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Alpha & Omega #5
Burn Bright
Goodreads Choice Award
Nominee for Best Fantasy (2018)They are the wild and the broken. The werewolves too damaged to live safely among their own kind. For their own good, they have been exiled to the outskirts of Aspen Creek, Montana. Close enough to the Marrok’s pack to have its support; far enough away to not cause any harm.
With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…
With their Alpha out of the country, Charles and Anna are on call when an SOS comes in from the fae mate of one such wildling. Heading into the mountainous wilderness, they interrupt the abduction of the wolf–but can’t stop blood from being shed. Now Charles and Anna must use their skills–his as enforcer, hers as peacemaker–to track down the attackers, reopening a painful chapter in the past that springs from the darkest magic of the witchborn…
308 pages, Paperback
First published March 6, 2018
About the author
Patricia Briggs
130 books29.1k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,430 reviews
March 12, 2018
(ETA5: More character inconsistencies)
(ETA4: Update to rating, in light of "the conversation")
(ETA3: One more, very telling, quote from Silence Fallen regarding "the conversation")
(ETA2: Adding to the spoiler section. Some quotes from characters (who I would also expect to know) in other books regarding the subject of that spoiler conversation)
(ETA: Rating this was hard. I greatly enjoyed the book, but the spoiler section - no matter how small and insignificant it is to the book itself - took away greatly from my enjoyment. So 4 stars for everything else, -2 stars for that convo. 3 star average, I guess)
I always eagerly await the newest Patricia Briggs novel. No matter if it's an Anna/Charles book or a Mercy book in the larger world. It has never mattered, because I've always loved the world and loved the characters. Which isn't to say that I haven't had any concerns or issues with the books over the years; I have. They've remained a bright spot in my reading each year. Looking back, Sarah and I have re-read this entire series every single year for the past several years. We can never resist. Once we get a fresh book in our hands, it's time to re-read. To re-visit everyone we love and see the story thus-far, again.
This time is no different for me, I've finished Burn Bright and I'm immediately diving back into Moon Called. But I have some different motives this time, too. And this one - spoiler ridden - thought is overriding all other thoughts about this book. It's a small moment, no more than a background conversation while the story gets rolling. And yet, I can't stop thinking about the implications and what it means. Not for the series, or world, because I think it means little in the grand scheme of things. But for me? For me, it may mean the end of my enjoyment of this series.
You may think that's a bit dramatic. And perhaps it is. But this is a fairly big deal to me. And I'll get into it more below - and mark where I'm talking spoilers very clearly. Before I do, let me talk a little about the story that was told here. And, to be clear, if it wasn't for this conversation (that I quote below), this book would get a solid 4 stars from me. But this conversation could take it down to 2.
First, timeline-wise, this book takes place immediately following the events of Silence Fallen, and thus Bran is out of the country. Which leaves Charles in charge of the Pack for at least a little while. But Bran's absence extends, making me very suspect as to what's going on. I loved this twist. I loved the build-up to it, and the implications of it as well. And I will say that I didn't see the twist coming. I'm not entirely sure that I buy that someone could fool the Marrok, or Charles, for long, but ... it worked for me.
I think that it's fascinating that Patricia Briggs has found a way to expand the world, right in and around Aspen Creek. I love the addition of the Wildings, and hope that we get to see more of, at least some of, them in the future. They add a further depth that I wasn't expecting.
There are multiple POVs in this book. More than the normal of just Anna and Charles. We get a few secondary characters that have only short-term roles, and at least one from a character that I wasn't ever expecting: Leah. That POV, in particular, added a lot of depth to her for me. I never really expected to feel anything but hatred for her, and trust me I still can't forgive her treatment of Charles and Mercy, at the very least, but I think I could grow to understand her. Maybe. Probably not, but I do like at least being able to see why Bran's wolf picked Leah. I think it begins to show here, whereas before I never even had the slightest inkling or understanding why.
HERE BE SPOILERS...
(ETA4: Update to rating, in light of "the conversation")
(ETA3: One more, very telling, quote from Silence Fallen regarding "the conversation")
(ETA2: Adding to the spoiler section. Some quotes from characters (who I would also expect to know) in other books regarding the subject of that spoiler conversation)
(ETA: Rating this was hard. I greatly enjoyed the book, but the spoiler section - no matter how small and insignificant it is to the book itself - took away greatly from my enjoyment. So 4 stars for everything else, -2 stars for that convo. 3 star average, I guess)
I always eagerly await the newest Patricia Briggs novel. No matter if it's an Anna/Charles book or a Mercy book in the larger world. It has never mattered, because I've always loved the world and loved the characters. Which isn't to say that I haven't had any concerns or issues with the books over the years; I have. They've remained a bright spot in my reading each year. Looking back, Sarah and I have re-read this entire series every single year for the past several years. We can never resist. Once we get a fresh book in our hands, it's time to re-read. To re-visit everyone we love and see the story thus-far, again.
This time is no different for me, I've finished Burn Bright and I'm immediately diving back into Moon Called. But I have some different motives this time, too. And this one - spoiler ridden - thought is overriding all other thoughts about this book. It's a small moment, no more than a background conversation while the story gets rolling. And yet, I can't stop thinking about the implications and what it means. Not for the series, or world, because I think it means little in the grand scheme of things. But for me? For me, it may mean the end of my enjoyment of this series.
You may think that's a bit dramatic. And perhaps it is. But this is a fairly big deal to me. And I'll get into it more below - and mark where I'm talking spoilers very clearly. Before I do, let me talk a little about the story that was told here. And, to be clear, if it wasn't for this conversation (that I quote below), this book would get a solid 4 stars from me. But this conversation could take it down to 2.
First, timeline-wise, this book takes place immediately following the events of Silence Fallen, and thus Bran is out of the country. Which leaves Charles in charge of the Pack for at least a little while. But Bran's absence extends, making me very suspect as to what's going on. I loved this twist. I loved the build-up to it, and the implications of it as well. And I will say that I didn't see the twist coming. I'm not entirely sure that I buy that someone could fool the Marrok, or Charles, for long, but ... it worked for me.
I think that it's fascinating that Patricia Briggs has found a way to expand the world, right in and around Aspen Creek. I love the addition of the Wildings, and hope that we get to see more of, at least some of, them in the future. They add a further depth that I wasn't expecting.
There are multiple POVs in this book. More than the normal of just Anna and Charles. We get a few secondary characters that have only short-term roles, and at least one from a character that I wasn't ever expecting: Leah. That POV, in particular, added a lot of depth to her for me. I never really expected to feel anything but hatred for her, and trust me I still can't forgive her treatment of Charles and Mercy, at the very least, but I think I could grow to understand her. Maybe. Probably not, but I do like at least being able to see why Bran's wolf picked Leah. I think it begins to show here, whereas before I never even had the slightest inkling or understanding why.
HERE BE SPOILERS...
March 13, 2018
Me trying to figure shit out: Well, okay, I thought it was an okayish book, except for that one conversation that I highlighted because What the Fuck???? So, if I just ignore that conversation....... ugh, I can't! Because if Charles KNEW.... and said others KNEW... it changes the entire Mercy Thompson/Alpha Omega world.
So, I'm frustrated! Not only do I HAVE to 1-star this book, but I HAVE to write a serious review as to why. You guys know how much I hate having to be serious! I'm against it 99.99% of the time! But, how do I joke around about a book that throws out some facts that turn one of my favorite characters into a pedophile, and then says some of the pack suspected it? Then, to kick me while I'm down, and rub some salt into my wounds, they started blaming the victim of pedo-bear for the bad behavior of those around her. Oh, well, of course a child should be abused by the mother if the father has sexual feelings for her. That kid was asking for it!
I'm going to quote the conversation here because it was in the very beginning of the book and really has no relevance on the story here, even though it changes everything on a larger scale:
(Charles): you know how Leah feels about anything that had to do with Mercy."
"I do," (Anna) said. "I even understand it, much as it pains me to say so. Bran is funny about Mercy. If you were that funny about Mercy, I would feel the same way Leah does -- no matter how likable I might find her."
"Bran's not funny about her," he told Anna, feeling uncomfortable. "He thinks of her as his daughter, and he doesn't have any other daughters still alive. There's nothing strange about it."
"Or so everyone is much happier believing," agreed Anna blandly. "Including Bran. We'll leave it at that. So the musical evenings were a thing between Bran and Mercy?"
"Not like that," Charle said, feeling defensive because Anna put her finger right on something that he'd been ignoring for a long time. He took a deep breath. "All right. All right. You may have a point about Da and Mercy."
She smiled, just a little.
He threw up his hands. "Okay. Yes. I saw it, of course I did. As did Leah. But my da would never have moved on Mercy. Say what you will about him -- but his wolf has accepted Leah as his mate, and he will not cheat on her. And Mercy has never seen him as anything except a father figure and her Alpha. That's what she needed, and that's what he gave her. I don't think Mercy has ever recognized that it could be more than that."
Okay, so people knew that this guy, who is thousands of years old had a thing for a girl that was put into his care from the ages of 0-16 years old? And, not only did they turn a blind eye, but they (Leah) abused and mistreated the girl because of the man's inappropriate fixation? And, not only all of that - which sucks and is enough to piss me the hell off - but Anna also says that she understands why Leah hated Mercy and would have hated her too if she was in her shoes? So, Anna is also ruined now, because that is the stupidest, most ignorant attitude I have ever heard. And, she "smiled, just a little", when Charles admitted there was something inappropriate there? Like, she's happy to be right about pedophilia? Bitch, please! I wanted to smack the smug smile off of her face.
I'm just. I can't even. Where's this going?
I'm not sure I can go along for the ride.
So, I'm frustrated! Not only do I HAVE to 1-star this book, but I HAVE to write a serious review as to why. You guys know how much I hate having to be serious! I'm against it 99.99% of the time! But, how do I joke around about a book that throws out some facts that turn one of my favorite characters into a pedophile, and then says some of the pack suspected it? Then, to kick me while I'm down, and rub some salt into my wounds, they started blaming the victim of pedo-bear for the bad behavior of those around her. Oh, well, of course a child should be abused by the mother if the father has sexual feelings for her. That kid was asking for it!
I'm going to quote the conversation here because it was in the very beginning of the book and really has no relevance on the story here, even though it changes everything on a larger scale:
(Charles): you know how Leah feels about anything that had to do with Mercy."
"I do," (Anna) said. "I even understand it, much as it pains me to say so. Bran is funny about Mercy. If you were that funny about Mercy, I would feel the same way Leah does -- no matter how likable I might find her."
"Bran's not funny about her," he told Anna, feeling uncomfortable. "He thinks of her as his daughter, and he doesn't have any other daughters still alive. There's nothing strange about it."
