strange and random happenstance

Soul Taken by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: August 23rd, 2022
Format: Hardcover, 400 Pages
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy

Everyone in the tri-cities is talking about a new movie that's premiering, The Harvester. The screenwriter is a local and the story is supposedly based on an urban legend he heard as a boy. People are dressing up as the villainous Harvester and going to midnight screenings, but one of these people isn't cosplaying. They're there to kill. And Mercy just happens to stumble on the crime scene. Who knew a late night run to the store would result in a murder investigation? Mercy actually should have learned by now. But faced with the ghosts of the dead she must help them as best she can. As it happens the urban legend might just be about a legendary weapon that exists. A sickle that reaps souls, with the "clever" moniker the Soul Taker. A sickle that her mentor Zee might be willing to kill for because the two of them have a complicated history. And while this is all very disturbing, the fact that the vampire Wulfe has disappeared might be even more terrifying. He's unhinged and missing and his current hobby is following Mercy. And she hasn't seen him in awhile. She's occasionally felt him. She thinks. She might be wrong. She hopes she's wrong. But the only person who could help her is Stefan, the vampire she has a blood link to, and now he's missing. His house is in fact completely empty. Well, not completely. There's a nasty surprise waiting to attack Mercy, but isn't there always? But Stefan is gone, even Marsilia and the Seethe are MIA. Where have all the vampires gone? And does this have anything to do with this evil sickle? As Mercy has learned time and time again, bad things that happen simultaneously are often connected. You might think there might be no possible chance of this being true, but it is. And that happens to be the case here, once again. An old enemy has concocted the most elaborate of plans to enact their revenge. A plan that has the most casualties and puts as many innocent lives on the line as possible. The chaos is an added bonus to disguise their intent and to make Mercy suffer. But as Mercy knows, with Adam at her side she can tackle whatever any enemy throws at her. Hopefully.

I genuinely love each and every Mercy Thompson book. But thirteen books in the action from book to book kind of merges into one long adventure. In the beginning it was easier to separate them because you'd have a vampire-centric book, followed by a fae-centric book, followed by a werewolf-centric book. Now it's a free-for-all with vampires and fairies and goblins and werewolves and what have you in each and every story. I count the tibicena as a what have you. Conversely the Alpha and Omega series is easier to distinguish each volume because they don't all take place in the the same location like Mercy with the tri-cities and vary in quality so drastically. All this is basically stated in an effort for me to point out that the way this series is structured it's hard to write a review for an individual book. What can I say that I haven't said before? I love this series. Each and every new volume is a highlight of my calendar year. I literally do not know what I would do without Mercy or Anna and Charles showing up once a year to share their adventures with me. But this adventure, this one is going down as a favorite. Why? The atmosphere! The tension! The artifact! The humor! The stakes! When people think of werewolves and vampires they tend to think of Halloween, but this is the first story that really leans into this. There's a corn maze, there's murders, there's a sentient sickle, there's an urban legend come to life! So much right there just screams Halloween to me. But the way that Patricia Briggs plays with the humor inherent in horror is what made me just so giddy. The wielder of the Soul Taker, the Harvester, has a big showdown with Mercy, as you'd expect. But this showdown has the staging of Wes Craven. There's terror but there's humor. The Harvester comes across like Ghostface in the the Scream movies when they stumble. Their facade of pure unadulterated terror slips for a second and you see them as human. But then Ghostface's superhuman abilities return and the fight continues. The obvious Scream homages are what made this my favorite book in the series in recent years. It just felt so right. And it didn't hurt that I had recently rewatched all the Scream movies. And while those moments might be my favorite in the entire book, the fact that they save the day and still end on an ominous note was a chef's kiss. As I said before, these books merge, one after the other, and what is coming, that will make the Harvester look like a walk in a corn maze.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alpha and Omega, Anna Cornick, Charles Cornick, Cosplay, Ghostface, Mercy Thompson, Patricia Briggs, Scream, Sentient Artifact, Sickle, Soul Taken, Stefan, Tri-Cities, Vampires, Werewolves, Wes Craven, Wulfe, Zee

