Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2)
by Patricia Briggs
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Book Reviews of Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2)
Book Review: Great werewolves, but the vamps are too nice
Summary: 4 Stars
I like the Mercy Thompson books, though I remember liking the first one better than this; Briggs does a wonderful job of world-building here, particularly with the society of the werewolves, and Mercy's a great character -- the underhanded sneaky one in a world of serious power-brokers. I also like that she's a mechanic who lives in a single-wide, and that she has apparently no ability, or any particularly overwhelming need, to deal with romance. But in this book, it focuses on the vampires, and in particular on a demon-possessed vampire, and the vampires don't work as well. It's like Briggs wanted to make them evil, but she couldn't help but write them sympathetically; almost as if she chose people she liked as the mental models for some of the vampires. So while the vamps are certainly intimidating and alien, particularly the bad guy, Littleton, they're also pretty okay folks. Stefan painted his van like the Scooby Doo Mystery Wagon. Wulfe, the Wizard, is freaky and all, but he turns out to be a good guy. As nasty as the Mistress can be -- and was, in the first book -- she takes Mercy's side in this one, and comes off as much more human and likable. The whole seethe (and I like "kiss" better) are not the blood-soaked villains they are portrayed as, which is odd since Briggs is the one who portrayed them as the consummate evil.
But I like the chair of truth, and the way Mercy takes advantage of the vampire's traditional weakness to gain the upper hand, and Littleton, at least, was extremely scary -- I love the part when he's hiding under the floorboards, and Mercy shoots him, and he pushes the bloody bullets back through the holes. That's a great image. And to be sure, part of the problem I had with this book was that I've been spoiled, a bit, in reading the Anita Blake books, which have absolutely the best (IMO) depiction of vampires that I've ever read, so these end up paling in comparison despite having their own strengths. It was still a good book, and I enjoyed it.
Book Review: Another story about Mercedes Thompson
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book by Patricia Briggs that focuses on our favorite mechanic- Mercedes 'Mercy' Thompson. (The first being Moon Called (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 1)) In this story, Mercy's vampire friend Stefan asks her for a favor. He wants her to visit another vampire with him. Turns out this isn't your regular vampire- its a demon, and he is more powerful than they imagined.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The gang from the first book is back, including Sam, Adam, Bran, Ben, Warren, Kyle and many others. Besides dealing with vampire politics, and werewolf politics, she has to fight this demon and figure out what to do with her growing attraction to Adam. (Not to mention the fact that the very jealous Samuel is still living with her!)
If you enjoyed "Moon Called", you'll definitely like "Blood Bound"! Look for the next book in the series- Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson Series, Book 3).
Or if you're in the mood for more supernatural books, I recommend the Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris (starting with Dead Until Dark (Southern Vampire Mysteries, Bk. 1)), or Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse (Twilight, Book 3) by Stephenie Meyer.
Only thing I didn't like-- the spine of the book has the title and a small picture on it. The picture zooms in on the tattoo on her chest, and her bra. It just makes the book appear a bit racier then it actually is.
Book Review: Begging for Mercy!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the second book in the Mercy Thompson-series, and it's a great read! Having recently discovered Patricia Briggs, and sampled her writing (and immediately ordered - and read! - her other books) I already knew Briggs really knows how to write a story. I greatly enjoyed "Moon Called", the first of the Mercy books; reason why I ordered its sequel "Blood Bound" through Amazon as soon as I knew it became available. I knew I was in for a treat, but this book surpassed my expectations.
Again, we are taken along in a first-person narrative by mechanic/shape shifter (or "walker", if you prefer) Mercedes Thompson - irony: she mainly repairs VWs - as she does her vampire friend Stefan a simple favor. Of course, "simple" doesn't really cover it. Our shape-shifting coyote gets involved in way over her head in a case that involves a deadly serial killer, vampire- and werewolf-politics and of course not to forget the fea, while trying to balance an convoluted will she/won't she relationship with several romantically interested male characters. Oh yes, and meanwhile she still has to make a living by running her own business, her repair shop.
