River Marked - by Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book six in the Mercedes Thompson series
Publication Date: March 01, 2011
ISBN: 9780441019731
Page Count: 352
My Rating: ★★★★★

Summary

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 shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. And she's never known any others of her kind. Until now. As Mercy comes to terms with this new information, an evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River. Something deadly is coming, facts are thin on the ground and Mercy feels ill at ease. However, her father's people may know more. To have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need all the resources the shifters can offer. Or death will be the least of their worries.

REVIEW

RIVER MARKED is book six in the Mercedes Thompson series and it was great fun, if a little confusing at times. I think I might have actually broken some kind of speed reading record with this one, it was just so damn readable. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I frickin' love these characters and feel so comfortable in Briggs' hands when it comes to her Mercy world. Great stuff.

The plot did get a bit mind-boggling though, it has to be said. It's probably one of those books that needs to be read slowly to fully absorb the complicated magical and mythological explanations, not at a million miles per hour like I did. But maybe when I re-read it, it will make perfect sense. Or maybe not, becasue Mercy didn't even understand what was going on half the time either!

As much as I enjoyed this instalment, I can't wait for Mercy to get to get back with rest of the pack in the next book. This one was mostly her and Adam alone and out of town away from the rest of the guys. I'm not sure that Mercy is what you'd call "universally loved" within the pack, so it will be fascinating to watch how she gets on with that. Because to me, what makes this series great is the intricacies of the pack dynamics - their behaviours, both human and wolf, and how they deal with them. So I did miss them here, but the new characters we met went some way to making up for their lack.

All-in-all, a great addition to the series.


5 Stars! ★★★★★