I was spacing out the Mercy Thompson series over the last few Cannonball Read challenges. Not this go-round. I got hooked and read five in a row! I will keep the spoilers light, but there are some things you may want to keep as a surprise if you haven’t read this series.
Night Broken sees Mercy dealing with an unwanted house guest: Christy, Adam’s ex-wife. She has a hell of a stalker and needs the pack’s protection. Out of jealousy, the stalker burned down a house with someone alive inside. Christy is understandably scared. But there’s a damn good reason that she left Adam. She didn’t love him and was scared of him. It’s quite convenient because she didn’t like being married to a werewolf, but all of a sudden she needs one. Christy starts winning the pack’s favor with her cooking, which isn’t Mercy’s strong suit. Most of the pack would happily welcome Adam’s ex-wife back. Several of them think humans fit better as mates than a coyote. Thankfully, Honey isn’t buying Christy’s homemaker act. Mercy and her bond over their mutual respect and dislike of Christy. Sadly for Mercy, the stalker comes looking for Christy and leaves more bodies in his wake. Mercy calls on old allies and a few new ones to battle this big bad. This one is a nearly invincible START SPOILER [ volcano god. He can transform humans into flaming dog servants!]END SPOILER.
I spent a good portion of this book frustrated with the pack. They kept falling for Christy’s manipulative crap. I was most disappointed in Adam for not seeing through the helpless victim act until it was too late. The villain was rather impressive and bonkers but kind of an amazing choice. I will warn you there are some animal deaths in this book. Briggs doesn’t go into detail, but it was still sad to read as an animal lover. The best part was seeing Honey let loose and speak her mind. I didn’t like her character in earlier books, but I love her now. Mercy kicks ass and saves the day again. After IMO too much suffering, she finally gets some respect from the pack.
Fire Touched was up next and focused on the Fae. A bridge troll attacks the Cable Bridge in broad daylight. The police are beyond useless, so it’s up to the pack to stop it. Mercy sort of puts her foot in her mouth when making a public proclamation about protecting a special boy. She insinuates that the pack rules the Tri-Cities and will take on any supernatural thing that comes for him. Unfortunately, this puts her foster dad Bran, the official head of the werewolves, in a bad position. When the Fae demand the boy, this opens a whole can of worms. The boy has special abilities but hasn’t been in society for some years. The pack risks everything to protect because the idea of sacrificing a child is unthinkable. The game of politics is afoot even within the Fae themselves. Zee, Mercy’s former Fae boss, and his son aren’t supposed to get involved anymore. Mercy and Adam rely on combined wits and strength to find their way out of this one. Oh, and one of the Gray Lords wants his magical walking stick back from Mercy. The dang thing doesn’t want to return, which adds even more trouble to the situation.
I was so excited to learn more about the Fae realm. This boy has seen some shit and literally changed forever through his contact with the Fae. Unlike the previous book, Adam and Mercy were on the same page. Their relationship is rock solid again. Mercy keeps bringing home strays but Adam gets it. The staff continues to be oddly bonded to Mercy too. If you were hoping for more action and less talking, this is a great entry in the series.
Silence Fallen is the road trip book. Mercy is kidnapped and taken to Italy. Adam falls into an almost feral rage looking for her. His werewolf is way too close to the surface. He has to rely on Darryl and Warren to organize the search party. They also enlist the local witch, Elizavetta, for assistance in tracking Mercy via magic. Mercy’s actions in the previous books have caught the eye of some major power players across the sea. Adam has to team up with some former enemies to help bring Mercy home. The enemy of my enemy is my friend type situation. Bran has disavowed himself from the pack so can’t pull any political strings. Good thing coyotes are hard to contain. Mercy escapes her captors, but they are hot on her trail. Through her situation, we meet more supernatural creatures. Mercy feels powerless but eventually remembers she has some strong powers too.
Unlike the other books, we get whole chapters from Adam’s point of view. Since we have two alternating narrators, Briggs explicitly explains any time gaps. I swooned when learning how much he needs her. He physically hurts without her nearby. These werewolves are damn serious about mating for life. The book is rife with more supernatural politics but focused less on the Fae this time around. Once again, it’s the damn SPOILER [vampires!] END SPOILER. I do love it when Stefan, the vampire bestie of Mercy, is out of the shadows and part of the major plot again. Mercy also gets to use her ghost-talking power on a whole new level.
Storm Cursed is all about the witches. These aren’t nice and cuddly ones either. They do blood sacrifices and enjoy terrorizing humans. Mercy goes to investigate a rogue goblin and stumbles into some zombie goats. It was hilarious but also kind of scary. They enlist Elizavetta to tell them what’s up and find out that her coven has been attacked. Some rogue witches have shown up and aren’t playing nice. Zee rightly warns Mercy that witches are usually trouble and should be avoided when possible. Coyote brings his unusual brand of “assistance” once again. Even though he puts Mercy through the wringer, he rarely fails to help. He pushes her to think outside the rules of reality. Magic also works on Mercy differently because of her coyote gifts, which come in handy. Also, the magic staff has her back.
Much of this entry is quite dark and at times sad. These witches have no honor and enjoy making people suffer. Mercy is at her wit’s end but refuses to back down. She can’t have Black witches running amok in her town. What blew my mind the most was how easily they came into their territory. They can bespell humans and werewolves. The pack underestimates magic for the last time.
After reading Frost Burned, I binge-read four more in the Mercy Thompson series! I also got sucked into the Alpha and Omega books based in the same universe. There was so much action but also changing power structures from book to book. Mercy has fought the Fae, evil humans, vamps, gods, and now witches. I love how she may not be the most powerful, but as one vamp says she does have excellent allies. Although we meet a variety of fantastical beings, the series remains firmly rooted in reality. When Mercy is on the run, the adrenaline and anxiety were so vivid on the page. They may be married but Mercy’s and Adam’s relationship continues to evolve with each book. Most of their conflict comes from external places like the Gray Lords. I decided to save the two most recent novels for CBR 15.
