Shifting shadows by Patricia Briggs

The world inhabited by Mercedes "Mercy" Thompson Hauptman is rich with history and mythology that make it an urban fantasy world worth visiting (and revisiting).  The world contains not only the Mercy Thompson series, but also the intertwined stories from Alpha and Omega - the worlds are distinct and focused on different characters, but there is a lot of overlap between the two series.  Some of the characters appear suddenly in the world, while others seem to appear and then disappear without a trace.  

Shifting shadows: Stories from the world of Mercy Thompson plugs some of the holes from the novels, as well as creating a richer mythology for the novels.  If you are a fan of Mercy and her world then this is a must read - preferably after you have read up until at least the end of Night broken to avoid any spoilers!

Some of the treats you can look forward to in Shifting shadows are:

Alpha and Omega

The first time that Charles meets Anna and Brother wolf chooses her wolf as his mate.  This is  the action that takes place just before the start of Alpha and Omega and it neatly fills the gap about what happened to Anna's old pack and how she came to join Charles and the Marrok in Montana.

Roses in winter

We were introduced to her father, but we never got to meet Kara who was turned into a werewolf at a very young age.  Taken in by the Marrok and his pack she has been learning what it really means to be a werewolf, but time is running out for her to learn how to shift from one form to the other.  She has an unexpected ally in the form of Asil, who takes her under his wing.

Redemption

He started as the werewolf we loved to hate, the brash and violent Brit that Mercy doesn't trust around anyone innocent - especially Adam's daughter Jesse.  There is more to Ben than we know though, and he is about to discover for himself that there is also more to him than he knows.  You don't mess with Pack, and Pack is not always other werewolves.

Silver

Ariana is a powerful fae that has kept a secret for centuries and when she enters the world of Mercy Thompson it is not clear if she is friend or foe - and her terror of the werewolves is part of the doubt.  Here is the story abolut how she and Samuel met, and more of the story about how Samuel and Bran came to be as they are - and more about the woman they called mother and grandmother.

The recommended reading order for this world is:

• Moon called
• Cry wolf (Alpha and Omega)
• Hunting ground (Alpha and Omega)
• Blood bound
• Iron kissed
• Bone crossed
• Silver borne
• River marked
• Fair game (Alpha and Omega)
• Frost burned
• Dead heat (Alpha and Omega)
• Night broken

Reviewed by Brilla