Not too long ago, I read Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Did you see me rave about it? Yeah. Murder of Crows is even better. I don’t know how that’s poNot too long ago, I read Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Did you see me rave about it? Yeah. Murder of Crows is even better. I don’t know how that’s possible…but it is. After only two books, this series has been catapulted near the top of my all-time favourites.
I don’t usually say this, but this book gave me a serious case of the FEELS. Damn it Anne Bishop, what are you doing to me? Or more accurately, what are you doing to your poor characters?
Meg Corbyn has been living in the Lakeside Courtyard for a few months now, and she’s finally starting to feel safe again after the traumatizing events of the previous book. So of course things immediately start getting crazy again! Someone – or a group of people – has been targeting the Others, dosing them with drugs that make them vulnerable to attack. When an entire group of Crows is murdered, the Others of the Thasian continent go on red alert and start reprisals.
While the tension hasn’t quite erupted in Lakeside, the same cannot be said for Tallulah Falls, the next town over. The tension and violence that I felt brewing in Written in Red has officially been unleashed in Murder of Crows. Now that humans have an effective weapon against the Others, the Others are treating them as a serious threat…and threats get eliminated.
What I love about this series is that this violence is more than just animal rage – it’s political, and there’s quite a bit of nuance to it. The Humans First and Last movement is gaining traction as the conflicts between the Others and humans rage on; what the HFL doesn’t seem to realize is that they don’t have the power. The “clever meat” can’t seem to get it through their heads that the Others will retain control of Thasia no matter the cost. And the cost will be high if Meg can’t help the Others get these drugs off the streets of Thasia.
Violence and political manoeuvring aside, there’s tension in other elements of life in Lakeside as well. Personal relationships continue to be a source of humour, hilarity, and no small measure of delight. Simon’s confusion about his feelings for Meg is so genuine and heart warming. I feel bad for the Wolf, but the whole situation is just so funny. Monty clearly knows what’s up with those two. My favourite thing about him as a character so far is his internal dialogue on the behaviour of the Others…’cause there’s no way it would be safe enough to say some of it allowed. Especially as it pertains to Meg and Simon, because that Wolf will totally bite your hand off. Meg and Simon are both so innocent of romance (albeit for very different reasons) that I suspect it’s going to take these two the whole series to get together. And I’m going to love every second of that #slowburn.
While the developments on the romance front are fairly minimal, Bishop does develop the world quite a bit in Murder of Crows. We finally get some information about Tess, the mercurial café owner…and arguably the most dangerous Other in Lakeside. Tess’s abilities and species are finally discussed openly and let me tell you, the reveal is totally worth the weight. Am I going to tell you what her abilities are? No. But here’s a taste: she’s a Harvester. A Plague Rider. If that doesn’t chill you to the bone, you need to read this book so that you can share my fear.
Bishop also introduces a new supernatural type called Intuits. Intuits are exactly what they sound like: people who get very strong feelings about particular people, objects, or events. These feelings guide their decision-making and help them prosper and – for the most part – avoid the tragedies that plague other groups of humans living under the Others. They’re related to the Cassandra sangue or blood prophets, but their abilities are less intense. Steve Ferryman is the mayor of the Intuit settlement near Lakeside, and he narrates a few sections in Murder of Crows. I loved seeing Meg, Simon, and the gang through his eyes and welcome his addition to the cast of characters. I expect we’ll see a lot more interaction between the Intuits and Meg in future books.
Just as an aside: Anne Bishop is probably one of the only authors who can pull off more than ten different POVs in one book and have it flow perfectly. Well, aside from that one really popular fantasy writer guy…what’s his name again? *snicker*
Another perfect book from Anne Bishop. Someone get me a soapbox and a megaphone, because I’m happily taking up the mantle of fangirl.
Not too long ago, I read Written in Red by Anne Bishop. Did you see me rave about it? Yeah. Murder of Crows is even better. I don’t know how that’s possible…but it is. After only two books, this series has been catapulted near the top of my all-time favourites.
I don’t usually say this, but this book gave me a serious case of the FEELS. Damn it Anne Bishop, what are you doing to me? Or more accurately, what are you doing to your poor characters?
Meg Corbyn has been living in the Lakeside Courtyard for a few months now, and she’s finally starting to feel safe again after the traumatizing events of the previous book. So of course things immediately start getting crazy again! Someone – or a group of people – has been targeting the Others, dosing them with drugs that make them vulnerable to attack. When an entire group of Crows is murdered, the Others of the Thasian continent go on red alert and start reprisals.
While the tension hasn’t quite erupted in Lakeside, the same cannot be said for Tallulah Falls, the next town over. The tension and violence that I felt brewing in Written in Red has officially been unleashed in Murder of Crows. Now that humans have an effective weapon against the Others, the Others are treating them as a serious threat…and threats get eliminated.
