Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3) by Patricia Briggs
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Book Reviews of Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3)
Book Review: Angieville: IRON KISSED
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow. So this series just keeps getting more and more intense. And in such unexpected ways. I love it when an author has the ability (and the guts) to slip in a real shocker without compromising her characters or the story as a whole. In a series, that's particularly hard to do without making it seem like a gratuitous plot twist inserted merely to keep the series going. Patricia Briggs has a 7-book deal for her Mercy Thompson series and book three has shown that not only does she know exactly what she's doing, but that we can trust her. To keep her characters and her world consistent. To take them down the right paths and introduce them to the right people...or werewolves and vampires in this case.
Mercy lives in a world where werewolves, vampires, and the fae exist side by side with humans. The first book, Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, Book 1), focuses on the werewolves. The second, Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2), centers on the vampires, including Mercy's quirky Scooby Doo loving friend Stefan. In this third installment, coyote shape shifter and VW mechanic Mercy Thompson is called in to help the fae solve a series of murders on the local fae reservation. Soon after, her friend Zee is arrested for the murder and, just like that, Mercy's in the thick of it, determined to clear Zee's name no matter what. Add to that the increasingly imperative choice she must make between the two werewolves in her life: Adam Hauptman (the Alpha of the local pack who's already claimed her as his mate) and Dr. Samuel Cornick (the wolf she fell in love with at 16). In what is becoming classic Briggs style, IRON KISSED combines an intriguing mystery with a streak of compelling romance, interspersed with glimpses of your worst nightmares. The combination is the height of entertainment. And what holds it all together is Mercy herself. The girl doesn't know the meaning of the words back down. I absolutely love these books.
Book Review: This series just gets better
Summary: 5 Stars
The Mercy Thompson series just gets better and better with each book, and this one is no exception. There is a lot of junk to wade through in the genre of urban fantasy with very few true gems. This series is up there with "the Dresdan Files" as one of the only consistently "good" ones - never failing to entertain without getting overdone or annoyingly schoompy. Patricia Briggs paints very real characters and interesting story lines. Unlike most of the series in the genre, the plot isn't overly romance laden and the main character, Mercy - isn't some overpowered supernatural powerhouse Mary Sue. She is a very real - down to earth type of character despite her supernatural quirks and escalating participation in local werewolf and Fae crisis.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the way the relationship issues were handled in this book. I can't say much without giving out spoilers, but drug out wibbling of any kind isn't to my taste, and I'm very glad this series isn't going in that direction. I have no idea why nearly every main character in these kind of books has to be completely obsessed with romance (including Dresdan of The Dresdan Files, though I love him dearly as a protagonist - probably because he almost never actually gets the girl ;). Mercy is probably the most realistic heroine of the genre with her strong sense of independence and inglorious day job as a VW mechanic. I much prefer to keep the romance to a minimum and on the sidelines of the main storyline whenever possible, and Briggs is excellent at balancing plot with her character's personal relationships.
Briggs also does an excellent job with the politics and various cultures - both supernatural and mundane - without dragging it out into tedium. This volume had a lot of interaction between various individuals in different factions which I vastly enjoyed. Additionally, I always find the little details to her writing to be particularly enjoyable, and this novel, with it's drops of Arthurian legend and mentions of real literature were certainly no exception!
Vastly recommended!
Book Review: trapped between a rock and a hard place
Summary: 5 Stars
With IRON KISSED Patricia Briggs picks up where MOON CALLED and BLOOD BOUND left off...only she steps it up a notch. A favor is called in, and Mercy Thompson finds herself involved in the pursuit of a killer - the victim is human, but the killer is almost certainly fae. The powers-that-be in fairyland want the case closed with a minimum of fuss and publicity. They'd like to see the killer punished, too, but that's a secondary concern.
When Mercy's friend and mentor Siebold Adelbertsmiter (Zee) is fingered for the crime, Mercy can't sit back and watch him take the fall. But clearing him means mucking up the open-and-shut case against Zee, thereby drawing added negative attention to the fae - which makes a lot of very powerful fairies wonder if getting rid of Mercy, too, would be the best way to keep things quiet. To make matters worse, the killer doesn't much want to be found either.
