On Adam: A Review of Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

This poor book--it arrived right in the middle of my reading slump, so it took me way too long to finish it. The good news is, after all of that, I did not hate it. Mercy is like an old friend to me, and I'm always happy for a new book about her, and even more happy to see her with Adam. Which is why I was so bummed that he was kidnapped.

The book opens up with Mercy and Jesse getting into a car accident, and then finding out that the entire pack has been taken. Mercy uses her mate bond with Adam to contact him, finding him pissed off and in pain, in the hands of men who want him to kill a US senator and thus start a war. Mercy wants to rescue Adam, but her first priority is to protect his daughter, Kyle (Warren's mate).

I like that Mercy is still discovering the extent of what she is and what her powers are. She's always been appealing because she appears to be one of the weakest supernatural beings in her world, and yet she has hidden depths. This book specifically comments on her will and her stubbornness, and how she uses that to overcome impossible odds. It also shows us that she has some pretty serious and mysterious magic--she can do things that no one has ever heard of, and that makes her a wild card.

I've always found Adam likeable, in that usual alpha-shapeshifter kind of way. He's brave, loyal, self-sacrificing, and he actually likes Mercy for all of her flaws. I enjoyed the fact that we got to see a lot of him in this book, and that he was able to be at his most commanding despite getting his ass kicked and suffering major losses. I liked that some of the passages were more from his point of view, which helped to put a different spin on the state of things.

I liked that this book employed so many familiar and well liked characters from previous books--Stefan, Zee, Tad, and so forth. Mercy's world has really grown over the course of seven books, and it's interesting to see what the author can do in that well established world--both in terms of explicit plot points and hints of things to come.

Now, the core plot was serviceable, but to my mind not so memorable as some of the past books. That may have a lot to do with the fact that I spent so much time kicking and screaming my way through reading anything, and perhaps even a brilliant plot would have eluded me. But, in any case, while I can appreciate the dire concerns for supernaturals in law and politics, it seems to me that we're never given quite enough scope and context to become truly concerned, because we rarely step out of Mercy's head. I don't know that I got the high resolution big picture that I was meant to get. But that's okay, it was still enjoyable.

So to conclude--Mercy Thomspon should be at the top of your Urban Fantasy TBR if you haven't tried her yet. And this was a nice edition to the series, even if it took me way to long to get through. 4 stars.

On Sea Monsters: A Review of River Marked by Patricia Briggs

River Marked by Patricia Briggs is book six in the Mercy Thompson series, and now that I've read it, I am finally caught up!

In this book, Mercy and Adam get married and go on an impromptu camping trip as a honeymoon. Their new marital bliss is spoiled by the presence of a river monster, who has been eating people. Mercy teams up with some of the local people--and a mysterious ghost that might be her father--to kill the monster before it can become too strong.

Positive Comments:

I love Adam and Mercy together. They're two very different people, but they fit well, and I enjoyed the romance between them.

I enjoyed learning about Mercy's lineage, including what makes her a walker. These things were glossed over in the previous books, so it was nice to finally have the gaps in world building filled in. Furthermore, those touches of world building supported Mercy's development as a character.

Critical Comments:

This is by and large a monster hunting book. That means the antagonist is bland and uninteresting compared to some that we've seen in past books.

I missed a lot of the supporting cast. Stefan, Gabriel, Jesse, Warren, and the rest, are almost entirely left out of this book. In a way, it was nice to focus more on Mercy's back story and her relationship with Adam, but overall, I missed everyone.

Recommendation:

While this is, by no means, the strongest book in the series, it also isn't the weakest. As an addition to a good series, it passes the bar for me. I recommend it to Mercy Thompson fans. 3.5 stars.

On Bonds: A Review of Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

This one really surprised me. I didn't care much for Bone Crossed at all, and I assumed that signaled the downfall of my enjoyment of this series. I'm happy to be proven wrong.

Silver Borne is the fifth novel in the Mercy Thomson series. This is one series that you do have to read in order, because there's a lot of overarching character development. In this book, Mercy is trying to return a book that she borrowed from a fae friend, but there seems to be a problem. The friend is missing, and some suspicious parties seem to be after the book. Mercy's problems are compounded by the fact that her room mate and good friend, Sam, has lost himself to his inner wolf. Mercy knows that according to pack law, Sam should be sentenced to death for everyone's safety. But Mercy refuses to give up on Sam, just as she refuses to turn the book over to unknown and dangerous hands.

Positive Comments:

There's so much rich character development in this book. I've always loved Mercy and all of her friends, and they really shine in this one. Sam's journey alone had me emotionally gripped, and I would have been happy if that had been the whole book. But there's so much more going on, and it all serves to build each individual into a more realistic, unique character.

