Review: Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs

Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs
Series: Mercy Thompson #2
Published by ACE
Published on: January 30, 2007
Genres: Urban Fantasy, Werewolves
Pages: 304
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

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Under the rule of science, there are no witch burnings allowed, no water trials or public lynchings. In return, the average law-abiding, solid citizen has little to worry about from the things that go bump in the night. Sometimes I wish I was an average citizen...

Mechanic Mercy Thompson has friends in low places-and in dark ones. And now she owes one of them a favor. Since she can shapeshift at will, she agrees to act as some extra muscle when her vampire friend Stefan goes to deliver a message to another of his kind.

But this new vampire is hardly ordinary-and neither is the demon inside of him.

Mercy is really growing on me as a heroine. I like how “real” she is and how Briggs takes readers through every part of Thompson’s daily life. The fact that she’s a coyote instead of the standard werewolf or vampire also adds to the appeal and to her uniqueness as a protagonist. Blood Bound is fully-loaded with non-stop action, character growth and multiple, equally gripping plot lines. Moon Called had its ups and downs for me but there’s not a single aspect of this second installment that I didn’t enjoy.

I felt a real connection to Mercy and she has a lot of things going for her as a heroine. I liked the fact that she’s your average Joe. Thompson has a job, bills to pay, guy troubles, etc. Briggs doesn’t sugar coat her life either. Mercy wakes-up every morning, puts her pants on one leg at a time and goes to work to make ends meet just like the rest of us. Many authors choose to skip over the more mundane parts of their characters’ lives so I really appreciated the fact that Patricia opted to incorporate these details. In Blood Bound Thompson somehow becomes the go-to person in the preternatural world which causes her to get dragged into a bunch of messes to help clean them up. Readers are given a tad more information about Mercy’s unique abilities as a walker but there are still so many unknowns; which is part of the fun! I’m super curious to find out what the future has in store for this kick ass chick. There’s a really good reason why vampires fear her, we just don’t know it yet!

There’s countless plot twists and turns in this second installment that keep the action flowing and make for a really exciting read. Briggs’ strong writing kept the story streamlined and on target. In between her shifts at the auto shop, Mercy is busy diffusing werewolf tempers, helping the vampires catch a killer and finding a solution for a newly changed teenage girl. That’s a lot for one person to handle but it’s even more challenging from an author’s perspective; luckily Patricia is up to the task! There’s also a prevalent “creepy” feeling throughout Blood Bound that really comes through thanks to the author’s obvious skill. All this to say, I have nothing but praise for Patricia Briggs after reading this book!

The romance is on the tamer side of the spectrum in this novel but who cares; just so long as I get lots of Adam face time I’m happy! This werewolf is beyond yummy! I appreciate the fact that it’s not exactly easy for an alpha to talk about his feelings but our girl Mercy deserves nothing less! Adam’s efforts show that his interest for Thompson is more than just a passing phase but it looks like he might have to get in line. Samuel clarifies a few things which was a good starting point at least but I’m still not a fan. Although, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for the time being. Then there’s potential candidate number 3! In a book about werewolves I didn’t expect that the vamps would be contenders in the race for my (and Mercy’s) heart but Stefan is looking pretty good right about now too.

Blood Bound has it all: breakneck action, charismatic characters and an off the charts awesome story line. This is definitely a series worth reading!

Mercy Thompson Series
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