Briggs portrays the world of the fae - beautiful and brutal, enticing and alien - very well indeed. Mercy is bewildered, thwarted at every turn, and frequently outclassed. Although she proves herself a true friend to the fae through her unswerving dedication to Zee, she does so at great cost to herself.
Meanwhile, the competition between Adam and Samuel for Mercy's affection has reached a boiling point and Mercy finally makes her choice. I have to say I found this the least convincing part of the book; though not because I disliked her choice. Adam and Samuel are both pretty dreamy so I would have been happy either way, but the resolution is a little too easy.
The stakes are higher here, and there's no room for playing it safe or indecision. This is the case in her romantic life, and in her efforts to help Zee. I loved IRON KISSED as much as the earlier books, I found it just as fun to read, and Mercy just as sharp and likable as a character, but this is a more dramatic and a more difficult book than they were. I think Briggs is doing great things with this series, and I can't wait for the next installment.
Book Review: Slick & fast-paced fun!
Summary: 5 Stars
Ever since Laurell K Hamilton started writing her books more & more as erotica rather than a supernatural thriller, I've been jonesing for writers who have strong female leads and aren't afraid to use them. I picked up this series on the recommendation of a friend and I've been entranced ever since. The character of Mercy is an interesting anomaly in the world of supernatural fiction. She's just as strong, willful, and supernatural as the rest of them, but unlike her counterparts, Mercy is for the most part unaware of what she can do & has a job that doesn't rely on her Walker skills.
In this particular entry, Mercy's good friend & fellow mechanic Zee has been accused of the gruesome murder of a human. While this is already a very bad thing, it comes in the midst of strong anti-magical being legislature and it looks very bad for Zee. Mercy of course decides that she isn't going to allow Zee to be railroaded into paying for a crime he didn't commit and investigates, unaware of the true danger that she'll be putting herself into. Also in this novel Mercy finally makes the decision that everyone has been waiting for: Adam or Samuel?
I really enjoyed this book. I had to pace myself so I wouldn't devour it all at once (I wanted to savor it). I am honestly surprised at several of the things that happen in this book, the least of which involves what Mercy suffers at the hands of the villain of the book. Briggs really took the uncommon road in this novel as she allows her main character to suffer harms that usually do not befall the main heroine (only her friends or others), which gives us a truly new look and respect for both author & her creations. More often than not most authors make their characters all powerful and above most harm, choosing to rather have their heroines suffer hurts that can be easily wiped away by the next volume.
Would I recommend this to a friend? Sure! While it may be a little difficult for them to jump in on the 3rd book, the main story can stand by itself easily.
Book Review: Iron Kissed climatic center was one of the best written treatment of women and rape ever done.
Summary: 5 Stars
First things first, this is definitely the best Mercy Thompson book so far. Just bought the 4th hardback so I may change my mind. Each one of my reviews concludes that it was the best one so far!!
It you are too faint hearted for blood, gore, body parts, monsters, terror and rape crimes, you are in the wrong paranormal crime solving world of the Native American/shapeshifter Mercy Thompson.
I agree with the dozens of favorable reviews, so I don't want to go over the same areas of excellent story telling, character treatment, mystery writing, thrilling pacing that Briggs brings to her Mercy novels.
What completely blew me away was the amazing way she wrote the scene between the EVIL Tim as Mercy makes her deadly and dangerous discovery of his crimes. Back in the 70's, Susan Brownmiller wrote the groundbreaking book, AGAINST OUR WILL, which educated a generation of Americans about the ugly subject of rape and what it does to a woman and why a man would rape her. For all the good men in the world, for all the fathers, brothers, husbands who love and cherish their mothers, sisters, daughters and wives; there are indeed men who rape and pillage women. It was a hard message to read in Brownwiller's book and it is hard to read about rape in Mercy's book. It is one thing to beat up Mercy physically, it happened in the earlier books, but it was another to rob her of her emotional inner strength and will destroy her spirit with guilt, remorse, self loathing so that she was completely defeated by his vicious rape against her will. I was riveted to Mercy's agony and how the super macho werewolves needed the education that only the bad boy Ben, another abused and traumatized werewolf could see and understand. It was a terrific chapter and can be used in rape recovery groups. I never read anything so true, so real about a woman's experience with rape.
Whew! More Mercy, mechanic, friend, lover, protector, detective, investigator, shapeshifter. More about her Native American roots please!!