I loved the way Briggs managed to portray Mercy and Adam's relationship in this one. Normally, I complain about mystical mate bonds, but that's because I've seen them written very poorly. Usually mate bonds are used as a substitute for relationship building. In this book. Briggs uses it as an obstacle, as well as an advantage: something neither good nor bad that has to be acknowledged and dealt with. The bond can be imperfect, become damaged, or even be broken. Mercy has to keep making the choice to hold onto and go back to that bond. This makes for a kind of romance that you just can't get with insta-love plots.

Critical Comments:

I love that Brigg's puts character growth first, but sometimes I wish she'd spend just a few more pages on world building. Seriously, just a page here or there to help us make some connections between the events of the book and the big picture of the world.

The villain in this one is a bit unimaginative. She might as well have stood up and said "Hi, I'm the current obstacle to your happy ending. Take a shot at killing me. G'ahead." For someone so great at building interesting characters, Briggs seems rather bad at writing interesting villains.

All things considered, however, I'm very happy with this book. I'm happy with this series again, and I look forward to reading the next one. If you haven't tried this series yet, Moon Called is the first one--give it a try. This series has it's ups and downs, but it's one I still recommend. 4 stars for Silver Borne.

On Coyotes: A Review of Bone Crossed by Patricia Briggs

So, first of all, this review is going to contain spoilers form Iron Kissed, the previous book in the series (you can find a spoiler free review of that one HERE).

Miscellaneous Mondays: Evening Edition

Those of you who have checked in for previous editions of MM probably know that I'm late today! Between tests, presentations, and papers I am absolutely swamped this week as we prepare for Thanksgiving break next week. I hope you'll forgive me if I'm not able to visit as many blogs as I normally do, but I promise to make up for it soon.

TV Talk

Really hilarious Supernatural this week! I always like the ones with a lighter, comical feel, and this one definitely delivered. I was amused by the addition of Garth to this episode, a character that I believe had been mentioned in passing but not previously seen.

I'm still keeping up with Grimm as best I can. It has the potential to be such a good show. This particular episode, though enjoyable, had it's issues. For one thing, it features bees that look so fake they are hard to take seriously. I know it's just a TV show, and budgets are limited and effects are tough. But yeah, it was a tough thing to look past. I also thought that the writers placed Nick in a pretty contrived situation and then had him make some remarkably questionable decisions. I'm not too upset though, the show still has a lot of room to grow in.

Once Upon a Time, on the other hand, still has me totally captivated. There are so many interesting stories to be told in the world that the show has set up. The one problem is, as Josh has pointed out to me repeatedly, the premise comes with an end date of sorts. The whole point is that eventually, all of the people who have forgotten their fairy tale origins will realize or remember them. At least, that's where I thought it was going. If/when that happens, the show can't really continue on in the same way. But, it's early in the running and who knows what will happen.

Lion King...In 3D!

We caved and went to see the Lion King at our local discount theater. For people my age this movie is extremely nostalgic, and being able to sit through it in a theater again brought back such awesome memories. Yeah, I know, it's a gimmick on Disney's part. And no, the 3D doesn't add anything. But it kept me entertained for an hour and change, so for me it was worth it.

Who Wants Superpowers?

Here are the results from last weeks poll! I'm a bit surprised at this one, because I would not have predicted telekinesis to win. Is it that people don't want to get up to retrieve the remote control across the room? I guess manipulating objects with your mind is pretty cool. If you got really good at it, you might be able to unlock vaults or make yourself levitate.

When it comes to reading, I love a character with superpowers. My philosophy toward it, though, has always been less is more. I think it's really interesting to take an otherwise ordinary character, give them one extraordinary power, and watch what they do with it. Jennifer Estep is doing a good job of this with Gwen from the Mythos Academy series: Gwen is psychometric. Everyone around her has crazy fighting skills, but she has only this unique psychic gift, and that puts her in some pretty interesting situations. Another good example is Mercy, from Patricia Brigg's series. She's just a shape-shifter, which is kind of rare but in no way makes her invincible or super special. Yet she accomplishes a lot with the abilities she has.

Does anyone want to share why their favorite superpower is the best? Leave a comment!

This week's poll is favorite pie flavor, because I love pie. Vote on the right side of your screen!

Don't forget to enter the 200 followers giveaway: Extra entries can be earned by tweeting or posting about it, so make sure you take advantage of that!

On Gremlins: A Review of Iron Kissed by Patricia Briggs

When I first started getting into urban fantasy, Patricia Briggs was one of those authors that was on everyone's list of recommendations. I quickly discovered why. With her unique characters and simple story telling, she keeps her readers immersed for hours. In my review of book 2, Blood Bound, I discussed all of this in more detail. Iron Kissed was equally impressive for me, although for different reasons. Now on to the review.

Mercy's mentor, Zee, has been accused of murder. Zee is an iron kissed fae (a metal worker), which is a breed that humans have little understanding of and therefore fear. When the fae community fails to jump to Zee's rescue, Mercy is determined to find the real killer herself.

