Urban Fantasy (Mercy Thompson, book 2) by Patricia Briggs
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Goodreads: Blood Bound (1)
Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...
Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.
But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.
Review:
So far this is the only Mercy Thompson book I have not reread. Part of the reason is that I didn't enjoy it much and it's always been my least favorite book in the series. However. For many years now I've been wondering if it had to do more with my over hyping of the book. Before it came out I was literally counting down the days. (No really I had a paper count down that I hung up on the fridge.) With that kind of anticipation no book could ever live up to my mind’s expectations.
After finishing up the reread I know this to be true. Because Blood Bound is an excellent follow up. It continues to flesh out the world and the characters. It's still very action packed, though it doesn't feel as intense as the last book.
Maybe what struck me hardest back then was the setup for a love square. Sam, Adam, Stephan, and Mercy at the center of it all. However, I also think I might have been too young to appreciate older themes. Heck, I was not that experienced of a reader and couldn't appreciate the quality of love drama that Briggs was setting up. One where all the characters are known and there's build up. Because Blood Bound is not a romantic read. Many reviews state it could have used more romance. To me this series highlights how to build up a love interest(s), and develop every character. So when the time comes the emotions feel real and intense. Blood Bound is perfect in that sense.
It's great to learn a bit more about Mercy's powers as a Walker. Even more as she interacts with Adam's pack and learns that maybe Adam is serious about making her his mate. Some of the pack mates are already deferring to her as Alpha and it also helps to show that maybe the pack hierocracy about women isn't a sexist thing, but indeed a wolf thing.
Mercy's big turning point to me, where she finally took conscientious action to kill someone was probably struck me as lame back when I was younger. Her actions were sloppy and unplanned. Leaving to some bad openings where she could have been killed. She was injured. Now that I can come back and see it with wiser eyes it fits Mercy. She's not some kill crazy lead. It fits Mercy as to how everything went down. She's not a killer, and it felt comforting to see her fumble.
In the end this is a fabulous follow up to Moon Called. And people, why does every series have to have the lead falling into bed with someone? Emotional and character build up are great. It's what leads to better love triangles and a better payout when love finally comes knocking. By the end I want more-more-more on what a Walker is and their background. Not to mention more-more-more on all of the characters, and especially Mercy. It was interesting seeing Mercy herself come off very sexist towards Honey—a “bimbo” werewolf—but then as she learned more she began to change her opinion. That's what I like about Mercy she genuinely develops as a person. Blood Bound captures the magic perfectly on how important it is to have characters that readers can understand and in the end feel real.
Sexual Content: Sexual humor, and some talk of darker themes.
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.
| Previous book(s) in series: | ||
| Reviewed on BW: | Amazon: | Goodreads: |
| Moon Called (1) | Moon Called (1) | Moon Called (1) |
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