Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop

Vision in Silver
by Anne Bishop 
Read: November 5 - 6, 2015
Published: March 3, 2015 by ROC - TOMORROW!
Source: Edelweiss (THANK YOU, PENGUIN!)
Tags: Fantasy, Adult, shifters, blood prophet 
Series: The Others #3
Find: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | The Book Depository 

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…
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NOTE: Vision in Silver is the third book in The Others series. See my reviews of Written in Red and Murder of Crows. If you haven't started this series yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

These books are so close to my heart that it's getting harder and harder for me to review them. I read Vision in Silver in two days, then re-read it immediately, and kept going over and over my favorite parts again and again, until I had stretched out my experience with this story as long as I could. I've even avoided writing down my thoughts until the very last minute, because I just wasn't sure I could articulate how I feel about this series. But I'm going to try my best.

From the moment Meg escaped the blood prophet compound and showed up in the Lakeside Courtyard, she has been the center of everything. I love her to pieces. She is not a typical heroine at all, which is one of my favorite aspects of her. She is physically fragile, doesn't have a lot of world experience and is constantly being protected by the terra indigene or Others in the Courtyard.  But I've never ever seen her as weak. Meg has a strong inner core, and isn't afraid to stand up to the Others she works with, including Simon, the leader. I also appreciate that Meg likes her quiet life and isn't running off into danger like many heroines I read about. Her innocence, combined with her very dangerous ability as a cassandra sangue, or blood prophet, endlessly fascinates me. 

Although Meg is at the center, I care about so many characters in this series. The number of individuals we're following in this third person rotating perspective has increased, as has our understanding of the human and Other societies that inhabit this world. One of my favorite aspects of this series is how much we've been able to dig into this setting. These novels aren't extremely fast paced or always plot focused, but in each one, I've become more and more immersed in this world.  The angle of the lens through which we're accessing the setting continues to widen, but also, the zoom has increased making the details clearer. In Vision in Silver, I especially felt like I got a sense of the direction and future of this series. 

These books have always been clear about the fact that the Others/terra indigene are not human. That was reiterated again in Vision in Silver, and I'm seeing more and more the importance of this truth. The Others - Wolfgard, Elementals, Vampires, Hawkgard etc. - can take on human shape, but they do not think or act like humans and in their very cores they are different in nature. Simon and Vlad actually have a hilarious conversation in this book about  their confusion about the way humans see romance novels. But it's not just an amusing difference. Most humans are hostile towards Others, and their antagonistic activity escalates in this installment. The Others have to figure out how to respond, and unfortunately, most humans have forgotten the power that the Others possess. 

The romance between Meg and Simon continues to build slowly, which is both excruciating and beautiful to watch unfold. All along it's been told in subtle moments and gestures, and it is clear these two are just as obsessed with each other as I am with them. Remember that Simon is not human, and that affects how he looks at relationships and affection. Meg has also not had any relationship experience, except for what she's seen in images. Then you have the whole inter-species issue. It's no wonder that their romance is not progressing in the same way as other couples. But what is delicious, is that these two are essentially already together, and in this book we see them begin to wake up to that. 

The more I read Vision in Silver, the more I pulled out of this story, and I know that will continue to happen with further readings. I don't know how many books will be in this series, but I'm eagerly awaiting all of the rest of them. 

Love Triangle Factor: None
Cliffhanger Scale: Low