"Or so everyone is much happier believing," agreed Anna blandly. "Including Bran. We'll leave it at that. So the musical evenings were a thing between Bran and Mercy?"
"Not like that," Charle said, feeling defensive because Anna put her finger right on something that he'd been ignoring for a long time. He took a deep breath. "All right. All right. You may have a point about Da and Mercy."
She smiled, just a little.
He threw up his hands. "Okay. Yes. I saw it, of course I did. As did Leah. But my da would never have moved on Mercy. Say what you will about him -- but his wolf has accepted Leah as his mate, and he will not cheat on her. And Mercy has never seen him as anything except a father figure and her Alpha. That's what she needed, and that's what he gave her. I don't think Mercy has ever recognized that it could be more than that."
Okay, so people knew that this guy, who is thousands of years old had a thing for a girl that was put into his care from the ages of 0-16 years old? And, not only did they turn a blind eye, but they (Leah) abused and mistreated the girl because of the man's inappropriate fixation? And, not only all of that - which sucks and is enough to piss me the hell off - but Anna also says that she understands why Leah hated Mercy and would have hated her too if she was in her shoes? So, Anna is also ruined now, because that is the stupidest, most ignorant attitude I have ever heard. And, she "smiled, just a little", when Charles admitted there was something inappropriate there? Like, she's happy to be right about pedophilia? Bitch, please! I wanted to smack the smug smile off of her face.
I'm just. I can't even. Where's this going?
I'm not sure I can go along for the ride.
May 17, 2019
I'm not as crazy about Anna & Charles as I am about Mercy & Co., but I always look forward to the Alpha & Omega titles because they show the flip side of what's happening in Mercy's world. Plus, Brigg's is just a fantastic writer.
Now, unlike the twist in Silence Fallen, I actually managed to figure this one out. So the ending wasn't all...
It was still good, though. And there were several people that I now see in a different light.
Leah? I think everyone was satisfied with the way Briggs handled her.
But Bran?
Ok, Patty. You're just going to have to fix that shit.
But!
Other than that one teeny-tiny (FUCKING HUGE-ASS!) brain fart of a plot twist, this was just one more amazingly interesting book in theMercy Thompson Alpha & Omega world.
The (previously unknown) Wildlings were such a cool group to read about that it almost washes the nasty taste out of your mouth. I mean, I had pretty much forgotten (perhaps repressed would be a better word?) the Bran debacle until I went to write this review.
But yeah, that shit just keeps rearing up and biting me in the ass.
Anyhoo.
The gist of this one is that spoilery shit happens and Charles and Anna end up getting thrown into the middle of a mess that Bran wants to avoid being a part of...at all costs.
Poor Charles.
Mmmm. Lucky Anna...
...
Ok, I'm back.
Where was I? Oh yes, Anna and Charles need to suss out a traitor in Bran's Aspen Creek pack. <--this takes place immediately following Mercy's little jaunt to Europe, while Charles is still temporarily standing in for his dad in Montana
You may be wondering how the hell a traitor could exist among a bunch of werewolves who can smell lies? Well, keep wondering Random Goodreader, because I'm not going to spoil that one for you. I will say that they had to get pretty creative to fool Bran, and therein lies the problem for Charles.
Anyway...
Recommended for fans of the Mercy/A&O worlds!
Now, unlike the twist in Silence Fallen, I actually managed to figure this one out. So the ending wasn't all...
It was still good, though. And there were several people that I now see in a different light.
Leah? I think everyone was satisfied with the way Briggs handled her.
But Bran?
Ok, Patty. You're just going to have to fix that shit.
But!
Other than that one teeny-tiny (FUCKING HUGE-ASS!) brain fart of a plot twist, this was just one more amazingly interesting book in the
The (previously unknown) Wildlings were such a cool group to read about that it almost washes the nasty taste out of your mouth. I mean, I had pretty much forgotten (perhaps repressed would be a better word?) the Bran debacle until I went to write this review.
But yeah, that shit just keeps rearing up and biting me in the ass.
Anyhoo.
The gist of this one is that spoilery shit happens and Charles and Anna end up getting thrown into the middle of a mess that Bran wants to avoid being a part of...at all costs.
Poor Charles.
Mmmm. Lucky Anna...
...
Ok, I'm back.
Where was I? Oh yes, Anna and Charles need to suss out a traitor in Bran's Aspen Creek pack. <--this takes place immediately following Mercy's little jaunt to Europe, while Charles is still temporarily standing in for his dad in Montana
You may be wondering how the hell a traitor could exist among a bunch of werewolves who can smell lies? Well, keep wondering Random Goodreader, because I'm not going to spoil that one for you. I will say that they had to get pretty creative to fool Bran, and therein lies the problem for Charles.
Anyway...
Recommended for fans of the Mercy/A&O worlds!
March 23, 2018
When you are following characters through the course of several books and you are emotionally invested in their fate, there is a reasonable expectation, even wish for the author to has some end game for them planned and a satisfying conclusion fleshed out, right? I am like this with Kate Daniels and Dresden. I want them to end on a good note.
But this isn't the case for me when it comes to Patty Briggs.
I want her to keep writing books in her shared universe as long as she has stories to tell; I want to read about Mercy, Adam, Anna, Charles, Bran and the rest of her characters forever. I think this same thing every time I finish new book she releases. There is this perfect sense of comfort that comes with reading the first sentence and being immersed into this world once again and just a perfect sense of satisfaction when you reach the end.
I thought it was interesting that after three books where we followed Anna and Charles traveling on some werewolves business, we are once again back in Aspen, where first book in series, Cry Wolf, took place. So, if during first half or so, you have a feeling it reminds you of book #1, you are not alone in this. I really believe it's a deliberate move and, actually, a very clever one because by seeing Anna dealing with the Pack, especially in time of crisis, we can actually compare, measure and determine just how much she progressed and changed from that scared, abused girl Charles and Bran brought with them from Chicago.
Bare bones: Bran is away and he left Charles in charge. When one of the wildings sends urgent note asking for Marrok to come, Charles and Anna are the one to respond. What they find are death, intruders and revelation that there is traitor in their Pack.
-Ok, let's go with the plot. There is a strong mystery plot weaved into story leading to the revelation of the traitor. And to be honest, I did feel a bit gutted when my suspicions (because, Patty did leave us a just enough of crumbs between those Red Herrings, trust me on this) proved to be right. For a good emotional impact, it had to be someone we know and like. BUT, and herein lies the rub, the whole thing with a traitor, as I figured, can possibly lead to many interesting directions in future books, because, it's definitely a plot twist with long-reaching consequences:
*the fact that traitor was able to lie and be there for years,
*the fact that the Pack is now aware they have a powerful enemy out there who is actively gathering info on them,
*the fact that the Pack is now in possession of some things Fae would be really interested to know about. This is such a time-ticking bomb I have a feeling will come back to bite them sooner or later.
*some relationships between main characters in series are changed, maybe even challenged.
-I am one of those weirdos who never complains how some parts of the Mercy or A&O books were boring because they were just talking. Nope, I really, honestly, even enjoyed reading about horses in DH because Briggs's writing is so soothing and lovely and interesting and it never feels like info-dumping, but rather it feels like a story inside the book to me. I guess it's because I found the whole werewolf dynamics so fascinating to read. They are written to be fundamentally different from humans and not just because they are able to change into giant wolves or posses some traits like possessiveness or they don't look directly in the eyes thing- these are common to find in other books. It's the details- the subtle way Anna tries to help her mate with her music when he's sad; the clever lengths she has to go to manipulate those stronger than her to do what she wants without directly ordering it; the way Bran's plan are always not what they seem at first or how Leah brings the cookies at the right moment to defuse uncomfortable situation. So, reading about their every-day Pack life and how they make even those mundane decisions like bring back musical nights really interests me. With that caveat, I'd say that beginning is definitely on the slower side because they do these kind of things, but once they hit the wildings it's a non-stop suspense. So, have that in mind.
-I love Anna and Charles, ok? Anna as Omega is proving to be the most valuable person this Pack has, not just one to be treasured. So, here is what Patty showed us about her in BB: we know from prequel novella what happened to Anna in Chicago, how she was turned against her will and abused for years. This is not brushed under the rug, Anna still suffers from flashes bordering on panic attacks when someone holds her down. The difference is, she is working through this alone in her head, sometime with success, sometimes not. She knows there are wolves, not to mention Charles, who will protect her with everything they have, but past trauma does get the best of her more times than not and I find that believable. But she is so much better at dealing both with her past and present danger. Another awesome thing: you know how Bran and Charles basically uprooted Anna from Chicago and everything she once knew to bring her to Aspen? You have to admit, it was not really an ideal situation for her. But, Anna in this book decided she wants to get back at college and she wants to learn Japanese language. And Charles is perfectly fine with that and it's my favorite thing to witness and see how far she came and how much their relationship progressed to something awesome. Charles is always incredibly aware of his mate and her needs and emotions and, hence, unmistakably knows what she needs. He gives her space, allows her to shine because he knows what she can do; he doesn't smother her or overprotects even when his wolf wants them to. And speaking of that, I always thought that Charles was the werewolf who is the most in-tuned with his wolf. Guys, in this book we will see Brother Wolf being sassy, rebelling and even narrow-minded. You really get to see just how much work it takes for human to control their wolf when even Charles is having problems sometimes and Brother Wolf flat-out disobeys and does his thing.
-which brings me to wildings. I actually went back to see if wildings were mentioned in previous books and they weren't, so here is the brief explanation: wildings are mostly troubled, damaged, old wolves Bran took and let them live on the Pack territory, but deep in the woods, not with the Pack itself. I thought at first it's weird because Bran's pack is already known to live with powerful old wolves on the brink of insanity (Asil, for example). The difference is that Asil is at least manageable where wildings are really broken wolves and dangerous to live with and Bran is usually the one to deal with them simply because he is the strongest. There was something really sad about the whole arrangement, especially since we see some of them who are perfectly fine to live with others chose to live in isolation to be with someone who is not. When we witness these werewolves being strong, glorious, powerful, supernatural through the course of both series, seeing so many of them in that sorry state was a bit somber. I do question the fact we just got to know about them in this book. When Mariposa attacked in Cry Wolf, a witch with a power to tie the wolves to herself, you'd think she would go after wildings first or stumble upon them considering how many time she spent in the woods. Plot convenient or not, every one of the wildings has interesting background and a story behind their troubled state and I actually wanted to know more about some of them.
