This is the first time I've finished a Mercy Thompson book and gone - "that was an OK episode" rather than "Wow! This series just keeps getting better".
I've delayed writing a review, to see if I'd be able to put my finger on why "Night Broken" didn't excite me.
It's not one thing. There's nothing actually wrong with this book.
Patricia Briggs writes with her usual wit and flair. There were a couple of really good fight-scenes, especially the one in Mercy's garage (who knew an engine could be used like that?). The plot promised a lot of fun: two new bad-guys, both powerful and scary are threatening Mercy and the Pack; Christie, Adam's ex-wife, is given shelter by the Pack and uses the opportunity to manipulate them and undermine Mercy; Mercy gets to find out more about her Coyote side, including meeting her much-put-upon "Brother".
So what wasn't to like? The pace felt a little uneven. The bad-guys were dealt with a little too easily (one turning out to be not so bad after all). Christie's presence caused some tension but was dealt with in such an enlightened way that it felt a little anticlimactic.
Maybe I should be reading these things as Patricia Briggs bravely taking the path less travelled by but it didn't feel that way at the time.
"Night Broken" was an entertaining read. I just didn't enjoy it as much as "Frost Burned" or "River Marked".
I've been rationing myself to one Mercy Thompson book a month. A new month has just started, and I'm already looking forward to reading the ninth book, "Fire Touched".
As usual, Lorelie King's narration increased my enjoyment of the Mercy's adventure. Click on the SoundCloud link below to hear a sample.
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