Review: Patricia Briggs

Author: Patricia Briggs Format: Trade Cloth Available Formats: Kindle eBook; Sony eBook Page Count: 309 Genre: Urban Fantasy Publisher: Ace Pub. Date: Feb 3, 2009 ISBN-13: 9780441016761

As I've said in a previous post, I've been following Briggs for quite awhile. I'm very glad to see her finally achieving some well-deserved status as an author since the release of Moon Called, the first book in the Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson series. If you enjoy urban fantasy, fantasy, strong (but believable) female characters, or just an interesting new book--go with Patricia Briggs.

Plot: 4/5
As far as the Mercy books go, Bone Crossed actually has the weakest plot. That's okay, though! The story is actually very much character driven. More than that, the book needs to be character driven. After the third book, Iron Kissed, I felt the end really cheated Mercy of healing time she needed... Bone Crossed not only answers all my concerns and gripes, but does better. The plot is what it needs to be--and Patricia Briggs still carries all plot lines and subplots beautifully.

In Bone Crossed, Mercy is still dealing with the emotional repercussions of her rape. At the same time, she has to deal with not only her new mate, Adam, but also the neighboring vampire mistress who would like to see her dead... If fans missed Stefan, you may start being happy, because this story is for him, too.

Characters: 4.5/5
Mercy's world is painted with unique characters. From Mercy herself, who is of Native American descent, with the ability to shift to become a coyote; Adam, leader of the werewolf pack; Samuel, the lonely old wolf; Stefan, Scooby-Doo fan and vampire; Zee, the grumbly (but lovable) mechanic fae... Each character is just a joy to get to know. Even if a particular character drops out of the story line for a book or two, Briggs unfailingly remembers them and provides a storyline. Always, a good storyline, too.

Writing: 4/5
Briggs' writing is very accessible. Often, I find myself having to forgive the flaws of writers who seem to write haphazardly at best, but Briggs maintains an amusing (though not gratingly so) voice in Mercedes that is very distinctive. All plotlines are followed, logical, and sweeping. Characters drive the plot and develop rather than jerk like marrionettes to the will of the author... In short, Briggs creates a world that allows a reader to fully immerse his or herself without having to struggle at all to do so. The tone of the Mercy series is overall welcoming and--quickly--addicting.

Originality: 3.75/5
Urban fantasy, in my humble opinion, has to work on its originality in general. Still, despite my major qualms with very few new takes on werewolves and vampires, the Mercy series does do admirably. And, of course, I have to give credit to Briggs for being brave and creative enough to take from Native American myth to create Mercy's coyote form. Truly, it's a great blend of old-European werewolf/vampire ideas mixing and melding with new, American ones. Still, I might like to see more delving into the American side.

Book Cover: 5/5
As Briggs said, she has been surely blessed by the "good cover fairy". It's true, too. The artist who works on Brigg's Mercy series is just utterly talented. Every cover is better than the last--and Bone Crossed is no exception to this rule. If the cover art from this one doesn't grab you...well, I don't know what will.

Final Score: 4.25/5