Book Review: Written in Red by Anne Bishop

Written In Red
By Anne Bishop
The Others #1
Hardcover: 433 pages
Publication Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: ROC
Rated: ✯ ✯
2 out of 5 Stars
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Related Reviews: | Blood of Eden | Nightshade |
Categories: Fantasy, Magic, Werewolves, Vampires

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.

So. Am I the only person that thought this book was completely awful?! Written in Red has been relaxing in my TBR pile for ages now. At a loss as to what to dive into next after a couple of really great reads- I was browsing through good ole Goodreads. Hmm. And browsing some more.. and.. Wait! There it is! The book that I have been looking for; a great synopsis, a relatively high rating, (4.34) and a genre tag of urban fantasy / magic. Sweet. For my fellow bloggers, I know you understand the struggle. Book hangover is a term that I use loosely for this condition; the time period after a book nerd has read a rather wonderful story. The task of choosing a next read can be difficult and/or stressful for said book nerd. This condition can last for weeks if left untreated, months even..

So imagine my shock when I find myself half way through Written In Red and I'm wondering why exactly everyone is in love with Meg. Personally, I have nothing against our female protagonist, but I do find myself missing the appeal. A cassandra sangue is a glorified fortune teller; these not quite humans slice their skin with razors to activate their future telling skills. How very emo.. Her ability to do this results in a price on her head. A large price. On the run from these powerful people that raised her as a possession, she stumbles upon The Others. I will really never understand why some authors choose to throw originality out the window. The Others. Really? Sigh. The Others seem to consist of a mix of supernatural creatures; all sorts of shifter-type beings from the typical werewolves to hawks and crows. These creatures are at the top of the food chain, and I do like how Miss Bishop portrays them. There are no sparkly vampires or cuddly werewolves here. They are predators. Humans are meat, end of story. Their only rule: don't eat the useful ones. Sweet.

And that is probably the only exciting part in the whole freaking novel. The introduction of the Others. For about 300 pages, we get to read about Meg delivering mail, Meg eating lunch, everyone falling in love with Meg. Blah, blah, blah. I am not exaggerating about this at all. The action is practically non existent, save for the end. And sadly, it was so very predictable. Zero plot twists are unacceptable to me, dammit! Ugh. All in all, I really do believe that Anne Bishop is a great writer, so I will give it 2 stars. But those 2 stars are almost too much for Written In Red. This is a series..? Well, I have to say, I will most likely not find myself following this one! I tried to stay away from a ranty review; I think I may have crossed that line a bit.. my bad.. :)

"People who entered the Courtyard without an invitation were just plain crazy! Wolves were big and scary and so fluffy, how could anyone resist hugging one just to feel all that fur? “Ignore the fluffy,” she muttered. “Remember the part about big and scary.” -Meg

“Vlad hated doing the paperwork as much as he did when a human employee quit, which was why they'd both made a promise not to eat quitters just to avoid the paperwork. As Tess had pointed out, eating the staff was bad for marale and made it so much harder to find new employees.” -Vlad, the Vampire. Shocker, I know.

“The other package has pieces of dried stag stick. The pups like chewing on those."
"What's a stag stick?" Meg asked, taking the packages.
He stared at her for a moment. Then he put a fist below his belt and popped out a thumb.
"Oh," Meg said. "Oh.”

Related Reviews
| Blood of Eden | Nightshade |

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