Book Review - Patricia Briggs' Blood Bound

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Book 2) by Patricia Briggs
Published by: SFBC Science Fiction Book Club
Publication Date: 2007
Format: Hardcover, 710 Pages
Challenge: Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Vampires are trouble. Rogue vampires are even worse. But what can Mercy do when the vampire who's asking for help with the rogue is one of the few people she considers a friend. Plus, she does "technically" owe him a favor. So in the middle of the night Stefan gets all prince of darknessed out (not his usually look, he drives a replica Mystery Machine after all) and asks Mercy to be his "watch dog," literally. He wants her to be in her coyote form so that she can observe this vampire interloper without being found out. Turns out Stefan didn't lay all his cards on the table and it's not long before they're in a hotel full of dead people and Mercy is watching the rogue vamp kill an innocent in front of her eyes while Stefan is in some sort of mesmeric trance. Luckily they get away from this vamp Littleton alive... but there was an odd smell about him. Demon.

As it happens the local vampire seethe, after this latest attack, is out for blood. Did they think it would have been bad form to mention the first attack? Vampires, they hold their cards so close. But Stefan is the easiest target, not the elusive Littleton, to pin the blame on. But after a trial the seethe sees that the this demon ridden vampire is dangerous. A dark wizard who was turned vampire. It can't be long till there is no way to stop this evil. In an extremely rare showing of solidarity, the vampires and the wolves agree to work together to bring down this threat in their midst. But things seldom go to plan and soon those on the hunt are captured and Mercy and her "special gifts" are all that can help. The problem with being a walker is there really aren't a lot of other walkers about to discuss powers and abilities with. No little support groups sitting around say, isn't it cool that I can turn into a four legged creature instantly without pain unlike those slow werewolves. Not to mention magic doesn't seem to affect me and I have all these other abilities... abilities that the Vampires seem to know more about that she.

Temperatures rise, tempers flare, and the death toll mounts, and Mercy has no choice but to do Marsillia and the vampires bidding. She must stop this evil. With a little help from the Fae, who possess a nice vampire killing blade, she's on the hunt for Littleton's lair. Much like tracking a serial killer she hones in on the epicenter of the killings. Placed in a situation where she's fighting for her life, will Mercy go beyond what the vampires ask of her when she realizes that there's more to this Littleton than at first glance? And will this put her in more danger than she could ever have imagined?

Having read the first book in the Mercy Thompson series, I knew that I'd eventually get around to the next book. But due to my mediocre feelings about Moon Called when I read it back in 2009 I wasn't in such a hurry to get around to Blood Bound. How wrong I was to wait! But then again, it was worth it, and perhaps it's what made my love of this book that much stronger. When I picked up Blood Bound I was enthralled, like Stefan in Littleton's mesmeric gaze. I have since devoured all the books in the series like a starving vampire and am craving River Marked like a junkie. I can't really place my finger on why I finally connected to this series in a way I didn't the first time around. Perhaps it was knowledge of the characters and not having to be introduced to the world and already having a sense of it. Or just the lack of military people and cages and kidnappings... the first book was kind of a hard starting point for me. Also the vampires are great. It's not like I'm vampire obsessed or anything, despite being a Sookie/Buffy/Angel addict. But the vampires were more compelling. They were somehow more familiar to me and therefore easier for me to embrace. Plus, never underestimate the power of a defined villain. Having a source of evil combined with great power and couple that with a traditional serial killer hunt. I was on the edge of my seat! Definitely a highlight of my years reading.