Saturday, April 14, 2012

River Marked (Mercy Thompson #6) by Patricia Briggs


River Marked
by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson # 6
Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Adult-Urban Fantasy


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. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now.
An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River-one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help...(synopsis from Goodreads)

River Marked is the sixth novel in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs. Despite mixed reviews it was perhaps one of my favorite in this urban fantasy series. Unlike its predecessors most of the action takes place in the second half of the novel.  Briggs brings us more of Mercy’s story and a captivating look at Indian lore.  I consumed this in a single afternoon and loved every minute of it.


In this novel Mercy and her mate the yummy alpha male Adam are camping off the Columbia river, when they stumble upon a man injured on a boat. They soon find themselves dealing with a creature capable of living in this world and the next.  They quickly discover it is feeding off humans and Mercy may be the only one to stop it.

What I loved about this particular novel was the character growth we see in Mercy. She has always guarded her heart, never allowing herself to get to close. Here she completely opens up to Adam. She accepts him as her mate and realizes the benefits of their bond and those of the pack. She acts as a mother figure for Adam’s daughter and seems to be more at peace.  It was awesome to see Mercy rationalize things, to take a moment to figure out why Adam reacted to something. Previously she would react or shut down. To see her trust in him completely was refreshing. When faced with death, she is ready. She prepares letters to those she loves. The most difficult was Adam’s. I loved that at the end of the novel Brigg's shared that letter with us. We get to see the softer side of Mercy. The one we all knew was there, under her kick-ass, never care attitude.  

The battle they faced was intense. The last part of the book, had me turning the pages, and at times going back to make sure I completely understood what was happening. Through a ghost Mercy gains a better understanding of her father. We do not see all of the characters. Sam is absent, as well as most of the pack. This tale was really all about Mercy and Adam. I think that is one of the reasons I loved it so much. We have waited years to see these two sort things out and get together. To finally see them working as a team and gaining a more intimate knowledge of each other was delightful. Seeing Adam smile and goof off and hold hands was smokin' hot. 

I highly recommend River Marked and the entire Mercy Thompson series to fans of urban fantasy. The world Briggs has created is brilliant and I love revisiting it again and again. I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this series, Frost Burn with an expected publication date of spring 2013. In the meantime, I will be starting her Alpha and Omega Series and look forward to sharing it with you.

I gave this novel 4.5 coffee cups out of 5. 



Patricia Briggs

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19 Comments:

At April 14, 2012 at 12:23 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

OOH! I love this series, but I think you already know that, aren't these book just wonderful reads?
I read most of them before I listened to them on audio; I loved them both ways. I completely agree with your review, Marcy's character growth is terrific, and it makes her into a heroine that you really feel you know, and it brings her closer to your heart.

 
At April 14, 2012 at 4:56 AM , Blogger Bex said...

I keep saying it, but I SO need to continue reading this series... And omg, that cover... *stares* So pretty!!

 
At April 14, 2012 at 5:05 AM , Blogger Jennifer @ Bad Bird Reads said...

I love this series but this book was not as good as I expected. I found myself putting it down over and over again. happy you enjoyed it though.

 
At April 14, 2012 at 6:59 AM , Blogger Amy said...

Great review! I really need to catch up with this series so I can read this one, it sounds great. Thank you for sharing! :)

 
At April 14, 2012 at 9:57 AM , Blogger Passing Pages said...

Oh great review!!! I was wondering of there was gonna be any action in here or not. I'm glad I found a good review. I've found some bad ones!! Thanks for sharing.

 
At April 14, 2012 at 12:18 PM , Blogger Maja (The Nocturnal Library) said...

Wonderful review, Kimba! I agree with you, Mercy has grown so much in fifth, and especially this book, but plot-wise, Bone Crossed remains my favorite.
I kind of missed the pack, Warren in particular, but I really enjoyed all the Adam time we were offered. :D

 
At April 14, 2012 at 12:28 PM , Blogger Blodeuedd said...

Sadly I did bit like this one as much. i think it had to do with the fact that they were away from everyone else

 
At April 14, 2012 at 12:28 PM , Blogger Melissas Eclectic Bookshelf said...

One of these days... LOL Love that you were able to get more back story and tribal lore mixed in...it's touches like that which I really appreciate it reads.

 
At April 14, 2012 at 5:18 PM , Blogger Sophia said...

I haven't read this series, but I do like urban fantasy so I'll have to check it out soon. I also love character development so I'm happy to hear that Mercy grows. :) Great review, Kimba!

 
At April 14, 2012 at 7:34 PM , Blogger busybookbee said...

LOVE this series. I'm seriously crossing my fingers that she releases a novel based on Bran. I love him. Have you tried the Alpha/Omega books? It's a spin-off of Mercy's story..

 
At April 14, 2012 at 7:40 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I loved getting tons of Adam and Mercy alone time in this one!

 
At April 14, 2012 at 10:17 PM , Blogger LoveOfBooks said...

I love her tatts. That is all. lol

 
At April 15, 2012 at 1:30 AM , Blogger Kimberly @ Turning the Pages said...

This is the next one in the series that I have to read I'm trying not to start it until the end of the month though. I love Mercy, she's smart, funny and tough. Just what we need in a genre where the female leads can be a bit...ditzy. :) Great review :D

-Kimberly @ Turning The Pages

 
At April 15, 2012 at 12:29 PM , Blogger Bea said...

You should, you really should. It's an excellent series - smart, well thought out, fun, funny, complex. READ!

 
At April 15, 2012 at 12:31 PM , Blogger Bea said...

This wasn't one my face in the series but I did like the Indian lore, learning more about Mercy's background and seeing Mercy and Adam as a couple.

I forget, do you read the spinoff series, Alpha and Omega? It's more romance focuses but just as good.

 
At April 15, 2012 at 3:58 PM , Blogger Chrissie (Once Upon a Series) said...

This is one of my favourite ever series but I didn't like this book as much as the others. Although I loved that it was so focused on Mercy and Adam (oh, how I love Adam *sigh*) I did find myself kind of missing the rest of the pack too. But I'm still really looking forward to the next book in the series! Great review :)

 
At April 16, 2012 at 10:58 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

You should definitively try the Alpha and Omega series, I'm sure you will really enjoy it.

 
At April 19, 2012 at 3:02 PM , Blogger Heather (ShoeGirl) said...

I keep seeing good reviews for this series! I've GOTTA get started on it!!!

 
At July 17, 2013 at 10:02 PM , Anonymous Bookluvrs Haven said...

I need to pick this one up. I grabbed the first 5 from the library, and read them all back to back in one weekend. I loved them! I also love the cover for #6. Something so sexy about it!



Lily

 

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