Bea Reviews Etched in Bone by Anne Bishop

Series: The Others #5
Publisher: Roc
Source: the publisher in exchange for an honest review
Release Date: March 7th, 2017
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | iTunes* | Barnes & Noble
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Blurb from goodreads:

New York Times bestselling author Anne Bishop returns to her world of the Others, as humans struggle to survive in the shadow of shapeshifters and vampires far more powerful than themselves…

After a human uprising was brutally put down by the Elders—a primitive and lethal form of the Others—the few cities left under human control are far-flung. And the people within them now know to fear the no-man’s-land beyond their borders—and the darkness…

As some communities struggle to rebuild, Lakeside Courtyard has emerged relatively unscathed, though Simon Wolfgard, its wolf shifter leader, and blood prophet Meg Corbyn must work with the human pack to maintain the fragile peace. But all their efforts are threatened when Lieutenant Montgomery’s shady brother arrives, looking for a free ride and easy pickings.

With the humans on guard against one of their own, tensions rise, drawing the attention of the Elders, who are curious about the effect such an insignificant predator can have on a pack. But Meg knows the dangers, for she has seen in the cards how it will all end—with her standing beside a grave.

My Thoughts:

The series is over. It's the end. :(

I wanted to read this book but I didn't want to since it's the final book of the series. But once I started I was hooked and didn't want to put it down. Who needs to show up for work?  Oh wait, I do. But even with work and some sleep, I still managed to get it read in under 24 hours.

 I didn't love this one but I did like it and each time I re-read it, I like it more. Yes, I've read it several times. In fact, when I started working on this review, I began re-reading it and had to force myself to put it down. It's definitely an enthralling and engaging story. In some ways, it's more personal than the other books in the series. There are no major external events; most of the focus is on smaller events, though they have an impact on the larger community. The story deals with Detective Montgomery's brother Cyrus, and his family, as well as their sister Sissy, and their mother Twyla. The other Courtyard humans, Merri Lee, Eve, etc. have smaller roles this time around and there wasn't nearly enough of Henry or Tess to suit me. There were lots of characters this time around so it was inevitable that some of them would have less page time. 

 

Jimmy at times bordered on being unbelievable, and over the top. His wife Sandee and their kids received little in the way of development. Little sister Sissy was fleshed out more but her kids were stick figures, serving only to move certain points in the story along. Now Skippy, that atypically developing juvenile Wolf, had a heartbreaking scene but it also gave me hope for him. And Henry, though he played a smaller role this time around, had a wonderful scene with some of the Elders concerning Meg. It made me cheer despite what else was going on.

 

The Elders, who are the ultimate alphas and frighten even Simon, play a bigger role in the story than in previous stories, and while they are by no means warm and fuzzy, I had to laugh at Meg's interactions with them. And poor Nathan, the watch Wolf; he just about had a heart attack trying to keep Meg safe. And while she was safe from the Elders, she was still in danger. Even though I was sure she would be okay, I was on edge, worried about her, and hoping she'd be okay. After all she'd been through, she deserved a happy ending. 

Bishop wrapped up most of the story lines and threads from the previous books. And while I was absolutely sure after reading the first book that Simon and Meg would never end together, my friend Nifty disagreed, and she was right. While their relationship is atypical for both humans and terra indigene, it works for them. I had hoped for a more concrete resolution but it's a happy ending and a happy-ish future for humans. Complex, rich in detail, relevant to today's world yet original, "Etched in Bone" was a satisfying conclusion to the series and one I'll continue to re-read. 

My review of book one, Written in Red
My review of book two, Murder of Crows
My review of book three, Vision in Silver
My review of book four, Marked in Flesh