kgbooklog

Patricia Briggs, Bone Crossed
Ace (2009) ISBN: 978-0-441-01676-1
Score: 5

Fourth Mercy Thompson book, dealing with vampires (again), love, loyalty, and heroism ("Hostage-holding is for the bad guys"). One of the things I love about this series is that even though each volume has a complete story arc, they also build on each other; specifically, this book is all about the consequences of things done in the previous books (and that means the sample chapter on the author's website contains huge spoilers for the previous two books).

Next Book: Taylor Anderson, Crusade

Patricia Briggs, "The Star of David"
Ace (2008) ISBN: 978-0-441-01633-4
Score: 1

A werewolf mercenary (David Christiansen, prior to his appearance in Moon Called) helps his daughter find out what happened with an orphan who may be more than he seems.

And that's the last of the stories I wanted to read from Wolfsbane and Mistletoe. It seems Christmas is all about sex with strangers, nasty revenge, eating Christmas legends, bloody murder, more bloody murder, and bloody self-defense.

Next Book: Jane Lindskold, Thirteen Orphans

Patricia Briggs, Cry Wolf
Ace (2008) ISBN: 978-0-441-01615-0
Score: 2

This is the first novel but second story about Anna and Charles; the publisher calls the series Alpha and Omega after the novella (from On the Prowl) that it follows, but I disapprove of that name since Charles isn't an alpha (nor likely to become one anytime soon). This is a spinoff of the Mercedes Thompson urban fantasy series and contains spoilers for Moon Called while being set before the later Mercy books. This series is aimed more at Romance readers than Fantasy[1], and the beginning of this book is a bit slow (partly from the need to inclue readers who didn't see the novella), but once the plot started I had trouble putting it down, and it deepened the characters of Bran and Leah, which was a pleasant surprise.

[1] Something I'm discussing over in bittercon.
Next Book: Martha Wells, "Houses of the Dead"

Patricia Briggs, Iron Kissed
Ace (2008) ISBN: 978-0-441-01566-5
Score: 4

Third Mercy Thompson book, in which she investigates a series of murders in the fae reservation and makes a decision about her love life. I like the non-homogeneity of the supernatural races; in general, they aren't nice people and even the sympathetic individuals have occasional murderous rages.

Next Book: Carol Berg, Flesh and Spirit

Patricia Briggs, Alpha and Omega
Berkley (2007) ISBN: 0425216594
Score: 1.5

A novella showing events that happened off-stage near the end of Moon Called (Charles in Chicago), and the start of a spin-off series.

Patricia Briggs, Raven's Strike
Ace (2005) ISBN: 0-441-01312-0
Score: 2

Second half of the Raven duology, where we learn why it is a bad idea for gods to fall in love. Enjoyable, but I like her urban fantasy series better.

Next Book: Justine Larbalestier, Magic's Child

Patricia Briggs, Blood Bound
Ace (2007) ISBN: 978-0-441-01473-6
Score: 4

Second book about shape-shifting car mechanic Mercedes Thompson. This time it's the vampires who need her help, and we meet two new types of supernatural beings: ghosts and demons. A bit darker than the previous one, but still very good.

Next Book: Steven Erikson, Blood Follows

Patricia Briggs, Raven's Shadow
Ace (2004) ISBN: 0-441-01187-X
Score: 2

First half of the Raven high fantasy duology. Fairly standard story about persecuted gypsy-types who use their magic to protect people who hate them from evil monsters most don't believe in any more; though this book is mostly about people (including Travelers) doing bad things, saving the Dark Lord for book 2. And I liked the fact that the teenage magical heroine (sole survivor of her clan) gets married at the end of chapter 2 and then spends 20 years farming and raising kids before the plot starts in chapter 3.

Patricia Briggs, Moon Called
Ace (2006) ISBN: 0-441-01381-3
Score: 2.5

Start of another urban fantasy series narrated by a female car mechanic. This book is about werewolves, though other supernaturals are present (the heroine is a non-lycanthrope shapeshifter). Like Harris' Southern Vampire and Vaughn's Kitty Norville, the series will likely focus on how mundane humans react to supernaturals going public. A quick, fun read, though the antagonist's plan didn't make much sense even after he explained it.

Next Book: Naomi Novik, His Majesty's Dragon