Review: Murder of Crows

Title: Murder of Crows
Author: Anne Bishop
Genre: Urban fantasy, adult fiction

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Goodreads Summary:
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 murders 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 whether their blood prophet dreamed of a past attack or of 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.

This book was just as much fun as the first book, and it was really cool to see how new elements of the world play out. Still, some of the little things that bugged me in the first book became even more obvious in this one. I guess I can say I still like this series, but this book could have been stronger.

The stakes are much higher in this book than the previous one: someone is actively trying to murder Others by targeting their weaknesses. The Others are losing control of themselves due to the drugs that these conspirators are poisoning them with. Things become even more sinister when you realize where these drugs are coming from.

The characters continue to be awesome, endearing at times and frightening at others. Simon continues to figure out his increasingly complicated feelings for Meg, but that subplot is never overdone or full of cliches (as most romantic subplots are). I felt like the villains were actually villainous this time around (ahem hem Asia Crane hem hem), and my stomach was churning every time we got a glimpse of the Compound.

I also really liked the added dimension of the Intuits, a sort of bridge between the Cassandra sangue and normal humans. Their community and stories added a welcome dimension and sense of hope in a depressing and uncontrollable situation.

The one thing that really bothered me was the lack of urgency. Yes, every time terrible things happened, tension ratcheted up several notches, but in between those times, there were just a lot of conferences. People talked. No one really did things, and especially not Meg. In the first book, Meg was adjusting to life outside of the compound, but by the second book I expected her to actually take charge of her life and do things. She just kind of sits there and lets people baby her, dishing out the occasional prophecy and indirectly saving the day. I just wish the main character had more to do, or just had a little more control over her own life and actions.

This is still a unique spin on the urban fantasy genre, and I'll probably keep reading this series. I really hope Meg grows a spine between books 2 and 3!