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RT Convention: Day 3

Friday was kind of a chill day at RT, at least for me. Unlike Thursday, which had so much that appealed on the agenda, there wasn't all that much I wanted to see Friday.

I went to the Shooting Stars Gala where I sat at the lovely Delores Fossen's table. It was basically glorified Bingo (I swear there were 3 reader panels that were bingo related), but it was nice to sit and chat in a more relaxed atmosphere with authors.

Audiobook Review: Night Broken by Patricia Briggs

Format: Digital
Pub Date: March 11, 2014
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Length: 10 hrs 5 min
FTC: Purchased myself

There are very few books I look forward to as much as a new Patricia Briggs book. Sadly, the anticipation was for naught with Night Broken. The story lacked punch and forward momentum, and the secondary characters we know and love pop in and out without much rationale or impact.

Review: Frost Burned by Patricia Briggs

Format: Hardcover
Pub Date: March 5, 2013
Publisher: Ace
Length: 352 pages
Series: Mercy Thompson, Book 7
FTC: Purchased myself

I've been quite vocal about my feelings regarding the last Mercy Thompson book.  It just wasn't anywhere near as good as the previous books for a variety of reasons ranging from plot problems, atmosphere, character isolation... It's a misstep that's only so noticeable because Patricia Briggs is such a solidly good writer. Despite my lackluster feelings about River Marked, I picked up Frost Burned the day it came out.  I did enjoy Fair Game, the Alpha and Omega book set between River Marked and Frost Burned, so I was hopeful I hadn't just thrown away the price of a hardcover book.

I can say with great relief that Patricia Briggs is back in top form! I read this book in a single day after suffering through a months-long reading slump. It was the first book in a long time for me that was addictive, compelling, and just plain good. The biggest issue from River Marked that is "fixed" in this book is that the whole gang is here. RM suffered from the artificial isolation that Mercy and Adam had for most of the book. This book has the familiar cast of characters back with a vengeance. The interplay, the dialogue, the relationships are one of the reasons I read this series, and this book did not disappoint on that front.

Review: The Alpha and the Omega by Patricia Briggs

Format: ebook; available in print as part of an anthology
Pub Date: Oct 2008
Publisher: Berkley
Length: 160 kb, 86 pages (accord. to Goodreads)
FTC: Purchased myself

Having just finished up the Mercy Thompson series on audio, I had a craving for more Patricia Briggs books. And since the next Mercy book isn't scheduled for publication until 2013, I debated trying the Alpha and Omega series. After getting used to Mercy's first person narrative, I wasn't sure if the 3rd person POV would work for me. Thankfully, it did.

I'm very glad I listened to advice I received on Twitter to read this story BEFORE reading the official first novel, Cry Wolf. Because this story contains the entire set up for the book. I think I would have been left feeling like I got dumped in media res if I didn't have the story to fill in the blanks. And that would have been annoying.

Quickie Audiobook review: River Marked by Patricia Briggs

Format: Audio download
Length: 8 hrs 54 minutes
Narrator: Lorelei King
Pub Date: March 2011
FTC: Purchased myself

I've listened to the entire Mercy series in the last few months. I haven't reviewed them (bad Amber) except for the first one, but I have been flying through them as much as the format would allow. Although I loved the previous installments in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, I just didn't enjoy River Marked. At least until the last 1.5 hrs of it.

Maybe it's because Briggs played with her formula, but due to certain developments, there is no romantic tension in this book. None. And that was part of what I loved about Mercy.

There was also a huge emphasis on Native American religion and mythology. Something that quite frankly bores me to tears. I liked the fey, the vampires, the werewolves etc. I have zero interest in characters from the Native American creation myths come to life. It's just not my cup of tea.

Another irritant was the limited number of characters in this book. Because Mercy and Adam are on their own, we see the rest of the larger cast of characters only at the beginning and the very end. Or through an occasional phone call.  Taking these two out of their circle of family and friends did not work for me at all.  Those relationships are what keep the series afloat and provide much of the charm.

The last part of the book was much, much better. Probably because we get some action. There's a huge  battle, filled with terror, loss, angst, and lots of emotion.

The narration, as always, was terrific. The characters sound unique without being grating, and Ms. King manages to convey character emotions and attitude.

I found myself really disappointed in this book, even though the ending did bring up the grade quite a bit. The pace, the lack of romantic tension, the vague sense of stagnation where nothing really happens all made this a meh listening experience for me.

My Grade: C

Review: Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Audio)

Format: Audio (download)
Narrator: Lorelei King
Length: 9 hrs
FTC: Purchased myself

The Blurb:

Mercy Thompson's life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she's fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn't exactly normal herself.

I admit it. I was one of the few holdouts who hadn't read the Mercy Thompson series. But after downloading the first few books based on recommendations I received from Twitter, I am thinking I will pick up print versions (or maybe ebooks) of the entire series so far.

I bought the first book for my husband, the avid audiobook fan. We've listened to Lorelei King's narration before with the Stephanie Plum series and decided to take a chance on the books. He really enjoyed them, and the Mercy series has now become one of his favorite audiobook series. At his urging, I decided to move the first book, Moon Called, up on my audiobook TBR.

There's nothing all that original about this book. There is no groundbreaking, genre twisting innovation. But  I really like the characters. And the sassy sense of humor. My husband was chortling with laughter when he discovered what field Mercy's college degree was in. Because mine is the same. With the same lack of marketability. *sigh*