Mercy Thompson
Urban Fantasy
Penguin
March 7, 2017
384
In the #1 New York Times bestselling Mercy Thompson novels, the coyote shapeshifter has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy's bond with the pack--and her mate--is broken, she'll learn what it truly means to be alone... Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes--only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe... Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise...
Once again, I’m ecstatic about the latest Mercy Thompson book by Patricia Briggs. I really enjoy how Mrs. Briggs weaves a story with compelling, well-developed characters, and a racing plot.
*spoilers*
In this book, Mercy is kidnapped and taken to Italy. At first, the motivations seem straightforward and the Tri-City pack’s response predictable. However, the read reasons for the kidnapping are intricate and layered, and I love how Briggs slowly reveals information to the reader to expose more and more complexity. Very well-done and subtle.
Mercy is by no means a fair damsel in distress, which I also love. Of course, werewolves are on planes and heading to rescue her, but she escapes on her own fairly quickly and ends up running away to Prague, where there is more excitement waiting for her. I have come to hate the trope where a female character is captured and must be rescued, and I really enjoy when a plot point seems to be heading that direction and is then turned on its head.
Adam spends most of the book separated from Mercy, and provides a second plot that unfurls in Italy with a motley crew of characters versus a powerful seethe of vampires. Mercy’s and Adam’s plots twist around each other delicately with highly entertaining results. Patricia Briggs is a master of her craft and I am now sad because I must wait so long for her next book to come out.