What I love about this series is that this violence is more than just animal rage – it’s political, and there’s quite a bit of nuance to it. The Humans First and Last movement is gaining traction as the conflicts between the Others and humans rage on; what the HFL doesn’t seem to realize is that they don’t have the power. The “clever meat” can’t seem to get it through their heads that the Others will retain control of Thasia no matter the cost. And the cost will be high if Meg can’t help the Others get these drugs off the streets of Thasia.
Violence and political manoeuvring aside, there’s tension in other elements of life in Lakeside as well. Personal relationships continue to be a source of humour, hilarity, and no small measure of delight. Simon’s confusion about his feelings for Meg is so genuine and heart warming. I feel bad for the Wolf, but the whole situation is just so funny. Monty clearly knows what’s up with those two. My favourite thing about him as a character so far is his internal dialogue on the behaviour of the Others…’cause there’s no way it would be safe enough to say some of it allowed. Especially as it pertains to Meg and Simon, because that Wolf will totally bite your hand off. Meg and Simon are both so innocent of romance (albeit for very different reasons) that I suspect it’s going to take these two the whole series to get together. And I’m going to love every second of that #slowburn.
While the developments on the romance front are fairly minimal, Bishop does develop the world quite a bit in Murder of Crows. We finally get some information about Tess, the mercurial café owner…and arguably the most dangerous Other in Lakeside. Tess’s abilities and species are finally discussed openly and let me tell you, the reveal is totally worth the weight. Am I going to tell you what her abilities are? No. But here’s a taste: she’s a Harvester. A Plague Rider. If that doesn’t chill you to the bone, you need to read this book so that you can share my fear.
Bishop also introduces a new supernatural type called Intuits. Intuits are exactly what they sound like: people who get very strong feelings about particular people, objects, or events. These feelings guide their decision-making and help them prosper and – for the most part – avoid the tragedies that plague other groups of humans living under the Others. They’re related to the Cassandra sangue or blood prophets, but their abilities are less intense. Steve Ferryman is the mayor of the Intuit settlement near Lakeside, and he narrates a few sections in Murder of Crows. I loved seeing Meg, Simon, and the gang through his eyes and welcome his addition to the cast of characters. I expect we’ll see a lot more interaction between the Intuits and Meg in future books.
Just as an aside: Anne Bishop is probably one of the only authors who can pull off more than ten different POVs in one book and have it flow perfectly. Well, aside from that one really popular fantasy writer guy…what’s his name again? *snicker*
Another perfect book from Anne Bishop. Someone get me a soapbox and a megaphone, because I’m happily taking up the mantle of fangirl.
I think this book does what it sets out to do very well, but it wasn't for me. Your mileage may very.I think this book does what it sets out to do very well, but it wasn't for me. Your mileage may very....more
I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my reI received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
A Power Unbound is the impressive and satisfying conclusion to Freya Marske’s Edwardian gaslamp fantasy romance trilogy, the Last Binding.
Each book in the series follows a new main couple, with previous couples appearing as secondary characters. Marske keeps the momentum going by maintaining a continuous plot arc across all three books. Brought together by love – and a shared hatred for despotism – our cast of characters includes both magicians and the non-magical. In this final book of the trilogy, we follow Jack Hawthorn and Alan Ross as they try one last time to prevent evil-doers from using ancient fae magic to steal the powers of every magician in England.
I was delighted to learn that A Power Unbound would follow Hawthorn and Ross because I loved their antagonist dynamic in previous books. An English Lord and a socialist working class Italian? Uh, yeah, sign me up. I’ve been quite pleased to find a few working class protagonists in historical fantasy lately, which is something that I’d really love to see more of. Hawthorn masks his emotional wounds with a studied air of aloofness while Alan hides his insecurities behind a veneer of cavalier self-deprecation and cutting remarks. Their verbal sparring was delicious and added a certain something extra to their chemistry.
Markse has created an intriguing magic system that has two branches: the first is the mainstream magic, which relies heavily on the concept of legal contracts and the second, which is an underground approach that relies on a person’s connection to the land. This land magic is usually connected to someone’s inheritance of an estate, and so Jack’s relationship to his family seat – and his family – features heavily in this story. We finally learn the circumstances of how he lost his magic…and how his twin sister lost her life. I was really moved by his story of healing from grief and reconnecting with the land of the living. There may have been some dust in the air at a few key moments.
As you can imagine from their backstories, It’s not all fun and games with these characters. I’m pleased to report that Marske treats their difference in stations with care and sensitivity (and a little spiciness, too). Alan is the first truly working class protagonist of the series so far, providing some much needed class commentary on the ease of life for the upper classes. His desperation to survive and help his family also amped up the intensity, creating higher stakes for the gang as they try to build a more equal world for everyone – magical or not.
In my opinion, this series is best enjoyed through audiobooks. The deadpan, so-dry-you-might-miss-it humour is highlighted beautifully through strong voice acting. Josh Dylan, the narrator of A Power Unbound, delivers a performance that is by turns hilariousl, sultry, and moving. My hat’s off to him – I’d gladly read another audiobook narrated by him.
The Last Binding trilogy delivers creativity, wit, and heart. Highly recommended.