Mercedes “Mercy” Thompson is a talented Volkswagen mechanic living in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She also happens to be a walker, a magical being with the power to shift into a coyote at will. Mercy’s next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a bus for a vampire. This is the world of Mercy Thompson, one that looks a lot like ours but is populated by those things that go bump in the night. And Mercy’s connection to those things is about to get her into some serious hot water…
There are so many Urban Fantasies out there with the Fae revealing themselves that I wasn’t entirely sure how I would feel about this book. The concept is a big hit or miss for me, including stories with shapeshifting protagonists. However, a few of my friends kept suggesting this book and I thought it best to go ahead and try it if I found it in a used bookstore. I did find it and I did read it. I am also glad that I did.
I was expecting a full out romance with fantasy elements and a main character who is labeled as a strong woman, but really wasn’t. Boy was I wrong. Mercedes Thompson is a kickass mechanic who seriously tries to keep out of other people’s issues, but for some reason got pulled into a conspiracy that I seriously wasn’t expecting.
The mystery seems to be figured out once the final battle is going on, but Briggs was clever enough to hide the truth of the matter until the very end. Her world isn’t too fantastical to be unbelievable and it isn’t too realistic to be strange. It is expertly crafted to a point where I am thinking it’s plausible (it helps that there aren’t any elves, I hate elves). The characters are well written and Mercy is definitely a character I’m going to continue to follow.
It seems that my friends are better at book recommendations than I gave credit. This is the second book from recommendations that I honestly really liked. Can’t wait for another used bookstore visit!
Casia's Corner 