Follow Me
Grab my feed
Posts
All Comments
Wanna Shop?
2013 Reading Challenge
Jen (That's What I'm Talking About) has
read 0 books toward her goal of 75 books.
New-To-Me Authors
2013 reading goal:
15 new-to-me authors.
1) Stacy Gail
2) Heather Massey
3) Sidney Bristol
4) Ann Mayburn
5) Thea Harrison
6) Virna DePaul
7) Mary Quast
8) Molly Harper
9) Eleri Stone
10) PJ Schnyder
11) Kait Ballenger
12) Denise L. Wyant
13) Lucy Monroe
Sunday Snippets
More Blogs
original images by marin & papaija2008 at FreeDigitalPhotos.com
banner designed by Jennifer from Books Make Me Happy
Showing posts with label Patricia Briggs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patricia Briggs. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Review: Cry Wolf Vol. 2 Graphic Novel by Patricia Briggs, et. al
Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf Volume 2
Author: Patricia Briggs/ David Lawrence/ Todd Herman
Release Date: May 7, 2013
Publisher: InkLit
Alpha & Omega Graphic Novels
ISBN: #978-0425266281
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Graphic Novel
Format(s): Hardcover (112 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
A world of shapeshifting wolves comes vividly to life in this collection of four comics based on Cry Wolf, the first book in Patricia Briggs’s #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.
Charles and Anna are on the hunt for a rogue werewolf in the Montana mountains. The creature has morphed into something so dark that it kills everything in its path: deer, elk, grizzlies…humans.
But the wolf is the creature of something far more powerful. One of Charles and Anna’s own pack harbors a centuries-old secret that has come back to haunt him—and wreak vengeance on those around him.
Charles and Anna—unaware of the truth—are two innocents who stand in the way. But even as members of their pack rally around them, Anna’s rare power comes into its own—and is unleashed…
What G & U are talking about:
|
WARNING: Please note that the series this graphic novel is based on is an ADULT urban fantasy series. Sometime we can easily mistake a graphic novel for being an acceptable young adult genre, a comic book if you will. That is not the case. There are very serious adult themes that take place in this story that are not appropriate for young children.
Gikany and Una need to make sure you understand before reading our review: we are die-hard Briggs fans. We have read her books numerous times over. To us, seeing the graphic novel is a way to experience beloved stories in a new way.
We read the last novel, Alpha & Omega: Cry Wolf Vol 1 and we are not surprised that the graphics remain as they were in Alpha & Omega: Cry Wolf Vol 2. It would be odd to have a character look differently or have the world appear changed in the next installment. That being said, we are still disappointed that Bran looks so much older than we feel he is characterized. However, the other characters all feel true to character in their depictions. We enjoy the way the artist captures the moments from the storyline.
Although there are a few tweaks in the storyline in Alpha & Omega: Cry Wolf Vol 2 it remains true to the essence of the story. We are not surprised by the subtle differences simply because a different media cannot always convey the story the same way.
Gikany and Una thoroughly enjoyed this second installment in the graphic series of Alpha and Omega and we eagerly look forward to the next. If you are a Briggs fan – pick this up – it is a great way to enjoy an author in a new way.
Their Rating:
|
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Review & Giveaway: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs
Frost Burned
Author: Patricia Briggs
Release Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Ace
Mercy Thompson #7
ISBN: #978-1841497983
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Hardcover (352 pgs) e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Shapeshifter Mercy Thompson's life is calming down, at least enough that she can focus on mundane matters like Black Friday sales. But on her return, Mercy is unable to contact her mate, Alpha Adam Hauptman, or the other members of their pack. All she knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam's disappearance may be related - and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from the most unlikely of allies: the vampire seethe.
What G & U are talking about:
|
Gikany and Una must start by saying, we love Patricia Briggs. Gikany is responsible for hooking Una on this delightful series. The Mercy Thompson series, as many of you faithful blog followers know, is one of our favorite series, and we reread it at least once a year. Frost Burned is a novel we have been salivating for. Considering the final events of the Alpha and Omega series’ last novel, Fair Game, we were very interested in Mercy’s next appearance.
If you are new to the series – you should just stop here, go out and purchase (or borrow from the library) Moon Called and start from the beginning. For anyone who has not read the series, there are natural spoilers that cannot be avoided – this is the seventh book in the series. We have reviewed Moon Called and we encourage you to read that review if you are interested in the series.
