CROWBONES by Anne Bishop – Review

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 review.

Crowbones by Anne Bishop
Series: The World of the Others #3
Published by Ace Books on March 8 2022
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Another strong entry into Anne Bishop’s World of the Others series, Crowbones is full of mystery, terror, lovable characters and fascinating world-building.

Some authors just make you feel cozy, and Anne Bishop is one of those authors for me. I loved being back in her world of The Others, where humans live alongside a variety of very dangerous supernatural creatures. This is book #3 in her World of the Others series, but technically it’s book #8 in the overall series, which started with Written in Red. You should read them in order if possible, since each one references characters and events from previous books. That being said, I have not read the first five books, and I don’t feel lost at all, although I would like to catch up at some point.

In Crowbones, Bishop takes us back to the Jumble, the hotel/resort that Vicki DeVine took over in Lake Silence. Vicki is once again one of the main characters in the story, which opens on a holiday called Trickster Night, which readers will recognize as our Halloween. During the usual festivities of the night—handing out treats to humans and Others in costumes—the appearance of a human dressed as Crowbones sets off a terrifying chain of events. Crowbones is a creature of legend in Crowgard mythology, said to go after children who misbehave. This impersonator has spooked Aggie, Jozi and Eddie, the three Crowgard who work for Vicki at the Jumble, and they are convinced that someone has sent Crowbones to punish them. Soon after, a dead body is found nearby, and Police Chief Wayne Grimshaw decides to lock down the Jumble until the murderer can be found.

But bodies keep turning up and the mystery becomes more and more complicated. How does Crowbones fit into the deaths? And what about the four vampire fosterlings who have suddenly shown up on Vicki’s doorstep? Grimshaw knows these things can’t be a coincidence, but luckily he has the help of Ilya Sanguinati, a powerful vampire who is determined to help him stop the killer.

It’s so easy to fall in love with Anne Bishop’s characters. Even the terra indigene, who are portrayed at times as the “evil overlords,” have their lovable moments. In Crowbones, my favorite characters were Vicki, Grimshaw, Julian and Aggie. I’m quite fond of the Crowgard, probably because they are shifters who can change into crows. Aggie is a sweet girl who is terrified of Crowbones, and I just wanted to give her a hug. Grimshaw has appeared in the other books as well, but I liked him even more in this book. He and Ilya must work together to solve the murders, and you can tell they’ve developed a nice respect for each other, even though they should be enemies.

I absolutely love Bishop’s world, it’s one of my favorite elements of the series. Briefly for those of you new to this world, this is a secondary fantasy world, familiar in some ways yet completely different. The Others, or terra indigene as they are called, are creatures like vampires, shape shifters, and Elemental creatures who set rules for the human inhabitants. Humans are free to live their lives, but they are closely watched by the Others to make sure they don’t get out of line. This creates an interesting dynamic, where the two races live side by side, but humans are always on edge, knowing that the Others could turn on them at any moment. Some humans, like Vicki and Grimshaw, have developed close relationships with various Others, and are therefore protected. Vicki in particular is almost beloved of the Others, as she is also known as the Reader, someone who is willing to tell stories to them. Vicki comes across as vulnerable in this story, yet she has an inner strength and power that keeps her (mostly) safe.

I also love the way the author balances humor and horror. There are some very dark moments in the book, especially when Bishop describes the gruesome state of the murder victims, yet this darkness is cut with a lighthearted sweetness, like the friendships among the characters and the protective way they help each other. There’s also quite a bit of humor, mostly in the day to day interactions between Vicki and her friends. Bishop adds fun elements, like the little rabbit-like creatures called sproings, after which the town of Sproing is named, and Lettuce Reed, Julian’s bookstore. I’ve always loved horror and humor when they work well together, and Bishop makes it work.

A couple of things stopped me from rating this higher, however. The action gets a little confusing near the end, probably due to the huge cast of characters that the reader has to keep track of. The story shifts among multiple points of view and is spread out over a wide area—a lot of the action is at the Jumble, but we also visit Lake Silence and Sproing—so keeping all the different events and characters straight is challenging at times. And as I mentioned, there are a lot of characters in this series. Not only does Bishop focus on a few main characters, but she brings in lots of side characters as well, some who only show up briefly and then disappear. Luckily, there is a “Cast of Characters” listed at the end of the book that came in very handy.

The final climax was thrilling as the pieces of the puzzle finally come together. I’m already thinking ahead to the next book in the series (which hasn’t been announced yet) and wondering which characters Bishop will be focusing on. There is so much more I need to know about this fascinating world and the characters who make it so special.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.