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's 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 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 as 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 here and ends up in trouble. She then gets involved in a mystery that has her teaming up with the local pack Alpha and her neighbor, as well as her ex-lover for years ago. Both werewolves compete for her affections but is unsure about how she feels. With the help of a vampire friend, 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. 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