ISBN: 9780441018369
I purchased this book.
Mercy Thompson book 3
This review contains spoilers for earlier books in the series.
Last time, Mercy was kidnapped, magically drugged and brutally raped. Bone Crossed picks up only a week later with Mercy still struggling to deal with her trauma, her newly exposed feelings for pack alpha Adam and now with area vampire queen Marsilia, who knows Mercy killed one of her own, decidedly pissed off at her. Though Mercy knows little of her own kind, being the only skinwalker (natural coyote shifter rather than an attack survivor like most other weres) currently known of, Marsilia knows what the walkers are, having been part of the Frontier-Era war between walker natives and European vampires.
Apparently nothing can kill vampires like a walker, so decades ago the vampires eradicated them. Once willing to let Mercy live as long as she wasn’t killing vampires and she remained useful, Marsillia now has declared war on Mercy, because Mercy was the one who fouled up Marsilia’s plans to make more demon-possessed vampires. But Mercy’s new position in the pack as Adam’s mate complicates things, so instead of attacking Mercy directly Marsilia goes after her friends and allies.
When Stefan, Mercy’s friend and Marsilia’s vampire, shows up, near dead and nearly mad with hunger Mercy is sure Marsilia sent him to kill her. Struggling to fight panic attacks and trying to form a healthy relationship with people around her Mercy also finds herself having to face down people who not only want to victimize her again, but who are willing to use her’s friend to re-victimize her.
Bone Crossed is full of emotional realism, even if it’s also full of vampires, fairies, ghosts and shape shifters. Characters who were already real before now deepen from fleshy and familiar to true friends of readers traveling with them.
The emotional turmoil is also balanced with action, manipulation and a complicated enough plot to prevent the book from coming off as sheer emotional angst over past events. Mercy is the definition of the plucky survivor, tough, but not immortal, snarky and defiant, but not suffering from Mary Sue Syndrome.
Bone Crossed is a good read, definitely not the place in the series to start, but a satisfying addition to the series. This series continues to deliver, creating a more complex world, but not one muddled by world rules violations, or mid stream changes in style or personality. Bone Crossed will both sate readers and keep them looking for more.
ISBN: 9780373210039
I borrowed this book.
Kaylee is a bean sidhe (read “banshee”), a herald of death, though she learns this on the edge of a mental breakdown over her mysterious panic attacks that come when she is close to someone who is about to die. If it wasn’t for class hottie Nash, she would still think she’s crazy, since even though they know her secret her guardians, her aunt and uncle, refuse to tell her anything, and in fact, once locked her up in a mental hospital to try to “help” her.
But something is happening around Kaylee. The people around her seem to be dying, before their time and with no cause at all. When whatever is poaching souls begins to target Kaylee’s friends she and Nash must act to save the people who death is coming for, long before their time.
The two most stand out elements of this book from other YA novels is 1) no vampires and 2) while the adults and teens have issues, none are abusive or negative at their core. In fact, for a refreshing change, Kaylee’s family is (for the most part, there is teen rivalry, but it’s not past “mean”) loving, supportive and caring, it’s the plot that forces her to step up and act instead of letting the adults handle things.
My Soul to Take is simultaneously morbid and beautiful, balancing the dark subject matter without being crushing or nihilistic. In fact, family is a strong theme of this story, making it an excellent book for teen readers’ collections.
While the book does seem slow at times, it builds a textured web of character and world support for the story, setting this series up for a rich future life. For curious readers Vincent has a free prequel story available, My Soul to Lose, on her webpage.
Tir Alainn trilogy book 3
ISBN: 0451459423
I bought this book.
There’s a lot to this final book in Anne Bishop’s Tir Alainn series. Previously the Black Coats crept their way through Arkos and Wolfram, into Sylvania, slaughtering the witches and destroying the pieces of the fairy realm, Tir Alainn, linked to those areas. Their quest to eradicate magic faltered as they moved west and began to encounter Fae and witches who were still strong and tied together, still aware of their linked ancestry. Battle lines were drawn between the Inquisitors and the magic users, with the fate of all women and magic at stake.