River Marked (Mercy Thompson Book 6) by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: March 1st 2011
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Challenge: Shifter Challenge 2011
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy
Mercy Thompson has been tricked. She's been fooled into believing that a shot gun wedding to Adam was her own idea. But her mother and Adam's daughter are far more cunning then she gave them credit for. She should have known better. On the bright side, everything turned out better than she could have expected and her and Adam get to sneak away to a campground on the Columbia River in a gorgeous new RV. As soon as she learned that the RV was lent to them by a fairy and that the state of the art campground was owned by a fairy, her and Adam should have turned right around back to the Tri-Cities. Fairies don't just do favors. They always expect something in return. Sure enough, turns out something evil is lurking in the waters. It soon marks Mercy's leg, and the idyllic honeymoon turns into something entirely different. It becomes a struggle to survive and save lives.

Mercy has grown to accept that her life will be full of danger and death, but this outing offers something more. Answers. The local tribe of Native Americans throws in their lot with Mercy to avenge the death of one of their own and to make the river safe once more. Among them, yet apart, Coyote appears. As in THE Coyote. He has answers, if he chooses to share them that is. He sheds light on Mercy's past and the father she never knew. He also provides some help with a certain walking stick that is inordinately fond of showing up in random places, not always trying to trip Mercy, but usually succeeding none the less. For a piece of wood it is very helpful. With Mercy and Adam trying to save the innocent as well as each other, this is going to be Mercy's toughest battle yet. Without a pack, without knowledge of those whom she must trust, with magic she never knew she possessed, a very magical fake Stonehenge and some nasty otters, her goodbye letter to Adam might end up being read this time.

With a long running series you always run the risk of it going stale. Look at Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse novels. The most recent book in her series lacked a plot, I think mainly due to the fact she has reached an unwieldy number of characters that everyone cares about and that must be included. That's a sarcastic must by the way. Catching up with everyone took up all 300 some pages with nary a hint of plot. Charlaine needs to break the mold, do something different and escape all her characters that are controlling her narrative. Charlaine, look to Patricia Briggs. Patricia Briggs did just that in River Marked. Briggs took Mercy and Adam away from the pack and into unfamiliar territory. Not only did this allow us to see how the couple actually function as a couple, but it allowed a breather from pack politics and vampire machinations. Charlaine, take note! That little scene with Stefan, we got caught up with him and then moved on to a story with structure, we didn't spend an entire book dealing with Stefan's depression and worsening state that resulted from his maker's betrayal.

What else made this novel work for me? Well, we finally had some answers! Mercy was able to find out more about her powers and what she is capable of. She's been in desperate need of a "How to be a Shifter" guide for awhile, and Coyote got to be that guide. The evil that was faced, while yes, it did tie into the fae, it wasn't solely fae, it was something else. Her books tend to be vampire/fairy/vampire/fairy, alternating the menace from book to book. It's a little nice to say, evil river demon isn't it? Such a refreshing new evil. I really have fallen for this series, and that walking stick, and I felt that this was an enjoyable quick read, yes, I did ignore homework, which is a rarity for me. River Marked also provided breathing space for character development without a pack breathing down our neck. Briggs has an innate ability to let her characters grow and change naturally. We have seen the bond between Mercy and Adam grow, we have read along with all Mercy's exploits, and I have to say, if Briggs keeps this up and is able to keep these characters real and the stories fresh, I'll be reading it for a long time to come.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 2011 Reading Challenge, Adam, Charlaine Harris, Columbia River, Coyote, Mercy Thompson, Native American, Otters, Patricia Briggs, River Marked, Sookie Stackhouse, Stefan, Tri-Cities

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson Book 4) by Patricia Briggs
Published by: Ace
Publication Date: February 3rd, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 309 Pages
Challenge: Shifter Challenge 2011, Vampire Challenge, Horror and Urban Fantasy
Rating: ★★★★★
To Buy(different edition than one reviewed)

