#51 Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
There are spoilers in this book for previous Mercy books (specifically Bone Crossed). No real spoilers for Silver Borne
Coyote shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has recently become the mate of Adam, the local werewolf Alpha. Although Mercy has friends among the local werewolf pack, there are plenty who don't see a coyote as a proper partner for their leader. Mercy doesn't realize the extent of this dislike until someone manipulates the pack bonds that tie together all the wolves, and Mercy herself through Adam, to control Mercy's actions. Then Mercy learns that something has gone terribly wrong with her good friend Samuel, and that there's more to the powerful fae book she borrowed than she realized. Once again, Mercy has a lot of her plate to deal with.
Silver Borne is a fifth book in the Mercy Thompson series. I would argue that it's also one of the more complex volumes. Much like the fourth book, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne should not be read unless you are already familiar with the series. Much of Silver Borne is concerned with tying up loose ends from the past few books. One of those loose ends is the mate bond between Adam and Mercy, and what that means for the pack. As a result, a big chunk of this book is concerned with pack politics. The second plot thread is concerned with the growing depression we've seen striking Samuel. The third would be the secret behind the fae book. As you can tell from this description, there's a lot going on in this relatively short book. At times, the novel can feel a little disorganized, but when Briggs really focuses on a single storyline, boy can this book be exciting.
Much like Bone Crossed, I don't think that Silver Borne was quite as good as some of the previous books in the series (more specifically, Blood Bound and Iron Kissed). In Silver Borne, there can be a sloppiness to Brigg's usual tight prose that kind of alarmed me. Fortunately, this does not happen very often. Another issue I had was that the resolution to Samuel's story. I, just as much as anyone, want Samuel to be happy, but the way that his storyline was dealt with feels a little too convenient for me. Beyond that, I found I liked this book. I loved the section that dealt with Adam's wolf pack. There's a fight for dominance right in the middle of the book that had me literally gasping aloud. The fae storyline has a really attractive Tam Lin element that had me pretty excited. I also really enjoyed the fact that Briggs is completely aware that just because you're writing a fantasy, doesn't mean you have to abandon the reality that all actions have consequences. Mercy and Adam becoming mated last book was a very important step for the two of them, but Adam's position as Alpha means that there's serious consequences for his pack. I love that Briggs addresses that.
Silver Borne is a nice addition to the Mercy Thompson Series. Admittedly, it doesn't shine quite as bright as the earlier volumes in the series, but I had a good time reading it. Briggs is working on a sixth book, River Marked, which will be released in January (Note: for Anna and Charles Fans, there will be no Alpha and Omega book this year).
Rating: four stars
Length: 342 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Challenges: This book is part of the 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge
Similar Books: Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld Series, and Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville Series. Also Check out the Alpha and Omega Series, which takes place in the same universe as the Mercy books
Other books I've read by this author: Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed ( my review), Homecoming ( my review), Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground ( my review), and The Hob’s Bargain ( my review). I’ve also read the novella Alpha and Omega from On the Prowl.
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads
Coyote shapeshifter Mercy Thompson has recently become the mate of Adam, the local werewolf Alpha. Although Mercy has friends among the local werewolf pack, there are plenty who don't see a coyote as a proper partner for their leader. Mercy doesn't realize the extent of this dislike until someone manipulates the pack bonds that tie together all the wolves, and Mercy herself through Adam, to control Mercy's actions. Then Mercy learns that something has gone terribly wrong with her good friend Samuel, and that there's more to the powerful fae book she borrowed than she realized. Once again, Mercy has a lot of her plate to deal with.
Silver Borne is a fifth book in the Mercy Thompson series. I would argue that it's also one of the more complex volumes. Much like the fourth book, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne should not be read unless you are already familiar with the series. Much of Silver Borne is concerned with tying up loose ends from the past few books. One of those loose ends is the mate bond between Adam and Mercy, and what that means for the pack. As a result, a big chunk of this book is concerned with pack politics. The second plot thread is concerned with the growing depression we've seen striking Samuel. The third would be the secret behind the fae book. As you can tell from this description, there's a lot going on in this relatively short book. At times, the novel can feel a little disorganized, but when Briggs really focuses on a single storyline, boy can this book be exciting.
Much like Bone Crossed, I don't think that Silver Borne was quite as good as some of the previous books in the series (more specifically, Blood Bound and Iron Kissed). In Silver Borne, there can be a sloppiness to Brigg's usual tight prose that kind of alarmed me. Fortunately, this does not happen very often. Another issue I had was that the resolution to Samuel's story. I, just as much as anyone, want Samuel to be happy, but the way that his storyline was dealt with feels a little too convenient for me. Beyond that, I found I liked this book. I loved the section that dealt with Adam's wolf pack. There's a fight for dominance right in the middle of the book that had me literally gasping aloud. The fae storyline has a really attractive Tam Lin element that had me pretty excited. I also really enjoyed the fact that Briggs is completely aware that just because you're writing a fantasy, doesn't mean you have to abandon the reality that all actions have consequences. Mercy and Adam becoming mated last book was a very important step for the two of them, but Adam's position as Alpha means that there's serious consequences for his pack. I love that Briggs addresses that.
Silver Borne is a nice addition to the Mercy Thompson Series. Admittedly, it doesn't shine quite as bright as the earlier volumes in the series, but I had a good time reading it. Briggs is working on a sixth book, River Marked, which will be released in January (Note: for Anna and Charles Fans, there will be no Alpha and Omega book this year).
Rating: four stars
Length: 342 pages
Source: Lewiston Public Library
Challenges: This book is part of the 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge
Similar Books: Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld Series, and Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville Series. Also Check out the Alpha and Omega Series, which takes place in the same universe as the Mercy books
Other books I've read by this author: Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed ( my review), Homecoming ( my review), Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground ( my review), and The Hob’s Bargain ( my review). I’ve also read the novella Alpha and Omega from On the Prowl.
xposted to temporaryworlds , bookish , and goodreads