Written in Red by Anne Bishop is the first book in The Others and I cannot believe that it took me so long to read it!!! It’s no secret that I’m a fantasy lover and THIS book is that and SO MUCH MORE. In the book, the author creates an alternate world where everything paranormal tenuously coexists with humans. It’s really a fun read! In this first book of the series, Meg Corbyn is running, from what no one knows, and finds herself in the Lakeside Courtyard. Shape-shifter Simon Wolfguard has no love for humans but something about Meg leads him to help her. When Meg’s secret comes to light, Simon will have to decide if helping her is worth risking his family and friends in the courtyard.

Meg is an interesting character. For someone of her age, she’s extremely naive and while reading in her POV you find out that she has never lived outside the facility that she ran from. Her sole experience with the outside world consisted of pictures and video clips and of course her visions. You see she a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet. With each slice of her skin, she gets glimpses of the future, making her a very valuable asset. All she wants for herself is a life away from the facility, a real chance of living.

Simon Wolfguard is the alpha, so to speak, or designated leader of the Lakeside Courtyard. He along with other Others live within the confines of the Courtyard, but as an experiment and a way to work with humans, they have shops open to humans and Others. Simon owns the bookstore *sigh* and is raising his nephew after his sister was killed. I really liked Simon, but at the same time he scared me to death! He isn’t human and the author does a great job of conveying this with his odd wolf-like mannerisms, his ruthlessness, cunning, and his loyalty.

While Simon and Meg are really the main characters, there are many other characters that play vital roles: Henry Bearguard, Sam, Vlad, and many others. I love them all! The uniqueness that each brings is unlike anything I’ve ever read in a paranormal fantasy.

The plot focuses on two things: Meg and the government’s hunt for her and Asia Crane. Asia is introduced as annoyance to Simon. She basically is trying to get inside the Courtyard, for what you’ll have to read the book but trust me when I say she is crafty. The hunt for Meg though is the biggest part of the book and really it comes down to one question: will the Others protect Meg or give her back?

Overall I really enjoyed this book! Despite being 400+ pages, I read it quickly, not wanting to set it down for ANY reason. Why 4 stars instead of 5? There was a bit of head hopping in the beginning and a lot of info dump regarding the world-building that left me slightly confused. By five or six chapters in though, I had it figured out. If you enjoy paranormal fantasy, I highly recommend you get a copy of Written in Red. It won’t disappoint!