Positive Comments:

I had some pretty strong emotional reactions to this book. I've resolved to keep these reviews as spoiler free as possible, so I can't get too specific. I'll just say that Mercy goes through quite a lot of trauma, which I did not see coming. I really felt for her, and I applauded her recovery. The visceral reaction that I had to this book is something that I don't think was present in the previous books, so I'm counting it as a major positive. Maybe it was an intentional ploy on the part of the author, but if so, it worked on me.

The character development is intense, but without being overdone. Obviously, Mercy's world view is altered several times throughout the story. But equally impressive, to me at least, was the efficient way that Briggs started to develop her secondary and background characters. From the important one like Samuel and Adam, to the minor characters of Ben and Zee, you gain insights into what makes them who they are.

Critical Comments:

The world building part of the plot gets buried in drama. There's some interesting mythology being invoked in this book, but it was in no way explained to my satisfaction. There are a lot of magical objects being used, and we are given very little information as to their origins or how they actually work. Since these things were extremely important to the plot, I felt they deserved more page time.

I also had some issues with the pace of the book. It jumps from mundane things into action so abruptly I felt dizzy. Overall, the tone of the novel just isn't consistent. It goes from intellectual murder mystery, to action/chase scene, to tragic drama, all with very few transitions.

I'm having trouble grading this one. Going purely on emotional impact, it would be a 4. Taking that out of the equation, it's more like a 3. I'll split the difference: 3.5 stars. In any case, the Mercy Thomson series is a must read for any urban fantasy fan.

Musings From Atop the TBR Pile

Here with *Duff the penguin to discuss our ongoing mission: concurring the TBR pile. This is only a small representation of my collection, but I didn't want to stack Duff to high (he tends to roll).

My pile is born from many sources. As penguins on a budget, we do what we can to cut costs. That means second hand stores, sales, coupons, borrowing, and trading. Paperbackswap has been a particular life saver. I can't recommend that site enough. With their give a book, receive a book system I satisfy my book cravings without taking up more space (which is definitely an issue).

The selections range from random to systematic. Sometimes I pick up a book simply because I like the cover art. More often I'm encouraged by positive reviews from trusted sources. And when I find a book I like, I compulsively search out every book in that series or by that author. This happened with Ilona Andrews' Kate Daniels books, Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate books, and of course Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson books.

My main problem is deciding what order to read in. I try to mix it up, not read to many urban fantasy or historical romances in a row. I used to have a strict system, but I cheated so much that it wasn't worth it. These days I kind of select at random. Spontaneous reading is happy reading



*I feel obligated to mention that Duff (Dougal Ulfric Fergus) was a random gift from my sweety. He was left at work for me with a very nice love note. Five years and he's still a sweetheart. I'm one lucky girl!

Mechanics and Monsters

After the awful reading experience that was Ascension (Guardians of Ascension) I went searching through my TBR pile for a pallet cleanser of sorts. A book with vampires and other supernatural elements that was well written (or at the very least, did not suck completely). I remembered really liking Moon Called by Patricia Briggs, so I thought it's sequel, Blood Bound might offer the perfect solution.

Plot Summery (MINOR SPOILERS): Mercy is approached by her vampire friend, Stefan, to help in tracking down a vampire gone rogue. The two quickly discover that the vampire in question is also a powerful sorcerer, and that his mere presence in the city is causing a surge of violent crimes. When the task of taking down the villain foils both vampires and werewolves, it falls to Mercy, with her unique abilities as a coyote shapeshifter, take him down.

Patricia Briggs isn't a perfect urban fantasy writer, but she does several important things very well. The world building is simple compared to a lot of paranormal books, making them easier to follow and more enjoyable. Instead of complex mythology, the story rides on interesting characters. In this book, readers get a slightly more in depth look and Mercy's personality, as well as the secondary characters--Adam, Samuel, Stefan, etc. The relationships begin to get more complex. Meanwhile, the action is present and ongoing. Everything, both action and character developing, is done without repetition or flowery language.  It is an intricate yet readable story, with touches of horror and humor.

The issues I have with this book are more due to content than style. Perhaps I'm bored with vampires and the way they're often portrayed in urban fantasy, or perhaps this book was using too many cliches. I was a bit bored with the vampire politics and details of vampire nature, which are no different than what I've encountered in so many other books. The villain was suitably scary, but not very original. Also, I had to sigh a bit at the growing love triangle between Mercy, Adam, and Samuel. Personally, I don't care for that kind of conflict in my books. At least Briggs didn't sink to the lowest common denominator by having Mercy sleep with every hot man she encountered. In fact, I thought Mercy handled things fairly well. But the mere hint of a love triangle always irritates me.

All told, I love Mercy as a character and I think the series is well worth reading. One overarching detail that I love is that in the midst of all the violent drama, Mercy is still a woman with a full time job as a mechanic. She doesn't forget this even when the world is falling apart--a very admirable character trait. I look forward to the rest of her adventures. 4 stars.