Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by smalljeannie
Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
3.0
I definitely enjoyed this more than the novella, Alpha and Omega, that preceded the first novel in this series, though I didn't enjoy it as much as Mercy Thompson. I read on the author's blog that she had a little difficulty pulling this book together and in places I can feel it. For the most part it was fairly well-written but at times seemed forced.
This book focuses on two werewolves in a pack we meet in the first Mercy Thompson novel, Moon Called. I'd recommend reading both Moon Called and the Alpha and Omega novella (contained in a collection called "On the Prowl") first. The best part of the book was getting to see how Bran's pack works, and even better, getting some scenes from Bran's POV. You actually learn quite a lot this character who is the leader of all the North American werewolves. A new character with a fascinating history, Asil, is also introduced. Unlike the Mercy Thompson novels which are all told through Mercy's eyes, the POV in the Cry Wolf constantly shifts, mostly between the two main characters, Charles and Anna, but also includes a few others (Bran, for example.) Charles and Anna don't hold my attention quite as well as Mercy, so I appreciated the shifting perspectives--it worked well for this book, keeping things fresh. It allowed the author to explore werewolf life from the perspectives of both young and old werewolves from completely different backgrounds. I enjoyed their stories.
One complaint carries over from the novella: Charles and Anna are thrust together romantically by forces outside their will. I never like that sort of premise. In the novel, they must basically get to know one another and at this point at least, things move a little more slowly between them, but there is never any uncertainty that they will be together (at least, not to the reader.) In the romance and in the plot in general, there was very little of the suspense I enjoyed in the author's other novels.
Unlike the Mercy Thompson novels, which I feel have slightly rushed climaxes, Cry Wolf has a much more drawn-out story, especially during the climax. Here is where I felt that the author struggled. Most of the "action" is contained inside the characters' heads. The shifting perspectives was necessary here, but it also got confusing and ran too long. I plan on reading the next when she writes it, particularly in hopes of getting more insights into Bran.
This book focuses on two werewolves in a pack we meet in the first Mercy Thompson novel, Moon Called. I'd recommend reading both Moon Called and the Alpha and Omega novella (contained in a collection called "On the Prowl") first. The best part of the book was getting to see how Bran's pack works, and even better, getting some scenes from Bran's POV. You actually learn quite a lot this character who is the leader of all the North American werewolves. A new character with a fascinating history, Asil, is also introduced. Unlike the Mercy Thompson novels which are all told through Mercy's eyes, the POV in the Cry Wolf constantly shifts, mostly between the two main characters, Charles and Anna, but also includes a few others (Bran, for example.) Charles and Anna don't hold my attention quite as well as Mercy, so I appreciated the shifting perspectives--it worked well for this book, keeping things fresh. It allowed the author to explore werewolf life from the perspectives of both young and old werewolves from completely different backgrounds. I enjoyed their stories.
One complaint carries over from the novella: Charles and Anna are thrust together romantically by forces outside their will. I never like that sort of premise. In the novel, they must basically get to know one another and at this point at least, things move a little more slowly between them, but there is never any uncertainty that they will be together (at least, not to the reader.) In the romance and in the plot in general, there was very little of the suspense I enjoyed in the author's other novels.
Unlike the Mercy Thompson novels, which I feel have slightly rushed climaxes, Cry Wolf has a much more drawn-out story, especially during the climax. Here is where I felt that the author struggled. Most of the "action" is contained inside the characters' heads. The shifting perspectives was necessary here, but it also got confusing and ran too long. I plan on reading the next when she writes it, particularly in hopes of getting more insights into Bran.