August 8, 2013

REVIEW: Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7)

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson #7), by Patricia Briggs
Published March 5, 2013
Publisher:  Ace
Format: audiobook, borrowed from the library
Genre:  urban fantasy
To Buy:  Amazon * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  5 STARS

(From Goodreads) Mercy Thompson’s life has undergone a seismic change. Becoming the mate of Adam Hauptman—the charismatic Alpha of the local werewolf pack—has made her a stepmother to his daughter Jesse, a relationship that brings moments of blissful normalcy to Mercy’s life. But on the edges of humanity, what passes for a minor mishap on an ordinary day can turn into so much more…

After an accident in bumper-to-bumper traffic, Mercy and Jesse can’t reach Adam—or anyone else in the pack for that matter. They’ve all been abducted.

Through their mating bond, all Mercy knows is that Adam is angry and in pain. With the werewolves fighting a political battle to gain acceptance from the public, Mercy fears Adam’s disappearance may be related—and that he and the pack are in serious danger. Outclassed and on her own, Mercy may be forced to seek assistance from any ally she can get, no matter how unlikely.

Finally - Mercy is back! I must admit, after the last two books in the series, I was feeling a little disenfranchised. I mean, the books were still good, but they really seemed to be missing that spark that the first few books had. But, with Frost Burned, the spark is back, and it's hotter than ever.

I think a lot of why I loved this book so much more than the past two is because of the presence of the pack. You know, initially werewolves weren't really my thing. I thought - how can dogs be sexy? But, awhile back I changed my mind, and I think werewolves are my new favorite supe. I think it's because of the pack aspect. There's something so awesome about a bunch of people who stick closer together than family, always helping each other out to the point of risking their lives for each other.

The pack aspect is alive and well and so strong in Frost Burned. When Adam and the rest of the pack go missing for no apparent reason, Mercy uses her bond to the pack in ways that they have never been used before. It was exciting and I found myself totally cheering Mercy on from my car seat.

Can I just say... how did I not know that Frost Burned was a dual POV? I just about lost my stuff when Adam started talking. I mean, how cool was that?!

I just love Adam's and Mercy's relationship. They love each other and support each other so much. I also love Warren's and Kyle's relationship. What a hoot Kyle is - I love that we got to see so much more from him in this book than in previous ones.

Mercy is exploring her newly discovered Coyote's Daughter abilities, and that is super fun to see. Her ability to "see" magic comes in handy several times, especially at the end during the epic final battle. It's a really cool twist to make Mercy evolve and not grow stagnant as a character. I totally buy it all. Patricia Briggs is a genius for doing this.

Most of our old friends make an appearance in Frost Burned - Tad, Zee, Gabriel, Stephan. There were two very distinct characters who were completely MIA - Samuel and Bran. I was so disappointed that they didn't even make a cameo appearance. Hopefully that means that we'll see tons of them in the next book.

Frost Burned was exactly what I needed to reinvigorate my love of the Mercy Thompson series. 

1 comment:

Kristin (Book Sniffers Anonymous) said...

I like that it's a dual POV. I loved the first handful of books from the series and then started to lose interest. I'm glad to hear that this one picks up.
Kristin @ Book Sniffers Anonymous