Review: Written in Red

Written in Red by Anne Bishop

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



What happens when humans are not at the top of the food chain? What happens when humans are barely tolerated and easily killed for any offense and then eaten? I was mixed in whether I would want to read a young adult story written by the talented Ms. Bishop. I'm not sure why this is considered young adult. I consider this Urban Fantasy without the horrid label of young adult.

What I love most about Ms. Bishop is how she views things. Her mind must be extremely interesting. Dialog with her must also be fascinating. I say this because the way she takes existing concepts and reinterprets them into something fresh yet familiar is amazing. I love it. This new series is one which tickles my fancy.

This new world is once again with a lead character who is female and special. Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue. For those who are lovers of Greek mythology, this makes perfect sense. Cassandra was the Oracle seduced by Apollo so her prophecies were cursed to deliver only bad news. I always felt a bit badly for Cassandra. In this reinterpretation, Meg is a "blood prophet".

It is fascinating how Ms. Bishop blends different ideas together. What really pulls me is how the prophecies are foretold. They require blood and in a specific way. It's almost as if Ms. Bishop understands the pleasure derived when cutter slices themselves. Her twist on pain and euphoria is quite deviant and it makes me wonder a little bit about her sexual tendencies. Between the Dark Jewel series and now this one, I'm seeing some undertones of the "dark side" that can only be expressed by someone who experiences it. As someone who enjoys knifeplay quite a bit as well as being cut, this element only enhanced my pleasure.

This world building is fabulous. I'm riveted and want to learn more. It does remind me a little bit of the Fae in Patricia Brigg's Mercy series. But this one is so much darker. I like this darkness. To find out shifters and vampires are only the buffer to keep the "meat" from being too scared is thrilling. The Elementals in this story are fabulous. I only wish there was more about them. The attention to detail for each character is spot on and gives enough information to create a richness. Ms. Bishop doesn't overwhelm anyone with the numerous secondary characters. Instead, it does come together like an extend family complete with the crazy aunt and scary uncle.

There are so many characters in here I really love. Ms. Bishop does an excellent job with character building. Simon, the main male lead is definitely an alpha male. His distraction with Meg is humours at times as well as sad.

The plot of this story is really not that complex. The telling of it with the extraordinary characters and awesome world is what really makes the story so good. This is a book I will read over and over again. It's that good for me. Love it. This book is highly recommended to urban fantasy lovers who have been looking for a fresh look into a dark Fae world.



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