Today I’m posting a double whammy, a twofer if you will.  Reviews for Fire Touched and Silence Fallen, numbers 9 and 10 in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.

This double review will take a slightly different format than my usual reviews.  I’m going to give the synopsis from Goodreads followed by a short overall write up of my own feelings of each one.

In terms of both books – these were bought on audible and I really enjoyed listening to both – it’s almost like the narrator listened to the voice of Mercy in my head and plucked it straight out of there – painless thankfully and great to listen to.

Be aware that there may be spoilers for earlier books within the series contained below.

So, Fire Touched:

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

As mentioned above I’m not going to go into the plot.  The book starts off very dramatically indeed with an explosive situation involving a troll killing humans on a bridge spanning the Columbia River.  The regular police are struggling to contain the situation and the pack and Mercy rush to the scene to offer assistance.  The end result is that Mercy makes an offer of protection on behalf of the pack and this offer is going to have repercussions.

A good deal of Fire Touched is about politics, particularly surrounding the fae.  I enjoyed learning more about the whys and wherefores to be honest but I have to confess that the middle of the book felt a little slower than I’m used to compared with the other Mercy books.  In fact, having read No.10 I can now see that some of this was setting up the premise for future plots.  Don’t get me wrong though, this wasn’t a bad read and I did enjoy it for a number of other reasons that had been on my mind in relation to Mercy.

Firstly, Mercy and Adam have such a strong relationship.  They don’t always agree but they can agree to disagree and it never gets boring watching the way the two of them interact with each other – particularly when they’re scared witless that the other one will be hurt.

Secondly, Adam really takes the initiative in this instalment and finally puts his paw down firmly in terms of Mercy and where she stands within the pack.  Not gonna lie – I wanted to give the air a quick punch and say thanks to the Lord – this has felt a long time coming and I can’t deny that I was starting to get a bit disillusioned with Mercy’s standing within the pack.  Adam’s announcement puts paid to all the backbiting (sorry, no pun intended).

Overall this was a good read.  Not my favourite of the series but it certainly sets out the stall for future storylines.

3.5 of 5 stars.

Silence Fallen:

Mercy Thompson has found her voice in the werewolf pack. But when Mercy’s bond with the pack—and her mate—is broken, she’ll learn what it truly means to be alone…

Attacked and abducted in her home territory, Mercy finds herself in the clutches of the most powerful vampire in the world, taken as a weapon to use against alpha werewolf Adam and the ruler of the Tri-Cities vampires. In coyote form, Mercy escapes—only to find herself without money, without clothing, and alone in the heart of Europe… 
 
Unable to contact Adam and the rest of the pack, Mercy has allies to find and enemies to fight, and she needs to figure out which is which. Ancient powers stir, and Mercy must be her agile best to avoid causing a war between vampires and werewolves, and between werewolves and werewolves. And in the heart of the ancient city of Prague, old ghosts rise…

So, if number 9 had something of a set up feel to the storyline then I can say that No.10 picks up the ball and runs rampantly all over the field.  I really enjoyed this instalment.

This was such a refreshing addition to the series.  Basically, Mercy is abducted and finds herself not only in great danger but out of the pack ‘wifi’ zone.  With no connection to speak of she really must rely on her own wits and coyote abilities, particularly as not only has she been taken prisoner by one of the strongest vampires known but she’s also been taken out of the country – into Europe no less.  Vampires and Europe?  Oh yes please.

There is a much greater feeling of threat in this instalment and what made the action even more tense yet easy to keep up with is that Adam takes a bigger role in terms of viewpoint.  I loved getting these extra insights.  You really felt for him, his frustration at having to be diplomatic when he was terrified about what was happening to Mercy and the very real struggle he had keeping his wolf under control when all it wanted to do was break out and cause chaos.  Not to mention something else that I really can’t mention – which I know is very provocative but it was such a jaw dropping moment that I didn’t see coming and so I don’t want to spoil it.

I loved the fear that the vampires create, particularly when some secrets start to be uncovered.  That’s another thing that springs to mind with this series – the layers.  We’re only now really starting to see the myriad layers involved with this supernatural world, much of which has remained hidden to humans but is slowly starting to come into focus.

I loved the shift in place and the addition of Adam’s viewpoint and stronger focus.  This is a series that continues to go from strength to strength with constant revelations and additions to the pack and the supernatural world.

4.5 of 5 stars

And now, I get to read Storm Cursed.  Update soon.