A Book Obsession..: Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

Review: Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

, by Kt Clapsadl

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop

The Others #4

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…

I have to admit I may have danced a victory jig when I got my hands on this book. I absolutely love this series and wish the books would come faster. Each book blows me away and this one was no exception. At first the frequent shifting point of views were rather jarring and took a little while to get used to the flow. However, once I did I really appreciated all those multiple character angles as it allowed the suspense and pace to feel all the more widespread. Sure it didn't allow for quite as much character development in as in previous installments, but the action and horror of this book would have out-shadowed any large growth anyway. That being said, Meg still continued to grow and for the first time I felt like real progress was made towards a long term solution to save her life. The thousand cut expiration has felt like a looming axe, and while nothing is certain, that hope makes me a very happy reader. I also really enjoyed the small progression in the hints of romance with Simon and Meg. Again it was more hope than anything certain, but it's that hope that keeps me sucked in.

The ramifications of all the Humans First and Last terrible actions ripple throughout making MARKED IN FLESH feel like a turning point in the series. With the things between human finally coming fully to a head, nothing will be the same. I can't tell you how many times while reading this book that I was blown away by the majority of the human's stupidity, audacity, and utter cruelty. And yet they call the Others, "monsters." Anne Bishop did an incredible job at making those stakes feel so real. I was horrified at the humans, and utterly terrified of the Elders. She crafted them in a way that they were fully fleshed, and yet still mysterious at the same time, making them all the more terrifying for it.

The Others series is simply put, one of the best urban fantasy series that I have ever read. Considering just how many books I've read in the genre, trust me when I say that this is the one to read. MARKED IN FLESH proved once again that this series is an utter powerhouse in the genre that I hope will continue on for many books to come. Run, do not walk to get your hands on this one.

(Received a copy from the publisher)

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