Meg Corbyn is a cassandra sangue, a blood prophet who sees the future when her skin is cut. Along with others like her, she has lived under the tight reins of her Controllers, with no actual experiences of the real world. Knowing that eventually blood prophets lose their usefulness and, usually, their lives, Meg seeks refuge at the Lakeside Courtyard, a part of the city owned and operated by the Others—shapeshifters and other supernatural creatures. Even though the Others have ample reasons to despise humans, they give Meg a job as the Human Liaison, dealing with the elements in the outside world that do business with the shapeshifters. As Meg learns more about both the world of experience and the society of the Others, she also becomes aware that her Controllers are not going to let her go without a fight. VERDICT The award-winning author of the Black Jewels series (Daughter of the Blood; Heir to the Shadows; Queen of the Darkness; The Invisible Ring) continues to craft well-plotted fantasy that is filled with sensuality and detail and populated with characters who compel the reader's attention. This urban fantasy should appeal to fans of Tanith Lee, Tanya Huff, and Storm Constantine.

Bishop (the Black Jewels series) wraps a generally by-the-numbers urban fantasy in ill-conceived world-building. In this alternate universe, Native Americans have been entirely erased; instead, the natives of Thaisia (the continent analogous to North America) are Others, monstrous paranormal beings like vampires and werewolves. Despite the Others seeing humans as "meat" and brutally maintaining ownership of the continent, human settlements feel just like present-day small towns. Meg Corbyn, a human with precognitive gifts, escapes human slavers and finds sanctuary in a town's Courtyard, the Others-only section where human law doesn't apply. She gets a job working for shifter Simon Wolfgard, who's puzzled because she doesn't smell like prey, and befriends a number of other Others. Meanwhile, Asia Crane, an actress spying on the Others for the chance to get her own TV show, brings potential trouble for Meg and her new protectors. The offensive setup does nothing to enhance the familiar special-snowflake heroine's journey of self-discovery and implausible romance. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, Donald Maass Literary Agency. (Mar.)