Audiobook: Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop

Murder of Crows
Author: Anne Bishop
Narrator: Alexandra Harris
Publication: Penguin Audio (March 4, 2014)
Length: 14 hours and 13 minutes

Description: New York Times best-selling author Anne Bishop's "phenomenal" (Urban Fantasy Investigations) world of the Others - where supernatural entities and humans struggle to co-exist, and one woman has begun to change all the rules....

After winning the trust of the terra indigene residing in the Lakeside Courtyard, Meg Corbyn has had trouble figuring out what it means to live among them. As a human, Meg should be barely tolerated prey, but her abilities as a cassandra sangue make her something more.

The appearance of two addictive drugs has sparked violence between the humans and the Others, resulting in the murder of both species in nearby cities. So when Meg has a dream about blood and black feathers in the snow, Simon Wolfgard - Lakeside's shape-shifting leader - wonders if their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or a future threat.

As the urge to speak prophecies strikes Meg more frequently, trouble finds its way inside the Courtyard. Now, the Others and the handful of humans residing there must work together to stop the man bent on reclaiming their blood prophet - and stop the danger that threatens to destroy them all.

My Thoughts: This is the second book in the Others series of urban fantasy novels. It tells the story of Meg Corbyn and Simon Wolfgard and the Lakeside Courtyard.

Meg is getting used to her new job as the liaison for the Courtyard and is busy making friends and making a place for herself. However, the Controller who owned her and used her to have the prophecies he sold for lots of money hasn't given up on recapturing her. Nor has he given up on plans to make more money helping the Humans First and Last movement eliminate the Terra Indigene from Thasia.

The story concerns itself with two new drugs that are making inroads on the humans in Thasia. Gone Over Wolf builds aggression to the point of not caring for their own survival in humans who use it. The second drug makes the user so passive that they don't care about their own survival either.

The Controller has also developed a new use for the girls who don't have enough valuable skin left. He is having them put through meat grinders while they are alive to mix their flesh in with other ground meat which has the same effect as Gone Over Wolf but is much easier to spread to more and more people.

Humans First and Last are also looking for opportunities to kill Crows in order to keep their curiosity from noticing things they don't want the Others to find out about. One of Meg's first prophecies in this story has to do with saving Crows. She also has prophecies about the man the Controller has sent to find her and return her to him.

Simon calls a meeting with lots of Terra Indigene from around Thasia to discuss what to do about the drugs and the poisoned meat. Their first idea is to kill all the humans or, at least, to kill all the prophets. Simon introduces them to Meg which changes their minds about total destruction and together with Meg's human pack they try to find the Controller.

The story includes a big battle once the Controller's compound is found and the rescue of Meg's friend Jean and five other young prophets. The rest of the girls are going to be spread among the Terra Indigene settlements and the Intuit settlements to keep them safe from being used. But it will be up to Meg to help all those new places learn what to do to keep the girls alive. She is the Pathfinder who will find the way for them to live.

I noticed that some of the pronunciations have changed in this book both of character names and the Cassandra Sangue. Simon's voice hasn't changed and makes me think that the reader must have gone home with a sore throat after each recording session since it sounds like Simon has a sore throat and scratchy voice throughout the book.

I like that Simon and Meg are getting closer even though neither of them realize that they are falling in love while the humans who know them best do realize it. There are lots of cautions to Simon to watch out that he doesn't become too human by Others characters who are seeing him change.

The story was exciting and entertaining. Meg's problem with the Controller and the threat of being recaptured is resolved in this story. However, plenty of problems remain both for Simon and Meg and for all the cassandra sangue who have lost the structure that helped to keep them sane. And the Humans First and Last movement isn't going to go away any time soon despite losing the valuable assistance of the Controller.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.