The Mercy Thompson and Alpha and Omega series are intertwined with Frost Burned taking place after the events of Fair Game (Alpha and Omega #3), which occurred after the last Mercy Thompson novel, River Marked. Mercy has healed from the numerous broken bones and other injuries she suffered during that novel. Frost Burned begins with Mercy doing some mother/ stepdaughter bonding with Jesse. While braving the insanity that is that Black Friday, they are involved in a small car accident, which is just the tip of the iceberg. When Mercy tries to call for help from the pack (her poor Rabbit may be a lost cause), no one answers. It is as if the pack has vanished – leaving Mercy and Jesse to fend for themselves.
Something, which Una was expecting since she reads Ms. Brigg’s blog, is a change in the narration of Frost Burned. Since the beginning of the Mercy Thompson series, the narration has been solely from Mercy’s point of view. However, in Frost Burned, Ms. Briggs, was not able to leave it solely to Mercy’s narration without detracting from the storyline. Therefore we are given a few chapters in Adam’s point of view. What an experience to have an Alpha wolf’s perspective. After reading Mercy’s point of view and how she sees the world – it was so fascinating to have such a different perspective. A simple example we can give of this contrast is that Mercy described the skin of Zee’s true form as the color of teak. Adam, on the other hand, thought of it as a warm oak. Not that this is a huge thing, but the subtle differences in opinion and view are what made this so enriching.
To all the fans of the Mercy Thompson who have missed the feel of previous novels, this one is more like previous ones. Although Frost Burned is similar to previous novels, it is very different. Mercy has matured and her attitude has evolved, and these changes are evident in the choices she makes. What we are grateful for is that she is still the same stubborn, mischievous coyote we have come to respect and love. Part of us mourns her maturation as it could herald the end of the series. No one likes to say goodbye to such beloved characters or such a unique and fascinating world. But take comfort, we do know that there is at least one more Mercy Thompson book in the works.
If you haven’t picked up the Mercy Thompson series yet, and you still decided to read this review…. Go get it!! Gikany and Una like to use Ms. Briggs as a benchmark for other books and worlds, in conversations relating to books. She is a standard to us (and to other authors as we have come to find out). For any urban fantasy lover out there, this is a MUST series.
Please do not start with Frost Burned; part of the magic of it is that we have such a connection to the characters and the world. This series is expertly woven and we encourage you to start reading the series from the beginning so you can come to the absolute joy that watching a character evolve overtime brings.
Their Rating:
|
Personal favorite - a must read (A+)
Giveaway
I am giving away one (1) copy of Frost Burned to one (1) lucky commenter. To enter, please leave a comment regarding the Mercy Thompson series (tell us your favorite book, favorite moment, what you want to see next, etc.) and your email address. You do not need to be a google friends connect follower of my blog, but it is always appreciated. Contest is open from March 6, 2013 until Tuesday March 12, 2013 at 11:59 PM EDT. Contest is restricted to US mailing addresses only. One (1) winner will be randomly selected from eligible entries. I am not responsible for items lost in the mail.
Purchase Info:
Reviews in the Series:
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Author Guest Post & Giveaway: Anna Hackett
Hello Readers! Today I bring you romance author Anna Hackett. Anna loves action movies, sci-fi shows, short stories, writing her own romantic adventures, her wonderful husband and her little man.
As a teenager, she raided her mother's romances and her father's action adventure books, so no surprise that her stories combine both. She especially loves reading and writing short stories—the perfect intense read to fit into a busy lifestyle—and teaches the writing workshop, Short Story, Big Impact. When she isn't wearing boots and a hard hat, she's at her computer drinking too much Diet Coke and working on her stories.
In celebration of her newest release, Soul Stealer, Anna is here to talk about her favorite comfort reads. In addition, Anna is hosting a GIVEAWAY for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and 3 Carina Press ebooks of the winner’s choice (details below). Please help me welcome Anna to That’s What I’m Talking About.
Top 5 Comfort Reads
Reading reduces stress faster than any other method of relaxation. Studies have shown that reading reduces stress by 68%! Just six minutes of silent reading lowers the heart rate and relieves tension.
I was a reader long before I was a writer. A voracious, read-whatever-I-could-get-my-hands-on-reader. I worked my way through my mother’s Mills and Boons, my aunt’s collection of Nora Roberts and even my father’s action thrillers.
I’ve found that while reading is always a pleasurable, relaxing experience, it is also my escape from the day-to-day pressures of real life. We’re all busy and we all have our ups and downs, and I think it’s wonderful that reading a great story can whisk us away and give us a little downtime.
Now, for me, that doesn’t mean I like a slow read, just the opposite! I like my reading fast, furious, action-packed and always breathtaking. I especially love my action to come with a big hit of romance. And of course, only happy endings are allowed!
Today I thought I’d share five of my comfort reads. Those books I always come back to…especially on a bad day! Ooh, I feel a little like I’m flashing something private…or baring a little of my soul (-:
Okay, here they are:
Naked in Death by JD Robb – a tough heroine, a to-die-for hero and a thrilling murder mystery. I always love being whisked away to futuristic New York.
Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh – Ms. Singh knows how to write emotion and all her Psy/Changeling books grab me. I love this alternate, futuristic world of changelings, psychics and humans.
Alpha and Omega by Patricia Briggs – this is the kick off novella to the series of the same name and I love all the books in this paranormal series. Something so compelling about the hero and heroine in these stories.
Contest by Matthew Reilly – this one is a straight out, non-stop action thriller with aliens. No romance but there is a great father-daughter relationship.
Time to Die by Wilbur Smith – another action thriller but this has a romance and I love every second of this African adventure.
So there they are, stories I’ve read more times than I’m willing to admit! And what about the readers of That’s What I’m Talking About? Want to bare a little of your soul and share your favorite comfort read?
Thanks for sharing with us today, Anna! You can find her at the usual places: Anna Hackett – Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads. Her latest novella, SOUL STEALER, the final book in The Anomaly Trilogy, is out now. Here’s more about Anna’s latest release...
Soul Stealer: The Anomaly Trilogy, Book 3
Self-published
February 3, 2013
She just wants her life back. After being kidnapped and forced to kill by a vicious crime lord, Cate Hartmann is now a killer with an addiction to stealing souls. On the island sanctuary of Haven, surrounded by other anomalies with secret abilities, she fights to recover. But only one man calms the dark storm inside and makes her believe she can be whole again…Dr. Gage Walker.
Scientist Gage Walker has spent a decade helping anomalies. But every day, he’s haunted by his previous job for the CIA—where he crossed far too many boundaries and hurt so many anomalies. Including his brother. He vows he won’t fail again and will do everything he can to heal Cate—including fighting his attraction to her.
But when the crime lord comes after Cate again, it’s a race against time to find out why he wants her. Amidst the danger, Gage and Cate drawn to each other, even as they fear that one wrong step will send her hurtling back into the depths of her soul stealing addiction.
And now for the GIVEAWAY...
Anna is hosting a GIVEAWAY for a $25 Amazon Gift Card and 3 Carina Press ebooks of the winner’s choice To be entered, please use the RAFFLECOPTER form below. Anna is hosting this giveaway as part of her blog tour. The contest is open until February 15, 2013. Winners will be announced on Anna’s blog on the February 16, as well as emailed.
You do not need to be a google friends connect follower of my blog, but it is always appreciated.
And for another great giveaway... Help me celebrate my 3rd Blogiversary and win lots of books. Details HERE.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Review: Cry Wolf Graphic Novel by Patricia Briggs, et. al.
Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf Vol. 1
Author: Patricia Briggs / David Lawrence / Todd Herman
Release Date: Oct. 2, 2012
Publisher: InkLit (Penguin)
Alpha & Omega Graphic Novel #1
ISBN: #978-0441018482
Genre: Graphic Novel / Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Hardcover (128 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
Cry Wolf is Patricia Briggs' New York Times bestselling novel about the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. Now, these characters come alive in full-color graphic novels.
Anne never knew werewolves existed, until the night she survived a violent attack...and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack she's learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males.
Then Charles Cornick - the son of the leader of the North American werewolves-came into her life. He insists that not only is Anne his mate, but she is also a rare and valued Omega wolf. And Anna may be the key to stopping a rogue werewolf that threatens the entire pack.
This is a re-issue of Ace's compilation of the Dynamite Entertainment Cry Wolf graphic series. It contains new artwork and a never-before published version of issue #1. It is NOT identical to the Ace edition though it does have the same ISBN.
