Vicki DeVine, the innkeeper at The Jumble, wonders if she made a mistake telling the Crowgard about Trickster Night. After all, explaining to the terra indigene about a human celebration featuring scary costumes and asking whether someone wants a treat or a trick has become, well, tricky. Unfortunately, things go terribly awry when someone shows up dressed as a monster known to the Crowgard as CROWBONES. Worse yet, now there are two dead bodies, including a member of the Crowgard and the imposter dressed as Crowbones. The Elders and the Elementals react by trapping all the current residents, as well as all the visitors at the Jumble, within the town by shutting down the roads. Now it’s up to Vicki and her friends, along with Chief Grimshaw and Ilya Sanguinati, to uncover just what is going on while preventing a catastrophic conflict between the Others and the humans.

CROWBONES is the third book in the World of the Others series and the eighth book in The Others series. While the story does stand on its own merits, I highly suggest you read the other books, particularly the ones in the World of the Others series, in order to fully appreciate the depth of Anne Bishop’s world building. The two series do intersect, as the timeline of CROWBONES is after the events of the original Others series and we get brief glimpses as to what is happening at the Lakeside Courtyard during this time period.

I have to admit I squealed just a tiny bit when I saw Anne Bishop had another book coming out featuring the Others. Anne Bishop has crafted a richly detailed dark fantasy world where peril and complete devastation lurk behind every move, whether it’s a word or deed taken offensively by the various nonhuman residents of the world. And yet within all the darkness and fear, there is camaraderie and relationships building as humans and various terra indigene learn how to form bonds despite their vast differences. I particularly love how protective ALL the residents, both human and nonhuman, are of Vicki and how they work to not frighten her as they are aware of her panic attacks.

CROWBONES is yet another fascinating foray into Anne Bishop’s darkly beautiful world featuring the Others. Anne Bishop’s tales haunt me long after the last page is turned, as her exquisite use of language evokes such powerful emotions and imagery. I love that CROWBONES digs into some of the mythology and fears of the Crowgard and I eagerly look forward to the next installment in the series!