4.5 stars

I'd never read this author before & after finishing this, the first thing I'll say is wow...what a great read. It hooked me from the beginning & I just wanted to plunk myself down on the couch 'til I was done.
In a brief but helpful prologue we are told how the world we are about to enter came to be. There are humans & Others, in conflict since the beginning of time as they fight for territory & supremacy. Settlements belong to humans with the exception of the Courtyard, a large enclosed tract inhabited by Others who watch over the humans & enforce agreements. Vast areas outside of cities are the domain of the Others & no human in their right mind would venture off the grid.
The Others (terra indigene) are comprised of several types of supernaturals. Shifters are wolves, crows, coyotes & bears. Sanguinate are similar to vampires who can appear as black smoke. Elementals evoke the power of rain, wind, snow & fire. All can assume human forms except for the ponies who are grouchy & funny (most of the time...no spoilers here!). And then there's Tess. Not even the rest of the Others know what she is but take my word for it...she's freaking scary.
The story begins with a young woman running for her life in a snow storm. We know from the start she's a human with a "gift" & so desperate to hide she's willing to apply for a job with the Others as a human liaison.
The city is Lakeside, where the relationship between the two groups is slightly more progressive. Leader of the Others in its Courtyard is Simon Wolfgard & he's working to encourage a society where they can coexist within the strict rules outlined in a agreement. One of the few humans allowed inside the Courtyard is the liaison. It's their job to run the mailroom & accept deliveries from truck drivers who wouldn't go near the place if they had to deal with Others. Because even with the agreement in place, make no mistake. On any Other property the biggest rule is "HRDNA"...human rules do not apply. Meaning if you're human & you screw up, you're dinner. Or if you attempt to shoplift at Howling Good Reads, Simon's bookstore, be prepared to forfeit a hand.
This is where our heroine, Meg, applies for the job. Simon knows right away she doesn't smell right. She's human but doesn't evoke his prey response like the rest of her race. But he's desperate to fill the position & it's not like there's a stack of applicants. Meg is hired on the spot.
And so begins a tale that is fast pace, strange, violent, wonderful & highly original. We slowly learn about Meg's chilling background, what she is & why she's running. She's a compelling character with a foot in both worlds & as much to learn about Others as she does about being human.
Her arrival also heralds great change for the inhabitants of the Courtyard. They aren't quite sure what to make of her & as the story progresses, their initial reserved tolerance becomes something more. It's soon evident a powerful individual will stop at nothing to retrieve her & the Others have to decide whether to give her back or risk all out war by protecting her.
The main human protagonist is Lt. Crispin Montgomery (Monty), a compassionate & dedicated cop trying to keep the peace. He's determined to forge a working relationship with Simon in an effort to prevent more humans from becoming snack food. He's smart & ethical with some personal issues that drive him to overcome the absolute terror he feels when dealing with Others.
There is so much more to this story with multiple storylines & characters that are fascinating & original. The plot includes threats to both sides & there is a sustained tension throughout. Violent encounters lead to the final battle with no guarantees of who will be left standing. The author does a great job of portraying the subtle evolution of many of the characters. We watch the gradual shifting of prejudices as they get to know each other, something we can relate to in our own world.
Meg & Simon are at the heart of the story & it's entertaining to follow their relationship. Meg's character in particular undergoes huge change. She is on a journey of self discovery & finds happiness & betrayal. Her encounters with Jake (a crow) & the ponies provide moments of comic relief between those of great danger. It also reinforces the idea that no matter how different we are, you can always find common ground if you're willing to look hard enough.
I really recommend this book to fans of paranormals. It can be tricky to find good ones in this crowded genre that don't rehash similar plot devices & characterizations. The world created here is highly imaginative yet believable & I quickly became invested in the characters & their lives. The plot is intricate, smart & well paced. It's the kind of book where you're torn between turning the pages as fast as you can & slowing down because you don't want it to end.
It is at times sad, scary, hopeful & funny, leaving me waiting impatiently for the sequel, "Murder of Crows".

Heerlijke karakters, een megagoede wereldsetting en de verschillende soorten others hebben genoeg eigen dingen om niet al te cliché te zijn.

I can't believe I enjoyed the book as much as I did. My brain is telling me it deserves approximately two stars, but my heart just won't listen. I enjoyed this so ridiculously much, but I wouldn't recommend it to no one, because I feel like no sensible person could like this.
1. Please, could we stop naming vampires Vlad? It's a bit obnoxious... but I kind of loved Vlad...

Something in Vlad’s eyes. Surprise? Panic? She would be okay with panic. It would mean she wasn’t the only one who felt out of control today. Although a vampire feeling out of control might not be healthy for the people around him.

2. I think this wasn't the author intention, but I think there is an unquestionable connection between indigenous peoples and terra indigene and... it's problematic as hell, like... for a start they are cannibals, or... I guess they aren't cannibals, but they eat humans. Whatever, it is insensitive, especially since - as far as I can remember - there are no actual indigenous characters so the equation is quite effortless. (Thinking about it, I don't think there were any characters of colour, but I might not just paid enough attention. Edit: Monty, the main police character is "dark-skinned.")

The third wave of settlers had a leader who was smarter than his predecessors. He offered the Others warm blankets and lengths of cloth for clothes and interesting bits of shiny in exchange for being allowed to live in the settlement and have enough land to grow crops. The Others thought this was a fair exchange and walked off the boundaries of the land that the humans could use.

Some parts of the narratives are kind of flipped, so... it's hard to decipher sometimes, but I think I can safely say it's not handled well.
3. I fucking love Crows. Like... who cares about the vampires and werewolves, I want a story about those guys... and girls.
4. Another of the problematic things is the gender essentialism of blood prophetesses. But there is always a hope the later books will address the issue, especially since the book already asked the question of what happens with the boys?
5. You know I love my socially awkward heroes and this book delivers on entirely different level.

He leaned down, capturing her chin between thumb and forefinger in order to turn her head and get a better look. He leaned closer, breathing in the scent of her. The smell of sickness lingered on her clothes. Not sure what to do, he gave her cheek a gentle lick.

Those people have no clue how humans behave - because they aren't humans and... it's just hilarious.
6. On the theme of hilarious, when we first get introduced to Others we are said they are frightening, they kind of remind me of fae from [b:Mercedes Thompson|71811|Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, #1)|Patricia Briggs|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1272070347l/71811._SY75_.jpg|69530] universe, only they are not secretive about their love for eating humans at all. At the beginning they are actually kind of frightening, but as the novel progresses it turns out they are actually just a bunch of cannibalistic puppies who like to cuddle with Meg who delivers their mail. Seriously, the bad guys just walk into their land like it's nothing, I'm not saying it ends well for them, but still... they actually do some damage and they don't realise the scope of the danger at all.
7. Did I said already this is a story about mail delivery? No? Well, it is...

Not perfect but I love it anyway.

edit: I've now read the current 5 books and really enjoyed all of them.
My few minor issues are things that are very common in the romance genre, the constant stereotypical gender division and using this the term female for women. This is a bit more glaring, since it isnt actually a romance book. (Still irritating in romance books, just more where I have found this to be a feature of the book.)

Thats said, there is some incredible world building going on in this entire series. Really fun easy reads. I really hope for more!!

At first the book seemed like it was going to be bland, but Bishop's world building sucked me in hard. Making the Others vicious without being psychotic was a difficult balancing act and she pulled it off well. I am highly looking forward to the next book in the series.

Seat of your pants thriller with rapturous world building.

Good story, good character development, nice twists. Nice to see the main character actually be voiced, so to speak, compared to the Dark Jewel's trilogy. Definitely a world I will continue reading.