Review: Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Vision in Silver
Author: Anne Bishop
Reviewer: B.
Rating: A-

What I’m Talking About:

Vision in Silver, the third book in Anne Bishop’s The Others series, begins a few weeks after Murder of Crows ended. Since then, Meg Corbyn has continued to make a home for herself among the terra indigine as the Lakeside Courtyard’s Human Liaison and resident blood prophet. Once considered nameless property by the humans who controlled her, Meg is now surrounded by family and friends of her own choosing, who accept her and encourage her efforts to build the life she’s always wanted. But, living among the Others has triggered many changes, both within the Courtyard and outside it, and the ripple effect set in motion could alter, not only Thasia, but the entire world.

Meg has always been a wonderful character, but she continues to become more interesting and complex as the series progresses. Having lived her entire life in a place where she wasn’t allowed to do anything for herself, Meg has had to learn fast, and in Vision in Silver she finds that some of those experiences hurt. While she is finally able to make her own decisions, she also discovers that she is accountable for those actions. Being loved, trusted, and cared for means being worthy of those who offer it, and treating them in kind. In the process of becoming more independent, she learns that, despite her best efforts, some events can’t be changed, and that bad things happen anyway. In what is perhaps the harshest lesson she has learned to this point, Meg realizes that the choices she makes often carry tremendous responsibility—and that some mistakes aren’t easily forgiven.

As the world Ms. Bishop has created in this series continues to grow, the changes Meg’s presence is effecting are becoming more pronounced for everyone. Additional narration from characters we haven’t heard from directly before makes the repercussions of everything that has happened in the previous novels seem more real, while giving readers a clearer understanding of just how precarious the situation in Thasia truly is. The entire continent is on the verge of war between the humans and Others, and the vague, yet far more deadly threat the Others have been warning about since the beginning has now taken on a frighteningly more well-defined role.

Overall, I found Vision in Silver to be considerably darker, yet just as satisfying, as the first two books in the series. As the seasons change in the Courtyard, Meg’s increasing awareness has brought unexpected warmth to the lives of those around her, even as the sacrifices endured by the Others and the humans who’ve joined with them continue to escalate. Despite the fact that the terra indigine are feared and resented, it is the humans who are the real monsters in the story, and the horrors that are committed make the Others’ distrust of mankind easy to justify. Although the general tone of Vision in Silver is more ominous than in the previous novels, there are still ample moments of hope, humor, and affection to provide the narrative with balance. While the threats are bigger and the stakes are higher, I enjoyed this story a great deal, and thought it was over way too soon.

My Rating:  A- Enjoyed A Lot

About the Book:

The Others freed the cassandra sangue to protect the blood prophets from exploitation, not realizing their actions would have dire consequences. Now the fragile seers are in greater danger than ever before—both from their own weaknesses and from those who seek to control their divinations for wicked purposes. In desperate need of answers, Simon Wolfgard, a shape-shifter leader among the Others, has no choice but to enlist blood prophet Meg Corbyn’s help, regardless of the risks she faces by aiding him.

Meg is still deep in the throes of her addiction to the euphoria she feels when she cuts and speaks prophecy. She knows each slice of her blade tempts death. But Others and humans alike need answers, and her visions may be Simon’s only hope of ending the conflict.

For the shadows of war are deepening across the Atlantik, and the prejudice of a fanatic faction is threatening to bring the battle right to Meg and Simon’s doorstep…

Release Date: March 3, 2015
Publisher: ROC
Series: The Others #3
ISBN: #978-0451465276
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): hardcover (416 pages), e-book, audiobook
Book Source: NetGalley/Publisher

Purchase Info:
Vision in Silver (The Others #3)

Reviews in the Series:
Written in Red by Anne Bishop (The Others #1)
Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop (The Others #2)