Cathy Reviews: Written in Red + London Falling

I'm pleased today to welcome my wonderful mother in law Cathy back to the blog to share with us her thoughts on a couple books she was nice enough to take off my plate and read in my stead. As always, a huge thank you to her for sharing in this blogging experience with me!

WRITTEN IN RED
The Others #1
Anne Bishop
Adult Urban Fantasy
433 pages
NAL
Available now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
As a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, Meg Corbyn can see the future when her skin is cut—a gift that feels more like a curse. Meg’s Controller keeps her enslaved so he can have full access to her visions. But when she escapes, the only safe place Meg can hide is at the Lakeside Courtyard—a business district operated by the Others.

Shape-shifter Simon Wolfgard is reluctant to hire the stranger who inquires about the Human Liaison job. First, he senses she’s keeping a secret, and second, she doesn’t smell like human prey. Yet a stronger instinct propels him to give Meg the job. And when he learns the truth about Meg and that she’s wanted by the government, he’ll have to decide if she’s worth the fight between humans and the Others that will surely follow.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
In Written In Red, Ms. Bishop gives us an Earth we could imagine really existing. We first see all the characters in human form, but sense something very different about them. A different energy, animalistic in its undercurrents. We find out that in this world the Others, who have most of the controlling power, are something more. They are shapeshifters, vampires, and elementals, all coexisting with humans though on very shaky terms. These characters are so cleverly written. Ms. Bishop does a wonderful job maintaining the threatening nature of the Others while adding a humorous edge to their animalistic forms. For instance, Jenni, a member of the Crow clan, has a hard time putting change in the bookstore cash register because it's just so shiny.

In this first installment, Meg appears in the part of town designated to the Others even though she's human. We can tell she has a secret and that she's terrified, but yet she's willing to venture into a part of town that's dangerous to her. I won't go into depth on this because I don't want to spoil anything and Ms. Bishop thoroughly entangles us in a spiderweb of mystery. Meg is a very endearing character, not only do the Others come to protect her and take her under their care, but some of the human detectives feel the need to watch out for her as well. She's like the eye of a storm, existing in the middle while everything else spins around her.
 
This book has great story and character development. Even though this is urban fantasy, the characters are so well developed that you have a connection to them that draws you into the story. The line between good and evil is blurred, just like in real life. And there are lots of twists.
 
This book truly has something for everyone. There is mystery, tension between the Others and the humans, lots of paranormal cleverness and maybe a budding romance. I really enjoyed this book and the best part is this is the first book in a series, so I get more of these characters to whom I've become so attached.

Rating: 4.5/5

LONDON FALLING
Paul Cornell
Adult Urban Fantasy/Mystery
402 pages
Tor
Available now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Amazon)

Police officers Quill, Costain, Sefton, and Ross know the worst of London—or they think they do. While investigating a mobster's mysterious death, they come into contact with a strange artifact and accidentally develop the Sight. Suddenly they can see the true evil haunting London’s streets.

Armed with police instincts and procedures, the four officers take on the otherworldly creatures secretly prowling London. Football lore and the tragic history of a Tudor queen become entwined in their pursuit of an age-old witch with a penchant for child sacrifice. But when London’s monsters become aware of their meddling, the officers must decide what they are willing to sacrifice to clean up their city.

CATHY'S THOUGHTS
London Falling is an urban fantasy that reminded me very much of a Stephen King novel. Everyone in this book is going about their daily lives while only a very select few can see the true dangers that surround them. This story takes place in London and teams up four detectives to solve the mysterious deaths of soccer players. At least that's what the general public thinks. What is really happening involves black magic and witches. There are touches of humor in the book – they name their case Operation Toto, referencing the Wizard of Oz since they are chasing a witch – but for the most part, this is a dark story with some gruesome murders.

Mr. Cornell does a very good job in developing his detectives' characters, and throughout the book their layers are slowly peeled away, allowing us to become even more invested and attached to them. They start out as a mismatched group we think has nothing in common, and we simply can't figure out why they were chosen to see this mystical underworld. As they investigate these murders and stop questioning their "powers" however, it truly becomes a detective novel and we anxiously wait to see how it will be solved. We also learn why these four have been chosen to become a unit.
 
At the start of the book, I was a little confused because it seemed to start in the middle of the action without much of a lead-in. And since it's set in London, some of the terms were unfamiliar. Now, if I was the type of reader who immediately turns to the back of the book (you know who you are Jenny!), I would have seen the glossary there and that would've been helpful. I'm glad that I kept reading though because Mr. Cornell has written a very good detective story with fantastical elements.
 
The plot line is resolved for the most part in this book, but it does leave us with some questions which I'm hoping means Mr. Cornell is hard at work writing book two. I would like to see more of our English detectives and whatever creepy things live in London again.

Rating: 4/5

 These books were sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my (or in this case, Cathy's) honest opinion.