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amyoates 's review for:
Moon Called
by Patricia Briggs
Moon Called is a classic in the urban fantasy genre, and I can see why.
Mercy Thompson is able to walk the line of being strong and independent, without that being her only defining character trait. She’s also deeply caring and is shown to have strong platonic bonds, not just those to her love interests.
The world building in this “kitchen sink” universe provides a nice twist too - only some fae are known to humanity, and vampires and werewolves are distinct from one another. The vampire Stephan having a love for Scooby Doo was also a major highlight for me.
But the age of this book does show. Race isn’t delicately handled - Briggs wants to provide diversity, but without careful research or sensitivity readers, there are cringeworthy moments like every non-white character having their race announced as soon as they’re introduced or Mercy’s indigenous side not being given much depth. There’s also some really awkward moments with the plot occurring specifically around Thanksgiving.
I also personally didn’t love the werewolves having an explicitly sexist culture or Mercy supposedly being hated by every female werewolf. There was some biological determinism there that doesn’t really sit right, and the lack of adult female friends for Mercy stands out.
(And the less said about the excuses made for Samuel, the better. The revelation that he basically groomed Mercy threw me out of the story.)
I can see why Moon Called is loved, but it feeling classic 90s/early 2000s UF isn’t always a good thing. The plot is fun and most characters are very interesting, though I’d say go into it knowing how badly some details have aged.
Mercy Thompson is able to walk the line of being strong and independent, without that being her only defining character trait. She’s also deeply caring and is shown to have strong platonic bonds, not just those to her love interests.
The world building in this “kitchen sink” universe provides a nice twist too - only some fae are known to humanity, and vampires and werewolves are distinct from one another. The vampire Stephan having a love for Scooby Doo was also a major highlight for me.
But the age of this book does show. Race isn’t delicately handled - Briggs wants to provide diversity, but without careful research or sensitivity readers, there are cringeworthy moments like every non-white character having their race announced as soon as they’re introduced or Mercy’s indigenous side not being given much depth. There’s also some really awkward moments with the plot occurring specifically around Thanksgiving.
I also personally didn’t love the werewolves having an explicitly sexist culture or Mercy supposedly being hated by every female werewolf. There was some biological determinism there that doesn’t really sit right, and the lack of adult female friends for Mercy stands out.
(And the less said about the excuses made for Samuel, the better. The revelation that he basically groomed Mercy threw me out of the story.)
I can see why Moon Called is loved, but it feeling classic 90s/early 2000s UF isn’t always a good thing. The plot is fun and most characters are very interesting, though I’d say go into it knowing how badly some details have aged.