Review: Marked in Flesh

Marked in Flesh by Anne Bishop
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


So I'm a big fan of The Others series because it's refreshing when an author can recreate the paranormal using beings that are new and haven't been overdone a million times (with sparkles..). The terra indigene are shifters but they are only part of what makes up the whole community of others. The Elders, known as Namid's teeth and claws are not fond of the humans, and as the HFL (Humans First and Last) movement is gaining steam and their leader Nicholas Scratch is hell bent on reclaiming part of the wild country for the humans to expand things are not looking good. Humans memories are short and every couple of generations they must be reminded of what happens when they break their agreements with the Others.

The number of characters and places/settlements continues to grow and it's a bit hard to keep up with at times. I don't think it's vitally important to know exactly which person comes from where but it does get a bit confusing. The pace of Marked in Flesh wasn't up to par with the previous three books and almost felt like more of a filler. Bishop is killing me with dragging this romance out with Meg and Simon, we get it she's fragile but not even a kiss?! Meg and all of the Cassandra Sangue have become such an integral part of the courtyards and Intuit settlements which have allowed them to bridge the gap between some of the humans, the terra indigene, and the simple life folk. Meg and her naivety may be all that stands in the way of death for the human pack of Lakeside.

Read the spoilers section below for a quick recap before starting book number five, Etched In Bone which is expected to be published in 2017.

***Spoilers***
The HFL lost all of their support and countless lives of humans throughout Thiasia and Cel-Romano when they attached all of the wolf packs. Some of them were able to escape with the warning from the Cassandra Sangue, but Joe and his pack from Prairie Gold weren't one of the lucky ones. All of the pups and their nanny made it out but none of the rest of their pack survived. The Elders are furious at the number of murders the HFL is responsible for and they won't be silent long. Montgomery is ablet o get his mother, sister, and nieces out of Toland before it's destroyed but very few human settlements make it out alive. His mother Twyla is a welcome addition to the human pack that the wolves especially appreciate because she makes the children listen with no room for argument. Meg has discovered a way to ask for answers and speak the prophecy using cards instead of the deadly cuts and she is hoping to show the rest of the Cassandra Sangue. Though she is still addicted to the euphoria of cutting her cards point her in the direction of Simon for a possible replacement for that euphoria. Unfortunately, we don't get to see, hear or read anything regarding romance but it's definitely coming!!

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