What G & U are talking about:
|
WARNING: Please note that the series this graphic novel is based on is an ADULT urban fantasy series. Sometimes we can easily mistake a graphic novel for being an acceptable young adult genre, a comic book if you will. That is not the case. There are very serious adult themes that take place in this story that are not appropriate for young children.
As huge fans of Patricia Briggs, it is not surprising that Gikany and Una had the privilege of reviewing the graphic novel release of Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf Volume 1. (Okay, we may have nagged Twimom…a tad…a bit…a lot). Although it has been released before in this format, the artwork on this one is new and the story is a retelling of the novel from the Alpha and Omega series, Cry Wolf.
The story follows Cry Wolf very well. It is understandable that there had to be a few tweaks to the story considering the change in format. We enjoyed the way the novella, Alpha and Omega, (from which sprang the series) was incorporated in flashbacks of various characters. Anna’s history in her previous pack is very much a critical point in her relationship to not only Charles, but also every other wolf she meets. Her development along the series is incredible.
However, the real review is of the new format. When we read a novel, our individual brains create the characters in our head (at least for Gikany and Una… but we admit we do have overdeveloped imaginations…). So to see these characters come to life in another person’s talent is interesting. First off, we do like the way that Charles and Anna are depicted, although, we did feel Anna should be a little skinnier considering that she was malnourished prior to meeting Charles and therefore his goal to get some meat on her bones.
The depiction of Charles felt spot on along with Asil and Samuel. However, we thought that Bran did not appear young enough. We could understand him being depicted occasionally as an adult, but we know he is easily mistaken for being a teenager – part of the power and mystery of the Marrok. However, overall, the graphics were good, but we loved the sketches at the end the best.
We recommend Alpha and Omega: Cry Wolf Volume 1 to any fans of Briggs, urban fantasy graphic novel lovers, or anyone interested in getting a preview of the series. It is very entertaining to see a beloved story come to life in a new format.
Their Rating:
|
Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Contest Winner - On The Prowl
I would like to thank everyone for stopping by That’s What I’m Talking About for our review of Fair Game by Patricia Briggs. I also want to thank ACE/Penguin Publishing for graciously donating a signed copy of On The Prowl for the giveaway.
Every person that commented on the review was entered into the contest - one entry per person. The winner was selected using random.org.
The Winner:
Michelle
CONGRATULATIONS!!
I am emailing the winner. Please email me at twimom227 (at) gmail (dot) com with your full name and mailing address so that the publisher can mail you the book directly. If I do not hear from the winner by Wednesday March 14, 2012 by the end of the day, I will select another winner.
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Review: Fair Game & Giveaway: On the Prowl
Keep reading for your chance to win a SIGNED COPY of the novella that started the Alpha and Omega series... ACE/Penguin Publishing is offering a chance to win On The Prowl.
Fair Game
Author: Patricia Briggs
Release Date: March 6, 2012
Publisher: Ace
Alpha and Omega #3
ISBN: #978-0441020034
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Hardcover (304 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
|
They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.
Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.
Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...
What G & U are talking about:
|
Gikany and Una have been waiting with baited breath for the next book in the Alpha and Omega series. Fair Game was well worth the wait. The events in this novel have ramifications that will have rippling effects in the world in which both the Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series are set. In other words, it will affect the next Mercy Thompson novel due out next year.
Fair Game opens years after Hunting Ground ended. Charles and Anna are trying to settle into married/mated life. However, Charles’s job as the Marrok’s executioner has begun to take a toll on him and his relationship with Anna. Being an Omega drives Anna to want to protect and nurture him; which prompts her to challenge the Alpha of Alphas, Bran, to do something. There is no simple solution to Charles issues since he is the only one able to be the Marrok’s executioner even though the job may well destroy him.
To give Charles a break, Bran sends Anna and Charles to Boston to look into a serial killer targeting paranormal creatures. He feels it will be a good break for Charles since the detective work will be a dramatic change from his usual job as assassin. Throughout the drama of the search for the serial killer, we watch Charles slowly losing his control and, more importantly, his mating bond with Anna.
Fair Game is the most gripping story in the Alpha and Omega series to date. The mission to bring justice to these innocent victims forces the fae, werewolves and humans to cooperate. The long-standing politics that have separated these groups softens among the members of the group tasked with capturing the serial killer. The operation to save the latest kidnapped victim brings them together and brings to light secrets that had been kept for too long. As the story comes to an end, a new major story arc begins, one that affects this entire world.