-Now, the cover is depicting one particularly interesting scene which basically confirms that witches in this world are scary. The villain is something more and something else (and I loved how Patty incorporated another myth in this world), but you can expect witchy fingers tied to the mess in Aspen. Somehow, between werewolves, Fae and vampires, witches tend to fall between cracks because there aren't many of them, but every time one appears they are able to cause serious havoc and damage. They are particularly damning for werewolves- we know how Bran reacts to them and we know why. Can you tell how much excited for Tom & Moira book I am? :)
-Now, I did have some issues. As much as I liked that Patty finally showed us something else from Leah beside being bitchy and to do that in the same book she threw some dirt on Bran's impeccable, lovable image, I didn't like the reason she tried to justify Leah's dislike toward Mercy with. They are both more complex and interesting characters than we perceived them, so there is no need for explaining too many bad traits and character decisions with female jealousy. Plus, all that I put under first spoiler tag. Also, I spent bigger part of the novel saying "WTH Bran?" I am not really sure about how is he going to deal with the whole aftermath of the traitor, but his reputation of reading minds I expect will take a hit. He definitely didn't handle the problem as Alpha.
Also, this is my take on THAT conversation. Honestly, I never perceived it as a retcon of relationship between Bran and Mercy, but establishing once again the reason for why she had such a hard time. If you didn't get it, werewolf dynamic is completely fucked up, especially when it comes to women. Female werewolves are not able to carry children, so yes, they would see Mercy, someone we are told possibly be able to carry one because her change isn't violent as a threat. That's why so many of them were jealous of her. BUT, I didn't understand Charles's comment of Bran being funny about her to mean that Bran was interested- it's just that Bran had a different relationship with her because she is a damn coyote walker and she rebelled. In a society that's completely relying on rigidity and hierarchy with one man on the top, the fact there is a girl Bran can't really order around through Pack magic and established rules of werewolf world definitely meant he was funny about her, simply because she didn't respond the same way others in his Pack were. She exasperated him, something other wolves can never say about their omnipotent Alpha. Yeah, he was funny with her comparing to how he was with them, but he would never moved on her because he doesn't see her that way. The fact that Leah and other female werewolves and Charles saw possibility of something like that is just the fucked up way Pack is written. Don't forget that Adam's Pack was not better in understanding the feelings of their Alpha; they think only about what's in his power to do, not what he really wants to do. Do, I like it? Not particularly. But I will definitely not rely on werewolves as having a clear vision on things. Allow me to give you an example from Cry Wolf:
So, Anna's first thought on Leah's comment was that Leah wants Charles even though she knows Bran is Charles's father. Or how about the fact that Anna wasn't aware how much it bothered her that Sage has a pet name for her mate. It's not rational thinking, it doesn't mean jackshit in their world who is bonded and feelings. They perceive other women as competition even when the man they are jealous about didn't give them any reason to. Like I said, it's the fucked up way they are written and I would like for Patty to make some progress about this because jealousy is really getting old as justification for being awful.
All in all, another book I liked and enjoyed the hell out of it, despite these issues, but I do understand how some readers can be bothered by it. (-_-)
But this isn't the case for me when it comes to Patty Briggs.
I want her to keep writing books in her shared universe as long as she has stories to tell; I want to read about Mercy, Adam, Anna, Charles, Bran and the rest of her characters forever. I think this same thing every time I finish new book she releases. There is this perfect sense of comfort that comes with reading the first sentence and being immersed into this world once again and just a perfect sense of satisfaction when you reach the end.
I thought it was interesting that after three books where we followed Anna and Charles traveling on some werewolves business, we are once again back in Aspen, where first book in series, Cry Wolf, took place. So, if during first half or so, you have a feeling it reminds you of book #1, you are not alone in this. I really believe it's a deliberate move and, actually, a very clever one because by seeing Anna dealing with the Pack, especially in time of crisis, we can actually compare, measure and determine just how much she progressed and changed from that scared, abused girl Charles and Bran brought with them from Chicago.
Bare bones: Bran is away and he left Charles in charge. When one of the wildings sends urgent note asking for Marrok to come, Charles and Anna are the one to respond. What they find are death, intruders and revelation that there is traitor in their Pack.
-Ok, let's go with the plot. There is a strong mystery plot weaved into story leading to the revelation of the traitor. And to be honest, I did feel a bit gutted when my suspicions (because, Patty did leave us a just enough of crumbs between those Red Herrings, trust me on this) proved to be right. For a good emotional impact, it had to be someone we know and like. BUT, and herein lies the rub, the whole thing with a traitor, as I figured, can possibly lead to many interesting directions in future books, because, it's definitely a plot twist with long-reaching consequences:
*the fact that traitor was able to lie and be there for years,
*the fact that the Pack is now aware they have a powerful enemy out there who is actively gathering info on them,
*the fact that the Pack is now in possession of some things Fae would be really interested to know about. This is such a time-ticking bomb I have a feeling will come back to bite them sooner or later.
*some relationships between main characters in series are changed, maybe even challenged.
-I am one of those weirdos who never complains how some parts of the Mercy or A&O books were boring because they were just talking. Nope, I really, honestly, even enjoyed reading about horses in DH because Briggs's writing is so soothing and lovely and interesting and it never feels like info-dumping, but rather it feels like a story inside the book to me. I guess it's because I found the whole werewolf dynamics so fascinating to read. They are written to be fundamentally different from humans and not just because they are able to change into giant wolves or posses some traits like possessiveness or they don't look directly in the eyes thing- these are common to find in other books. It's the details- the subtle way Anna tries to help her mate with her music when he's sad; the clever lengths she has to go to manipulate those stronger than her to do what she wants without directly ordering it; the way Bran's plan are always not what they seem at first or how Leah brings the cookies at the right moment to defuse uncomfortable situation. So, reading about their every-day Pack life and how they make even those mundane decisions like bring back musical nights really interests me. With that caveat, I'd say that beginning is definitely on the slower side because they do these kind of things, but once they hit the wildings it's a non-stop suspense. So, have that in mind.
-I love Anna and Charles, ok? Anna as Omega is proving to be the most valuable person this Pack has, not just one to be treasured. So, here is what Patty showed us about her in BB: we know from prequel novella what happened to Anna in Chicago, how she was turned against her will and abused for years. This is not brushed under the rug, Anna still suffers from flashes bordering on panic attacks when someone holds her down. The difference is, she is working through this alone in her head, sometime with success, sometimes not. She knows there are wolves, not to mention Charles, who will protect her with everything they have, but past trauma does get the best of her more times than not and I find that believable. But she is so much better at dealing both with her past and present danger. Another awesome thing: you know how Bran and Charles basically uprooted Anna from Chicago and everything she once knew to bring her to Aspen? You have to admit, it was not really an ideal situation for her. But, Anna in this book decided she wants to get back at college and she wants to learn Japanese language. And Charles is perfectly fine with that and it's my favorite thing to witness and see how far she came and how much their relationship progressed to something awesome. Charles is always incredibly aware of his mate and her needs and emotions and, hence, unmistakably knows what she needs. He gives her space, allows her to shine because he knows what she can do; he doesn't smother her or overprotects even when his wolf wants them to. And speaking of that, I always thought that Charles was the werewolf who is the most in-tuned with his wolf. Guys, in this book we will see Brother Wolf being sassy, rebelling and even narrow-minded. You really get to see just how much work it takes for human to control their wolf when even Charles is having problems sometimes and Brother Wolf flat-out disobeys and does his thing.
-which brings me to wildings. I actually went back to see if wildings were mentioned in previous books and they weren't, so here is the brief explanation: wildings are mostly troubled, damaged, old wolves Bran took and let them live on the Pack territory, but deep in the woods, not with the Pack itself. I thought at first it's weird because Bran's pack is already known to live with powerful old wolves on the brink of insanity (Asil, for example). The difference is that Asil is at least manageable where wildings are really broken wolves and dangerous to live with and Bran is usually the one to deal with them simply because he is the strongest. There was something really sad about the whole arrangement, especially since we see some of them who are perfectly fine to live with others chose to live in isolation to be with someone who is not. When we witness these werewolves being strong, glorious, powerful, supernatural through the course of both series, seeing so many of them in that sorry state was a bit somber. I do question the fact we just got to know about them in this book. When Mariposa attacked in Cry Wolf, a witch with a power to tie the wolves to herself, you'd think she would go after wildings first or stumble upon them considering how many time she spent in the woods. Plot convenient or not, every one of the wildings has interesting background and a story behind their troubled state and I actually wanted to know more about some of them.
-Now, the cover is depicting one particularly interesting scene which basically confirms that witches in this world are scary. The villain is something more and something else (and I loved how Patty incorporated another myth in this world), but you can expect witchy fingers tied to the mess in Aspen. Somehow, between werewolves, Fae and vampires, witches tend to fall between cracks because there aren't many of them, but every time one appears they are able to cause serious havoc and damage. They are particularly damning for werewolves- we know how Bran reacts to them and we know why. Can you tell how much excited for Tom & Moira book I am? :)
-Now, I did have some issues. As much as I liked that Patty finally showed us something else from Leah beside being bitchy and to do that in the same book she threw some dirt on Bran's impeccable, lovable image, I didn't like the reason she tried to justify Leah's dislike toward Mercy with. They are both more complex and interesting characters than we perceived them, so there is no need for explaining too many bad traits and character decisions with female jealousy. Plus, all that I put under first spoiler tag. Also, I spent bigger part of the novel saying "WTH Bran?" I am not really sure about how is he going to deal with the whole aftermath of the traitor, but his reputation of reading minds I expect will take a hit. He definitely didn't handle the problem as Alpha.
Also, this is my take on THAT conversation. Honestly, I never perceived it as a retcon of relationship between Bran and Mercy, but establishing once again the reason for why she had such a hard time. If you didn't get it, werewolf dynamic is completely fucked up, especially when it comes to women. Female werewolves are not able to carry children, so yes, they would see Mercy, someone we are told possibly be able to carry one because her change isn't violent as a threat. That's why so many of them were jealous of her. BUT, I didn't understand Charles's comment of Bran being funny about her to mean that Bran was interested- it's just that Bran had a different relationship with her because she is a damn coyote walker and she rebelled. In a society that's completely relying on rigidity and hierarchy with one man on the top, the fact there is a girl Bran can't really order around through Pack magic and established rules of werewolf world definitely meant he was funny about her, simply because she didn't respond the same way others in his Pack were. She exasperated him, something other wolves can never say about their omnipotent Alpha. Yeah, he was funny with her comparing to how he was with them, but he would never moved on her because he doesn't see her that way. The fact that Leah and other female werewolves and Charles saw possibility of something like that is just the fucked up way Pack is written. Don't forget that Adam's Pack was not better in understanding the feelings of their Alpha; they think only about what's in his power to do, not what he really wants to do. Do, I like it? Not particularly. But I will definitely not rely on werewolves as having a clear vision on things. Allow me to give you an example from Cry Wolf:
"Leah, for all that she was the Marrok’s mate, sounded jealous. Did she want Charles, too?
