There is something so wonderful about Patricia Briggs's writing for this reader. She is able to create a world in which I am completely drawn in, but she writes with such simple elegance. Without a doubt, this is my favorite urban fantasy series so far.Mercy Thompson is the kind of heroine that earns my devotion. She is so brave, but has the same fears and uncertainties that us readers have. She wants a simple life, even though she's a walker, a coyote shapeshifter, who is up to her neck in werewolf politics, not to mention vampire and fae issues. She has to go to work the next day even after staying up all night, dealing with demon-possessed vampires and the like, knowing that some of her close friends might be dead. I think Ms. Briggs has really tapped into the wellspring of what pulls me in as a reader in this genre. She is able to give me a fantastic world that is imbued with the real life things, and the combination is very satisfying.Mercy could not be more admirable. Not a perfect person, but who is? Nevertheless, she has qualities that earn my respect. She is strong, and loving, empathetic, and willing to do the dirty jobs. Her courage in a truly harrowing situation spoke to me. She could have just moved on, and took things as they ended, but her conscience told her she had to finish things. Which she did, despite her fear, her guilt about doing something that went against her code, and her disgust at what she had to to. And Mercy is surrounded by men (wolves/vamps) who are used to exerting their dominance, but she navigates her way through this testosterone-laden world without losing her sense of self, or control over her own life.The men in this series. Oh, the men. Adam is the keeper of my heart. I just love that man. I believe he is the right man for Mercy, hands down. The chemistry between Mercy and Adam is divine. There is a naturalness to their relationship, full of tension, but so organic. I loved all their scenes together, reading the subtext of their complex relationship. How Adam has to suppress his compelling power as the alpha, but his feelings for Mercy make it difficult. How Mercy wants to submit, but doesn't want to, at the same time, out of fear of losing herself and disappearing into the pack hierarchy. So intense! And then there's Samuel. He was Mercy's first boyfriend, the man she almost mated to. He still wants her, even more than ever. But he knows he messed up the first time, and his fight to give Mercy the choice of who she wants, takes its toll on him. And then there's his pain at what he has lost, and fears he will never have again.The vampires in this series are scary! They are predators, pure and simple. They have powers that make them formidable enemies and uneasy allies. Mercy's 'so-called' friend Stefan has an ambiguosity to him that is inherent because of his being a powerful vampire, but at the same time, having a humaneness that the other vampires lack. He's one of the good ones, but he's still a predator at the end of the day. Mercy knows she's in over her head when she has to deal with the vampires, and particularly a demon-possessed sorcerer vampire. But Mercy has the power to resist the vampires to a degree that the other preternaturals lack, even though her small size and lack of strength as a coyote shifter leaves her at a disadvantage. There are parts in this book where I felt the tension like a knife edge. The evil that these creatures were capable of was always clear. Yet some hid it behind an urbane facade. But more than anything, I love the wolves. The pack dynamics are utterly fascinating. The basic and primal nature of the wolves always played a factor in how Mercy dealt with Samuel, Adam, Bran (the leader of all the werewolves in North America), Warren (Adam's third, a good friend of Mercy), and some of the other wolves in this book. I felt envy that this was not real. But at the same time, I'm not sure I could handle being in love with a werewolf, and knowing that his control is what keeps him from eating or killing you, if that inner wolf nature takes full control. Not to mention dealing with the dicey pack politics that Mercy gets sucked into, despite her desire to do her own thing.I'm gushing. I know I am. I can't help it. I love this book, and this series. I think I will have restrain myself from speeding my way through it too fast. I don't think I could handle having to wait a long time for the next books in the series, then!If you're looking for a really good urban fantasy series with a heroine that you will fall in love with, I recommend this series. If you are into werewolf fiction, you are really missing out if you don't read this one. These werewolves are the best in fiction (in my opinion). Thumbs way up!
Minor Spoilers! Blood Bound, the second book in the Mercy Thompson series was definitely better than the first! I thought the story was much more engaging in this one. There was a purpose straight from the beginning and of course, I can’t complain since Stefan has a considerable amount of page time!Mercy, my new favourite heroine, finds herself in a bit of a situation involving the seethe and a certain demon-riding vampire named Cory Littleton. The guy ended up with a wuss name, but this creep is scary as fuck! The scene where he was pressed up against Mercy’s bedroom window, scratching the glass with his teeth made me want to go screaming for Sam. But Mercy handles her fear well. She does this countless times within this book, playing detective and using her connections to her advantage. Not only she is capable, but she’s smart as hell too!Briggs knows how to tease me. She loves ending books with the Mercy-Adam-Samuel love triangle. My heart broke when Samuel revealed the truth about what happened when he was in Texas. Aww, the poor guy! And then there’s the fact that he kisses Mercy! TWICE!!And what about that work-out scene with Adam? That scene served two purposes. One, readers get to read about a sweaty Adam. Cue swoons. And two, it furthers the storyline with the dom/sub issue between Mercy and Adam. I don’t see it as a problem since neither of them can control themselves around each other. I have no idea who Mercy is going to choose because I adore both wolves equally! I don’t think Mercy is a girl who’ll leads men on. But if there’s one thing that’s got me hooked about this series, it’s the love triangle! I can’t help myself!But this book wasn’t without its imperfections! I thought some scenes dragged on a little too long, such as Mercy’s second visit to Stefan’s menagerie. Nevertheless, this book was damn entertaining and since River-Marked releases tomorrow, I don’t have to wait long to find out what happens!!
