Review of Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

 

Review of “Night Broken” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

The 8th book in the series manages to find fresh new ideas without losing track of the stories that came before. This book touches on storylines that were introduced in the previous books without losing focus of the main plot line and even ties them together. After hating the fifth book, I was nervous returning to the series. But I loved book 6, really liked the first half of book seven, and book 8 has been really enjoyable to read. This book introduces new characters, new supernatural threats and makes it feel natural to the stories already told with these characters.

In previous books we’ve heard mention of Adam’s ex-wife Christy, but this book finally lets us see Mercy and Christy go head-to-head for Adams affection. In the 6th book, we met a version of Mercy’s father in Coyote, and he returns in this book along with a new half-brother named Gary Laughingdog. Gary is also a coyote shapeshifter, like Mercy, but he also has powers of premonitions that looks like seizures. This book also gives some more character development to Honey, who at the end of the last book lost her husband. Honey has been a side-side character since the second or third book, a member of Adams wolf pack. Mercy and Honey never really liked each other, but with the presence of Christy and the loss of her husband, Honey and Mercy bond a bit. Honey even catches the eye of Gary, because like Mercy he can see the ghost of her dead husband. As a reader, it’s nice to get to know more of the wolf pack members.

One of the things that I like about this book, is that the narrative stays focused on the main storyline. Christy comes into town because she has a dangerous stalker that turns out to be an ancient God from the Canary Islands. Mercy and the pack need to find this man and figure out how to defeat a lava God. The only side plot is the fairy Grey Lord confronts Mercy, demanding the return of the walking stick artifact. At first this plot seems a bit weird, but it ties in with the main storyline, because Mercy gave the walking stick to Coyote, and she meets Gary to find Coyote. At the end Coyote helps them defeat the lava god. And the walking stick returns to Mercy. It was an interesting way to introduce the son of the creator of the fae walking stick, since he’s a grey Lord, while staying connected to the plot.

We also meet a couple that breed dogs and help Mercy to find the villain because he has a rare dog breed. They’re a cute couple but sadly at the end of the book the man gets turned into lava dog that the villain uses to attack Mercy and the pack. While a permanent change to poor Joel, there is hope that he can shift back to human form.

As a woman, I kind of enjoyed the bickering and struggle of Adam’s attention between Mercy and Christy. Mercy seems a bit petty and childish, but deservingly so based on Christy’s annoying behavior. I enjoy the relationship drama and love that Adam never once thinks about leaving Mercy for Christy, and she knows it. It finally shows some trust in their relationship. Christy is a fun character; you sort of hate her for coming in to be a homewrecker, but you also have sympathy for her. The lava god stalker named Juan Flores or his true name of Goyota, was an interesting villain with cool powers and demon dogs, but never gets any characterization. His main motive is that he believes Christy is the reincarnation of his true love, wife from centuries ago. Juan Flores proves to be a formidable threat, but ultimately is kind of lame in terms of characterization.

Other than the villain, the only other flaw is that this book sort of shoehorns in the vampire ongoing drama. The last book ended, needlessly, with the vampires fighting and this book sort of continues it. It’s only a few brief scenes, but that makes it feel even more useless. The vampire Wolf, calls Mercy up to meet him at his house, and he plays coy with her and Adam, almost trying to seduce them into a threesome, when Stefan shows up. Wolf then poaches Stefan about joining Marsilia, Mistress of the vampires. The information about Goyota lava god, could have been obtained without needing to involve the vampires, something I feel the author thinks she’s obligated to add in each book. We had two books early on that focuses on the vampires, we can leave them alone for one book, or do something big with Stefan again, but having him pop in for a scene or two feels obligatory and gratuitous.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, I’d probably rank it towards the top of the series so far. I’m hoping that the books continue to stay good, and we never get a repeat of the wandering narrative that was book 5. Night Broken is a solid entry and provides new characters to use going forward. I hope Gary Laughingdog comes back. The book had more comedy and investigation than action, which I enjoyed. Goyota is a powerful and scary villain, so the comedy is a good way to keep the tone balanced. I love exploring new supernatural beings and creatures. I love when the books expand the world, and we learn more information about the fae and the rules of supernatural beings and Mercy’s father Coyote. Hopefully, the series will continue to expand, these books are at their best when Mercy is interacting with characters that we enjoy.

Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

            A review of “Frost Burned” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

Buy the Book Here

After loving the last book, I was hoping the seventh book in the series would also be good. This book is a bit of a mixed mag for me, but I will look back on it as one of the better books so far in the series. “Frost Burned” starts out with action and has a good flow for the first half of the book. Mercy gets into a car accident, the pack wolves get kidnapped, Mercy must get her boyfriend’s daughter to safety, while Ben the werewolf is struggling with silver poisoning. Then Mercy, Ben and Stefan the vampire go to Kyle’s house, who was being held hostage. Kyle was the lover of a pack wolf named Warren, and friends with Mercy. Stefan takes out the bad guys and then we get introduced to a new wolf called The Moor, who is legendary. Then Mercy gets attacked by assassins and hit with some fae magic while trying to rescue Adam's daughter and her boyfriend’s family.

After all that chaos, the book finally slows down, but becomes more about long drawn-out explanations and exposition. It really hits the brakes. This is also the first book that deviates from Mercy’s point of view, where we get Adam’s perspective of events, probably to avoid more exposition. But it was interesting, being out of Mercy’s P.O.V. For a while. Last the quarter of the book, takes a strange turn. The vampire mistress, Marsillia, calls Mercy to help her fight against a big bad vampire that we briefly met in a previous book. It’s mentioned that this vampire hired the mercenaries that kidnapped the werewolves, but that doesn’t explain the mercenaries plan about having Adam kill a senator. So, the ending gets a bit sloppy. Of course, Mercy and her friends defeat this new “big bad” vampire and she remains on good terms with Marsillia.

I really enjoyed this book for the first half, the action was great, and the pacing flew by. The motivation of the mercenaries capturing the pack didn’t make a ton of sense, especially trying to tie it in at the end with the vampire. The villains were lame, but the concept was cool. I like seeing Mercy team up with Ben and Stefan for a bit. We resolve a side story that started in book five with Jesse’s boyfriend Gabriel feuding with his mother. There was a bit more of the fae magic, with Z’s son Tad joining the mix in this book. I loved including these side characters, because these books are at their best when the characters are interacting with each other.

One of the things that bothered me, is there is no Samuel and instead we find out that he and the fae woman that he met at the end of book five are now living together. It just feels like a rushed story line, that reminds me why I really didn’t like the fifth book. Mercy and her now husband Adam are separated for the first half of this book creating an interesting dynamic. We also get a few mentions of Mercy’s sort of real father the Coyote, who helps her with magic to save Adam. The book slows down a lot when Mercy and Adam reunite and the whole mercenary plot is conveniently wrapped up with a nice little bow, before Mercy must face off with the “big bad” vampire. The new character called the Moor, is interesting and I hope we learn more about his history and relationship with Bran the leader of all werewolves in America.

This book suffers from a few of the same issues that most of the other books do. Adam and Mercy’s relationship wasn’t great in this book, he comes off as way too possessive of her, and she of him. They resolve their issues by having lots of sex at inappropriate times. Which is supposed to show us they are so in love, they can’t keep their hands off each other, but these are grown adults. It’s sort of implied that their animal counterparts’ basic instincts take over, but it plays as more of a possessive quality, than “I’m so in love”. I really enjoyed the fast-paced action in the first half of the book and getting more time with side characters, but the second half slows down and loses my interest. Also, the surprise ending of inserting the character Frost – whom the book is titled after – feels like an after thoughts; and raises more questions than it answers.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this book, and it had some really good moments out of the series. If the book had stopped halfway through, this would be a top tier novel of the series, unfortunately it went on to bore me. This is not the best in the series but it’s also not the worst. So far for me, it ranks right in the middle. Let’s see if the series gets better.