Great dialog, believable, fleshed-out characters (even the inhuman ones) and a plot that sweeps you along as Mercy hunts Washington's Tri-Cities area for a demon-possessed sorcerer-turned-vampire before she loses any more friends, makes you keep turning the pages until the end.
This type of urban supernatural romantic fantasy (or whatever you want to call it) is certainly in vogue at the moment, with lots of writers jumping on the band wagon to make a quick buck; only a few of them really add something new to the genre (or, the most important one, know how to tell a tale) and Patricia Briggs is certainly one of those few. Certainly a writer to put on your must-read list!
So here I am, begging for Mercy! (o: and hoping Patricia Briggs will soon finish the third novel in this very enjoyable series.
Book Review: Book two and the world is still being revealed
Summary: 5 Stars
Having read the first book in the series "Moon Called" I was left with questions. What were the vampires alluding too? Why was Mercy the only one left? WAS she the only one left? What exactly does being a walker entail besides turning fluffy and yipping about whenever Mercy felt like? What was happening with the wolves and the fae coming "out"? How were people really taking it?
Briggs gives us a bit more in this story on all those topics. Sure she has some more "save the day" moments for Mercy. Thereby establishing that walkers have some power on their own even if they aren't powerful fae or strong wolves. I believe the dominance struggles Mercy was having with Adam weren't solely based on the happy bits getting riled. But more instinctual and both Mercy and Adam are too practical to just let instinct rule their lives.
The premise of the evil in this book was very good. It was drawing lines at what is evil and why people/vampires would use evil to their own ends. By the end of the book you could see that eventually Mercy will have to take on more vampires simply because they can't exist without their power struggles.
I felt the romance of the book was moving along at a good pace. It wasn't the ridiculous: Meet male, attracted to male, do something for male, save male, screw male. Adam and Mercy realize they have lives and responsibilities and while they do enjoy their attraction and struggle to figure out how to make a relationship (and that includes friendship) work with those responsibilities it's believable. It's real. I could see friends going through the same steps to understanding their new person in their lives. And that is a GOOD thing. It means that I don't have to suspend romantic belief to enjoy these characters.
I read this in about 4 hours and it was fun. I'll be lending it out to other bookly friends and recommending it to as many people as I can.
Book Review: Another Great One, ...darn it.
Summary: 5 Stars
Patricia Briggs' second book in Mercedes [Mercy] Thompson's stories is as entertaining as the first. It's an exciting world that contains werewolves, vampires, ghosts, faeries, humans, and demons. Mercy is a 'walker', a term derived from 'skinwalker', who can turn into a coyote at will. She makes a living as an auto mechanic, focusing primarily on VWs.
Mercy is not really a kick-butt heroine. She's a very little fish in a very big pond. She is no match for a vampire. She is no match for a werewolf or a fae. Fortunately she was raised by werewolves and is under the protection of the local pack. Unfortunately she doesn't quite fit into the local pack politics, so she is definitely still a loner.
Blood Bound starts with a bang. Mercy's vampire friend, Stefan, calls in a favor. He needs her to go with him as a coyote, and witness a meeting with a vampire who has arrived in the Tri-Cities, WA., without permission of the local vampires.
The meeting does not go well for either Stefan or Mercy.
The first half of the book has Mercy on the outside of the action. But not to worry. Patricia Briggs keeps the reader interested with events from Mercy's point of view that help out later in the story.
Mercy is pulled directly into the investigation when the mistress of the vampires, Marsilia, calls her, personally, for help. Those hunting the sorcerer, both werewolf and vampire, have disappeared. Because mercy is a walker, or a North American preternatural, Marsilia believes she is immune to the magics of vampires and werewolves, or the European preternatural.
Patricia Briggs still keeps the stories PG-ish. PG-13 for violence. The use of the word 'darn' on page two made me laugh, and distracted me from the plot of the story for a moment. Perhaps 'damn' instead of 'darn' wouldn't have been so bad, but other then that, this is a page turner.