Review of Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

A review of “Bone Crossed” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

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The fourth book in the series picks up exactly where the last novel left off. Surprisingly, this book does what I was hoping it would do and deals with Mercy's trauma after the events of the last book. Her love interest, Adam, chooses not to sleep with Mercy because Mercy needs time to heal and deal with her trauma. In this novel, Adam is a bit less possessive over Mercy after she agrees to be his mate. To complicate things, Stefan enters the picture and there is some flirting between them, but she still wants to be with Adam. The love triangle stuff is mild in this book, but we get some new elements that hold my interest.

 

In the beginning, Mercy's mother comes to check up on her daughter after Mercy's assault. I was surprised but happy to see that Mercy's mom, who hasn't been a character in the books up until now, is concerned about her daughter. She leaves the book early, but it was nice to finally meet her. We also meet an old friend of Mercy's from college. Amber comes by to see if Mercy can help her out with a ghost problem. A side story is the vampire mistress and Stefan continuing the aftermath of the events from the second book. So, to avoid the vampires, Mercy goes to her old friend Amber's house. Mercy wants to protect Amber's son, Chad, from the ghost. Mercy also runs into the only vampire in Amber's town, which Mercy was instructed to avoid.

 

I was hoping this book would explore more of the ghost world, and how ghost work and what their rules are in this world. In a way the book does introduce multiple ghosts, but never really explain some of their unique powers. The mysterious big bad vampire bites Mercy and complicates her relationship with Stefan because Stefan has to then bite Mercy to prevent the big bad vampire from controlling Mercy. Surprisingly, Adam doesn't have a problem with Stefan biting her, even though it connects them in a special way.

 

So, Mercy leaves Amber's house after not being able to help with the ghost. When Mercy gets back home, she and Adam seal the deal on their relationship but the next night, Mercy is kidnapped. Again. Given the fact that it has only been like two weeks since the last book's ending, Mercy is not freaking out as much as she should be. While I applaud the book for attempting to deal with Mercy's trauma, it doesn’t handle it as well as I would have liked.

The one problem with this book's ending, is that the book sets up the big bad vampire as being super powerful, yet Mercy disposes of him quickly, after remembering she can turn into a coyote, and uses that to attack him. Then a fae character throws the fae walking stick and just happens to stab the vampire through the heart. Then Mercy grabs a kitchen knife that is capable of decapitating the vampire. And the ghost lady that drinks the vampire’s blood, just disappears. It's a very anticlimactic ending that doesn't make much sense with what the book has built up this big bad vampire.

 

I don't come to these books for realism, or a serious fantasy tone, they are fun mysteries with characters I enjoy and I do like the romance/flirting relationships. All I ask is that if you’re going to set something up make sure to follow through with it. The side plot with the vampire mistress is interesting and will continue to develop over the next few books. This book had some good elements, I like introducing the mom and learning more about Mercy’s past. It’s a decent entry into this series.

Thanks for reading my reviews. If you like werewolf stories and female lead characters, then check out my story on Wattpad, "The Lunar Spirit". Lycan Livonia Dane returns to her old pack house, for the Lunar Ball. Liv finds herself drawn to her childhood bully, Lucas while also reconnecting with her old friend, Jepson. When the Ball is attacked by vampires, Liv is pulled into the action, while trying to find her lunar spirit mate. Will it be Lucas or her brooding childhood friend Jepson? Or possibly someone else? Struggling with her feelings for each man, Liv aids in the investigation and war against the vampires.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/306771957-the-lunar-spirit

Review of Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

 Review of “Iron Kissed” by Patricia Briggs, book three of Mercy Thompson.

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So, this book picks up shortly after the last book, and starts the mystery off early. Mercy's fae friend “Z”, whom she bought her garage shop from, calls Mercy in to help solve a series of murders on the fae reservation. Mercy visits a few of the victims houses and she accidentally breaks through some fae magic entering Underhill, where the fae live. She meets a threatening looking water fae, when Z escorts her out. At first you think the book will focus on solving these mysteries, but it quickly takes a turn when one of the guards on the fae reservation is killed, and Z is framed for murder. Turns out Z discovered the killer, and went to confront him at his home, only to be arrested for murder. The rest of the book is then about Mercy trying to prove Z's innocence, by trying to find the person that killed the guard.

Where the last book focused on the vampires, the third book focuses on the fae. Fae is specifically defined here as being European mystical/supernatural/mythological creatures or beings and portrayed in classic fairy tales. Werewolves are not fae, but more like cousins of fae, as they suffer the same fate of the fae in the public eye, and they do come from Europe. Mercy is a walker, which is Native to America, making her NOT a fae, nor a werewolf. While she is involved in the fae and werewolf worlds, her status as a walker means she doesn't have to abide by their rules or laws. So, she opens her own investigation to help Z.

