Member Reviews

Another awesome entry into the world of the Others. This takes us back to The Jumble and Vicky's neighborhood. Crowbones is a monster tale told to scare young Crows, but it seems to have come to life. Namid's teeth and Claws are back to remind humans that Wolves and Bears aren't the scariest things out there.

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I really enjoyed this book, and it was a solid installment to the series. I'd be really leery about suggesting it as a stand alone, and some of the earlier books in the series were stronger. Still a really great series in general, and excited to see what comes next.

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Crowbones is the latest in Anne Bishop's series about the Others. This story returns to the characters introduced in Lake Silence. Crowbones was a vast improvement over Wild Country (book two of the sub-series) but was still weaker than the original. The whole premise behind the events of the story was farfetched and not particularly believable. The character development and interactions between the characters were excellent as in all of Bishop's writing but if you looked too deep into the motivations of the "puppetmasters' it engendered an eye roll and a 'seriously?'

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Anne Bishop does it again in this wonderful would were the Others were here first and are much bigger, badder, and scarier than anything else. But humanity still has an enlarged sense of entitlement that doesn't just get them into trouble...it gets them eaten. If you've followed this series, than we return to the Jumble with Vicki DeVine after being previously introduced to her in Lake Silence.

Owning and operating a Bed and Breakfast in the Wild Country is a challenge in and of itself. When you're guests must acknowledge the risks and take their own safety into account when booking rooms and cabins. But with Trickster Night fast approaching college researchers and the incautiously curious are clamoring for room in the small town in the middle of the Wild Country to see what the Others do. When an attempt to inspire fear succeeds with unintended results, the Crowguard problem solver, Crowbones, is now on the lose tracking Others that have become problems and have humans that have wandered into its path.

Vicki finds herself, once again, in the middle of trouble with dueling problems circling overhead. Now she must confront her own insecurities to help her friends unweave and mighty pattern of troublemaking and death that those far beyond her small town. But the power of being the Reader has it's perks and this too shall pass.

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I have been reading this series from the beginning and enjoyed this installment. The mystery involved in the story was great. I would not however, recommend this book for anyone who has not read the series. There is too much missing backstory and does not work as a standalone. Those who are interested in books of this genre should start this series at the beginning.

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This is another installment in the Other's World Series. Ms Bishop does such a great job of world building that I had no problem believing in terra indigene and how they keep humans in line. I have enjoyed the novels taking place in the World of the Others since Etched in Bone but Meg and Simon are still the best. I hope to read more of their story soon.

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Anne Bishop returned to the Others' World with Crowbones and it was...okay.

Crowbones had a good storyline, but the host of new characters were a bit hard to keep track of--like what they were guilty of and why/how they died. This book was also missing the fun animal-human descriptions that have made readers smile in Bishop's previous books.

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I just absolutely love the world that Anne Bishop has created for the Others series. It is one of my all time favorite and Anne keeps on delivering engaging, suspenseful, and fantastic stories. I love all the characters in the village Sproing, and this is one of the very few series where I love that there are multiple POVs. It's Trickster Night and it starts off with pretty good but then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman and things take a weird and dangerous turn. The blurb like always gives a great summary of what to expect to I won't go into the plot of the story.

Crowbones was just another phenomenal addition to the series and I was hooked until the very last page. I just love the author's writing style and imagination. Also the interactions between humans and the Others (aka terra indigene) is so intriguing. You can really feel the danger when they are around and the author is able to bring that aspect to life very well. But I also love how loyal the Others are when they care or find a particular human interesting. Vicki is one of them. She is a serious trouble magnet but thankfully she is surrounded by many forms of terra indigene to protect her. I loved seeing friendships and relationship develop and grow stronger, and I also really appreciated getting a glimpse of previous main characters. Crowbones is one of my favorite reads of the year and I can't wait to see what the author will come up next for this series.

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This e-copy was kindly given to me by Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.

I FREAKING LOVE THIS SERIES AND THIS BOOK SO MUCH. There is just something I find so addictive about this series/companion series that Bishop has crafted. I love characters, the conflict and just how well this world is fleshed out. I find it to be a really cool take on an urban fantasy- one that I haven't read before. The toeing line between the Others the humans is just ugh... I can't even find words on how much I love the concept and execution.

I was so lucky to get this copy early, I literally squealed out loud when I saw that I had approval. Totally a fall feeling read with creepy, ominous storyline, I got this just in time for it to be a Halloween read.

I highly recommend to anyone looking for a great, easy to follow yet action packed supernatural/paranormal series to get them start in the genre,

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Vicki runs The Jumble, a vacation getaway. She's human, but the town is populated by many different beings, including vampires, shifters, and elementals. After several grisly murders and sinister threats, the human police chief Grimshaw and vampire attorney Ilya Sanguinati try to discern who is responsible. Is it outsiders coming into town for Trickster Night? Is there really a punishing vigilante Crowbones, or is that just a legend? Anne Bishop is a master at world-building; I've read all of her Others series, but this novel could still be enjoyed as a stand-alone. Recommended for fans of Charlaine Harris. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this advance copy.

