Anne Bishop - Crowbones

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...

Comment: This is book #3 in the World of the Others series, a series I've been following and of which I remain curious to know what comes next.

In this installment, everything seems normal until Vicki shares the Halloween traditions with some of the Others. Now they also want to try this human tradition but what felt like an innocent experience turns into something more dire when someone pretends to be Crowbones, a mythical bogeyman figure among the Crows. After that event, which scared many of Vicky's friends, other things start happening and it seems as if someone is taking advantage of a prank gone wrong to cause serious problems and harm. Will Vicky and the rest of the community be able to find out who or what is doing all this? And will this mean someone else is danger?

I have been waiting for the paperback release of this book and now, a few weeks later, I've finally picked it up. I have loved almost everything by the author and this series is no exception, even though the previous book wasn't as fun as others before. When I say fun I don't mean this in the comedy sense, for these books aren't meant to be funny. What I mean is that in the midst of all the issues and drama, there are still cute and silly - in the good sense! -  situations, often about the perceptions humans and Others have of one another which can cause fun scenes to happen. Somehow I didn't have that impression in the last book.

In this one, I think some scenes were fun and cute as well, but it is obvious the tone of the series in general is grittier than in the Others main series (featuring Meg as protagonist). It's not as if I really mind it, considering the theme and characters, but after some books where the balance  - or the percentage - of quirky/fun vs drama/seriousness was so well done, it's one of those things one can't just not see.

I have said before that, to me, the best element in these books is the world building and the little things in the characters' interactions. In this regard, I think this book was as accomplished as the others have been and while the plot begun as something small, the amount of details and small issues, which shouldn't matter that much in the big scheme of things, is woven easily here, for instance the fact some shops weren't functioning properly in the town, it turns out there was something particular about it after all.

In terms of plot, I can't really say there are that many surprises, but the author does try to put things in such a way that we carry a doubt here and there about what is really going on. The reasons for why the villains act the way they do is, as often, such a basic motivation but still kind of creepy and manipulative as happened in other books by the author (not only in this one), that while the trademark "voice" isn't a novelty, it still makes everything so much more dramatic. At least, I'm always amazed by the ways things are completely connected and explained at the end.

I've mentioned in my comment of the previous books that there is always a little hint of romance here and there, but let it be said that this is not a romance so expecting it to be part of the focus will not be a good expectation. Still, considering the hints the author added, I should say that those who look for clues about it might feel a little disappointed like I did to a fault, for not much is advanced, emotionally I mean, in regards to how Vicky, as the main character, is developing her own sense of self and so on...

I understand the idea of her being a vulnerable person, and humble and with clearly "innocent" or naive vibes - this makes the Others respect and defend her - but it does feel a bit frustrating how slowly things are progressing for her to believe herself able to move on or even worthy of other experiences which aren't all affected by the psychological impact her ex had on her. I don't even think the only solution would be a romance, but even putting that aside, Vicky still reads as someone too gullible.

The end of the story is as one would expect: several deaths, many unfair situations but also several great scenes and some final drama. Things end well enough for our protagonists and the author again leaves things in such a way that if more books come, there is a lot to use, but if no more books in the series would come out, things can be seen as finished, more or less. For me, there is always room for better ends and more closure, but.. it is what it is. The book was very easy and addictive to read, so I suppose that counts for a lot too.

Grade: 8/10