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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
2nd read: 3.5 stars
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1st read: 3 stars
Mercedes or Mercy for her friends, is a car mechanic living in the Tri-Cities. She leads a relatively quiet life, except for the fact that she knows a faerie and is herself not quite human; she is a walker, a person who can change into an animal (in her case, a coyote) at will. She is doing okay for herself until a young werewolf named Mac (I kid you not) appears on her doorstep. Between Mac's inexperience at being a wolf, the local pack's Alpha, some unknown enemies, an old love and crazy vampires, Mercedes begins to think she might have bit more than she can chew.
First book I've read by Ms Briggs and I enjoyed it immensely. I loved her writing and thought it captivating. The main character, Mercedes, is a good character: likeable, though (without being stupid) and very cool when she goes all 'cute puppy' on you. I even enjoyed the plot.
The real problem with this book is that it is... too mainstream. Briggs didn't really add anything new to the genre. She recycled most of the ideas that urban/contemporary fantasy authors use. Her description of the werewolves' skills and characteristics is quite common. The only original element (I mean truly original, the plot is new too) is the whole story of the Walkers. I know that coyotes and wolves and Indians are all connected, but I'd never seen it used in urban fantasy before. So, points for that. As for the vampires, I didn't see any appeal to them as a 'race', but then again the story focuses on werewolves so it's possible that might be it. I hear 'Blood Bound', this book's sequel focus on vampires... let's see their characterization then.
The story was enjoyable, yes, but again, unremarkable. It was a paranormal action/adventure book with a very run of the mill storyline. Even in terms of 'mystery' the case the characters had to solve wasn't that interesting. It wasn't something you went all 'Ah! So that was it!' about. The romance (the little that was) was well done and it adds charm to the story.
Overall, this was an 'okay' book. I enjoyed reading it, thought it good when compared with other works of the genre. It is not a work of art, but it's a nice read. If you're a fan of supernatural fiction, give it a try... just don't expect much.
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1st read: 3 stars
Mercedes or Mercy for her friends, is a car mechanic living in the Tri-Cities. She leads a relatively quiet life, except for the fact that she knows a faerie and is herself not quite human; she is a walker, a person who can change into an animal (in her case, a coyote) at will. She is doing okay for herself until a young werewolf named Mac (I kid you not) appears on her doorstep. Between Mac's inexperience at being a wolf, the local pack's Alpha, some unknown enemies, an old love and crazy vampires, Mercedes begins to think she might have bit more than she can chew.
First book I've read by Ms Briggs and I enjoyed it immensely. I loved her writing and thought it captivating. The main character, Mercedes, is a good character: likeable, though (without being stupid) and very cool when she goes all 'cute puppy' on you. I even enjoyed the plot.
The real problem with this book is that it is... too mainstream. Briggs didn't really add anything new to the genre. She recycled most of the ideas that urban/contemporary fantasy authors use. Her description of the werewolves' skills and characteristics is quite common. The only original element (I mean truly original, the plot is new too) is the whole story of the Walkers. I know that coyotes and wolves and Indians are all connected, but I'd never seen it used in urban fantasy before. So, points for that. As for the vampires, I didn't see any appeal to them as a 'race', but then again the story focuses on werewolves so it's possible that might be it. I hear 'Blood Bound', this book's sequel focus on vampires... let's see their characterization then.
The story was enjoyable, yes, but again, unremarkable. It was a paranormal action/adventure book with a very run of the mill storyline. Even in terms of 'mystery' the case the characters had to solve wasn't that interesting. It wasn't something you went all 'Ah! So that was it!' about. The romance (the little that was) was well done and it adds charm to the story.
Overall, this was an 'okay' book. I enjoyed reading it, thought it good when compared with other works of the genre. It is not a work of art, but it's a nice read. If you're a fan of supernatural fiction, give it a try... just don't expect much.
Reread 2023
Past-me has said it all. From Medea to Zee, happy to be back here again. These books are home to me.