So, Anna's first thought on Leah's comment was that Leah wants Charles even though she knows Bran is Charles's father. Or how about the fact that Anna wasn't aware how much it bothered her that Sage has a pet name for her mate. It's not rational thinking, it doesn't mean jackshit in their world who is bonded and feelings. They perceive other women as competition even when the man they are jealous about didn't give them any reason to. Like I said, it's the fucked up way they are written and I would like for Patty to make some progress about this because jealousy is really getting old as justification for being awful.
All in all, another book I liked and enjoyed the hell out of it, despite these issues, but I do understand how some readers can be bothered by it. (-_-)
December 19, 2021
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
HOO boy.
DEAD HEAT, the last book from the Anna and Charles portion of the MERCY THOMPSON universe, is probably my least favorite book in the combined series, so despite my slight preference for the ALPHA & OMEGA characters, I was a bit leery of BURN BRIGHT . . .
And by "leery" I mean that I hesitated for a whole five seconds before accepting an ARC.
I love Bran. I love everything about the concept of the Marrock. I love the tiny middle-of-nowhere town for misfit werewolves. And even if Bran isn’t a POV or the focus, his presence still saturates everything Charles and Anna do, b/c he’s the friggin’ Marrock.
BUT.
I hate Leah as intensely as I love Bran, so when my friend Steven told me that BURN BRIGHT was Leah-heavy, I really frowned and squinted.
Me: *frowns and squints HARD*
Steven: It’s not that bad.
Me: How can it not be that bad?
Steven I don’t like Leah either, but now I understand her better, and I’m even somewhat sympathetic to her situation.
Me: Hmph. I don’t want to understand her. I like hating her.
Steven: *rolls eyes* Just read it.
So I did.
I mean, Steven is way more forgiving than I am, but how could I not be curious about Leah—LEAH, whom I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate—being painted in a sympathetic light?
Would I fall prey to that nonsense? Or was my hatred incorruptible?
*smirks* Like the events of a single installment could negate years of animosity, justified animosity . . . Except based on Charles’ recollections of Mercy’s youth, Leah had all kinds of legit reasons to dislike her . . . And yeah, she is the Queen of Mean Girls, but she doesn’t actually do anything to endanger the Pack . . .
Or does she?
*laughs maniacally*
BURN BRIGHT takes you deep into the quagmire of Aspen Creek, to places you didn't even know were there. Old, powerful wolves like Asil who walk an unsteady line between functional and dangerous aren’t the biggest threat facing those who belong directly to the Marrock. Lone wolves and . . . other things have settled the outskirts of Bran’s domain.
But the outskirts still belong to the Marrock, and when one of his more solitary wolves is killed after an abduction-gone-wrong, it becomes obvious to Anna and Charles that someone in the Pack selling information to Outsiders.
But who? And why?
Read it and find out. *grins cheekily*
Highly Recommended.
HOO boy.
DEAD HEAT, the last book from the Anna and Charles portion of the MERCY THOMPSON universe, is probably my least favorite book in the combined series, so despite my slight preference for the ALPHA & OMEGA characters, I was a bit leery of BURN BRIGHT . . .
And by "leery" I mean that I hesitated for a whole five seconds before accepting an ARC.
I love Bran. I love everything about the concept of the Marrock. I love the tiny middle-of-nowhere town for misfit werewolves. And even if Bran isn’t a POV or the focus, his presence still saturates everything Charles and Anna do, b/c he’s the friggin’ Marrock.
BUT.
I hate Leah as intensely as I love Bran, so when my friend Steven told me that BURN BRIGHT was Leah-heavy, I really frowned and squinted.
Me: *frowns and squints HARD*
Steven: It’s not that bad.
Me: How can it not be that bad?
Steven I don’t like Leah either, but now I understand her better, and I’m even somewhat sympathetic to her situation.
Me: Hmph. I don’t want to understand her. I like hating her.
Steven: *rolls eyes* Just read it.
So I did.
I mean, Steven is way more forgiving than I am, but how could I not be curious about Leah—LEAH, whom I hate, loathe, despise, and abominate—being painted in a sympathetic light?
Would I fall prey to that nonsense? Or was my hatred incorruptible?
*smirks* Like the events of a single installment could negate years of animosity, justified animosity . . . Except based on Charles’ recollections of Mercy’s youth, Leah had all kinds of legit reasons to dislike her . . . And yeah, she is the Queen of Mean Girls, but she doesn’t actually do anything to endanger the Pack . . .
Or does she?
*laughs maniacally*
BURN BRIGHT takes you deep into the quagmire of Aspen Creek, to places you didn't even know were there. Old, powerful wolves like Asil who walk an unsteady line between functional and dangerous aren’t the biggest threat facing those who belong directly to the Marrock. Lone wolves and . . . other things have settled the outskirts of Bran’s domain.
But the outskirts still belong to the Marrock, and when one of his more solitary wolves is killed after an abduction-gone-wrong, it becomes obvious to Anna and Charles that someone in the Pack selling information to Outsiders.
But who? And why?
Read it and find out. *grins cheekily*
Highly Recommended.
March 7, 2018
On sale now, as of March 6, 2018! A solid and enthusiastic four stars. Full review first posted on Fantasy Literature.
Burn Bright is the fifth and latest novel in Patricia Briggs’ ALPHA AND OMEGA urban fantasy series … actually, it’s more mountainous wilderness fantasy, but it does involve werewolves and witches living amongst humans. Burn Bright, though it has different main characters, also intertwines nicely with the main MERCY THOMPSON series.
Bran, the grand-Alpha or Marrok of most of the werewolf packs in North America, is still out of town due to the events in the last MERCY THOMPSON book, Silence Fallen. He phones home and tells his wife Leah and son Charles that he’s leaving them in charge while he takes a trip to Africa to see Samuel, his other son. In Bran’s rather mysterious absence, Charles and his wife Anna try to manage his pack of werewolves and the pack’s finances, and to not get into too many arguments with the irascible Leah.
This effort gets a lot trickier when Charles gets an urgent phone call from Jonesy, one of the so-called wildings. These are a separate, outlier group of werewolves under Bran’s protection and leadership who live near but apart from the Marrok’s main pack. The wildings are broken beings, fragile and often particularly dangerous, and are rarely seen by anyone except Bran himself. Charles and Anna, an “Omega” werewolf with the helpful talent of calming dominant werewolves, head out to check on Jonesy.
Jonesy turns out to be a powerful fae who lives in isolation with his werewolf mate, Hester. Hester has been captured by a secretive armed task force that is trying to kidnap ― or kill ― some of the wildings. And the evidence indicates that someone among the wildings or Bran’s main pack is a traitor who is working with these attackers. With Bran incommunicado for some reason, it’s up to Charles, Anna and other members of the Marrok’s pack to try to neutralize the invaders, warn the wildings of the danger they’re in, and find the traitor.
The mystery in Burn Bright is distinctive, though ultimately it didn’t gel for me as well as in the best of Briggs’ books. The plot is somewhat disjointed, though the threads come together fairly well in the end. The logic is occasionally strained. For example, there’s a significant rule involving cell phones not being allowed in wilding territory, where the explanation simply didn’t make sense to me, and a key development involving eye color that seemed highly unlikely under the circumstances. The plot involves both extreme long-term planning by the villain and some improbably rushed action and coincidences. However, as Briggs has frequently done before, she pulls in plot threads from preceding books in the series, weaving in the consequences of earlier events and decisions made by the characters. Though it’s not necessary to have read all of the books in both interlocking series to understand and enjoy Burn Bright or any other particular book in these series, it’s certainly conducive to a greater appreciation.
The highlight of Burn Bright is the characters and their interrelationships. Briggs creates well-rounded characters in a fantasy setting who are realistically flawed and believable. It was fascinating to get to know some of the members of Bran’s pack of misfit werewolves better, both characters we’ve met before as well as some new ones. Some poignant moments for several characters add to the depth of this urban fantasy. There was a fascinating aside in the form of an insight into Mercy and Bran’s relationship, and even the detested, hard-hearted Leah becomes a character that the reader develops more understanding and even sympathy for.
Burn Bright is a solid entry in one of the better ongoing series in the urban fantasy genre. If you haven’t read the previous ALPHA AND OMEGA books, I would recommend starting at the beginning, with Alpha & Omega and Cry Wolf, but fans of Patricia Briggs and her werewolves will relish this new adventure.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Thanks!!
Original post: I love Patricia Briggs' urban fantasies, and this Alpha and Omega series interlocks very closely with Mercy Thompson's. I'm having trouble keeping my mitts off this one (I got halfway through it last night in one long reading session that lasted until 1 am) even though there are other books I really need to read and review first. I should probably feel worse about that than I do. :D
Burn Bright is the fifth and latest novel in Patricia Briggs’ ALPHA AND OMEGA urban fantasy series … actually, it’s more mountainous wilderness fantasy, but it does involve werewolves and witches living amongst humans. Burn Bright, though it has different main characters, also intertwines nicely with the main MERCY THOMPSON series.
Bran, the grand-Alpha or Marrok of most of the werewolf packs in North America, is still out of town due to the events in the last MERCY THOMPSON book, Silence Fallen. He phones home and tells his wife Leah and son Charles that he’s leaving them in charge while he takes a trip to Africa to see Samuel, his other son. In Bran’s rather mysterious absence, Charles and his wife Anna try to manage his pack of werewolves and the pack’s finances, and to not get into too many arguments with the irascible Leah.
This effort gets a lot trickier when Charles gets an urgent phone call from Jonesy, one of the so-called wildings. These are a separate, outlier group of werewolves under Bran’s protection and leadership who live near but apart from the Marrok’s main pack. The wildings are broken beings, fragile and often particularly dangerous, and are rarely seen by anyone except Bran himself. Charles and Anna, an “Omega” werewolf with the helpful talent of calming dominant werewolves, head out to check on Jonesy.
Jonesy turns out to be a powerful fae who lives in isolation with his werewolf mate, Hester. Hester has been captured by a secretive armed task force that is trying to kidnap ― or kill ― some of the wildings. And the evidence indicates that someone among the wildings or Bran’s main pack is a traitor who is working with these attackers. With Bran incommunicado for some reason, it’s up to Charles, Anna and other members of the Marrok’s pack to try to neutralize the invaders, warn the wildings of the danger they’re in, and find the traitor.
The mystery in Burn Bright is distinctive, though ultimately it didn’t gel for me as well as in the best of Briggs’ books. The plot is somewhat disjointed, though the threads come together fairly well in the end. The logic is occasionally strained. For example, there’s a significant rule involving cell phones not being allowed in wilding territory, where the explanation simply didn’t make sense to me, and a key development involving eye color that seemed highly unlikely under the circumstances. The plot involves both extreme long-term planning by the villain and some improbably rushed action and coincidences. However, as Briggs has frequently done before, she pulls in plot threads from preceding books in the series, weaving in the consequences of earlier events and decisions made by the characters. Though it’s not necessary to have read all of the books in both interlocking series to understand and enjoy Burn Bright or any other particular book in these series, it’s certainly conducive to a greater appreciation.
The highlight of Burn Bright is the characters and their interrelationships. Briggs creates well-rounded characters in a fantasy setting who are realistically flawed and believable. It was fascinating to get to know some of the members of Bran’s pack of misfit werewolves better, both characters we’ve met before as well as some new ones. Some poignant moments for several characters add to the depth of this urban fantasy. There was a fascinating aside in the form of an insight into Mercy and Bran’s relationship, and even the detested, hard-hearted Leah becomes a character that the reader develops more understanding and even sympathy for.
Burn Bright is a solid entry in one of the better ongoing series in the urban fantasy genre. If you haven’t read the previous ALPHA AND OMEGA books, I would recommend starting at the beginning, with Alpha & Omega and Cry Wolf, but fans of Patricia Briggs and her werewolves will relish this new adventure.
I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Thanks!!
Original post: I love Patricia Briggs' urban fantasies, and this Alpha and Omega series interlocks very closely with Mercy Thompson's. I'm having trouble keeping my mitts off this one (I got halfway through it last night in one long reading session that lasted until 1 am) even though there are other books I really need to read and review first. I should probably feel worse about that than I do. :D
May 18, 2018
Expected publication 2018. 2018!! Three years from the last book! THREE YEARS!!
P.S. This was published 6 months before Mrs Briggs husband passed away. This was published with a tongue-in-cheek intention for the delays of our favourite books. Obviously after Mrs. Briggs loss I don't expect her to be whipping up books. My condolences and love and hope she has the support she needs to get over this difficult time.
November 1, 2018
Q:
Fire is a powerful thing. It cleanses as it destroys- and it brings light to darkness. (c)
Q:
“You cannot look at a person, and say, ‘If I could change this or that, if I could pick what I want and discard other things, I could love this one.’ Such a love is pale and weak—and doomed to failure.” (c) Righty-right! you get the whole package or not at all!
Q:
It’s bad to have an enemy with the kinds of resources these people apparently have—but it is infinitely worse to have crazy people as enemies.” (c)
Fire is a powerful thing. It cleanses as it destroys- and it brings light to darkness. (c)
Q:
“You cannot look at a person, and say, ‘If I could change this or that, if I could pick what I want and discard other things, I could love this one.’ Such a love is pale and weak—and doomed to failure.” (c) Righty-right! you get the whole package or not at all!
Q:
It’s bad to have an enemy with the kinds of resources these people apparently have—but it is infinitely worse to have crazy people as enemies.” (c)
April 7, 2021
Re-read April 4th 2021 by audio! So good and sets things up well for the next one. Still remember the shock of finding out the identity of the traitor and a few tidbits on Bran!
Re-read by audio October 7th 2018-Even better the 2nd time around!
Charles and Anna are holding down the fort in Aspen Creek, while Bran, the Marrok is off on vacation. The story takes off quickly when one of the “wildling’s” (old wolves that are no longer safe to associate around Pack on a regular basis) mate calls for help. Anna and Charles go to investigate and find a lot more than they bargained for. There’s a lethal threat, assisted by a traitor in the Pack, and Anna and Charles must figure out if the traitor is one of the “wildlings”, or a closer Pack member. Either way, they must warn all the “wildlings” of the danger, and so begins the thrill ride!
Got some surprising insight on Bran (never suspected that!), and his abilities, which clarified something he was able to pull off in Silence Fallen (the previous book in the Mercy Thompson series). Anna’s abilities as an Omega wolf get more awesome as the series progresses. Especially as she investigates and understands her power more.
As usual, Charles and Anna face the conflicts and danger as a united front, lending power or support to each other whenever needed. Theirs is a mature romance, without unnecessary drama, or petty jealousies. There’s plenty of love and passion between the two of them, when they’re not battling for their lives, that is!
A big betrayal, Pack dynamics, Asil and Sage, and a slightly different view of Leah all factor in, as well, in this exciting installment of the Alpha & Omega series. There’s never all dull moment, even when the action is a bit on hold, because trying to discover the culprit behind the attacks kept me guessing! Alpha & Omega continues to be one of my all-time favorite urban fantasy series’, so of course I gobbled Burn Bright up! Even though the mystery wraps up here, I’m already eagerly anticipating the next book!
A copy was kindly provided by Ace Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This review is also posted at The Readers Den.
May 14, 2019
4 stars
Anna and Charles are back in the fifth 'Alpha and Omega' novel. I first started reading these books because they were set in the Mercy Thompson world, but I grew to love them on their own. Charles and Anna have a special spot for me. I love their relationship so much.
In Burn Bright, Bran is out of town and Charles is in charge of the pack. It's a big responsibility at any time, but now especially as there is a traitor in their mist. Most of the book is spent trying to find out who the traitor is and what they are up to. I was more than happy to be wrong about who I thought it was. The mystery part of the book was done well and kept me guessing.
As much as I love Charles and Anna, I also love many of the secondary characters in this series. Especially Asil. He's my favorite. And the Marokk of course. What really surprised me is that I actually liked Leah in this one. She is not a character I liked in the past, but I'm starting to like her more and more. I don't read much UF anymore, but this is a series I will always keep up with. I love these books and I can't wait till the next one releases!
Anna and Charles are back in the fifth 'Alpha and Omega' novel. I first started reading these books because they were set in the Mercy Thompson world, but I grew to love them on their own. Charles and Anna have a special spot for me. I love their relationship so much.
“Ours”, said Brother Wolf. “She is perfect, our soul mate, our anchor, the reason we were created. So that we could be hers.”
In Burn Bright, Bran is out of town and Charles is in charge of the pack. It's a big responsibility at any time, but now especially as there is a traitor in their mist. Most of the book is spent trying to find out who the traitor is and what they are up to. I was more than happy to be wrong about who I thought it was. The mystery part of the book was done well and kept me guessing.
As much as I love Charles and Anna, I also love many of the secondary characters in this series. Especially Asil. He's my favorite. And the Marokk of course. What really surprised me is that I actually liked Leah in this one. She is not a character I liked in the past, but I'm starting to like her more and more. I don't read much UF anymore, but this is a series I will always keep up with. I love these books and I can't wait till the next one releases!
March 7, 2018
[3.5/5 stars] As Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite urban fantasy writers, I love that I have a new release from her to look forward to every year. Reading her books always feels like cuddling up with a warm fuzzy blanket when it’s snowing outside. Burn Bright was a nice installment in the Alpha & Omega series. Perhaps not quite as strong as the last couple of books, but still loads of fun all the same.
The positives were abundant: an interesting mystery to solve (one which I’m sure we’ll see repercussions from in the next Mercy book), plenty of Anna and Charles awesomeness (because their relationship dynamic is still one of my favorites), Marrok werewolf pack politics (a topic of which I never tire reading), and an easy flow of writing that absorbs you for a good ride. Essentially, all of the basics I’ve come to expect from a Briggs novel in abundance.
All that said, I wish the book could’ve had tighter pacing, most notably in the second half. The main story halted several times so other stories could be told and, while they were all interesting and completely relevant to the plot, they effectively killed any building momentum for me. It wasn’t a deal-breaker by any means (because the stories were good), but compared to the last two novels where the story practically careened towards the finish in a can’t-put-it-down-for-anything manner, Burn Bright was just okay in that regard.
Overall, anything Briggs produces is a good read, and this wasn’t an exception. I delighted in learning more about the dynamics within the Marrok’s pack (and especially loved the inclusion of Asil – one of the most interesting side characters in the saga). I love enigmas in books, and Briggs has several she’s been slowing revealing more about for years. It keeps me coming back with gusto!
Recommendations: I’m a huge fan of this series (and Patricia Briggs herself – you won’t meet a more gracious author) and would recommend them to both urban fantasy fans and those new to the genre. At this point, the link between the Alpha & Omega and Mercy Thompson books is strong enough that you should consider reading both series simultaneously by publication order to avoid major spoilers. Additionally, I would encourage you to pick up Shifting Shadows, a brilliant short story compilation, before diving in to Burn Bright.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Patricia Briggs, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Burn Bright!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
The positives were abundant: an interesting mystery to solve (one which I’m sure we’ll see repercussions from in the next Mercy book), plenty of Anna and Charles awesomeness (because their relationship dynamic is still one of my favorites), Marrok werewolf pack politics (a topic of which I never tire reading), and an easy flow of writing that absorbs you for a good ride. Essentially, all of the basics I’ve come to expect from a Briggs novel in abundance.
All that said, I wish the book could’ve had tighter pacing, most notably in the second half. The main story halted several times so other stories could be told and, while they were all interesting and completely relevant to the plot, they effectively killed any building momentum for me. It wasn’t a deal-breaker by any means (because the stories were good), but compared to the last two novels where the story practically careened towards the finish in a can’t-put-it-down-for-anything manner, Burn Bright was just okay in that regard.
Overall, anything Briggs produces is a good read, and this wasn’t an exception. I delighted in learning more about the dynamics within the Marrok’s pack (and especially loved the inclusion of Asil – one of the most interesting side characters in the saga). I love enigmas in books, and Briggs has several she’s been slowing revealing more about for years. It keeps me coming back with gusto!
Recommendations: I’m a huge fan of this series (and Patricia Briggs herself – you won’t meet a more gracious author) and would recommend them to both urban fantasy fans and those new to the genre. At this point, the link between the Alpha & Omega and Mercy Thompson books is strong enough that you should consider reading both series simultaneously by publication order to avoid major spoilers. Additionally, I would encourage you to pick up Shifting Shadows, a brilliant short story compilation, before diving in to Burn Bright.
I’d like to say a big thank you to Berkley Publishing Group, Patricia Briggs, and Netgalley for the chance to read and review an early copy of Burn Bright!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
March 12, 2018
Spoilers for those who have not read previous books in Alpha and Omega and the Mercy Thompson series to this point.
So I thought about this one all night long and realized that I honestly can't give this story in the Alpha & Omega series more than 1 star. The main reasons was the total retcon regarding Bran and Mercy that had me looking at the whole series in a new light (not in a good way), the information dumps galore we get regarding the Wildings, and the fact that we did not get enough one on one moments for me of Anna and Charles together. The main saving grace for me was that we get an interesting new character (Wellesley) that I would love to see in a new spin off series from Alpha and Omega.
After finding out that this is something that may be followed up in future books I am going to pull a pin on reading anymore books set in the Alpha & Omega series anymore. I plan on just sticking to the Mercy Thompson series and pretending this never happened.
"Burn Bright" is another look into the Alpha and Omega universe. This takes place a few days/weeks after the events in "Silence Fallen". Bran is off visiting Samuel in Africa (I seriously went wait what on that one since I thought he was still in Washington state) after rescuing Mercy and coming to Adam's aid in Silence Fallen. Charles has been left behind to deal with things and is bumping heads with his stepmother Leah. When one of the Wildings (werewolves who are too dangerous to run among others who Bran protects) calls warning of danger, Charles and Anna are dispatched to figure out what is going on.
Charles and Anna quickly realize that it looks like someone is out to take out the Wildings and potentially the other werewolves. Previous characters from the series come out of the woodwork (Asil, Sage, Leah, Tag) and or mentioned (Mercy, Mercy's foster parents, old enemies) and there are callbacks galore in this one. I would honestly not recommend reading this if you haven't read the rest of the series. Most of the book was mentioning things that we have heard about before.
Charles and Anna who up until now were two of my favorite characters in the Mercyverse. I don't know. This book definitely takes a hit at all of our favorites. I think the only ones that ended up not being terrible were Mercy and Adam (they are mentioned and not part of the action in this one). Let me take that back, Asil and I are still good.
I honestly don't know what Briggs was thinking with the out of the way information that is thrown at readers at the beginning of this book. It ends up making the story topsy-turvy to me. And I ended up thinking way less of Bran.
I think the main problem is that we spend a little too much time seeing Charles POV and most of Anna's POV is too rushed. We have her at times dealing with PTSD after realizing she recognizes a dead man who attacked/raped her back when she was in Chicago. Then she is dealing with trying to use her Omega powers on a werewolf that comes with another revelation and it felt like we didn't get a chance to catch our breaths in this one.
Secondary characters I thought were given too much time in this one. We get a POV with Leah, Bran, and Sage. One thing that works the best for me in the Mercy Thompson series is that we usually always get first person POV from Mercy. It works better. We are able to get into Mercy's head a lot easier and for me.
I think having third person POV from not only Charles and Anna and the side characters it just slowed things down a lot. I do say though that it was weird to get Leah's POV since she's always been cast as terrible and I think it's weird Briggs is pushing that Leah has somehow been done wrong by Bran.
The writing is typical Briggs, but the flow was up and down. The information dumps we get along the way slow things down and I felt like every little thing was getting overly explained at times. I will say though that this is a fast read. I am just now wishing I had waited for this via the library or gotten it in paperback since I don't see me re-reading this like I do most of the other Alpha and Omega books.
The world building in the Mercyverse and Alpha and Omega is done very well though. Briggs takes thing into an exciting new direction in this one which is the main reason why this is just getting one star. It leaves a lot of implications for the future of the werewolves and other Packs and it will be interesting to see if there is any follow through in the Mercy Thompson series. I would call most of this book filler though. This was clearly meant to pivot the series forward and all of the past callbacks to things definitely has this book meant to be a bridge between both the Alpha and Omega series and Mercy Thompson.
The ending works, but honestly I wanted more discussions taking place. There is a major reveal about a character that we have known for a long time and it felt like it was not talked about enough (at least to me).
ETA: I'm now concerned I was too generous with my rating. Looking back at the other books the plot twist reveal really does wreck what we have come to know.
ETA: after a response from Briggs via her assistant to another reviewer I'm going to back away from Alpha and Omega series. I will keep reading Mercy Thompson though.
Discussion of issue of why I am only giving this one star below:
So I thought about this one all night long and realized that I honestly can't give this story in the Alpha & Omega series more than 1 star. The main reasons was the total retcon regarding Bran and Mercy that had me looking at the whole series in a new light (not in a good way), the information dumps galore we get regarding the Wildings, and the fact that we did not get enough one on one moments for me of Anna and Charles together. The main saving grace for me was that we get an interesting new character (Wellesley) that I would love to see in a new spin off series from Alpha and Omega.
After finding out that this is something that may be followed up in future books I am going to pull a pin on reading anymore books set in the Alpha & Omega series anymore. I plan on just sticking to the Mercy Thompson series and pretending this never happened.
"Burn Bright" is another look into the Alpha and Omega universe. This takes place a few days/weeks after the events in "Silence Fallen". Bran is off visiting Samuel in Africa (I seriously went wait what on that one since I thought he was still in Washington state) after rescuing Mercy and coming to Adam's aid in Silence Fallen. Charles has been left behind to deal with things and is bumping heads with his stepmother Leah. When one of the Wildings (werewolves who are too dangerous to run among others who Bran protects) calls warning of danger, Charles and Anna are dispatched to figure out what is going on.
Charles and Anna quickly realize that it looks like someone is out to take out the Wildings and potentially the other werewolves. Previous characters from the series come out of the woodwork (Asil, Sage, Leah, Tag) and or mentioned (Mercy, Mercy's foster parents, old enemies) and there are callbacks galore in this one. I would honestly not recommend reading this if you haven't read the rest of the series. Most of the book was mentioning things that we have heard about before.
Charles and Anna who up until now were two of my favorite characters in the Mercyverse. I don't know. This book definitely takes a hit at all of our favorites. I think the only ones that ended up not being terrible were Mercy and Adam (they are mentioned and not part of the action in this one). Let me take that back, Asil and I are still good.
I honestly don't know what Briggs was thinking with the out of the way information that is thrown at readers at the beginning of this book. It ends up making the story topsy-turvy to me. And I ended up thinking way less of Bran.
I think the main problem is that we spend a little too much time seeing Charles POV and most of Anna's POV is too rushed. We have her at times dealing with PTSD after realizing she recognizes a dead man who attacked/raped her back when she was in Chicago. Then she is dealing with trying to use her Omega powers on a werewolf that comes with another revelation and it felt like we didn't get a chance to catch our breaths in this one.
Secondary characters I thought were given too much time in this one. We get a POV with Leah, Bran, and Sage. One thing that works the best for me in the Mercy Thompson series is that we usually always get first person POV from Mercy. It works better. We are able to get into Mercy's head a lot easier and for me.
I think having third person POV from not only Charles and Anna and the side characters it just slowed things down a lot. I do say though that it was weird to get Leah's POV since she's always been cast as terrible and I think it's weird Briggs is pushing that Leah has somehow been done wrong by Bran.
The writing is typical Briggs, but the flow was up and down. The information dumps we get along the way slow things down and I felt like every little thing was getting overly explained at times. I will say though that this is a fast read. I am just now wishing I had waited for this via the library or gotten it in paperback since I don't see me re-reading this like I do most of the other Alpha and Omega books.
The world building in the Mercyverse and Alpha and Omega is done very well though. Briggs takes thing into an exciting new direction in this one which is the main reason why this is just getting one star. It leaves a lot of implications for the future of the werewolves and other Packs and it will be interesting to see if there is any follow through in the Mercy Thompson series. I would call most of this book filler though. This was clearly meant to pivot the series forward and all of the past callbacks to things definitely has this book meant to be a bridge between both the Alpha and Omega series and Mercy Thompson.
The ending works, but honestly I wanted more discussions taking place. There is a major reveal about a character that we have known for a long time and it felt like it was not talked about enough (at least to me).
ETA: I'm now concerned I was too generous with my rating. Looking back at the other books the plot twist reveal really does wreck what we have come to know.
ETA: after a response from Briggs via her assistant to another reviewer I'm going to back away from Alpha and Omega series. I will keep reading Mercy Thompson though.
Discussion of issue of why I am only giving this one star below:
August 8, 2019
3.75 stars
“You cannot look at a person, and say, ‘If I could change this or that, if I could pick what I want and discard other things, I could love this one.’ Such a love is pale and weak—and doomed to failure.”
When Bran leaves on a mysterious trip to Africa, Charles is left to run the pack in Montana. One day he gets a distress call from one of the Wildlings, pack members who live in the woods and don’t have much control. When Charles and Anna investigate, they discover one of their wolves being abducted.
It becomes very clear that the pack has a traitor among them, but who? And why?
“Canadian hikers would be too polite to end up as bodies. Thus the bodies must not belong to random hikers.”
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times. I love this series for the characters. Some of the side plots… meh. My favorite part of this book was the development of the character, Leah. I’ve always felt there was more to her and now that I’ve seen there is, I am dying for a Bran and Leah book.
The more recent Briggs villains in both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega tend to be witches. I am wondering if they are both leading to some epic battle with both series and I am so down for that. I’m dying to know when the next book is coming!
“Ours, said Brother Wolf. She is perfect, our soul mate, our anchor, the reason we were created. So that we could be hers.”
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“You cannot look at a person, and say, ‘If I could change this or that, if I could pick what I want and discard other things, I could love this one.’ Such a love is pale and weak—and doomed to failure.”
When Bran leaves on a mysterious trip to Africa, Charles is left to run the pack in Montana. One day he gets a distress call from one of the Wildlings, pack members who live in the woods and don’t have much control. When Charles and Anna investigate, they discover one of their wolves being abducted.
It becomes very clear that the pack has a traitor among them, but who? And why?
“Canadian hikers would be too polite to end up as bodies. Thus the bodies must not belong to random hikers.”
I’ve said it once, I’ll say it a million times. I love this series for the characters. Some of the side plots… meh. My favorite part of this book was the development of the character, Leah. I’ve always felt there was more to her and now that I’ve seen there is, I am dying for a Bran and Leah book.
The more recent Briggs villains in both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega tend to be witches. I am wondering if they are both leading to some epic battle with both series and I am so down for that. I’m dying to know when the next book is coming!
“Ours, said Brother Wolf. She is perfect, our soul mate, our anchor, the reason we were created. So that we could be hers.”
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May 25, 2018
I've put off writing this review for weeks because every time I think about this book I get mad all over again. I honestly don't think I've ever been so disappointed in the direction an author has decided to take a story and while I totally get that it is Patricia Briggs' right to do whatever she chooses with her characters and her world I don't have to continue investing my time and money in her series. I suppose I should probably point out that before Burn Bright I would have considered myself a Mercy Thompson / Alpha & Omega superfan. I reread all of the books and short stories in the MT world at least once a year with a friend and we have spent countless hours sending each other favourite quotes and discussing everything about these characters and this world. The reason I'm so upset and the reason I feel so betrayed by the author is because I feel like I know this series inside out and there was nothing, absolutely not one single hint to make revelations in this book seem even slightly plausible, let alone palatable.
I can't really talk about my biggest issue with this book without giving spoilers so continue reading this review at your own risk, but since I'm reviewing this so long after the release date I expect most fans have either already read this book or at least seen others mention the controversy. The absolutely 100% series ending revelation for me is that Bran has always had romantic feelings for Mercy. This is the man who has raised her since she was eight months old, the man who is the only consistent father figure she's ever really had, the man she turns to for advice and the one she looks up to beyond all others. This is the same man who watched over her while she slept as she recovered from a sexual assault, the man who gave her away at her wedding and made Adam promise to protect her, the man who has ALWAYS, in all circumstances treated her like a daughter.
And now we have Anna and Charles having a casual conversation about how Bran is "funny" about Mercy and Anna even saying she would hate Mercy as much as Leah does if Charles felt the same way about her that Bran does. Anna, who was herself a victim of rape and the worst kinds of treatments at the hands of her previous alpha is now blaming Mercy, who was a CHILD when this was all happening! I'm sorry but in no circumstances is Mercy to blame no matter what Bran does or doesn't feel for her, Mercy has never led Bran on, she's never had an affair with him or tried to lure him away from Leah and even if she had that doesn't excuse Leah from child abuse. Because lets face it the way Leah treated Mercy, the way Bran has flat out stated in previous books that he couldn't adopt Mercy himself because Leah would have killed her, the way Leah attacked Mercy many times when she was a child and how the entire pack used to go out of their way to keep the two of them apart because they knew what would happen if they didn't. That's all because Leah is an abuser who would have happily KILLED A CHILD because she felt that child was competition for her mate.
I get that Patricia Briggs has written herself into a corner, she's said many times and shown in many ways that Bran is bonded to Leah and I think she's left herself with no option of ending their relationship. That's a bit of a problem when fans have been screaming for years that Leah is an awful, awful character and begging to see Bran get a happily ever after with literally anyone else. Now, in my opinion, a skilled writer would have been able to turn around Bran and Leah's relationship. I've seen other authors do that in the past and I so badly want to see Bran happy that I probably would have forgiven Leah far quicker than she deserved. But I won't forgive Leah because Bran has been turned into someone that I can no longer respect or even like. That just makes me hate both of them, it makes me look at every single interaction between Bran and Mercy throughout the entire fifteen book series and feel physically sick because I can no longer see the loving father figure that has always wanted what is best for Mercy. Now all I can see is the sick pedophile who has been grooming her.
This book contradicts itself in so many different ways when it comes to Leah. First it tries to make us feel sorry for her because her mate is in love with a child. Then Charles talks about how abusive she was to him when they first met too, how horrifically she treated him when he was also just a child who was just desperate for someone to love him, he specifically states that he would have adored her if she'd only been nice to him. So it wasn't just Mercy Leah abused then, this conversation also confirms that it was Charles too. So she's jealous of anyone that Bran gives love to and that shows what a petty and nasty person she is. To be honest you only have to look at the way she treated Anna the first time they met to see Leah's true colours! But then the book backtracks again and tries to show how nice she is because she saves Charles' life, I could have cheered for her at that point but only if we hadn't just been reminded about how awful she's been in the past.
If Patricia Briggs hadn't turned Bran into a pedophile but had instead just had Leah saving Charles in this book I would have stared to warm to her. If she'd then had both Bran and Leah make some big changes over the next few books (because lets face it he's never treated her well really so neither of them are perfect and they're both to blame for their issues!) then I think in time I would have softened to them as a couple and might have been able to want to see them happy together. It could have been so easy, especially since we get a better idea of the fact that Bran does actually love her in this book. Unfortunately for me it's too little too late and the way Bran's character has been totally and utterly destroyed has ended any love I ever had for this series.
The first time I read Burn Bright I was horrified by that conversation but I still had faith in PB and I was convinced that Anna and Charles had misread things and it was all going to be a horrible misunderstanding. I was positive that in the next book this would all be fixed with a few well placed revelations and that I could continue loving this world. I even went back and immediately reread the previous fourteen books specifically looking for signs that Bran felt anything but fatherly towards Mercy. I read fourteen books LOOKING for that and couldn't find a single thing that made me suspect it was true. Not one single word. Everything points to a father daughter relationship, every single interaction between them. Every single conversation with Samuel, Adam, any other character they always refer to Bran as Mercy's father. I actually managed to convince myself I'd read Burn Bright wrong and stressed myself over nothing.
Then unfortunately Patricia Briggs made public comments about it confirming my worst fears were true, Bran does have romantic feelings for the child he raised. Oh, we're supposed to see him as noble because he didn't act on them, and we're supposed to ignore it because apparently Mercy will never know how he feels. But that doesn't sit well with me, especially when she's made it clear that everyone else knows this but Mercy, so not only is Bran lying to her but so is her husband Adam, so is her childhood love Samuel, so is her brother Charles and her sister-in-law Anna and so is the entire Aspen Creek Pack - people she grew up with and was raised by. That breaks my heart for Mercy and it makes me so angry with everyone else that I can't see straight.
So that's the story of how Patricia Briggs destroyed the Mercy Thompson world for me, the series that I have loved for many, many years. The series that has been a huge comfort to me over the years. The series that I'm honestly not sure I'll ever be able to look at in the same way again. I hope that one day, in a few years time, I'll be able to forget that Burn Bright ever existed. And if I ever reach that point then perhaps I'll be able to reread the first 14 books again and remember how much I loved them but I will not be buying any new books in this world, and honestly I'm still more than a little heartbroken about that.
I should also probably link to my friend Ange's reviewAnge's review because she goes into even more depth about the major issue I had and several other consistency problems with the story. She also includes quotes both from the book and from Patricia Briggs that further detail things I've mentioned above.
____________________
Full review to come but it won’t surprise anyone who saw my updates that a particular conversation has killed this series for me.
I reread this series every year so it breaks my heart that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read it again. I’m going to miss this world and these characters but I refuse to watch PB rewrite history. She can take her series in any direction she chooses but I don’t have to follow her while she does it.
I can't really talk about my biggest issue with this book without giving spoilers so continue reading this review at your own risk, but since I'm reviewing this so long after the release date I expect most fans have either already read this book or at least seen others mention the controversy. The absolutely 100% series ending revelation for me is that Bran has always had romantic feelings for Mercy. This is the man who has raised her since she was eight months old, the man who is the only consistent father figure she's ever really had, the man she turns to for advice and the one she looks up to beyond all others. This is the same man who watched over her while she slept as she recovered from a sexual assault, the man who gave her away at her wedding and made Adam promise to protect her, the man who has ALWAYS, in all circumstances treated her like a daughter.
And now we have Anna and Charles having a casual conversation about how Bran is "funny" about Mercy and Anna even saying she would hate Mercy as much as Leah does if Charles felt the same way about her that Bran does. Anna, who was herself a victim of rape and the worst kinds of treatments at the hands of her previous alpha is now blaming Mercy, who was a CHILD when this was all happening! I'm sorry but in no circumstances is Mercy to blame no matter what Bran does or doesn't feel for her, Mercy has never led Bran on, she's never had an affair with him or tried to lure him away from Leah and even if she had that doesn't excuse Leah from child abuse. Because lets face it the way Leah treated Mercy, the way Bran has flat out stated in previous books that he couldn't adopt Mercy himself because Leah would have killed her, the way Leah attacked Mercy many times when she was a child and how the entire pack used to go out of their way to keep the two of them apart because they knew what would happen if they didn't. That's all because Leah is an abuser who would have happily KILLED A CHILD because she felt that child was competition for her mate.
I get that Patricia Briggs has written herself into a corner, she's said many times and shown in many ways that Bran is bonded to Leah and I think she's left herself with no option of ending their relationship. That's a bit of a problem when fans have been screaming for years that Leah is an awful, awful character and begging to see Bran get a happily ever after with literally anyone else. Now, in my opinion, a skilled writer would have been able to turn around Bran and Leah's relationship. I've seen other authors do that in the past and I so badly want to see Bran happy that I probably would have forgiven Leah far quicker than she deserved. But I won't forgive Leah because Bran has been turned into someone that I can no longer respect or even like. That just makes me hate both of them, it makes me look at every single interaction between Bran and Mercy throughout the entire fifteen book series and feel physically sick because I can no longer see the loving father figure that has always wanted what is best for Mercy. Now all I can see is the sick pedophile who has been grooming her.
This book contradicts itself in so many different ways when it comes to Leah. First it tries to make us feel sorry for her because her mate is in love with a child. Then Charles talks about how abusive she was to him when they first met too, how horrifically she treated him when he was also just a child who was just desperate for someone to love him, he specifically states that he would have adored her if she'd only been nice to him. So it wasn't just Mercy Leah abused then, this conversation also confirms that it was Charles too. So she's jealous of anyone that Bran gives love to and that shows what a petty and nasty person she is. To be honest you only have to look at the way she treated Anna the first time they met to see Leah's true colours! But then the book backtracks again and tries to show how nice she is because she saves Charles' life, I could have cheered for her at that point but only if we hadn't just been reminded about how awful she's been in the past.
If Patricia Briggs hadn't turned Bran into a pedophile but had instead just had Leah saving Charles in this book I would have stared to warm to her. If she'd then had both Bran and Leah make some big changes over the next few books (because lets face it he's never treated her well really so neither of them are perfect and they're both to blame for their issues!) then I think in time I would have softened to them as a couple and might have been able to want to see them happy together. It could have been so easy, especially since we get a better idea of the fact that Bran does actually love her in this book. Unfortunately for me it's too little too late and the way Bran's character has been totally and utterly destroyed has ended any love I ever had for this series.
The first time I read Burn Bright I was horrified by that conversation but I still had faith in PB and I was convinced that Anna and Charles had misread things and it was all going to be a horrible misunderstanding. I was positive that in the next book this would all be fixed with a few well placed revelations and that I could continue loving this world. I even went back and immediately reread the previous fourteen books specifically looking for signs that Bran felt anything but fatherly towards Mercy. I read fourteen books LOOKING for that and couldn't find a single thing that made me suspect it was true. Not one single word. Everything points to a father daughter relationship, every single interaction between them. Every single conversation with Samuel, Adam, any other character they always refer to Bran as Mercy's father. I actually managed to convince myself I'd read Burn Bright wrong and stressed myself over nothing.
Then unfortunately Patricia Briggs made public comments about it confirming my worst fears were true, Bran does have romantic feelings for the child he raised. Oh, we're supposed to see him as noble because he didn't act on them, and we're supposed to ignore it because apparently Mercy will never know how he feels. But that doesn't sit well with me, especially when she's made it clear that everyone else knows this but Mercy, so not only is Bran lying to her but so is her husband Adam, so is her childhood love Samuel, so is her brother Charles and her sister-in-law Anna and so is the entire Aspen Creek Pack - people she grew up with and was raised by. That breaks my heart for Mercy and it makes me so angry with everyone else that I can't see straight.
