Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson Novels) (original 2007; edition 2011)

Every bit as good as the first without even thinking about it. I have shelves that would appear to overlap to a great extent but I have/had a clear emotional image in my mind of the distinctions. These books are becoming so many things that the distinction is blurring. ( )

love it! Give me more Mercy she's excellent ( )

See Abigail's review at All Things Urban Fantasy. ( )

Blood Bound
4 Stars

Overall, the plot, world building and characters are very compelling although there are one or two elements that grate on the nerves.

Lets get these out of the way first. To begin with, the religious overtones are becoming more and more irritating. They were quite subtle in book #1 but become more overt in Blood Bound, and while I have great respect for people of faith and have my own beliefs, I dislike being preached to and Urban Fantasy is not an appropriate genre for espousing the Christian faith or anti-abortion rhetoric.

Moreover, the misogynistic facets are annoying. Yes, the werewolves are a patriarchal society and a woman's rank is determined by that of her mate but Mercy's attitude toward the women in the pack is not much better. On the surface, she seems to criticize and reject the chauvinistic elements but underneath it all is an implied acceptance of it. She has no female friends either within or without the pack and takes on a condescending and elitist tone when relating to other female characters, especially Honey. She also seems to enjoy the dominance of the male wolves and to accept the potential for submissiveness.

Nevertheless, Blood Bound is an entertaining book and the dynamics between the various supernatural groups and characters are very intriguing. Mercy is intelligent and likable enough although she is not as kick-ass as I would like (she definitely suffers in comparison to Kate Daniels). Her chemistry with Adam, the pack alpha, is one of the highlights of the story although I could do without the love quadrangle with Samuel and now Stefan (ick!)

The plot surrounding a demon possessed sorcerer who is also a rogue vampire makes for exciting reading. The insight into vampire culture, their strengths and weaknesses adds an extra layer to the world building as does the new information on pack politics.

All in all, the Mercy Thompson series has potential despite its shortfalls and I am interested enough in the world and the characters to continue. ( )

Patricia Briggs really write the BEST kind of Urban Fantasy; very character-driven, intelligent understanding of her characters and a real sense of pace and plot - I care deeply for the characters... and the action-packed mystery plot in this one kept me turning the pages faster than a speeding bullet, it seemed to me... Mercy is such a strong, independent female and she will do anything to help her friends, if it is the right thing to do. I love her friendships with Stefan (vampire), Zee (Fae) and of course, the werewolves (Adam, Bran, Sam, Warren etc.). I hope ALL these characters will keep on having a prominent presence in the future books.

Book 1 focused on the werewolves, book 2 focused on the vampires and Ive read that book 3 focuses on the faeries; I love that each book has that focus, so we learn a bit about each. I also loved that we learned more about magic and ghosts in book 2, and what it means for Mercy to be a Walker - I hope we learn more about her Native American background in future books.

It's definitely become a favorite series!!!! ( )