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graveyardgremlin (7194 KP) rated Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Homecoming in Books
Feb 15, 2019
Hmm...how to start? The first graphic novel featuring Mercy Thompson is a mixed bag; the story as a whole is perfectly fine, it may not be great but it's serviceable. The illustrations are very good and attractive, however Mercy herself is not. Well, okay, the girl(s) is actually drawn well, but she's not Mercy. My first thought was, "When did Mercy go from being Native American/white to Hispanic?" Even though there are different artists and styles of Mercy used in this book, like many graphic novels employ, none of them come close to matching her description. Save the cover illustration which is done by the same artist who does the full-length novel covers, Dan Dos Santos. Since she is the main character, I really think that is vital and hope the artists work on that for the next book. As for the dialogue, it's rather mediocre, sometimes choppy, and a few times didn't follow a logical sequence. I'd be reading along, then a sentence or statement would pop up that made me think I missed something somehow, so I'd proceed to go back, then find out I didn't miss anything after-all, and it just didn't make sense with everything around it. My last complaint has to do with how the book reads and the panel progression. The way the panels and speech balloons were set led to much confusion, I'd read one panel, move on to the next just to find out I should have read that one first. I have read graphic novels before and never had as many problems with them as I did with this one. I felt that more panels would have helped tell the story and there wouldn't be so much confusion as to what had actually happened. Still, the book isn't totally bad, it's a good starting place, but hopefully everyone involved will learn from this first graphic novel so the next will be better executed. I'd say that if you're not into graphic novels, that you should give it a pass unless you absolutely must read everything Mercy Thompson related.
Down These Strange Streets
7.0
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A collection of urban fantasy stories from some of the freshest and raciest writers around,...
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
What I think I like best about Briggs' style of writing - at least in the Mercy Thompson series - is how in-depth the background information is. Everything and everyone has a history and then some - whether it be political, eventful, magical, biological, etc., Briggs' writes it and Mercy gets to discover it. I find it all intensely fascinating and makes me want to grill the author about all of the details that she has not yet uncovered.
For instance, I would really like to know what it is that makes all of these preternatural men fall for Mercy, first Samuel, then Adam, now Stefan, and I'm half-betting Zee, too. She may be a walker, but there can't be anything in the walker repertiore that resembles an Americanized Aphrodite. The fact that she sorely lacks in female friends, with maybe the exception of Honey, only adds to the image. Don't get me wrong - I love the tension building between the two dominant werewolves, even if Briggs' could stand to devote more plot time to it. Neither can I decide who I like better with Mercy - Adam seems to compliment Mercy's personality very well, but Samuel's interest in children appeals to my mothering instincts. Hopefully, Stefan's relationship with Mercy will be explored more in the next book so that I can form an opinion about him as well. I am also remotely wondering if Adam had some kind of relationship with Marjorie Hanna, Mercy's ghost friend, since she did a drawing of him apparently before she died.
So my overall concensus is fantastic background development, messy relationships, and lots of questions needing answered.
For instance, I would really like to know what it is that makes all of these preternatural men fall for Mercy, first Samuel, then Adam, now Stefan, and I'm half-betting Zee, too. She may be a walker, but there can't be anything in the walker repertiore that resembles an Americanized Aphrodite. The fact that she sorely lacks in female friends, with maybe the exception of Honey, only adds to the image. Don't get me wrong - I love the tension building between the two dominant werewolves, even if Briggs' could stand to devote more plot time to it. Neither can I decide who I like better with Mercy - Adam seems to compliment Mercy's personality very well, but Samuel's interest in children appeals to my mothering instincts. Hopefully, Stefan's relationship with Mercy will be explored more in the next book so that I can form an opinion about him as well. I am also remotely wondering if Adam had some kind of relationship with Marjorie Hanna, Mercy's ghost friend, since she did a drawing of him apparently before she died.
So my overall concensus is fantastic background development, messy relationships, and lots of questions needing answered.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, #3) in Books
Feb 11, 2019
This was by far my favorite book in the Mercy Thompson series. I loved the in-depth introduction into the Fae culture without losing the werewolf focus of the series. I did not like so much the complete lack of anything vampire, but I suppose one can't have it all.
The scene in which Mercy is made to drink from the Fairy cup and the aftermath was incredible, powerful writing and not likely something I will forget anytime soon. I don't recall if I have ever read a rape scene from a perspective such as Mercy's, and it really opened my eyes to such a nightmarish experience.