Review of The Prisoner in the Sky by F.R. Colom-Brana

 Review of “The Prisoner in the Sky” by F.R. Colom-Brana

*Small disclaimer, while I do not know the author personally, this book was given to me as a gift by a family member that does know the author. I will give my honest opinion on the book, but just note there is a small connection to the author.*

Buy the Book Here

The Prisoner in the Sky is based on Gods and Angels mythology, but the themes and tone aren’t heavy handed Christian messages. The story is about a Nephilim (part human, part angel) named Athed, that is framed for the murder of the Arch Angel Lumen. On the run to complete Lumen’s quest, Athed is joined by a motley crew, some of whom die. Others join him on his quest across the land to the Fortress in the Sky to finish what Lumen started.

This book has a simple plot that is easy to follow, and travels across several landscapes in pursuit of the mission. The characters are likable even though they are a bit one note. Unfortunately, some of the best characters don’t survive until the end. The author is not afraid to kill of characters, which does add to the stakes and tension of the journey. While there are some romantic relationships, they are subtle and do not interfere with the plot.

One of the things that I like about this book is the setting. It feels like a fantasy world out of Game of Thrones, except that the technology is a bit different. This story uses motor bikes, and to good effect. I like this blending of the fantasy world with some modern conveniences, it makes this story unique. Throughout the book, the characters travel from the coastal capital city to the desert to the forest and finally the Fortress in the sky. The sprawling landscapes help pace the story and keep the plot moving forward because somethings are gained and lost at each place.

The book is an easy read, while there are some minor issues in the writing (sentence structure, grammar and cliché dialogue) it doesn’t detract from the narrative and are things the author could fix, if he writes another book. We learn early in the book what the main goal is, and the book ends having fulfilled part of the first part of Lumen’s plan. The ending of this first book is a big cliffhanger, so I would love to see where this story goes from here.

Overall, this is a light, fun fantasy book with interesting mythology and some likable characters. Even though this is written by a first-time author and has some problems, Colom-Brana has the imagination and vision to tell story that captures your attention. I hope that Colom-Brana writes the sequel.

Review of River Marked by Patricia Briggs

A review of “River Marked” A Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

Buy the Book Here

After hating the last book, I was reluctant to start reading this book. However, this book starts off with some charm and moves along quickly to the main plot. The novel book ends the story with Mercy and Stefan the vampire. It opens with Mercy trying to take care of Stefan and then Stefan helps take care of Mercy at the end. Both commiserating over that fact that they need help and aren't used to asking for it. I've always enjoyed Stefan the vampire, there was always this flirty, sexual tension between the two characters. This book really shows that they are just friends that care about each other, despite him being a vampire.

We get the return of Mercy's mom and are introduced to her two half-sisters. I was surprised that in book six, Mercy and Adam are getting married. It feels a bit rushed to me, and I do have some issues with their relationship. They are too possessive of each other, are constantly arguing and then constantly having sex. This book attempts to show the two having common interest in the outdoors and camping, but they fight too much with each other. I want to know what it is about Adam that Mercy loves other than he's super model hot; and what is it about Mercy that Adam loves so much. By the end of the book, they start working together more and trusting each other, so there is some relationship development.

Unlike the last book, which had too many plots’ lines, this novel sticks to one main plot line and expands the world building. We finally learn the truth about Mercy's father, and why she can shift into a coyote and is somewhat averse to magic and can see ghosts. She is a descendant of an ancient Native American Spirit known as Coyote. The story doesn't fully explain the difference in magic between the Spirit animals and the Fae magic, so it gets a bit confusing at times.

The main plot line is that Mercy and Adam were arranged to be at this camp site to investigate a river creature that is killing people. A fae called Otter-kin are introduced as the prime suspect but it turns out the real big bad is the River Devil, a Kraken or Scylla like creature that marks people to do her bidding. Except that Mercy can resist her thrall because of her connection to Coyote. Mercy with the help of the other Spirit Animals, plan to kill the River Devil after Mercy realizes her dreams are real events that the River Devil has committed. In the end, Mercy struggles to defeat the River Devil and comes out with several severe injuries that leave her in a wheelchair. Adam even gets a few scenes struggling with his wolf.

