Sunday, May 15, 2016

Fire touched by Patricia Briggs

Fire touched is the ninth book in the Mercy Thompson series so this review contains ***SPOILERS*** of what happens in the previous books.  If you like to read series in order then don't read anymore of this review until you have read the other books in this series - a series that really benefits from being read in the right order.  I highly recommend reading Shifting shadows first too as the short stories will help you make sense of some of the characters.

Life is never dull for the Columbia Basin werewolves - especially since Mercy joined their pack and became the Alpha's mate and wife.  It seems as though Mercy is something of a trouble magnet, and when a troll wrecks havoc and she makes a sweeping proclamation about the pack protecting it's territory (captured for eternity on film) a whole heap of trouble ends up on their doorstep.  The first to seek shelter is a being who looks like a sweet young child on the outside, but he has been warped and changed by Underhill over a very long time and he has a unique mastery of fire that makes him very desirable to some and very dangerous to others.  

Aiden has claimed sanctuary with the pack, a desperate bid to stay away from the fae who seem intent on taking him apart to see how he works.  Others seem to want to control him so they can wriggle their way back into Underhill's good graces.  Mercy and Adam only want to give him a safe place - something the pack can give him for a short time at least, but at a terrible cost.  The fae may have taken themselves away to live under their own laws and not the laws of man, that doesn't mean that they are finished playing games with the mortals around them.  So very powerful fae are playing games with Mercy, Adam, and the pack - and some of those games could have devastating consequences for everyone.

Anyone who has read any of my reviews of the Mercy Thompson or Alpha and Omega books knows how much I adore these series and how eagerly I await each new book in the series.  I enjoyed them so much that I went on a reading binge last year that saw me polish off the series in a very short space of time.  Fire touched adds another chapter to the story of Mercy, Adam, and their version of our world, and it feels very much like this is a book that has laid the foundations for something truly epic to come.  The book is whole and complete in itself, but some players have revealed themselves through the course of the book, and there are some new characters that feel like they are here to stay rather than just walking through.  

I tried to resist the temptation of galloping through the book, but alas it was finished all too quickly and now I can't wait to see what happens next for the Alpha and Omega series as there is the inevitable cross over between the two worlds.  It looks like war might be coming, or at least a huge shake up - so now all we can do is wait and see what happens next.

The recommended reading order is:

And to fill in the gaps there are some new (and old) short stories in:
  • Shifting shadows: Stories from the world of Mercy Thompson

If you like this book then try:
  • Tinker by Wen Spencer
  • Night shifted by Cassie Alexander
  • Kitty and the midnight hour by Carrie Vaughn
  • Dark descendant by Jenna Black
  • Burning water by Mercedes Lackey
  • Blood price by Tanya Huff
  • Urban shaman by C.E. Murphy
  • Spiders bite by Jennifer Estep
  • Dead witch walking by Kim Harrison
  • Precinct 13 by Tate Hallaway

Reviewed by Brilla

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