Afterwords

I'm not even sure if I have enough words to describe the amazingness of this book. And certainly I don't have enough words to explain what's so amazing about it. I don't even know how to explain that to myself, but I will try to anyways. Don't ever say I don't love you guys.

Have you ever read a book so good you just... want to re-read it the moment you finish it? Like, you know you've got other books that need your attention, but you want to go back to these characters and world you almost don't care? You justcrave to be there again? Written in Red is literally THAT book. I applaud my self discipline for not re-reading it again immediately. I did, however, had to order the sequel.

The world in Written in Red is beyond incredible, both in the way it's built up throughout the book and the way it just is. It's all constructed slowly, sometimes between the lines, and so believably and seamlessly; from the mythology and thecreation story, to the dynamics, the multiple povs and the un-romanticization of the supernatural.

That's right. Written in Red doesn't gloss over the reality of The Others. That is, they're the predators... and we're the prey.You're going to see your favorite characters kill, and they never hesitate about it. They never second guess. They never show remorse. And it's not going to make you love them less. If anything, you'll love them more for being so blatantly what they are. 

That said, they do... soften, throughout the book... thanks to Meg. 

Meg's the girl on the cover--though that's hardly how I imagine her. She's the human that starts to change things. She's running from something (and trust me, it's way creepy and way worth discovering on your own when you read it), and to escape, she applies for the job of the human Liaison in the Lakeside courtyard, where human laws do not apply.

Throughout her stay, she wins over both the humans and Others at the courtyard, with her kindness and innocence that kind of clash with her spunk and bravery (which she shows even in the face of Big Bad Wolves). And she just may be the bridge to create a different world. Already, the Others who have met her start to show more... considerations to the useful humans they don't plan to eat.

Others like Simon, Meg's surly boss and the leader of the courtyard; Vlad (can you guess what creature he is?), Sam (cutest cub ever), Tess, Winter, Jester.... And all of these characters, while being so Other, are also so very lovable. I adore eachand every one of them--even when they murder in cold blood!

And while I can't categorize this book as romance, there is a big enough hint of it to LET THE SHIPPING BEGIN!

Luckily, I'm pretty sure my ship is going to be cannon, and I am going to have SO much fun seeing it come to life!

And finally, I could not stop reading this book. Like, for reals. It's been a long time since a book managed to hold me prisoner like that--and it's not like the book was filled with excitement all the time (a huge part of it is day-to-day life). It didn'tneed that to keep me interested.

My message to you? Read this book. RIGHT NOW. Go, do it! you're not going to be sorry!