If dealing with the fall out from her rape weren't bad enough, try a vampire falling straight into your living room while your mother is visiting. It's no wonder that Mercedes is at the mercy of her panic attacks. Stefan's arrival is a warning. The vampires know that Mercy not only killed the demon ridden vamp, but also one of their own, the one responsible for creating the demon abomination. Also, if Stefan happened to kill Mercy in his starved state, well... that's one problem solved. It soon becomes clear that Mercy's life isn't going to magically snap back into place like a rubber band.  Her garage, her sanctuary, was violated by Tim and his attack, and now the outside has been trashed by his cousin looking for a little justice. It would offend Mercy more if they had bothered to spell the insults better. But underneath the tagging lies a message. Written in paint and magic. Two crossed bones. When Stefan finally recovers he not only carries more information about the threat that is posed to Mercy, he also changes her life dramatically. Freaking out at the link between the vamp and the shifter, her mate Adam hastily brings Mercy into the pack. Something that no one thought was possible has now become a reality. Mercy, a little coyote shifter, is now a member of a werewolf pack. She has the bonds and might of the pack. A pack that isn't really pleased to feel the coyote in their midst.

But Mercy being pack gives the wolves leverage with the vampires. They will try to organize a cease fire to their mutual benefits. The wolves are sick of being singled out, Mary Jo has already paid the price with her death, albeit "mostly dead." Though Mercy's absence might be beneficial at this delicate time. Mercy decides to take up an old college "friend's" offer to help her with a ghost problem. So off to Spokane Mercy goes to do some Ghostbusting at Amber's, being warned to avoid the one vampire whose territory it is, James Blackwood. As to the ghostbusting itself, she's not sure how she'll do it... the knowledge that her ability to see ghosts is part of the "walker" package is new knowledge she hasn't had time to fully explore. But at Amber's it is quite clear that her young, deaf son Chad, is being haunted by a seriously nasty poltergeist. It's also equally clear that avoiding Blackwood is out of the question, seeing as he's Amber's dinner guest... only who's for dinner? Mercy suspects she might be the main course when she wakes up with two puncture wounds on her neck. But Blackwood is something like she's never encountered. A vampire who controls a city as large as Spokane who can also walk around in daylight! After a very brutal attack against Chad, Mercy convinces the family to leave and heads home. It's not long before the vampire politics of the Tri-Cities, coupled with Chad's kidnapping lead her once more to Spokane... but can she survive?

This story had me up late, reading into the wee hours, but ended for me on a dissatisfying note. I loved the integration of Mercy's new knowledge of what her being able to see ghosts means coupled with a traditional haunting in a spooky house, but I felt the resolution was sloppy. Having yet another kidnapping is hackneyed, I mean, seriously!?! This series really focuses too much on kidnapping. I for one don't want to be a werewolf, not because of the whole hairiness, but because of the high risk of being held hostage! And why can't they ever just want money? No, it's always something ingrained in their lupine lifestyles or tied in with their vampire politics. Also, you'd think that they'd be better suited to stop this from happening, what with their supernatural prowess, but no. Aside from the kidnapping issues, which will arise again in this series I am sure, I felt the tying up of all the loose ends, the Blackwood connection, the haunting, the reason Amber contracted Mercy all these years later to be rushed. To end the story on the aphorism "you are what you eat" seemed like a really bad pun. There was such flow and fun to the story and it ended with a groan. Also, can we just not add zombies to this series. I think they're a little overplayed don't you?

But while I did have these issues with bad jokes and overly complicated vampire politics, it didn't take away from my enjoyment in reading. In fact, I think that Mercy's character development really soared in this installment. Her vulnerability that now resides within her core, that used to be so strong. Her learning that she does need to lean on someone from time to time and that that's ok. She doesn't need to be the damsel in distress or the heroine each time, she can reside in the shades of grey between the two. As for her panic attacks. I thought these were wonderfully handled. Patricia Briggs really got you into the zone and made you feel what a panic attack feels like. I can attest with first hand knowledge, she captured the suddenness, the unexpectedness and every other conflicting emotion perfectly in Mercy. Mercy just keeps growing on me, so human despite her occasional furry form.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: 2011 Reading Challenge, Aphorism, Blackwood, Bone Crossed, Ghostbusting, Kidnapping, Mercy Thompson, Panic Attack, Patricia Briggs, Poltergiest, Rape, Spokane, Stefan, Tri-Cities, Vampires, Werewolves

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.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 2 comments  

Labels: Angel, Blood Bound, Buffy, Demons, Marsillia, Mercy Thompson, Moon Called, Patricia Briggs, Preying for Mercy, Reading Challenge, River Marked, Sookie Stackhouse, Stefan, Vampires