetary or otherwise, have influenced the opinions expressed in this review.