I also found the dynamic between Ben and Mercy afterwards to be both moving and fascinating, since I got to see beneath Ben's shell to who he really is and what makes him tick. Even though I disliked Ben intensely at the start of the series, he is growing to become one of my favorite characters.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as the whole book was building up to her joining with Adam, and then when the book finally gets to the point, I don't get so much as a single kiss. Boo. Hopefully in the next book, Bone Crossed, a little more romance takes centerstage.
The scene in which Mercy is made to drink from the Fairy cup and the aftermath was incredible, powerful writing and not likely something I will forget anytime soon. I don't recall if I have ever read a rape scene from a perspective such as Mercy's, and it really opened my eyes to such a nightmarish experience.
I also found the dynamic between Ben and Mercy afterwards to be both moving and fascinating, since I got to see beneath Ben's shell to who he really is and what makes him tick. Even though I disliked Ben intensely at the start of the series, he is growing to become one of my favorite characters.
I was a bit disappointed with the ending, as the whole book was building up to her joining with Adam, and then when the book finally gets to the point, I don't get so much as a single kiss. Boo. Hopefully in the next book, Bone Crossed, a little more romance takes centerstage.
Storm Cursed (Mercy Tompson #11)
10.0
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In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Tompson must face a deadly...
White Sand, Vol 1
8.5
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A brand new saga of magic and adventure by #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. ...
fantasy cosmere
White Sand Volume 1
Brandon Sanderson, Rik Hoskin and Julius M Gopez
Book
A brand new saga of magic and adventure by #1 New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson. ...
comics fantasy
Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Raised by Wolves (Raised by Wolves, #1) in Books
Nov 18, 2019
I'll be honest. Out of all the paranormal creatures out there, shape shifters are not high on my list of favourites. I find them hard to connect to but I obviously like something about some of them as I have two werewolf series in paperback--Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs and Shifters by Rachel Vincent.
This one took a little getting into. It had a very slow start, taking 50+ pages for Bryn to meet Chase, the boy who got bit by the rabid, and then another 50 or so for them to meet again under supervision this time and not without going through a lot of training to make sure she can outwit/fight Chase if things go south. Strangely, though, Bryn and Chase have a connection - a bond - something that keeps them coming together and they somehow mark each other, causing chaos in the Pack. There's also the little issue that the rabid that bit Chase is also the one that killed Bryn's parents when she was four. And that is what the rest of the book is about. Finding and killing the rabid werewolf.
It didn't really hold my attention. It was quite a lot of book for hardly anything happening. The final showdown with the rabid shifter took all of about 25 pages and seemed over far too easily.
I liked some of the secondary characters, for instance Devon. He's great; witty, protective and good in any situation. Lake was fun, if a little crazy with her guns. Chase, I haven't decided about yet. And then there's Callum. I liked him, he always had a plan.
That being said, I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
This one took a little getting into. It had a very slow start, taking 50+ pages for Bryn to meet Chase, the boy who got bit by the rabid, and then another 50 or so for them to meet again under supervision this time and not without going through a lot of training to make sure she can outwit/fight Chase if things go south. Strangely, though, Bryn and Chase have a connection - a bond - something that keeps them coming together and they somehow mark each other, causing chaos in the Pack. There's also the little issue that the rabid that bit Chase is also the one that killed Bryn's parents when she was four. And that is what the rest of the book is about. Finding and killing the rabid werewolf.
It didn't really hold my attention. It was quite a lot of book for hardly anything happening. The final showdown with the rabid shifter took all of about 25 pages and seemed over far too easily.
I liked some of the secondary characters, for instance Devon. He's great; witty, protective and good in any situation. Lake was fun, if a little crazy with her guns. Chase, I haven't decided about yet. And then there's Callum. I liked him, he always had a plan.
That being said, I don't think I'll be continuing the series.
Rachel King (13 KP) rated Frostbite in Books
Feb 11, 2019
I enjoyed this book nearly as much as the first one in the series, but I'm getting really frustrated with the lack of progress in Dimitri and Rose's forbidden romance. Instead, it seems to have taken a backseat to other plotlines, such as the turmoil between Rose and her mother and the political climate that Lissa is moving into. I find Rose's mother, Janine, intriguing in that she seems to be what Rose could become if Rose chooses duty over love. I sure wish that Janine would open up more since there seems to be a lot of great plot material there that was not exploited very much - Rose's black eye being a perfect example. The politics that Lissa is dealing with appear to be moving in the direction that I guessed might happen when I read the first book, which is an equalizing between the Moroi and Dhampir classes of their society, especially when it comes to dealing with the Strigoi.