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Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Back in the World of the Others, at Lake Silence, the town is threatened by Crowbones... or is it?
Told from multiple points of view (some of which are not identifiable until the end of the story), Bishop introduces a new Other, Crowbones who appears in Crow stories.
As much as I love the Others books, and Bishop, this was not my favorite installment in the series. There just seemed to be too many characters who were guilty of a little of this and a little of that and by the time I got to the actual big bad... oh well.
That being said, I still enjoyed re-visiting Vicki and the Crows in the Jumble. I think there are a lot more stories to tell - I look forward to them- and an four star store from Bishop, is still an excellent story by any other comparison.

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Vicki DeVine is the Reader and innkeeper at The Jumble, a rustic resort where the Others, shape-shifters, vampires and Elders can interact with humans. The Crows are eager to participate in the human traditions for Trickster Night with the human guests until someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. Within minutes the impostor is killed and the party ends. The next morning a dead shape-shifting Crow is discovered. These deaths are clearly connected. The roads out of town are closed and the Elders and Elementals begin hunting. Now Vicki, human police chief Grimshaw, vampire lawyer Ilya Sanguinati, and the rest of their friends have to figure out who is manipulating events designed to pit humans against Others.

Why I started this book: Bishop is an automatic buy for me, so I jumped at the chance to read her latest book on Netgalley.

Why I finished it: See above. I read it in one gulp and then went back and read it again slower. Another great edition to the Others cannon. Interesting to see Bishop play with traditions, and the question of why do humans, always believe that "me" as an individual, doesn't have to follow the rules that are laid out for everyone.

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Fabulous! I adore THE OTHERS series. I understand that readers want more Meg and Simon, but I enjoyed LAKE SILENCE and Vicky's story, so I was delighted to hear about CROWBONES.
It's another excellent story in one of my all-time favourite worlds. Great characters, a fun mystery, and an incredible urban fantasy mythology. At times I struggled a little with many points of view, but overall it's a lot of fun and I hope there will be more books.

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"Crowbones" by Anne Bishop
Book 3 in The World of the Others
I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. These stories have suspense with a dash of humor as the different species attempt to understand each other. I will keep reading them as long as she writes them!

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Excellent work as always! I loved the return to Lake Silence, the Jumble, Vicki and her friends. Tricksters Night comes once a year and the Others are fascinated. But when a trick turns bad and the bodies start piling up, it's up to them to figure out friend from foe!

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The World of the Others returns to Sproing and The Jumble. On Trickster Night, the Jumble is visited by Crowbones setting off a series of deaths and mysteries. ARC from NetGalley.

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Another great addition to the Others series by Anne Bishop! I loved that this book went back to the characters of Sproing and the Jumble. This book was action packed and suspenseful like the rest of the books in the series. I cannot wait to read more about these characters!

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The first time I met Vicky DeVine, The Jumble and the characters from Sproing was when I read Lake Silence. I was immediate pulled back into this favourite world and couldn’t get enough of it.

Vicky DeVine is a different kind of heroine.

From the outside Vicky looks frumpy, stocky, and timid, just not your typical female heroine. But outsides can be misleading. Although Vicky wrestles with her own demons she reminds me a lot of Meg. Not just in the way she behaves around The Others. She, like Meg, hides a spunky heart and just needs the right people around her. Her sass, makes me laugh when it surfaces at the most interesting times. Also I love that she slowly comes out of her shell when it comes to romantic entanglement. She deserves a happily ever after so much!!

For me, the main attraction of these books is definitely the world, the characters, the witty dialogues, and the camaraderie between men and women. There is so much friendship in these books. Especially between the different races. They support and help each other not just during dire situations. No wonder these books are some of my most cherished feel good novels. Although, they are not without gore, blood, and murder.

Also, I loved the many beloved characters that had a cameo in CROWBONES. And I can only hope there will be more books in the future.

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Back into the world of The Others with Vicki and Grimshaw and the rest of the gang. This was a fun fall read.

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I wanted to give this five stars because I love this series but by the end, there were problems that I had to take away a star for.

The Crowgard have a story of a creature called Crowbones that comes after naughty Crows. When a human dresses up as Crowbones, the Elders close down the town until the residents figure out who upset the Elders.

This brings interesting mythology to the Others series to see the consequences of the Others behaving badly. The Others are always shown as keeping in line and not making stupid decisions. It was nice to see that their teenagers can also be dumb.

My problem is that there wasn't enough Vicki. For someone who is supposed to be one of the main characters, she gets shoved into the sidelines for most of the book. It was aggravating that Grimshaw and Julian are constantly protecting her from the danger that's in her backyard. She should know things. She has to live with the Other more than anyone else. This protection is also condescending because Grimshaw and Julian are also just humans with no way to protect themselves.

Vicki needs major mental help. She still feels the mental damage that her ex-husband did on her self-esteem. Every time a man yells at her, she throws up. I'm really hoping that she heals through therapy and medication (things that do exist in this world). I would love to see her grow.

The developing romance between Vicki and Julian is aggravating. It doesn't help that everyone is shipping them. The concept of kissing reminds Vicki of the horrible things her ex-husband said. In other words, Vicki isn't ready. In the end, Julian kisses her when she's unconscious. I thought we all agreed that kissing someone without their consent is a big no-no.

Review based on an advanced reader copy provided through Netgalley for an honest review.

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