Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1)
Patricia Briggs
Published: Jan. 31, 2006 (Ace)
Purchase: Book Depository or Amazon
Review source: purchased
Reviewed by: Jannelle
Rating (out of 5): 4.5 stars
While Mercy Thompson spends her days keeping to herself and repairing old cars (preferably of the German variety), she is not your typical VW mechanic. Mercy Thompson is a walker with the ability to shift into a coyote at will.
Our story begins when a young werewolf, Mac, stumbles into Mercy’s car repair garage requesting to help out fixing cars in exchange for a paycheck. Mercy agrees and soon after, trouble ensues. When realization begins to dawn on Mercy that Mac may have had a bit more misfortune than he let on, Mercy enlists the help of Adam, the local werewolf pack’s Alpha, to help guide Mac in the ways of the pack and make sure he stays out of trouble. Unfortunately, the trouble finds Mac, Mercy, Adam and his daughter Jesse, and this is where Moon Called really takes off.
Patricia Briggs not only showcased werewolves and what seems to be Mercy’s semi-unique skin walker ability, but also piqued my curiosity by introducing a wide array of supernatural creatures. Fae, gremlins, werewolves, vampires, shifters all make an appearance and making them integral supporting characters helped to move along the storyline. Our protagonist, Mercy, seems to be involved with all of the supernatural species without being completely aware of the full meaning behind these friendships, while her innocence seems to guarantee her protection.
The world building in this novel was phenomenal. It was subtle enough to welcome you in, making it easy to grasp and retain, allowing you to fall deeper into the story; no overly complicated world building here. If you’re new to the urban fantasy genre, I definitely recommend this as an introduction novel.
I loved Mercy as the main character and as the only point of view shown in the novel. She is smart and practical, always knowing what to say and when to say it. I really enjoyed seeing how her mind works, collecting subtle hints and clues, overthinking (or just thinking, really) until it all fits together.
There are some characters that, while helping move the story along, were only touched upon briefly and I can’t wait to see them in the next installments of the series. Zee, for one, assists Mercy immensely by protecting her through the sharing of personal experience and weaponry. Seriously, who just pulls out a magic sword out of thin air?
I am killing myself slowly trying to figure out how much more Stefan knows about Mercy’s abilities as a walker and why he isn’t willing to share that information. He seemed incredibly innocent and cute and nerdy – OK, maybe I just have a thing for vampires- but after that confrontation with the mistress, all I can think about was, “what else does he know?”
I’m also intrigued with this love triangle forming between Mercy, Adam and Samuel. I’m not sure whose team I’m on yet, but I am thinking Adam deserves a chance to woo Mercy as Samuel seems to have already had his opportunity and bombed.
Chock-full of action, inter-species politics and a love triangle that will get you hot from the tension alone, reading Moon Called was never a dull moment and I cannot wait to see where the story takes me in the next novel, Blood Bound.
Sexual content: Kissing
I love this series. Mercy is one of my favorite UF heroines.
Mercy Thompson was one of the first UF series I read that started me on my love of all things PNR and UF. This makes me want to go back and do a re-read.
I love this series. It gets better with each book as you learn more about the world in the series, and learn more about the characters.
Note: I prefer Adam.
I’ve been looking at this book for a long time but keep passing it up. Might have to actually pick it up now.
You should! …and let us know what you think, Christina.
I was actually happy to see this review because I know that there are a few books in this series and reviews I see are for the newer books not for the first one. I felt like I was the only person left in the world that has yet to read this series. I’ve been waiting to see a review for it and here it is. I feel even worse that I have put off reading this series for such a long time now. Your review has re-inspired me to crack it open and read it once and for all.
It’s actually great to hear that, Bella. We try to mix in reviews of the first books in series along with the latest reviews for exactly that reason. I hope you end up loving the Mercy Thompson series!