Despite how Rose views Adrian, I actually rather like him. There is always something attractive about the flirty-jokester that entices women - afterall I don't know a woman who doesn't like to laugh. It's obvious that he really likes Rose and I find myself feeling sorry for him since Rose is definitely taken, even if not in the literal sense yet. Mason really ends up in the worst position, though, even if I don't include what happens to him in the end. Rose all but lies to him while he falls for her hard, all the while being the perfect gentlemen. In a way, Mason and Adrian are opposite in styles, and yet Rose is blind to both - not that I blame her, as she likes to say, "Dimitri is a badass." Why is it that female protagonists always seem to have hords of guys going after them? (Think - Twilight saga, Rachel Morgan series, Mercy Thompson series, House of Night series, etc.)
I wish that Rose's nazar could be explained a bit more, as there seems to be more to it than anyone is discussing. Adrian knows things that he is not spilling, and Janine sure is tight-lipped about most of her life, excluding what she does in the line of duty.
Despite how Rose views Adrian, I actually rather like him. There is always something attractive about the flirty-jokester that entices women - afterall I don't know a woman who doesn't like to laugh. It's obvious that he really likes Rose and I find myself feeling sorry for him since Rose is definitely taken, even if not in the literal sense yet. Mason really ends up in the worst position, though, even if I don't include what happens to him in the end. Rose all but lies to him while he falls for her hard, all the while being the perfect gentlemen. In a way, Mason and Adrian are opposite in styles, and yet Rose is blind to both - not that I blame her, as she likes to say, "Dimitri is a badass." Why is it that female protagonists always seem to have hords of guys going after them? (Think - Twilight saga, Rachel Morgan series, Mercy Thompson series, House of Night series, etc.)
I wish that Rose's nazar could be explained a bit more, as there seems to be more to it than anyone is discussing. Adrian knows things that he is not spilling, and Janine sure is tight-lipped about most of her life, excluding what she does in the line of duty.
ArecRain (8 KP) rated Haunted on Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun, #1) in Books
Jan 18, 2018
I downloaded this novel free from Amazon because I was looking for a lighthearted paranormal romance to distract me. I assumed it was along the same vein as other paranormal romances I have made like Karen Chances Cassandra Palmer Series or Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson series. I wasnt too far off.
My favorite part of this book had to be the diversity of characters. Each character had their own personality, that it felt like you were reading about real people instead of caricatures. It seemed to come naturally too. There were no page long paragraphs tediously describing each character. You picked up bits and pieces along the way.
The world and story that Chase created were also pretty interesting. I am partial to ghost stories, which is what drew me to the book in the first place, so that whole aspect and how they dealt with the ghost was fantastic. The rest of the Chases mythology, however, is what was really interesting. After looking at future novels in the series, however, I feel that the series will become way to complicated and in depth for me. I also dont enjoy reading about angels v. demons.
The novel has a couple twists. The one concerning the ghost didnt feel like a twist to me. I figured it out much earlier in the novel so when it was confirmed I really didnt even notice. The secret surrounding Kane, however, was pretty surprising. I wasnt expecting it even though I knew he had a secret.
All in all, Haunted on Bourbon Street is a well-rounded novel with engaging characters, an interesting world, and plot that keeps you reading til the very end. I cannot think of a single thing I didnt like about the novel. I am not sure I will read the rest of the series, however, after reading the synopsizes and seeing where the story is headed.
If you are looking for an enjoyable quick read, I highly recommend downloading it, especially since its currently free!
My favorite part of this book had to be the diversity of characters. Each character had their own personality, that it felt like you were reading about real people instead of caricatures. It seemed to come naturally too. There were no page long paragraphs tediously describing each character. You picked up bits and pieces along the way.
The world and story that Chase created were also pretty interesting. I am partial to ghost stories, which is what drew me to the book in the first place, so that whole aspect and how they dealt with the ghost was fantastic. The rest of the Chases mythology, however, is what was really interesting. After looking at future novels in the series, however, I feel that the series will become way to complicated and in depth for me. I also dont enjoy reading about angels v. demons.
The novel has a couple twists. The one concerning the ghost didnt feel like a twist to me. I figured it out much earlier in the novel so when it was confirmed I really didnt even notice. The secret surrounding Kane, however, was pretty surprising. I wasnt expecting it even though I knew he had a secret.
All in all, Haunted on Bourbon Street is a well-rounded novel with engaging characters, an interesting world, and plot that keeps you reading til the very end. I cannot think of a single thing I didnt like about the novel. I am not sure I will read the rest of the series, however, after reading the synopsizes and seeing where the story is headed.
If you are looking for an enjoyable quick read, I highly recommend downloading it, especially since its currently free!