River Marked by Patricia Briggs

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Patricia Briggs' site
Series: Mercy Thompson #6
Copy obtained: bought, hb
Publisher: Ace (US), Orbit (UK)
Released: March 1st (US), March 3rd (UK)
Rating: 4.5/5

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shape shifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any other of her kind. Until now.


An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River - one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...

I love the Mercy Thompson series, it is easily one of my all time favourites. It's got very well developed characters, engaging storylines and each book brings something new to her world. And Mercy herself is one of my top favourite characters. So it goes without saying I was very excited to get my hands on River Marked, and it did not disappoint at all!

River Marked sees us, and Mercy, learning a lot about her Native American background and what her being a coyote shifter means. It also sees Adam and Mercy mostly on their own, away from the pack, dealing with a river monster, a creature huge and deadly, that some how connects with what Mercy is learning about her heritage. While in some ways I missed seeing more of the rest of the pack and the other excellent side characters, I really enjoyed seeing Adam and Mercy more on their own for once and getting to meet some very interesting new characters. I thought before hand that I'd like getting in to Mercy's heritage and learning it alongside her, but I actually loved it! I really enjoyed the direction the book took and how the plots twisted together.

Mercy has changed a lot over the course of the series, and it really shows in River Marked. I love how she's changed, through her relationships with Adam, the pack and her other friends like Stefan, and also by the events she's been through. River Marked shows us a more emotional side of her than we've really seen before, and also shows the strength of her relationship with Adam. And while we don't see too much of the rest of the beloved side characters, they still have some little developments going on in the back ground. I'd be very surprised if Stefan doesn't end up playing a more central role in the next book with some of the snippets we have here.

Overall, River Marked has to be my joint favourite of the series alongside Iron Kissed. It's much softer than IK in some ways, but it's still got a lot going on, plenty of tension and an ending I thoroughly loved! I found River Marked very difficult to put down and easily read it in a day. I'm now just very sad it's going to be roughly a 2 year wait for the next one! Though I'm certain it'll be worth it, I shall have to cope with it by lots of rereading. Slipping back in to Mercy's world is like putting on that favourite comfy hoodie, or pair of jeans, or whatever, and catching up with old friends and learning their latest adventures. Fantastic, gripping storytelling and a wonderful new edition to Mercy's series!

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

SPOILER WARNING. Some minor spoilers for the previous books in the series.

This is the 5th book in Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Mechanic and coyote skinwalker Mercy Thompson is used to getting in trouble with bigger, badder supernaturals than herself. She lives next door to, and dates, local alpha werewolf Adam Hauptman, works with a Fae and is friends with a vampire. She knows how dangerous the Fae can be, she's met with two of their leaders before. But why she seems to being targeted by them now, she doesn't know.

If playing the Fae's deadly games wasn't enough, Samuel, Mercy's roommate and long time friend, is in trouble. He's an old wolf, living as a lone one in Adam's territory. Being close to Mercy was supposed to help him, but now the depression that's been plaguing him for months suddenly worsens. Mercy doesn't know how to help him, keep him safe from Adam, and deal with the Fae at the same time. But Mercy hasn't survived in a wolfs world without being stubborn and learning a thing or two about keeping herself alive.

I completely loved this book. The whole series is fantastic, but this book is quite possibly my favourite of the series so far. Mercy is still dealing with what happened to her at the end of Iron Kissed (book 3) and Adam is doing his best to help her with that. Their relationship has grown slowly, carefully and I love it. There is something very real about their relationship. I also really love Adam's teen aged daughter, Jesse. She's smart and sassy and we get to see more of her in this book, showing how much she's got in common with her dad. I love the easy friendship she and Mercy share and how Jesse deals with all the werewolves, being only human too.

We learn a fair bit more about pack bonds and mate bonds through this book, as well as pack structure. And more about how a werewolf is a man and a wolf, and how the two work together, or don't as the case may be. The wolf lore and Fae lore explored here is interesting, without becoming boring or a lecture at any point. There is some really good character development through the book, with Mercy, Adam and Samuel in particular, but others as well.

The plot is tight with some very good twists and turns. I found this almost impossible to put down. There is some good humor and it's nice to get to know more of Adam's pack, as well as dealing with some on going issues (Samuel in particular). Both main plots, Samuel and his problems, and the Fae after Mercy, are both carefully woven together, neither taking away from the other, both are well developed. Mercy's emotions come across clearly and you feel all the ups and downs with her, understanding why she feels and acts the way she does. Overall, a really excellent series and one you must read if you like urban fantasy. This book is almost certainly my favourite so far with a great story, some very good sweet and funny moments, but pulling no punches when it comes to the bad stuff. Easily one of my favourite books so far this year. Can't wait for the next book, only wish we didn't have to wait a year for it!

Rating: 9/10