In this book an army of men marches to Willowsbrook, where the Master Inquisitor hopes to teach a lesson to those who resist his will before attacking the Mother’s Hills, the secretive wellspring of magic where the House of Gaian still lives. Even the area witches are intimidated by those who live in the hills, and not sure when witches and fae begin to fight back against the Inquisitors, if the wiccanfae from the Hills will crush them all in their effort to destroy the Black Coats.
Again, there is a slant toward happy endings, and feminism. The women are who must be saved as they are more naturally attuned to the magic of the land. They’re also who the Master Inquisitor is out to destroy in a crazy revenge-against-the-mommy-who-didn’t-love-him way. Most of the nastiest creatures to creep out of Bishop’s mind, like the nighthunters, soul-eating, flesh-devouring creatures made from twisted magic, are blunted by Bishop’s storytelling stylings. This keeps the story firmly in fantasy without letting it slip under the influence of horror.
As always Bishop is a glorious storyteller, and has created a world rich enough to dive into. Readers will find plenty to love in this trilogy, and all without a nihilistic, or savage tone.
Tir Alainn trilogy book 2
ISBN: 9780451458506
I bought this book.
Shadows and Light brings readers back to a world of witches, magic and fae, and a growing evil that threatens them all.
By this book in the series readers know that the witches are really the descendants of the House of Gaian and that when a witch dies, slaughtered by the evil minions of jealousy and twisted magic, the tether to the magical fae land of Tir Alainn is broken and that part of the fae realm is lost.
This book strays from following the witch Ari as a primary character and instead travels with Aiden, The Bard, and Lyrra, The Muse, both exiled from the fae by Dianna and Lucian’s rage, as they try to convince the rest of the fae to save the witches to save their world. This volume also introduces new characters; Brianna and Liam, half siblings struggle to deal with each other as well as the evil creeping into their land; Ashke and Padrick, fae, and human world baron and baroness as well; and a collection of humans, fae, witches and other who are finding themselves forced to choose sides. Each character is compelling and interesting and likely could carry the story on their own. Combined it leads to an epic, large scale feel as readers form a solid picture of Bishop’s world.
Most interesting is Morag, the Gather, Death’s Mistress, the one fae with the power of life and death which sets her apart even from the other fae. It also puts her in the position of being the only one who can stop the rotten core of the Black Coats’ evil.
This volume also introduces the western fae, who never forgot their roots like Lucian and Dianna have and whole towns where fae and witch are synonymous with neighbor and friend.
Lyrra and Aiden are trying to make the adjustment from the eastern fae and their exile, to the western fae, who are guarded not because of the Bard and Muse’s intent but because of the reputation of the eastern fae. They set out on a search for the mysterious Hunter. He may be the only one with enough command and power to counter the damage Dianna and Lucian are doing that threatens to split the fae into their own civil war.
Again Bishop spins a fantastic world, rife with beauty, humor and danger, and populated by fleshy characters struggling to do what’s right. The heroism aspect in this volume is its only potential flaw. Despite the glory of Bishop’s world there is a very clear cut line between good and evil and characters fall on one side or the other, though some don’t realize the full extent of their actions.
The Tir Alainn trilogy remains one of my all-time favorite reads and has, several years after its release, stood up to repeated reads and still delivered a highly enjoyable reading experience.
Tir Alainn trilogy book 1
ISBN: 9780451458506
I bought this book.
Anne Bishop is a master world builder, bringing epic fantasy lands to life with a deft hand. In this trilogy the world is one of elemental magic, where fae and witches come to life and both are threatened by a sinister evil force.
In this first book in the trilogy a witch with the gifts of fire and earth gets trapped by a bit of hedge love magic and, trying to avoid being abused, swears to give herself to a mysterious stallion who shares a summer holiday with her. The stallion turns out to be Lucian, the fae Lord of Fire in his animal form. Curious about this woman who sought him as a friend rather than as a breeder, Lucian begins an affair with Ari.
In Tir Alainn, the fae are facing their own, much larger crisis. Whole sections of their enchanted land are vanishing, cut off by a mysterious misty nothingness. When Dianna, Lucian’s twin and The Huntress, discovers Ari is a witch, whom some of the stories and songs of the land blame for the growing evil in the world, she also begins to foster an interest in Ari, determined to save her home at any costs.
