Series: Mercy Thompson #8
Format Read: hardcover (Bea) & eGalley (Jax & CarolKat)
Source: from the publisher in exchange for honest reviews
Release Date: March 11, 2014
Buying Links: Amazon* | Book Depository* | Barnes & Noble
* affiliate links; the blog receives a small commission for purchases made through these links.
Blurb from goodreads:
#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series has been hailed as “one of the best” (Fiction Vixen). Now, Mercy must deal with an unwanted guest—one that brings a threat unlike anything she’s ever known.
An unexpected phone call heralds a new challenge for Mercy. Her mate Adam’s ex-wife is in trouble, on the run from her new boyfriend. Adam isn’t the kind of man to turn away a person in need—and Mercy knows it. But with Christy holed up in Adam’s house, Mercy can’t shake the feeling that something about the situation isn’t right.
Soon, her suspicions are confirmed when she learns that Christy has the farthest thing from good intentions. She wants Adam back and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen, including turning Adam’s pack against Mercy.
Mercy isn’t about to step down without a fight, but there’s a more dangerous threat circling. Christy’s ex is more than a bad man—in fact, he may not be human at all. As the bodies start piling up, Mercy must put her personal troubles aside to face a creature with the power to tear her whole world apart.
Our Thoughts:
*WARNING SOME OF THIS MAY BE SPOILERISH*
Jax: Mercy is wonderfully human, for a
fictional and supernaturally inclined character. Being inside her head as she
tries to balance her justified aggravation with Adam's snot of an ex-wife with
keeping the peace of the pack all while keeping said snot safe...I was amused
and impressed. I think she walked the line between the all too understandable
desire to be a wee bit petty and doing the right thing well. It was a great
story line to follow, and Christy will clearly be an interesting thorn in Mercy
and Adam's side in future stories. (For those who have read the series, she
sort of reminds me of Leah.) I really enjoyed how having Christy around shone a
light on the differences between Mercy and Christy's relationship with the
pack, both the good and the bad. All around, this book seemed to give deeper
definition the connections between characters.
CarolKat:
I love Mercy, and I think the restraint she showed with regard to
Christy being under her roof was beyond admirable. There were many times I wanted to haul off
and slap Christy for going way beyond the limits of a house guest under
protection. I think we get a much better
look at Adam and Mercy’s relationship with each other and with Jesse. There is
a lot of love there. Mercy’s
relationship with the pack especially the females really gets put to the test
with Christy around, with interesting developments as well.
Bea:
“snot of an ex-wife”, yeah that describes Christy pretty well. Mercy tries to
so hard to be nice to Christy and be the good hostess but Adam’s ex does not
make it easy. Like Jax, I enjoyed seeing how the pack interacted with both
Mercy and Christy and the different ways that they treated Adam’s wives. I felt
bad for Jesse who couldn’t help but get stuck in the middle. I had trouble at first buying into stalker
that was after Christy but as the story went on, it felt right. Like CarolKat, I wanted to haul off and slap
Christy; Mercy’s restraint was admirable and really showed her commitment to
Adam, to Jesse, and to the pack. We get some close-up looks at pack
interactions and loyalties, many of which are not so different from that of a
close-knit group of humans. Hurrah to Ms. Briggs for her characterizations, well
done.
The pack acquired some new members during the story and I’m
curious to see if they stick around and how they fit. There are changes to the
pack and hints of possible changes and it was good to see that the pack is not
static but changes, whether for better or worse.
Jax: We're also given a greater peek at her
life as a descendant of Coyote. I very much enjoy the mischief he brings into
her life, as frightening and dangerous as those situations are. Briggs weaves
together myths and legends from a variety of pantheons and beliefs wonderfully.
It adds an element of uncertainty and unpredictability to the stories in a very
Coyote-like way. Grey Lords, Manitou, Coyote...they influence or pressure her,
and Mercy navigates the crisis in her marvelous fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind
of way. I loved reading every bit of it. Right up to the last word.
CarolKat:
Seeing Mercy’s frustration trying to contact Coyote and then when
he does show up, such interesting developments.
Of course our new villain in this book is quite the force and the way
the pack, Adam and Mercy handle all of this is as always, action packed, breath
holding and ferocious.
Bea:
I was happy to see more of Coyote and his descendants. As much of a prankster
as Mercy is, she’s got nothing on Coyote. He’s not to be trusted, even though
he seems to have a fondness for Mercy. And
in what’s become a tradition in the books, we learn about a prank Mercy played
as a teen. I loved that even when Mercy thought Charles hated her, he had her
back. Then again, they shared a common enemy. :P
As Jax mentioned, Briggs makes use of different mythologies
and I love that she branched out to a mythology less familiar to readers yet
made it fit with Mercy’s world.
Jax: Near
the end of the book, I went to turn the page and found there was nothing more.
Not uncommon, since a story is rarely too long for me. But this was a strangely
abrupt ending. Granted, the big bad was defeated, the danger had passed. But
there was so much left unanswered. I am used to a bit more of a denouement. I suppose
it could be a cliffhanger ending, a set up for continued tension in future
books, but it felt a bit more unfinished than that. It is the only negative
thing I have to say about Night Broken. Other than that, it's another
wonderful, funny engaging read by one of my favorite authors.
CarolKat:
As this book came to a close, things resolve and we learn so much
more about Mercy and her coyote self. As
Laura said, I too went to turn the page and was rather shocked there was no
more…I loved it as I always love Ms. Briggs’ books but really wish there had
been a bit more.
Bea: Both Jax and CarolKat warned me about the abrupt ending
so I was prepared for it. It is sudden, and could have used more
definition. Yes, the big bad has been
dealt with as has another threat but it really felt as if there were paragraphs
missing or a page left off.
Despite the ending, I enjoyed Night Broken. We get
werewolves, the fae, Coyote, family drama, action, romance, humor, plot and
characterization. Some familiar characters made appearances while others were
only referred to (I really want to steal Charles from Anna). Mercy learns quite
a bit about herself and we are along for the ride. Not my favorite Mercy story
but in the top five.
A friend of mine loves this series and absolutely wants me to read it, so I will ! Thanks for the review :)
ReplyDeleteBe sure to read in order!
DeleteI love this series so much, it's one of my favorites.
I like the ones where you get all the supernatural being. Great review y'all.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteArg I so need to get caught up. I still have the last one to read even though it's been at the house since it was released *hangs head* Thanks for the warning about the ending!
ReplyDelete