Finished Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs. It’s the second in her Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series about a car mechanic who can shapeshift and become a coyote.

In this book, Mercy’s friend, the vampire Stefan, asks her to help him deal with a demon who has possessed another vampire/sorcerer. The demon is killing people, and Stefan needs it to stop, so the local group of vampires are not exposed to the human population. Mercy agrees to help, and the demon comes after her and her loved ones.

I liked Moon Called, the first book in the series, but I enjoyed Blood Bound even more. Maybe it was because I was familiar with Briggs’ world this time around. Or maybe because Mercy has a lot more to do in this book. She decides to go after the demon herself, and she takes logical, appropriate steps to hunt it down — something she has only a few hours to do before the demon starts killing her friends. I enjoyed the faster pacing in this one, and I thought the emotional stakes were a lot higher for Mercy.  

I’m also interested to see exactly what Mercy’s powers as a “walker” or shapeshifter are. So far, she can talk to ghosts and certain magics don’t affect her like they do werewolves and other creatures. Everyone keeps telling Mercy how powerful she is, but nobody will tell her what her powers are — they only give her small nuggets of information at a time. A little annoying, but I get that Briggs is doing that to keep people hooked on the series. Slow reveals really are the best, but as a reader/viewer, I hate waiting for them. I want all the books/secrets to be out right now. :rolleyes:

One thing I didn’t particularly care for was the love triangle between Mercy, Sam, and Adam. I know a lot of people love the interaction between the characters. It’s well done and realistic, but as a general rule, I just don’t like love triangles. Supposedly, the triangle gets resolved in the third book, Iron Kissed, which was recently released. I’ll be reading it — after I whittle down my TBR pile some more.

So, thumbs up.

Up next: Not sure. Something from the aforementioned TBR pile.

Finished Moon Called by Patricia Briggs. This is the first in the Mercy Thompson series, about a car mechanic who’s a “walker” and can take the shape of a coyote at will. I’d heard a lot about this urban fantasy series and decided to try it.

Mercy Thompson doesn’t live an ordinary life. In addition to being a walker herself, Mercy also has to deal with a variety of magical beings, including her werewolf neighbor, Adam, and the runaway werewolf teenager who shows up on her doorstep begging for work. The teen is in trouble and being chased by some bad guys. Soon, Mercy is caught up in a conspiracy that involves werewolf experimentation, pack leadership, and much more.

I enjoyed a lot of things about this book. It was refreshing to see a woman working and succeeding in what’s thought of as a man’s field (auto repair). I honestly can’t remember ever reading another story featuring a female mechanic. Not only that, Mercy knows and recognizes her strengths and her limitations, both when it comes to repairing cars and going up against other paranormal creatures. But that doesn’t keep her from protecting her friends, no matter what the odds are.

Briggs has created an interesting urban fantasy world where some species, like the fae, are known to humans and others, like werewolves, are not. The werewolves are the main focus of the book, and there’s a lot going on with them. There are also a lot of characters to keep up with — probably a dozen that are important to the story and this is not a long book (288 pages). Several people mentioned in passing turn out to have big roles later on. So, if you read this book, pay attention. Small things matter.

One thing I got a little tired of was all the shows of strength/rank within the werewolf community and how women were pretty much left out of the picture. Other than Mercy, the only other really prominent female character is Jessica, Adam’s daughter who gets kidnapped during the course of the book. Why couldn’t we have an alpha female leading a pack somewhere?

Another thing I wonder about is the men around Mercy. I hope Briggs doesn’t have every guy that Mercy meets fall in love with her or want to make her his mate. That’s a plot device I just don’t enjoy. There are two men interested in Mercy in this book, and evidently, the love triangle plays out over the course of the next two books.

Overall, if you’re looking for a new fantasy read or are burned out on vampires, check out Briggs. You’ll probably enjoy her world.

Thumbs up.

Up next: Not sure. Maybe Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs.