Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

As I was sitting down to write my review for the latest Mercy Thompson novel, Silver Borne, I came across an astonishing fact. I have never before reviewed a Mercy Thompson novel here on the blog! Seriously? WHY NOT?!? Hands-down, Patricia Briggs writes some of the best urban fantasy out there folks. It seems like I'm constantly pimping her out to all my friends and fellow readers. Just yesterday I had a friend leave my home happily clutching the first four Mercy books with promises to start in right away. So why haven't I taken the time here on this lovely bloggy to proclaim my love for one smart yet fierce, coyote/mechanic with a sense of humor? No clue. Though now seems like a good a time as ever to fix that glaring oversight right up.

Over the last few months, life has settled into a rhythm for Mercy. Still dealing with the aftermath of her recent trauma, Mercy's taking her newly established relationship with Adam, local werewolf pack Alpha, slowly yet surely forward even if their bond and her position in the Pack only work sporadically at best. Adam's pack has never really welcomed Mercy with open arms (troublesome coyote that she is), but she never would have expected some of Adam's wolves to meddle directly with their relationship. Upset and unsure of her next move, Mercy distances herself from the pack only to discover that her good friend and werewolf-roommate Samuel isn't coping as well as he had claimed to be. Deciding to keep stick to Samuel's side like glue, Mercy takes him on a short trip to return a borrowed book about the fae (a little light bedtime reading) when she determines that what she has, is in fact a powerful and ancient object - full of secrets about the fae - and worth more, to some, than her very life.

Patricia Briggs is one of those authors who understands how to deftly compound kick-butt action with emotional turmoil. Her novels always contain a hefty portion of Mercy fighting tooth-and-nail to protect those she loves, but in Silver Borne, she also gave us a Mercy who had to struggle just as hard to keep the emotional aspects of her relationships intact. Mercy and Adam, as a couple, are really put through the ringer this go-round but, dang it, there is just something about those two together that makes my heart sing. Something that makes me want to stand up and cheer every time they get a moment of quiet together. Either that or giggle at every shared oddball joke. Adam has always been a big winner for me, but his selfless actions toward - and defense of - Mercy in Silver Borne, left me straight-up Adam's #1 Fan.

And although this is gonna sound like a obvious contradiction after my above statement, I was a tiny (very, very tiny) bit disappointed with Samuel's role in this novel. Ms. Briggs said that would be his book, but the end resolution for the demons he was staring down seemed a touch rushed. That said, I'm more than willing to overlook that small detail due to the enormous amount of goodness otherwise found in Silver Borne. Simply put: it's vintage Mercy. It's about a shapeshifting mechanic who, with brains and a heart, is always willing to go the distance to make things right for those she loves. I just love her to bits.

Furthermore, a word about these covers. Every single one of the Mercy Thompson books have been blessed with phenomenal covers, but I think my favorite to date has to be this one for Silver Borne. It's stunning and sublime and just plain gorgeous. I love the color scheme mixed with the shining gold window and even the look on Mercy's face is something special. Dan dos Santos does it again.

series reading order:
~ Moon Called
~ Blood Bound
~ Iron Kissed
~ Bone Crossed
~ Silver Borne
~ River Marked (Spring 2011)

Because Everyone Likes a Second Opinion:
All Things Urban Fantasy review
Angieville review
Book Harbinger review
Book Smugglers review
Dear Author review

book source: my local library