Sophia Rose Reviews Crowbones by Anne Bishop

Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog to review #3 In Anne Bishop's World of Others Series, Crowbones. Stop by and see what she thought.
Enjoy!

Crowbones by Anne Bishop

#3 World of the Others

Urban Fantasy

Publisher:  ACE

Published: 3.8.22

Pages:  384

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers: Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads  

 

GoodReads Blurb:

In this engrossing and gripping fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her friends must find a killer-before it's too late....

Crowbones will gitcha if you don't watch out!

Deep in the territory controlled by the Others-shape-shifters, vampires, and even deadlier paranormal beings-Vicki DeVine has made a new life for herself running The Jumble, a rustic resort. When she decides to host a gathering of friends and guests for Trickster Night, at first everything is going well between the humans and the Others.

But then someone arrives dressed as Crowbones, the Crowgard bogeyman. When the impostor is killed along with a shape-shifting Crow, and the deaths are clearly connected, everyone fears that the real Crowbones may have come to The Jumble-and that could mean serious trouble.

To "encourage" humans to help them find some answers, the Elders and Elementals close all the roads, locking in suspects and victims alike. 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-and who may have put Vicki DeVine in the crosshairs of a powerful hunter—

 

Sophia Rose's Review:

What could be spookier than the version of Halloween depicted in The Others universe when a real killer arrives among the group?  I was excited for this chilling latest installment in the series that returns us to the Lake Silence setting and cast of characters.  Anticipation was high and I was not disappointed.

 

Crowbones is the third of The World of the Others series that follows the original The Others stories.  It works best read in order as there are references back to characters and situations from the previous books, particularly Lake Silence.

 

Several months have gone by of relative peace since the momentous events of the summer and now it is time for a fun holiday, Trickster Night.  Crowbones had a fabulous blend of murder mystery, urban fantasy intrigue, and a cast of characters that were colorful and exciting.  There are several main characters getting their point of view including those who stirred up the trouble, but I confess to being extremely eager because familiar characters were back and telling the story.  I loved revisiting favorites and seeing how things have advanced in their lives and some of the more discreet characters had their backstories painted in better.  While, the setting is familiar from Lake Silence and the characters development is ongoing, this is something of a standalone plot as it doesn’t carry over the plot from before or after.

 

This felt like an old-style country house mystery the way the investigators and the perpetrators were all closed in together in an isolated, rustic setting until the case is solved.  It was atmospheric and gave some great thrills and chills vibes when even those that are scary to humans are scared to go out in the dark.  The mystery isn’t too twisty for the reader and the excitement and tension comes from keeping the good and innocent safe and seeing how they get at the truth and figure out what to do about the situation.  Not to say, there weren’t plenty of surprises along the way.  I loved the reveals about Ilya, Julian, and some others and was thrilled to be right back in this world.

 

All in all, it was a captivating read with tone, suspense, and development going strong.  It made me love the series even more and feel the loss when the book was over.  I can’t wait to see what comes next for this series.  Those who want an alternative earth history setting for an urban fantasy that has a rich and complex development of plot, characters, and world, this series is a must.

 

Author’s Bio:

Anne Bishop lives in upstate New York where she enjoys gardening, music, and writing dark, romantic stories. She is the author of over twenty novels, including the award-winning Black Jewels Trilogy. She has written a new series, the Others, which is an urban dark fantasy with a bit of a twist.

Website:  http://www.annebishop.com/index.html

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/AnneBishopsCourtyard

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

Sophia’s Social Media Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose