Mercy Thompson #1: Moon Called Review

Title: Mercy Thompson #1: Moon Called

Author: Patricia Briggs

Date of Publication: January 31, 2006

Formats Available: Hardcover, Paperback, E-Book

Buy This Book: Amazon

Synopsis: Mercy Thompson's sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.
She's tinkering with a VW bus at her mechanic shop that happens to belong to a vampire.
But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself... and her connection to things that go bump in the night are about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.

My Review:

Having been a longtime fan of the Mercy Thompson series when I decided to re-read the entire series I knew the first book wasn't my favorite. However, I enjoyed it much more this time around than I did last time I read the series. Mercy is a fantastic character and I loved being reintroduced to her and the sexy werewolf next door, Adam, as well as the rest of the pack.

One of the main reasons Moon Called is one of my least favorites in the Mercy Thompson series is the weaker plot. While the novel does an amazing job of introducing the characters and giving the readers a chance to really get to know their personalities the plot just falls flat. While the plot is exciting as Mercy works to find who kidnapped Adam's daughter, Jesse, the conclusion to the mystery is just a little confusing.

As I said one of the strongest points of this novel is the introduction of the characters. I absolutely love Mercy and Moon Called really gives Mercy a chance to shine and to introduce her personality. While Adam, my other favorite character, plays a significantly smaller role in this novel we also get introduced to him although ultimately Sam (Mercy's former love interest) plays a much larger role.

From the extravagant vampires, gay werewolf best friends, and the sexy next door neighbor the Mercy Thompson series is full of clichés, but they work. Briggs is able to turn something that's been done a million times into something new and fun to read about. Some clichés are clichés  for a reason and Briggs has a knack for knowing which ones work and merging them perfectly into the story, creating a fresh paranormal fantasy without going too far out there.

Even though Moon Called isn't my favorite novel the series definitely progresses wonderfully and all the novels are full of action, romance, and compelling plots. Don't let the first novel (and awful cover) scare you away from this fantastic series!

4/5