The second book focused more on Mercy's relationship with Stefan, and Adam, but this book explores her relationship with Samuel. He starts off as a viable romantic partner, she often comments on his chiseled body and how attractive he is; but throughout the book we get hints that maybe Samuel doesn't want to be with Mercy. The two talk about their complicated past, and the true nature of their relationship, resulting in them being best friends, instead of lovers. This opens the door, for a new guy to be a potential interest, but the book takes a dark turn at the end.

When Mercy decides to help Z, she gets him a lawyer, and explains the world of the fae and that she's a walker. Z is a self-proclaimed Gremlin, but he is a metal working type of fae, which is very rare. This reveal is something that upsets Z, and he claims to be mad at her, but we find out he just wants to protect her from meddling with fae affairs. The Grey Lords are a governing body of wizards that control the fae community and laws. They've been mentioned in the previous books but are more of a looming presence in this book. The Grey Lords are described as beings you do not want to mess with or upset. Turns out the Grey Lords want Z to take the fall for the murder of the guard, for reasons that are never fully explained. The book also gives some backstory to Z, alluding to him being an old legendary killer with a sword. I don't think we find out the exact name of his type of fae, but at the end he does let his glamour down and shows his true fae form in front of Mercy.

This book is an improvement over the last book. Not too many new characters are introduced, the plot is easier to follow, and I love learning more about the fae world. The ending does take a very dark turn, involving mind control over Mercy forcing her to do things, that is uncomfortable to read at times. So, trigger warning to readers for sexual abuse. I will say that the end of this book doesn't really address Mercy's feelings and emotions about what happened to her, but I hope the next book does.

“Iron Kissed” has great pacing, an interesting murder mystery and feels like a police procedural show at times. It also develops Mercy and Samuel's relationship in a positive way. A lot of the characters introduced in the last book return here in better roles that don't over complicate the story or pacing. While these books aren't as “trashy” as their covers art might suggest, I do enjoy the sexual flirtations between Mercy and her love interests. It keeps things sexy but in a teasing way. This is probably my favorite of the first three books.

Thanks for reading my reviews. If you like werewolf stories and female lead characters, then check out my story on Wattpad, "The Lunar Spirit". Lycan Livonia Dane returns to her old pack house, for the Lunar Ball. Liv finds herself drawn to her childhood bully, Lucas while also reconnecting with her old friend, Jepson. When the Ball is attacked by vampires, Liv is pulled into the action, while trying to find her lunar spirit mate. Will it be Lucas or her brooding childhood friend Jepson? Or possibly someone else? Struggling with her feelings for each man, Liv aids in the investigation and war against the vampires.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/306771957-the-lunar-spirit

Review of We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

                            Review of “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson

I thought I had posted this review earlier, but just now realized it never went up. This was meant to go up after I reviewed the Shirley Jackson novel "The Haunting of Hill House". You can read the review here.

After I finished reading “The Haunting of Hill House”, I decided to read “We Have Always Lived in the Castle” by Shirley Jackson. The short story “The Lottery” by Jackson, is one of my favorite short stories, so I was excited to read more of her work. However, I didn't love “The Haunting of Hill House” and it saddens me to say I didn't like “We Have Always Lived in the Castle”. While the novel is fairly short, I think it is too long for this story. It's an interesting family drama, that I believe would be better if it was a short story.

The book centers around the Blackwood family, who live in an old house just outside of the main town. The main character is Mary Katherine and she lives with her sister Constance and her sick uncle Julian. Six years ago, their family suffered a tragedy that resulted in the death of the sisters’ parents, brother and Julian's wife. Constance was accused and charged with arsenic poisoning but acquitted. The poisoning left Uncle Julian in a wheelchair with dementia. Most of the towns people shun the Blackwood family, except Helen Clark who regularly visits the girls for afternoon tea. Their cousin Charles comes to visit and creates tension with Mary Katherine and Uncle Julian. An accidental fire burns most of the house's interior and roof. During the fire, villagers came by and wanted the house to burn down. In the aftermath people further destroyed the house and taunted the girls. Charles abandons them and Uncle Julian dies. The girls lock themselves in the house and do not speak to anyone, not even Helen Clark. It is revealed that Mary Katherine was the one that poisoned the family. Constance has great guilt about how she dealt with Uncle Julian and Mary Katherine but continues to live in the burnt house accepting random gifts from people who believe the women to be cursed.

