On Vox: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
Silver-borne
Patricia Briggs
Alright. I am a picky reader and I must have all my books in paperback if I started buying the series in paperback. So hooray for the book depository and the wonderful Has (from the bookpushers) who informed me that the UK edition of Silver Borne is a paperback. :)
The Premise: Silver Borne is the 5th in this series about Mercy Thompson, a coyote shapeshifter and mechanic in the Tri-Cities, Washington area. In this new installment trouble as usual finds Mercy, first in the form of weird occurrences related to a fae book she borrowed. In the meantime her roommate Samuel, already on the edge as a lone, unmated wolf, begins to unravel.
Read an excerpt of Silver Borne here
Here are my reviews of the previous books (these links are all on goodreads, vox or livejournal):
Book 1: Moon Called
Book 2: Blood Bound
Book 3: Iron Kissed
Book 4: Bone Crossed
**** Be warned: There will be spoilers for the previous books from this point forward! ****
My Thoughts: Whenever I read a new installment of the Mercy Thompson series I feel like I'm reminded all over again why I like the series so much. The writing just seems effortless. I like Briggs' other work, but there's something about Mercy's voice that I love. It just flows. After reading Silver Borne, I had to take a break from reading urban fantasy for a week. I've just been spoiled for anything else in this genre for a little while.
When I was reading this one, ocelott from genrereviews commented that Briggs is great about consequences for everything, and particularly in Silver Borne, that is true. Things as innocent as borrowing a book get her into trouble, as well as things as serious as being the mate of the Tri-Cities Alpha. Mercy is just a magnet for trouble even though she's a smart heroine and doesn't go looking for it. In this book it's a combination of humans, werewolves, and the fae that bring Mercy headaches. It's not just people who want Mercy gone that are an issue too. It's people that Mercy loves, like Samuel, who are hurting. Mercy, being who she is, tries to choose what she considers the best path for everyone despite the consequences for herself. There already are hints of ramifications, both good and bad that will likely carry on to the next books.
In the meantime, the strength of this book is I think that it focuses much more on the relationships that have built up over the course of the first four books. I think in Silver Borne we see how much Mercy has affected the people around her in her job, her home, and her dealings with the local pack. In Bone Crossed, the formal courtship with Adam begins, but there is still some lingering uncertainty because of it's newness. In this book that's explored further, and I think Mercy's place in the pack begins to take more solid shape. I enjoyed the way the romance was brought into this one. It wasn't center stage yet it had a strong part of the book. The other strong aspect was Mercy's friendship with Samuel. The trust built on both sides was clear in this book. Despite feeling like the way Samuel's problem was resolved was a little convenient, I was very pleased with how things turned out so I didn't mind.
What more can I say? I don't know if you'd be reading this review if you weren't already reading this series, so I suspect I don't have to explain how well done the world building is or why I like Mercy (she's a smart heroine for starters).
Overall: If you are a fan of Mercy Thompson, I think you'll like this one. There's a reason why Briggs is so popular - if I had to recommend a series that is essential urban fantasy reading, this would be it. Silver Borne is my favorite installment so far. Its got plenty of action, but Briggs spends more time on Mercy's relationship with Adam, and on Mercy's effect on the people around her than she did in previous books.
Buy: Amazon | Powells | The Book Depository
Other Reviews:
Temping Persephone - positive
Fantasy & Sc-Fi Lovin' News & Reviews - positive with some quibbles
Avidbookreader - B/B+ read
Angieville - positive
The Book Smugglers - 8 (Excellent)
Smexy Books - 4/5
Originally posted on janicu.vox.com