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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
While Mercy (the MC) is incredible on her own, the world is really the main draw here. The characters are great, I really enjoyed almost all of the cast, but it's fun to see how the author manages to put many different folklore and myths into a single world and still have it be cohesive enough to tell a compelling story.
But even with so many different mythical creatures inhabiting this world, don't expect a complete and decisive explanation for how some of the various components of these beings fit together. It's the one thing I wish was better designed; vampires, werewolves, etc, they all are *too* cookie-cutter in some aspects, and I feel like they would have been better off not being so closely modeled after mainstream/majority opinion.
But even with so many different mythical creatures inhabiting this world, don't expect a complete and decisive explanation for how some of the various components of these beings fit together. It's the one thing I wish was better designed; vampires, werewolves, etc, they all are *too* cookie-cutter in some aspects, and I feel like they would have been better off not being so closely modeled after mainstream/majority opinion.
This is a foundational urban fantasy for me. Looking back, the way Briggs brings together all these fantasy creatures and actually gives us mischievous fae with sharp teeth and a heroine who’s an adult with a real job and character agency…how I wish Fantasy could remember how cool that is.
Original review:
(Having just read the Twilight books, I can't help but compare the two later on, so please forgive me.)
The characters are drawn from a wide range of mythologies: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, Native-American shapeshifters, and various fae from British folklore are the most prevalent. The plot, however, reads much like a Nancy Drew murder mystery. (My favorite books as a child were fantasy stories and Nancy Drew, so I was quite entertained by the combination here.) The main character, Mercy (short for Mercedes,) lives in the modern world, but one populated by magical beings who are in the middle of a long political "coming out" process which colors the storylines. I found the author's handling of politics, both within the magical world and without, to be just enough to interest me without taking away from the story. I also felt that the story was believable within the world that Patricia Briggs set up. Mercy's actions usually made sense and the author didn't resort to awkward devices to move her story along.
Many reviews applaud the strength of Patricia Briggs' characters, particularly Mercy, and I have to agree. I appreciate the fact that the heroine is an adult. Mercy has lived on her own for a while and has a strong sense of who she is. She's made mistakes and learned from them, she knows what is important to her, and she has realistic views of her world based on her experience. She has a lot to learn still, and she'd be the first to admit that. I find it very refreshing that Mercy relies on her intelligence and her moral values to guide her through the crazy situations that come her way. Unlike a certain heroine from the Twilight series, Mercy defines herself as an independent, loyal, and hard-working woman: never once does her relationship with any man define who she is (*ahem* Bella Swann). Not that there aren't men in her life, but she doesn't attract romantic attention with every man she comes across, nor are the men she's involved with perfect specimens of teenage fantasy (*ahem* Edward Cullen). The characters all have strengths, flaws, and limits, and that level of reality is so important even in a fantasy story.
My one complaint about the book is that I felt it was a little too short. Certain scenes seemed to deserve a little more development. (I'm thinking of the climax especially) I also felt that the story behind the Bad Guy's actions was underdeveloped and unclear.
I'm not going to accuse this series as being Great Literature, but it sure is fun!
Original review:
(Having just read the Twilight books, I can't help but compare the two later on, so please forgive me.)
The characters are drawn from a wide range of mythologies: vampires, werewolves, ghosts, Native-American shapeshifters, and various fae from British folklore are the most prevalent. The plot, however, reads much like a Nancy Drew murder mystery. (My favorite books as a child were fantasy stories and Nancy Drew, so I was quite entertained by the combination here.) The main character, Mercy (short for Mercedes,) lives in the modern world, but one populated by magical beings who are in the middle of a long political "coming out" process which colors the storylines. I found the author's handling of politics, both within the magical world and without, to be just enough to interest me without taking away from the story. I also felt that the story was believable within the world that Patricia Briggs set up. Mercy's actions usually made sense and the author didn't resort to awkward devices to move her story along.
Many reviews applaud the strength of Patricia Briggs' characters, particularly Mercy, and I have to agree. I appreciate the fact that the heroine is an adult. Mercy has lived on her own for a while and has a strong sense of who she is. She's made mistakes and learned from them, she knows what is important to her, and she has realistic views of her world based on her experience. She has a lot to learn still, and she'd be the first to admit that. I find it very refreshing that Mercy relies on her intelligence and her moral values to guide her through the crazy situations that come her way. Unlike a certain heroine from the Twilight series, Mercy defines herself as an independent, loyal, and hard-working woman: never once does her relationship with any man define who she is (*ahem* Bella Swann). Not that there aren't men in her life, but she doesn't attract romantic attention with every man she comes across, nor are the men she's involved with perfect specimens of teenage fantasy (*ahem* Edward Cullen). The characters all have strengths, flaws, and limits, and that level of reality is so important even in a fantasy story.
My one complaint about the book is that I felt it was a little too short. Certain scenes seemed to deserve a little more development. (I'm thinking of the climax especially) I also felt that the story behind the Bad Guy's actions was underdeveloped and unclear.
I'm not going to accuse this series as being Great Literature, but it sure is fun!
medium-paced
This is *not* the cheap garbage that the title and cover both suggest that it might be.
I know to have low expectations going in to any warewolf-centric urban fantasy, but this was unexpectedly good. Lady authors just tell more believable female protagonists. It also neatly avoided cheap bodice-ripper content without keeping sex entirely out of the conversation.
I know to have low expectations going in to any warewolf-centric urban fantasy, but this was unexpectedly good. Lady authors just tell more believable female protagonists. It also neatly avoided cheap bodice-ripper content without keeping sex entirely out of the conversation.
It took me a while to talk myself into reading this book. I'm not really into jumping on the werewolf/vampire bandwagon. I can't stand how many vampire books are out there right now, and I haven't been into vampires since I was a broody teenager. As soon as I was able to get past that issue, I realized that Patricia Briggs is a good writer and I enjoyed reading it. There are some really, really bad urban fantasies out there, so it's nice to find one that deserves the good reviews.
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No