The novel starts off with Mary Katherine running errands in the town, but the rest of the novel takes place completely at the Blackwood house and land. This setting adds a claustrophobic atmosphere to the story. The story deals with themes such as isolation, ostracism, and the bond between sisters. Constance suffers from agoraphobia and only goes outside to tend to her garden. She takes great care of her little sister and uncle. Even though Mary Katherine is about eighteen years old, she acts and is treated like a child. She considers it a great responsibility to be able to travel into town for supplies. Mary Katherine also talks to her cat companion Jonas and likes to bury things like a child would. Even though it's not revealed until the end, the reader can piece out that Mary Katherine might have been involved in the arsenic poisoning. Constance takes all the blame for the incident and protects Mary Katherine even though she knows that her sister is the one who poisoned the family. We never truly find out why Mary Katherine put the arsenic in the sugar bowl but considering her strange behavior we can assume that she clearly has some mental health issues that her family has shielded her from.

 

Mary Katherine's odd behavior become a point of contention between cousin Charles and Constance. Charles believes Mary Katherine needs to behave and act like an adult and that Uncle Julian should be in a nursing home. Throughout the book Mary Katherine refers to Charles as a ghost or demon. Charles true motivations for helping Constance is all about money. He yells at Mary Katherine for burying coins in the yard and is constantly asking for them to open the safe. While Charles does come across as a money greedy guy, he does seem to express some concern and condolences for the girls at the end of the book.

The most compassionate person towards the Blackwood family is Helen Clark. A decent woman who just wants the best for Constance and the family, unfortunately we don't get enough of this character to really understand her motivations and true feelings about the Blackwood’s. It could have been interesting to have her show up more and give her opinions on cousin Charles. Like Mary Katherine, Uncle Julian also does not trust Charles, and in a way it is Charles' fault that he died. While an interesting character, Uncle Julian is mostly shown as a burden to the family due to his health condition. It's never fully explained what he suffers from, but it seems to be related to the poisoning. Uncle Julian believes Constance to be completely innocent, but also thinks that Mary Katherine died. So, it's not clear if he ever suspected that Mary Katherine is responsible for the poisoning of the family.

As I said earlier, this novel has a decent narrative and story revolving around the Blackwood family and the mystery of the poisoning event. However, I still think that it would have benefited by being a long short story, rather than a novel. There are long parts in this book where not much happens and the pacing slows down. The book is meant to be a slow family drama that focuses on the psychology of the Blackwood family and towns people after the poisoning.

 

Thanks for reading my reviews. If you like werewolf stories and female lead characters, then check out my story on Wattpad, "The Lunar Spirit". Lycan Livonia Dane returns to her old pack house, for the Lunar Ball. Liv finds herself drawn to her childhood bully, Lucas while also reconnecting with her old friend, Jepson. When the Ball is attacked by vampires, Liv is pulled into the action, while trying to find her lunar spirit mate. Will it be Lucas or her brooding childhood friend Jepson? Or possibly someone else? Struggling with her feelings for each man, Liv aids in the investigation and war against the vampires.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/306771957-the-lunar-spirit

Review of Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

A review of “Blood Bound” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

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This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson series and picks up shortly after the first books ends. The big change in the world is that werewolf's and most fae folks’ presence are now known to the world. Not everyone who is a werewolf is out in public but the knowledge that werewolves exist are known. This idea was hinted at in the last book and adds to the passage of time and sense of world building. We quickly learn that Mercy and Adam went on a few dates, but since Samuel is living with her, she has decided not to date either man. Although she does admit to an attraction to both men, and even falls a bit weak in the knees when Adam gives her a massage.

The main plot kicks off with the reintroduction to vampire Stefan, when he asks Mercy for a favor. We find out that Littleton, a demon infected vampire sorcerer, is committing murders, but Mercy and the gang don't know why, or how to defeat him. Littleton is killing people and framing the murders on innocent people. Adam assigns a few pack wolves to watch over Mercy as she might be a target of Littleton. Stefan and one of Adam's werewolf's Warren try to find Littleton, Warren returns in bad condition while Stefan is nowhere to be scene. Adam and Samuel both go missing, so Mercy turns to the vampire mistress, Marsillia for help. Marsillia tells Mercy to find Littleton because Mercy is a walker. Not only does Mercy eventually find and kill Littleton but she also unveils his master and kills him as well.

In this book, we find out that being a walker means that Mercy is immune to most vampire magic and most magics in general, as well as being able to see and talk to ghosts. The second book in this series explores more of the vampire lore that exists in this world. We learn that vampires have their own group of people that serve their blood lust. The benefits are mutual as vampires are cleaning the blood of their donors, creating lots of benefits for the victim. It's an interesting concept, and nice world expansion. The book also focuses more on the relationship between Mercy and Stefan, offering him as a potential love interest.