What do You think about Blood Bound (2007)?
When a new vampire enters the area without paying his respects, Mercy's vampire friend Stefan asks her to provide him with back up while he lays down the law. What they discover is a whole lot more than either of them can handle –– a demonically possessed sorcerer who has been turned into a vampire. As the carnage increases Mercy, Stefan and the werewolves from the trip-city area join forces to hunt down the demon-vampire before the demon takes over and the real carnage begins. Sometimes I look at ratings for books on Goodreads and find myself getting all righteous and indignant. Not the case with this. It really deserves the high rating it has and I'll add my 5 Stars to it.
—Ian
Ugh. I am so unhappy with Ms. Briggs. She created an intelligent, strong, interesting protagonist; a mostly believable world; and engaging supporting characters. Her writing is smooth and keeps you turning the page, wanting to see where the plot is headed. But the sexist drivel just makes me want to puke. On the surface it doesn't seem to be sexist: Mercy abhors the way women are treated in the werewolf pack; she is strong and resourceful and of course has to save the day. But when I delved deeper, I realized that this is the annoying Heinlein-esque sexism: you know the guy is a jerk and you know better but let's just humor him. The reality is that in humoring, he gets all the power and control. Just because you're going along voluntarily doesn't make it okay. The women in this society are virtually slaves, she freely admits it. The men have magic that can control women and force them to submit, particularly sexually. Mercy knows this and tries to distance herself somewhat but she keeps getting sucked in. She even lives with one of them who wants her. She is constantly in the middle of a tug-of-war with several studs wanting her at once and she doesn't do anything about it. Instead, she continually ends up trying to calm them down by being meek and submissive around them. Don't get me wrong: I believe the society she's created is realistic. It makes perfect sense that people who struggle with a primal beast would succumb to the feral hierarchy directed by testosterone. What I have a problem with is that the character not only tolerates it, she keeps getting herself sucked in. It's the stereotypical bodice-busting romance story of a woman who wants a dangerous man who doesn't treat her well but she knows she can save him. It's disgusting. Why can't these strong women like strong guys who are comfortable in their masculinity and their status in society who treat them well and who respect the woman's own strength and power?I almost stopped reading when I got to a line that went something like, "You know you submitted because you wanted to." The line was referring to a situation where this strong woman was mentally and emotionally controlled through magic and almost forced to have sex against her will (they were interupted which broke the spell) but it was okay because he didn't really have control of his magic because he wanted her so much and secretly she really wanted it? Are you kidding me?!The worst part is this: (This spoiler is about character relationships and not about plot or conflict resolution.)(view spoiler)[At one point Mercy decides she has to decide between one of these two uncontrolled werewolves that want her: the one that almost raped her and the one that hurt her horribly in the past. She is completely horrified, though, by the vampire who is always gentle and kind to her, never takes her for granted, protects her when necessary but allows her to be strong and powerful, and in general is a perfect gentleman. The reason is that in a crisis he had another vampire kill two half-crazed, near-death minions of a third vampire, minions who would undoubtedly have been killed anyway. It really was a mercy killing, which he did so that Mercy wouldn't be hunted down and slaughtered by the rest of the vampires. She tolerates horrific violence and human rights violations by the werewolves because it's the way they are but she is completely repulsed and terrified of a vampire who will not kill because he knows Mercy doesn't want him to but ends up having to off to near-dead half-vampire/half-humans to save her life? This makes NO sense to me and is a very disturbing set of ethics. I'm not saying she should necessarily be okay with the vampire but her reaction to his wrongs are seriously wonky in relation to her tolerance of the wolves' actions. (hide spoiler)]
—Kelly H. (Maybedog)
Blood Bound, the 2nd book in Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson Series is just as good as the 1st book, Moon Called.Mercy Thompson is a heroine that I absolutely love. She has the qualities I admire – strengths and flaws and not afraid to face the obstacles in her life. She is evolving and discovering her power….. The plot revolves around Mercy being asked by Stefan, her vampire friend, to help him hunt down a vampire/sorcerer in league with a demon and a danger to the people she cares and loves. Even though Mercy feels torn between helping Stefan and perhaps betraying her friends, she can’t refuse someone who has stood by her and helped her in the past.Mercy’s attraction towards Adam are is undeniable… and she is conflicted further by her feelings for Samuel, the werewolf from her past and Stefan, her vampire friend. I love the chemistry and tension between Mercy and Adam and I am hoping that they will eventually become a couple.The story is fast paced and moves rapidly as we learn more about the characters in Mercy’s world and their politics.I loved this book and I am totally hooked on the series.My favourite quote:
—Alex is The Romance Fox
