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A review by midici
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
3.0
3.5 stars
This was a fast read that I picked up on a whim today. Mercy Thompson is a mechanic with the ability shape-shift into a coyote. Her neighbour is an alpha werewolf, her former boss is a metal-smithing fae, and one of her regular customers is a vampire. Despite that, Mercy lives a fairly regular life. Everything changes when a new werewolf comes to town, confused about what he is, having been a subject of experimentation. Next, the Alpha Adam has been attacked, his daughter kidnapped, the vampires are hiding secrets and the planned exposure to humans has everyone on edge. Mercy has to keep her friends alive, uncover the plots that seem centered on them, and try not to get herself or anyone else killed.
I really like in-depth world building in books. This one did not have as much as I'd like, but since it's the first in a large series, there's the very real possibility that more of this world will get fleshed out as the series progresses. There was a good attempt to give the characters their own personalities and backstories. Some of it feel flat, but it may have been because most of this book is devoted to the action. It's fast-paced, with the first body hitting the ground by page 30, and it doesn't slow down. It kept me engaged and I finished it in one sitting.
I'm not sure how much I like the sort of heavy-handed patriarchal society that is being set up for the werewolf societies. Mercy occupies a sort of grey area, as she's not a werewolf but is part of the supernatural world. The sort of throw away line that all the other female werewolves she had known disliked her a) because she got away with stuff they couldn't or b) because they were barren due to their werewolf status while she isn't, were both extremely iffy. It provides a reason for Mercy to be the only female main character besides the 15 yr old kidnapped Jesse, but it's flimsy and smears every female werewolf with the same brush: unimportant in the pack, jealous, and bitter. Again, this is the first book so maybe this is changed later. I would like to continue with this series and see where it goes.
While the three-way triangle is not my favourite romantic troupe, there were a few things I appreciated within the Sam-Mercy-Adam scenario. The first was that Bran, Sam's father was aware that Mercy was too young at 16 to really understand what Sam (who's like 100 yrs older?) wanted from her, and intervened despite how upset it made Sam. He cares about both of them, but knew that the relationship at the time was not healthy and put his foot down. So props to Bran for being sensible. The second was that Adam and Mercy's semi-antagonistic exasperation with each other does not change throughout the book. They are aware that they irritate each other, and seem to enjoy each other's company because, not in spite, of that fact. They enjoy fighting, basically, and they don't seem to want each other to change. Also Adam's main focus is getting his daughter back, not romance, because he has priorities. Third, when Adam and Sam get into some sort of macho pissing match and Mercy decides to throw on a pair of sweat pants and go hang out with her vampire friend instead of dealing with them - honestly the best way to end the book.
This was a fast read that I picked up on a whim today. Mercy Thompson is a mechanic with the ability shape-shift into a coyote. Her neighbour is an alpha werewolf, her former boss is a metal-smithing fae, and one of her regular customers is a vampire. Despite that, Mercy lives a fairly regular life. Everything changes when a new werewolf comes to town, confused about what he is, having been a subject of experimentation. Next, the Alpha Adam has been attacked, his daughter kidnapped, the vampires are hiding secrets and the planned exposure to humans has everyone on edge. Mercy has to keep her friends alive, uncover the plots that seem centered on them, and try not to get herself or anyone else killed.
I really like in-depth world building in books. This one did not have as much as I'd like, but since it's the first in a large series, there's the very real possibility that more of this world will get fleshed out as the series progresses. There was a good attempt to give the characters their own personalities and backstories. Some of it feel flat, but it may have been because most of this book is devoted to the action. It's fast-paced, with the first body hitting the ground by page 30, and it doesn't slow down. It kept me engaged and I finished it in one sitting.
I'm not sure how much I like the sort of heavy-handed patriarchal society that is being set up for the werewolf societies. Mercy occupies a sort of grey area, as she's not a werewolf but is part of the supernatural world. The sort of throw away line that all the other female werewolves she had known disliked her a) because she got away with stuff they couldn't or b) because they were barren due to their werewolf status while she isn't, were both extremely iffy. It provides a reason for Mercy to be the only female main character besides the 15 yr old kidnapped Jesse, but it's flimsy and smears every female werewolf with the same brush: unimportant in the pack, jealous, and bitter. Again, this is the first book so maybe this is changed later. I would like to continue with this series and see where it goes.
While the three-way triangle is not my favourite romantic troupe, there were a few things I appreciated within the Sam-Mercy-Adam scenario. The first was that Bran, Sam's father was aware that Mercy was too young at 16 to really understand what Sam (who's like 100 yrs older?) wanted from her, and intervened despite how upset it made Sam. He cares about both of them, but knew that the relationship at the time was not healthy and put his foot down. So props to Bran for being sensible. The second was that Adam and Mercy's semi-antagonistic exasperation with each other does not change throughout the book. They are aware that they irritate each other, and seem to enjoy each other's company because, not in spite, of that fact. They enjoy fighting, basically, and they don't seem to want each other to change. Also Adam's main focus is getting his daughter back, not romance, because he has priorities. Third, when Adam and Sam get into some sort of macho pissing match and Mercy decides to throw on a pair of sweat pants and go hang out with her vampire friend instead of dealing with them - honestly the best way to end the book.