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I'm always amazed how fluently a story of Patricia Briggs reads ... Mercy has a way of pulling me in, I love reading her story. And how I love the characters, can't wait to dive nosedeep in the thrillings stories that lie ahead once again!
Past-me has said it all. From Medea to Zee, happy to be back here again. These books are home to me.
_________________
I'm always amazed how fluently a story of Patricia Briggs reads ... Mercy has a way of pulling me in, I love reading her story. And how I love the characters, can't wait to dive nosedeep in the thrillings stories that lie ahead once again!
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I used this a brain break in the middle of all this govermental turmoil and distress and school and life thingies happening all at once and it did it's job very well because the hyperfocus on the details and the relationships and the conversations was enhanced times 1000x. only listened to it while driving.
honestly, it did it's job too well.
honestly, it did it's job too well.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Trafficking
Minor: Miscarriage, Suicide
In August, a friend gave me five of the Mercy Thompson books in paperback, and I proceeded to read them and then go through the rest via my Kindle in the space of about a week. Obviously, I didn't take the time to write individual reviews, as I was much too busy going through them as quickly as I could because I enjoyed them so much. Thus I am writing a single generic review for all of them noting what I like about the series. :)
A shapeshifter coyote woman who's an auto mechanic? Yeah, that's not going to interest me...and then ten books later, I come up for air. Mercy is a great character and I particularly enjoy that she's a strong woman with her own ideas, yet isn't infallible and does get herself hurt and into trouble despite her best intentions. I love the werewolves in this universe and find them interesting, with twists that are unique and which make a good deal of sense. The other creatures that show up at first felt inevitable, but then showed that they are different and fit into this world perfectly. I appreciate that Mercy has multiple different relationships with different people and creatures, and her own sense of honor is what drives her and gets her into most of the scrapes that she ends up in.
Overall, these are great books and I highly recommend you give them a try if you like paranormal stories, some romance (but not romance-centered, which was a refreshing change to be honest), and an excellent setting in the Washington Tri-Cities.
A shapeshifter coyote woman who's an auto mechanic? Yeah, that's not going to interest me...and then ten books later, I come up for air. Mercy is a great character and I particularly enjoy that she's a strong woman with her own ideas, yet isn't infallible and does get herself hurt and into trouble despite her best intentions. I love the werewolves in this universe and find them interesting, with twists that are unique and which make a good deal of sense. The other creatures that show up at first felt inevitable, but then showed that they are different and fit into this world perfectly. I appreciate that Mercy has multiple different relationships with different people and creatures, and her own sense of honor is what drives her and gets her into most of the scrapes that she ends up in.
Overall, these are great books and I highly recommend you give them a try if you like paranormal stories, some romance (but not romance-centered, which was a refreshing change to be honest), and an excellent setting in the Washington Tri-Cities.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm looking forward to learning more about the characters especially Adam and Stefan. I'm sure Mercedes (Mercy) also has some secrets about her nature that will be revealed to her and us later in the series.
Originally, I wasn't a fan of books written in first person, but in this case it works and works well. The writing style of Patricia Biggs in this series includes a lot of dialogue compared to some of what I've read lately, and it makes for great reading. There are several twists and turns that keep the story going and leave no room for lulls in the plot.
Originally, I wasn't a fan of books written in first person, but in this case it works and works well. The writing style of Patricia Biggs in this series includes a lot of dialogue compared to some of what I've read lately, and it makes for great reading. There are several twists and turns that keep the story going and leave no room for lulls in the plot.
This was a fun read and just what I needed. Nothing too serious. Just a good time. I enjoyed it.
This was a fun listen. Mercy is different than other urban fantasy characters I've read & I appreciate that she's smart and confident while being still feminine. She falls squarely into the huntress archetype. The plot has a mystery to solve & I like that a lot. I wasn't expecting the way the story resolved and that's always a treat. I think that storytelling can easily fall into a formulas so I get excited when that doesn't happen. Looking forward to seeing what Mercy does next.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
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