“Blood Bound” also has Mercy interacting with ghosts and explains how spirits work in this world. What starts out as an interesting old cart-lady ghost, plays an important role towards the end of the book. Mercy is sensitive to ghosts, she can see them and communicate with them, while some people still don't even believe in ghosts.

While I didn't enjoy this book as much as the first, I do enjoy the characters, and the mythology expansion. The problem I have with this book is that introduces too many new characters, and locations that it can be hard to follow. Also, all the main love interests, Adam, Samuel and Stefan all go missing at the beginning of the third act. The big reveal was not interesting and the epilogue that follows after the main villain is disposed of, feels a bit out of character for Mercy. It was an ending where I wasn't rooting for the main character. I enjoyed it enough to want to continue with the series and look forward to seeing where this series goes.

Thanks for reading my reviews. If you like werewolf stories and female lead characters, then check out my story on Wattpad, "The Lunar Spirit". Lycan Livonia Dane returns to her old pack house, for the Lunar Ball. Liv finds herself drawn to her childhood bully, Lucas while also reconnecting with her old friend, Jepson. When the Ball is attacked by vampires, Liv is pulled into the action, while trying to find her lunar spirit mate. Will it be Lucas or her brooding childhood friend Jepson? Or possibly someone else? Struggling with her feelings for each man, Liv aids in the investigation and war against the vampires.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/306771957-the-lunar-spirit

 

Review of Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

 A review of “Moon Called” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

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From the cover of the book, and the general idea it was a werewolf story, I had no initial interest reading this novel. However, when I learned that the main character is not a werewolf but a coyote shape shifter, it piqued my interest. As someone who enjoys a good mystery, I decided to give this book a shot, thinking it would be along the lines of “Twilight” or “True Blood”, but to my surprise it wasn't. The main character is a female mechanic that can shape shift into a coyote. It's not a werewolf paranormal romance novel, like I had originally thought.

The main character, Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson is a walker, a person that can change into a coyote but has very different abilities than a werewolf. She is faster and more agile in coyote form, excellent smell and hearing, not hurt by silver, but also can't heal fast. Being a walker makes her immune to most magics, and not bound by werewolf pack laws. However, Mercy was raised by an adopted werewolf family, so she knows a lot about their world. One day a new werewolf on the run, comes to her and ends up in trouble. She then gets involved in a mystery that has her teaming up with the local pack Alpha and neighbor Adam, as well as her ex-lover from years ago, Samuel. Both werewolves compete for her affections but she is unsure about how she feels about them. With the help of a vampire friend, Stefan, Mercy unveils a plot that involves trafficking and drugging werewolves.

One of the things that stands out with this novel is that it does not rely overly on its world building. As the novel progresses, we get bits of information about werewolf’s, vampires and the other fae creatures that inhabit this world. Mercy is a walker which is something that is rare, and she doesn't even fully know what being a walker means. Her former boss is a gremlin and witches do exist, but the rules of the world are slowly teased out, or to be explained in later books. 

“Moon Called” never loses focus on the main story line. Its character driven, and the pacing keeps the mystery moving forward. I will say that I found the villain's motive and plot to be a bit nonsensical, relying on too many “what ifs” to complete his goal.

The main character of Mercy Thompson is a person of flaws and strengths with unique connections to the supernatural world. Having her be a mechanic owning her own shop provides a great central location with interesting people. Her two love interests, Samuel and Adam are generic, but her history is different with both of them. She's conflicted about her feelings, or lack of feelings for each guy. The vampire friend, Stefan comes off as a typical “cool” vampire, but it's said repeatedly that he is not like other vampires. Another character is Adam's daughter, Jessie, who is a teenager that is cool with her dad being a werewolf and pack leader, while she is human.

While the story plot is an intriguing mystery and the characters interesting, the book feels more like an episode of television. One of the reasons I found myself enjoying the novel, is that it reminds me of my favorite television show, "Buffy, the Vampire Slayer" instead of "The Vampire Diaries" (which I didn't watch). Ultimately the love interests serve as more of a plot function rather than a romantic partner. If you are someone that likes supernatural romance/mystery novels, and awesome female leads, then give this book a shot, it's not very long, and who know you might enjoy it like I did.

Thanks for reading my reviews. If you like werewolf stories and female lead characters, then check out my story on Wattpad, "The Lunar Spirit". Lycan Livonia Dane returns to her old pack house, for the Lunar Ball. Liv finds herself drawn to her childhood bully, Lucas while also reconnecting with her old friend, Jepson. When the Ball is attacked by vampires, Liv is pulled into the action, while trying to find her lunar spirit mate. Will it be Lucas or her brooding childhood friend Jepson? Or possibly someone else? Struggling with her feelings for each man, Liv aids in the investigation and war against the vampires.

https://www.wattpad.com/story/306771957-the-lunar-spirit