Gikany and Una really enjoyed the continuing challenge as Charles and Anna learn to be a married couple, a working mated pair, and a team. As old and protective as Charles is, watching him allow Anna to learn and grow is heartwarming. The care and concern Anna bears for Charles is just as touching, and can be quite humorous as she goes toe-to-toe with her Alpha, Bran. Seeing the inner workings of this powerful pack is fascinating. Especially as Bran wars with himself while trying to keep the pack (and humans) safe while not losing his son to madness.
If you haven’t tried the Alpha and Omega series, you have GOT to pick it up. We recommend you begin with the novella in On the Prowl – where you first meet Anna. You’ll be completely enchanted with Anna and Charles when you read Fair Game.
Their Rating:
|
Personal favorite - a must read (A+)
GIVEAWAY: NAL/Penguin Publishing is graciously giving away one (1) SIGNED copy of the story that kicked off this amazing series ON THE PROWL. To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment by Friday March 9, 2012, at 9:00 PM EST to be eligible for the contest. One entry per person, winner will be selected from eligible entries using random.org. Contest is open to US mailing addresses only. If your email address is not part of your profile, please leave it so I may contact the winner. I am not responsible for items lost in the mail. Thank you to Penguin Publishing for this fabulous giveaway!
Series/Purchase Info:
On the Prowl (Alpha and Omega prequel)
Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)
Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega, Book 2)
Fair Game (Alpha and Omega, Book 3)
Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)
Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega, Book 2)
Fair Game (Alpha and Omega, Book 3)
Labels:
5 stars,
ACE,
Alpha and Omega series,
contest,
G-U Review,
giveaway,
Patricia Briggs,
urban fantasy
|
15
comments
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Sunday Snippets #55
Moon Called by Patricia Briggs
Ace Publishing.
January 31, 2006
My home is a single-wide trailer almost as old as I am that sits in the middle of a couple of fenced acres. There are a lot of small-acreage properties in Finley with trailers or manufactured homes, but along the river there are also mansions like the one my neighbor lives in.
I turned into my drive with a crunch of gravel and stopped the old diesel Rabbit in front of my home. I noticed the cat carrier sitting on my porch as soon as I got out of the car.
Medea gave me a plaintive yowl, but I picked up the note taped to the tope of the carrier and read it before I let her out.
MS. THOMPSON, it said in heavy block letters, PLEASE KEEP YOUR FELINE OFF MY PROPERTY. IF I SEE IT AGAIN, I WILL EAT IT.
The note was unsigned.
I undid the latch and lifted the cat up and rubbed my face in her rabbitlike fur.
“Did the mean old werewolf stick the poor kitty in the box and leave her?” I asked.
She smelled like my neighbor, which told me that Adam had spent some time with her on his lap before he’d brought her over here. Most cats don’t like werewolves-or walkers like me either. Medea likes everyone, poor old cat, even my grumpy neighbor. Which is why she often ended up in the cat carrier on my porch.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Sunday Snippets #48
River Marked by Patricia Briggs
Ace Publishing.
March 1, 2011
Sunday Snippet
“What can you tell me about the thing in the river?” I asked finally.
He made a rude sound. “I can tell you she’s not a poor misunderstood creature. Gordon is right. She’s Hunger, and she won’t be satisfied until she consumes the world.”
She. That answered several things. There was only one. That seemed more manageable than a swarm of monsters that could bite a woman in half and make a man shoot Adam.
“How big is it?” I asked.
He looked at me and poked his tongue into his cheek. “You know? That’s a good question. I think we ought to find out.”
And he knocked me into the river.
The water was icy and closed over my head, encasing me in silence and darkness. For a moment the shock of the fall, of the cold, and of sheer surprise froze my muscles, and I couldn’t move. Then my feet hit the riverbed, and the motion somehow woke up every nerve into screaming urgency. I pushed off and up, coming to the surface and sucking in air.
I could hear him laughing.
Son of a bitch. I would kill him. I didn’t care if he was Coyote or the son of Satan. He was a dead man walking.
I struck out for the swimming hole even though it meant fighting the river. But for the next mile downstream or so, the riverbank was cliff face, and I didn’t want to stay in the river that long; there was a monster out here somewhere.
