Even after all the excellent suggestions I've received for the next series I should delve into, I took a gamble on a book I happened to find out of pure luck and placement on a website. I didn't read too deep into the synopsis, which works out well for this book but decided to check it out based on the ratings and not the write ups. Here's what I found.
Written In Red by Anne Bishop, more than a book about a lost woman looking for her way in the cold. It's a story of wanting to belong, wanting to be somebody but also a story touched by greed. Meg finds herself in the midst of beings known as the Others. The Others are beings from so many of our myths and nightmares. The fact that these beings live in a somewhat self imposed segregation makes Megs new job as Liaison necessary.
This is a somewhat unique telling of the story of troubled town and the stranger who came in and changed everything with their mere presence. The story is constructed well enough that, even though you may feel you see the direction it's going, there are sufficient twists and subtle differences to keep you engaged and entertained. The chief problem I had with the writing style was that occasionally the I would miss the POV change and wind up confusing the motivation of some characters. I also could have used a bit more texture as far as the setting was concerned. I'm starting to see where discomfort can be a great illustration tool for an author. My feet were sore by time Frodo reached Mordor, by the time Eragon made it out of the Hadarac Desert I was sunburned and dehydrated and by the time Blomkvist and Lisbeth found the killer, I was taking regular restroom breaks (Swedish people seem to love their coffee).
Early on I decided to see this as an early work in the series and so, I placed less importance on the character development. Most of the more-than-human characters could have shown more of themselves than just the characteristics of their non-human side. Being constantly reminded that werewolves are 'growly', stubborn and protective can be a bit tiresome after a while.
This is a nice entry into the book series, The Others. It gives sufficient background and leaves much to be discovered in the future. I'm hoping the story matures with the characters in the next book in the series since I'll soon be checking that one out soon. Written In Red is definitely PG13 for violence and language. I would save this for very mature teens.
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