The truth of the lost places of Tir Alainn and a foul evil that’s spreading through the land, is far more complicated than Lucian, Dianna and Ari know. In this first book three sides are drawn, those for good, those for evil, and those whose egos drive their actions rather than their heads.
This is absolutely one of my favorite books. Bishop’s world is so thick and sensory that even though I read this for the first time when it was first published around 2002 I continue to read the triology over and over, nearly every year and have yet to tire of it.
Bishop’s only flaw is a skew toward “Women are beautiful and wonderful and men are wicked and cruel” themes, and of all her work this series balances it out the best. Despite great or little power, Bishop’s characters are real people, often gifted with a sense of humor which balances out the darker elements of the stories.
Here you will find neither damsels in distress nor super powered Janeways. The balance between male and female, good and evil are maintained delicately, but clearly, making this whole trilogy a pleasure to read and reread.
ISBN-13: 9780441015894
I have to admit I found this addition to the Sookie Stackhouse series less than stellar. The writing is solid, of course, and Harris is excellent at creating real-feeling character as usual. But there wasn’t any overlapping plot, instead there were a series of wrap ups of ongoing plots, like a checklist, one after the other.
First, Sookie discovers a long lost relative who approaches her through Eric. Then on the way home someone tries to kill her, revealing a full scale assassination attempt not just against her, but against everyone linked to the warring local werewolf packs. By 140 pages in the whole packs-at-war situation is mostly resolved, thanks to Sookie, but the vampire situation flares up. This conflict too, not only ends far before the actual end of the book, but there’s a closed-eye approach to the adventure and fight scenes that renders them weak.
The book isn’t bad, as far as furthering the adventures of Sookie, and reflecting the massive changes that she and the people around her are going through while trying to recover from Katrina. But it’s not necessarily interesting to people who aren’t already emotionally invested in Sookie and her crew.
Perhaps From Dead to Worse is a cleansing book, clearing away the slate of old loose ends and making way for dramatic new adventures. But it just feels like the progress is minimized and halting rather than being an exciting new volume of a typically bardic tale.
Reviewed for MonsterLibrian.com’s Werewolf Month
Ace Fantasy, 2008
ISBN:9780441015665
Available: New and Used
Coyote walker Mercy Thompson has faced killer werewolves and has gotten mixed up in vampire feuds, but in Iron Kissed she is roundly told to keep out of fae business. Her friend and mentor, Zee, is being set up for the murder of a cop (who wasn’t exactly innocent), by the local cops, and the Gray Lords are willing to sacrifice Zee to keep fae secrets hidden. But Mercy refuses to abandon her friend, no matter what everyone around her says, or what it might cost her.
This is possibly the darkest Mercy book so far. Still reeling from the events at the end of the last book, Mercy is questioning herself and her actions. This book takes her to terrible places, where the reader might have trouble following her. Briggs expertly portrays the fae in the tradition of Grimm’s fairy tales, complex creatures that despise humans, except as toys, but are strangely dependent on them.
Iron Kissed and the other books in the series are recommended for public libraries, and for private collectors who like dark fiction, but might be tired of the familiar tropes of horror.
Reviewed for MonsterLibrarian.com’s Werewolf Month
Ace Fantasy, 2007
ISBN: 9789441914736
Available: New and Used
There’s something almost soothing about Mercy Thompson, mechanic and skinwalker, adopted werewolf and friend to the fae. She’s the kind of urban fantasy heroine who can walk through a door without some sort of power challenge. She keeps a junked out car in the middle of her yard to disturb the local Alpha’s view, “forgets” to tell people things to avoid fights and uses their own training, body language and tempers against them.
In the second book in the series, Mercy’s vampire friend Stefan asks for her help, and ends up dragging her into one of the darkest plots imaginable. Briggs pulls no punches, pitting the almost sweet, barely supernatural Mercy against a demon-possessed vampire whose very presence threatens the emotional control of vampires, humans, werewolves and fae. Mercy has to step up and find the vampire and his maker before more people die, particularly the people she’s come to care about.
Blood Bound is a solid supernatural mystery shot through with veins of true darkness and a collection of odd and intriguing characters. The Mercy Thompson books already have an established audience who should be pleased to find this one included in the library stacks. Recommended to public and private libraries.