A toddler walking along the bank could have beat me, for all the forward progress I made. I was only a fair swimmer, strength without technique. It was enough to beat the slow flow of the Columbia, but not by much.
Two otter heads poked up beside me, and I growled at them. Somehow knowing they were fae made them less of a threat than real river otters though I expect the opposite was actually true. I was too busy fighting the river to worry about adjusting my beliefs in accordance to reality.
They disappeared under the water for a few minutes before one popped up again, watching my slow progress with cool appraisal.
“I’d swim faster if I were you,” observed Coyote.
Rage fueled my strokes, and I finally made it around the bend and into the shallower, slower water. I swam until the water was waist-deep and staggered toward shore on my feet. Coyote waded in knee-deep and stopped to watch me.
“What did you find out?” he asked.
“That you are a jerk,” I told him, my voice vibrating involuntarily with the chill. “What in-“
Something wrapped around my waist and jerked me off my feet, and my head was underwater again.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Review: River Marked
River MarkedAuthor: Patricia Briggs
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Ace Books
Mercy Thompson Series #6
ISBN: #978-0441019731
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Format(s): Hardcover (336 pgs), e-book
I received a copy of this book from the PUBLISHER for the purposes of an honest review.
From the book dust jacket:
Welcome to Patricia Brigg’s world, a place where “witches, vampires, werewolves, and shapeshifters live beside ordinary people” (Booklist). It takes a very unusual woman to call it home – and there’s no one quite like Mercy.
Coyote Shifter Mercy Thompson knows that life with her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will never be boring, but even their wedding doesn’t go as planned. Nevertheless, a ten-day honeymoon camping on the banks of the Columbia River, alone, just the two of them, should make up for it. But the trip – and the pimped-out trailer they’re using – is courtesy of the fae. And nothing from the fae comes without strings attached….
Being a different breed of shapeshifter – a walker – Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River – and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence known to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil…
What Gikany & Una are talking about:
The wait is over, at least for us, River Marked is here! Would it be wrong to say that the rest of you poor people had to wait until the March 1? Oh, wait, today is the first of March…well, what are you waiting for? GO GET IT! This highly anticipated sixth novel in the Mercy Thompson series was well worth waiting for.
**Please note, if you haven’t read the series, this review will spoil some plot points in the earlier books so please; Go buy and read the first five books (or check them out from your local library) and then come back, read this review and then go get this book. We are happy to help you out!
The first part of the novel is classic Mercy Thompson. It has all of the elements of humor and wit that we have come to associate with Patricia Briggs’ writing. We’ll just come out and say it: Mercy and Adam get married. Mercy’s wedding is all we could have asked for. For those who have been waiting with baited breath…nah, we can’t do it. It needs to be savored and a review cannot do it justice to the absolute glory of it. Their honey moon, however, is not the respite they envisioned. Mercy is once again plunged into an impossible situation requiring decisions no person would willingly make. Sadly, she is the only one who can resolve this conflict.
In this novel, Briggs focuses, much to our delight, less on the imported European preternatural creatures and more on native creatures that they displaced upon their arrival. On their honeymoon, Mercy and Adam encounter a river monster, various gods and other walkers. To defeat the monster, Mercy has to embrace her past – for the things that have made her an outsider her whole life are the key to the world’s survival.
We loved the first part of this book and the homecoming at the very end. Our favorite parts of this series have always been Mercy’s interactions with the extended family she has created for herself. While we understand her honeymoon could not (and should not) feature them, we still missed it. The witty banter between the new characters introduced in this novel during the honeymoon, while enjoyable, still lacked the affection that we’ve become accustomed to in the previous novels. Briggs does a good job of exploring Mercy’s origins, even if we didn’t understand it all. It felt over simplified and almost academic; lacking the nuances that would have conveyed the mysterious complexity of the mythology. That being said, this adventure adds to the richness of Mercy’s character, and to the world the series exists in. The more we learn about Mercy, the more we come to realize that she has unwittingly become a bridge between the self-segregating preternatural communities.
All in all, we find this a welcome addition to the Mercy Thompson series! We look forward to seeing how the revelations from this novel are incorporated into the future books. Now to fight over who gets to reread it first…. Wait, Twimom, can we keep this book? We don’t have to send it back, do we? Can we keep it, can we keep it? Pretty please….
Their Rating:
Loved it – enthusiastically recommend (A)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
Grab My Button