What I like about this book, is the threat level of the River Devil is shown often instead of being told. The story has stakes, and Mercy doesn't easily defeat the villain unscathed. There are real consequences to this plot and the danger feels real. At one point Mercy must make a decision to sacrifice herself in order to save some little kids. But she is the key to taking out the River Devil, so if she dies the creature will only continue to kill more people. It's a tough choice, that adds to the urgency and danger of the situation.

This is by far the best book since book 3, and a big part of it is that it has a focused story line. We get some good back story on Mercy's father; we learn more about the Native American magic and shape shifters; and even some good relationship development between Mercy and Adam. This story feels fresh, and something new other than vampires and evil fae magic. I like taking the main characters away from the wolf pack, and their comfort zone.

 

So, I really enjoyed this book, especially after the last book. This gives me hope that the series can still be good, and book 5 was just a misfire. Looking forward to reading the next book and seeing where the characters go from here. Especially now that Mercy and Adam are married and that we finally learned the reveal of Mercy's father. What will future stories focus on?

Review of Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

 

A review of “Silver Borne”  a Mercy Thompson novel by Patricia Briggs

Buy the Book Here

So far, the fifth book in this series is my least favorite. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book the way I did the others, I was so frustrated with the plot I had to take a break from reading it before I continued. This book takes place shortly after the last book. Mercy and Adam are fully a couple now, and there is some sort of wolf pack magic where the pack can communicate telepathically. This causes Mercy to freak out and be uncomfortable, because someone is messing with her mind.

 

The problem I have with this book, is that there are too many old and new plot lines in this book, and some don't get resolved or have to do with one another. So, there the ongoing Mercy and Adam love story that is now interrupted by a pack member trying to break them up. This plot line leads to a conspiracy to overthrow Adam and gets resolved easily. Then there is a separate story line about Samuel's attempted suicide, and how his wolf is in control and Mercy needs to save him. No one really talks to Samuel about his attempted suicide and in the end, he finds something or someone to live for, so we'll see where this plot line goes. The only thing this plot line adds to is that it forces Sam and Mercy to stick together for the whole book and they team up to solve a mystery.

 

Then there is the “main” plot where a TV bounty hunter gets a false warrant to capture Adam, only to cover up someone trying to kill Mercy. The bounty hunter never returns and his producer that sets him up is the fae that tried to kill Mercy, but both get dropped. This is all to obtain the book that Mercy borrowed from a fae back in the third book. The book owner is missing, and Mercy investigates to uncover the Fae Queen, who wants that book. The problem with this story line, is that it loses focus, doesn't build up any mystery, the bounty hunter part is useless, and the Fae Queen captures Mercy's employee Gabriel, instead of capturing Mercy. Then it's all too easy to find, trick and defeat the Fae Queen.

 

There is just so much going on in the novel that it doesn't not flow properly from plot to plot. These books have never had huge character depths and emotional connections, but this book really lacks the impact these characters have on each other and their environment. Mercy's house burns down with all her possessions (the cat lives) and yet we don't get any of her reaction, other than 'oh that's sad'. This book just doesn't deal with the situations properly.

 

One of the things I do like about his book (there's not much), is that it delves deeper into the Fae realm. We get a lot of the character Z, we learn more about how the fae home world Underhill works, and how their magic works. We get a new fae character that has a history with Samuel and is super powerful. I love learning about how the fae folk and magic work in this world. I'm still enjoying some of the cheesy romance stuff, it's not too sexy but I like flirting the line.

I hope that the next book gets better in terms of plot. I understand that five books in, there's a lot of stuff to build on and continue, but the stories need to flow together in a way that doesn't feel incomplete or disjointed. I'm going to take a break from the series to listen to other things before I come back to the series. I still like these characters, so I'm hopeful that none of the other books are as bad as this one.

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 Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

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

Buy the Book Here

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.

Buy the Book Here

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

Buy the Book Here

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

Buy the Book Here

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