Moon Called
Pages: 304 pages
Published: Ace; 2006
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.
The long story short: Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson is a mechanic - and a "walker," able to shift at will into a coyote. Though she has connections to the supernatural world she doesn't get overly actively involved - until the supernatural world comes looking for her. Overall a fairly fast paced and enjoyable read, I really found myself drawn to several of the characters, and cheering for others, as well as wishing I had bought the second book when I bought the first one.
Final rating: 3 1/2 of 5 stars
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I've read several Briggs books so far, and after reading this one, I think urban fantasy is her strong suit. I've really enjoyed every book of hers I've read (and have several more I plan to read, including the rest of this series, or rather, what has been published to date), but there was something about how strongly and fiercely her voice, as a writer, came across in this book. I was a little unsure at first if I was going to like this cast of characters - the alpha male, Adam, the vibrant and headstrong Mercy, and the other various supporting characters: her once-love, Samuel, his father, pack leader Bran, gremlin Zee, and vampire Stefan.
But there is more than meets the eye to each character - and Briggs reveals just enough of that "more" to have left me wanting to get to know the characters further. I liked Mercy a great deal after I started getting to know her. And Briggs doesn't leave the reader bored. The action zips along nicely with just enough back story to bring you up to speed, without bogging you down with said back story.
The story really takes off when a brand-new werewolf comes to Mercy's shop looking for work - and then turns up dead a few pages later. The next thing Mercy knows, she's spiriting the local Alpha, Adam Hauptman, off to Bran's territory, to recover from an attack no one is sure who to blame for. It's there and after that the plot continues to thicken delightfully, and we get a taste of werewolf life and politics, as well as a few secrets from Mercy's past. Oh, and I can't forget the witches. :)
I will admit am not sure how to feel about the love triangle between Samuel, Mercy, and Adam that seems to be forming, but maybe that's because Mercy and Samuel stole my heart right away. (I feel that love triangles are too over done.) I don't quite buy Adam and Mercy as a couple, though there is definitely sexual tension. I just hope there is more to it than that for them in the coming books if I am going to cheer for them. :)
The arc of this story is executed fairly well; by the end, most of the loose ends of Moon Called are tied up neatly, but the end easily sets the stage for possible sequels (of which there are 6 thus far with at least one more planned.)
