Title: Etched in Bone
Author: Anne Bishop
Series: The Others #5
Publisher: Roc
Release Date: March 7th, 2017
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
Perfect ending to the story arc!
The main theme of the book is how much human to keep?
Which could be interpreted as: Is the Terra Indigene at risk of becoming more human? or is all humanity on the brink of getting eradicated from this world because some humans overstep their boundaries?
The Elders, the most powerful Others, are almost ready to make a decision about Thaisia but before they do it, two Elders leave the wild country to watch over the Courtyard. The Elders are intrigued about Simon and Meg. Their curiosity has been picked. They want to know how a blood prophet has changed the dynamics in the Courtyard and their leader Simon Wolfguard.
“You would kill the sweet blood not-Wolf?”
When detective Montgomery's brother Cyrus arrives at the Courtyard unexpectedly, everyone can smell trouble. The Others know he's dangerous but the Elders want to learn more about him. They want to know how one human can create problems for both human and Terra Indigene interacting together.
To say the least, Cyrus is definitely a rotten apple. He's nothing like Montgomery or his mother Twyla. Twyla has become like a grandmother to most of the Courtyard. Even the Others have a hard time denying her things. She has taken special affection towards Skippy. A certain scene involving both had me crying.
Etched in Bone has the same winning recipe. The characters are all important. Yes, Simon and Meg's relationship is the glue that keeps these two worlds together (and I love them both) but I'm as much invested in the human pack, the Others living in the Courtyard, the blood prophets, the Intuit people, Prairie Gold and the characters living in Great Island to name a few.
I'm sad this part of the Others' world has come to an end. It's hard for me to part ways with so many great characters and I can only hope we get to see some of them in the next book.
Cliffhanger: No
5/5 Fangs
