I’m terrible at staying current in a series, but I’m all caught up on the main Mercy Thompson series. After a book binge last summer for CBR14, I only had two to read.
SPOILERS AHEAD AS THIS IS A LONG-RUNNING SERIES
Smoke Bitten is twelfth in the series and picks up after the devastating ending of Storm Cursed where they had to kill a nasty nest of local witches. Alpha werewolf Adam is emotionally haunted after killing Elizaveta, their former friend and witch advisor. Coyote shifter Mercy tries to be a supportive wife, but Adam keeps shutting her out. Meanwhile, Adam’s ex Christy is back in town causing drama in the pack. Christy is a master manipulator always pulling the victim card. This time it’s over Adam’s daughter going to college in town, which is somehow Mercy’s fault. Before things can get too soap opera-y, Mercy discovers her neighbor’s ghosts wandering near her trailer. The husband killed the wife and then himself, which is completely out of character for this sweet couple. Mercy investigates and is tainted when she touches the body. Thankfully, vampire wizard Wulfe has been stalking her. He intervenes to throw her into the river to break the dark magic. We learn that a fae-like monster has been taking over people and driving them to kill to power itself. It doesn’t take too kindly to a wiley coyote slipping his possession. As if they don’t have enough issues, rogue werewolves come to town and try to take over the pack. Despite their relationship issues, Adam and Mercy must protect the pack at all costs.
Soul Taken is the thirteenth novel, which I got signed by the author. Of course, my new puppy didn’t care and decided to gnaw on it when I fell asleep reading in bed. The signed page is intact, but part of the corner cover is missing. Puppies!
In this recent story, the vampire wizard Wulfe reappears and needs Mercy’s help. Marsilla accuses the wolves of killing him in a twisted manipulation to get them to find Wulfe after he goes missing. The wolves are supposed to protect their allies and anyone seeking refuge in the Tri-Cities. But when other lesser magical beings go missing, things look grim. Someone is mimicking a newly released film called The Harvestor to kill them with a sickle. Zee, Mercy’s fae friend, tells of a dark legend of a cursed sickle weapon that possesses the wielder. The bodies piling up are not good for the pack’s reputation or safety. Because of Mercy’s special magic, she can connect to the victims and unwittingly draws the unwanted attention of the wielder. They have to defeat it and find Wulfe before things spin out of control (and kill Mercy).
I’m loving this series and haven’t been disappointed yet by an entry. Mercy keeps getting into trouble in unique ways with new big bads in each book. It’s not really a surprise, but once again these vampires causing most of the drama! There’s some help from the fae too. I like how myths are woven into this universe to explain new monsters appearing in town. The movie tie-in was a modern touch that I really liked in Soul Taken. What I found most interesting in these last two books was how Mercy and Adam’s relationship is forced to evolve around all this chaos. Instead of breaking apart, they become stronger and more committed to each other. I don’t recommend reading these as standalone since there are so many supernatural players, all with history with Mercy. If you love urban fantasy that focuses on magical monsters and kick-ass heroines, you can’t go wrong with these novels.