So that's the story of how Patricia Briggs destroyed the Mercy Thompson world for me, the series that I have loved for many, many years. The series that has been a huge comfort to me over the years. The series that I'm honestly not sure I'll ever be able to look at in the same way again. I hope that one day, in a few years time, I'll be able to forget that Burn Bright ever existed. And if I ever reach that point then perhaps I'll be able to reread the first 14 books again and remember how much I loved them but I will not be buying any new books in this world, and honestly I'm still more than a little heartbroken about that.
I should also probably link to my friend Ange's reviewAnge's review because she goes into even more depth about the major issue I had and several other consistency problems with the story. She also includes quotes both from the book and from Patricia Briggs that further detail things I've mentioned above.
____________________
Full review to come but it won’t surprise anyone who saw my updates that a particular conversation has killed this series for me.
I reread this series every year so it breaks my heart that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to read it again. I’m going to miss this world and these characters but I refuse to watch PB rewrite history. She can take her series in any direction she chooses but I don’t have to follow her while she does it.
April 10, 2022
This was a quick read. I've been enjoying both this series and the Mercy books and they haven't gotten ridiculous yet. By that, I mean the author hasn't raised the stakes so high that it's hard to believe - also known as "jumping the shark." That's the problem with most long series. But even though this is the 15th in for this world, Briggs has enough problems/conflict in this world that she doesn't need to go to extremes with her characters. Well, not yet ;)
March 3, 2018
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This book was amazingly good! I honestly loved every page of this story. It should probably come as no surprise to anyone who follows my reviews that I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs. I was incredibly excited to get my hands on this book and went into it with really high expectations. This book exceeded every one of those expectations.
Charles and Anna are back at home with the Marrock's pack but this time Bran is away. Charles has taken on some additional responsibilities with Bran's absence and he is working hard to keep the peace with Leah. When a call comes in from the mate of a wolf that lives in the wilderness on the outskirts of the pack, they are pulled into a much deeper mystery.
I loved so many things about things about this book but the characters are really at the top of the list. Charles, Anna, and Brother Wolf are some of my favorite characters. I really liked getting to see the bond between Charles, Anna, and Brother Wolf. Yes, Brother Wolf is the wolf side of Charles but he really does see things differently at times and is a distinctly different character. I love how Briggs is able to define these parts of Charles so seamlessly.
The secondary characters were also great. Asil has been a character that I really enjoy and he played a very large role in this book. He was so strong in this book and I love the way that he watches over and protects Anna. Leah has always been a character that I loved to hate. She has always seemed more difficult than anything else in previous installments and she still has her moments in this book. I feel like I understand Leah a lot more after reading this book and now that I know why she acts as she does it is a bit more forgivable. I also thought that the wildlings that live on the outskirts of Bran's pack were very interesting and added a nice touch to the book.
The mystery in this book was very solid and kept me guessing. There were more than a few surprises along the way and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. There were quite few action scenes and there were a few moments that I was worried about how things would work out. It really was an exciting story filled with much loved characters. I did miss Bran at times but I do think that his absence let others take a turn in the spotlight.
I would highly recommend this series to others. This is the fifth book in the Alpha and Omega series and works best when read in order. This series takes place in the same world as the Mercy Thompson series with a lot of overlapping characters. This was a very solid installment in the series that I found to be incredibly entertaining. I cannot wait to read more from Patricia Briggs very soon.
I received an advanced reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
So damn good. I loved every part of this book. It was just amazingly good.
Some of the things I loved about this book:
Anna
Charles
Brother Wolf
Asil
Leah <-----yes, I said Leah
Meeting some new characters
Solid mystery
Action scenes
A few surprising moments
So much to love about this book. I would say it was worth the wait.
This book was amazingly good! I honestly loved every page of this story. It should probably come as no surprise to anyone who follows my reviews that I am a huge fan of Patricia Briggs. I was incredibly excited to get my hands on this book and went into it with really high expectations. This book exceeded every one of those expectations.
Charles and Anna are back at home with the Marrock's pack but this time Bran is away. Charles has taken on some additional responsibilities with Bran's absence and he is working hard to keep the peace with Leah. When a call comes in from the mate of a wolf that lives in the wilderness on the outskirts of the pack, they are pulled into a much deeper mystery.
I loved so many things about things about this book but the characters are really at the top of the list. Charles, Anna, and Brother Wolf are some of my favorite characters. I really liked getting to see the bond between Charles, Anna, and Brother Wolf. Yes, Brother Wolf is the wolf side of Charles but he really does see things differently at times and is a distinctly different character. I love how Briggs is able to define these parts of Charles so seamlessly.
The secondary characters were also great. Asil has been a character that I really enjoy and he played a very large role in this book. He was so strong in this book and I love the way that he watches over and protects Anna. Leah has always been a character that I loved to hate. She has always seemed more difficult than anything else in previous installments and she still has her moments in this book. I feel like I understand Leah a lot more after reading this book and now that I know why she acts as she does it is a bit more forgivable. I also thought that the wildlings that live on the outskirts of Bran's pack were very interesting and added a nice touch to the book.
The mystery in this book was very solid and kept me guessing. There were more than a few surprises along the way and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. There were quite few action scenes and there were a few moments that I was worried about how things would work out. It really was an exciting story filled with much loved characters. I did miss Bran at times but I do think that his absence let others take a turn in the spotlight.
I would highly recommend this series to others. This is the fifth book in the Alpha and Omega series and works best when read in order. This series takes place in the same world as the Mercy Thompson series with a lot of overlapping characters. This was a very solid installment in the series that I found to be incredibly entertaining. I cannot wait to read more from Patricia Briggs very soon.
I received an advanced reader edition of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
So damn good. I loved every part of this book. It was just amazingly good.
Some of the things I loved about this book:
Anna
Charles
Brother Wolf
Asil
Leah <-----yes, I said Leah
Meeting some new characters
Solid mystery
Action scenes
A few surprising moments
So much to love about this book. I would say it was worth the wait.
Read
December 12, 2018I'm so pumped! I could read a 100 book series dedicated to these two as long as there's no more mention of horses.
March 2, 2018
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors. She consistently produces top-notch books, both in her Mercy Thompson series and in this one, the Alpha & Omega series, which is a spinoff of Mercy's stories and intertwines back and forth.
This novel picks up right around the events of the most recent Mercy book, Silence Fallen, and follows Charles and Anna as they handle some events surrounding the wildlings of the Aspen Creek pack. To me, Briggs is at the top of her game when she's writing Charles and Anna stories. I'm not sure what it is, but just like with Faith Hunter and her Jane Yellowrock series and Nell Ingram spinoff, as much as I love the main series, the spinoff set in the same world really works for me in a much deeper and more satisfying way. I think I just love the connection between Charles and Anna and their wolves and how they balance each other out.
As many of you may not know, Briggs lost her husband unexpectedly in early 2017, and this is the first book she's published since losing him. This book was very clearly influenced by this loss, and focuses heavily on the bonds between mates - Hester and Jonesy, Charles and Anna, Bran and Leah, even Asil and Wellesley and their lost mates. She also dedicated the book to her husband. It was an amazing book, and such a fitting tribute to the man who was, in fact, her own mate, and she couldn't have done a more beautiful job. "But that is the dual gift of love, isn't it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye." ~from Patricia Briggs' Dead Heat, the prior book in this series.
If you haven't picked up Briggs and her Mercyverse, you're doing yourself a disservice. Start at the beginning and lose yourself in the beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming, deep world that Briggs has created. You won't regret it. (And if I may offer a tidbit of advice, follow this reading order: Moon Called, Alpha & Omega [short story], Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne, River Marked, Fair Game, Frost Burned, Dead Heat, Night Broken, Fire Touched, Silence Fallen, Burn Bright)
---
Review to be published on release date... but I will say, this book was a very fitting and beautiful tribute to her husband, Mike, who passed away in early 2017, and of course, another strong entry into the Charles and Anna series (which I love so much!)
Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors. She consistently produces top-notch books, both in her Mercy Thompson series and in this one, the Alpha & Omega series, which is a spinoff of Mercy's stories and intertwines back and forth.
This novel picks up right around the events of the most recent Mercy book, Silence Fallen, and follows Charles and Anna as they handle some events surrounding the wildlings of the Aspen Creek pack. To me, Briggs is at the top of her game when she's writing Charles and Anna stories. I'm not sure what it is, but just like with Faith Hunter and her Jane Yellowrock series and Nell Ingram spinoff, as much as I love the main series, the spinoff set in the same world really works for me in a much deeper and more satisfying way. I think I just love the connection between Charles and Anna and their wolves and how they balance each other out.
As many of you may not know, Briggs lost her husband unexpectedly in early 2017, and this is the first book she's published since losing him. This book was very clearly influenced by this loss, and focuses heavily on the bonds between mates - Hester and Jonesy, Charles and Anna, Bran and Leah, even Asil and Wellesley and their lost mates. She also dedicated the book to her husband. It was an amazing book, and such a fitting tribute to the man who was, in fact, her own mate, and she couldn't have done a more beautiful job. "But that is the dual gift of love, isn't it? The joy of greeting and the sorrow of good-bye." ~from Patricia Briggs' Dead Heat, the prior book in this series.
If you haven't picked up Briggs and her Mercyverse, you're doing yourself a disservice. Start at the beginning and lose yourself in the beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming, deep world that Briggs has created. You won't regret it. (And if I may offer a tidbit of advice, follow this reading order: Moon Called, Alpha & Omega [short story], Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed, Silver Borne, River Marked, Fair Game, Frost Burned, Dead Heat, Night Broken, Fire Touched, Silence Fallen, Burn Bright)
---
Review to be published on release date... but I will say, this book was a very fitting and beautiful tribute to her husband, Mike, who passed away in early 2017, and of course, another strong entry into the Charles and Anna series (which I love so much!)
March 13, 2018
I'll put this as nicely as I can: WTF!? I will never be able to look at Bran the same way again. This new revelation which is abhorrent made me think even more about his character. He may be physically strong, have lots of magic, and be a good leader, but he's a pathetic man. The thing Anna alluded to about him and is wrong on so many levels. More importantly it makes no sense in context with the rest of the series.
There are other things that I don't like about Bran. They are things that have been well known throughout the series, but this book really highlighted them. I've never understood why Charles is the pack executioner. He is strong and level headed, but he's not the only wolf with those qualities. It's unfair to make him bear that burden alone. Some of the reason that job falls on Charles is because Bran clearly trusts him a lot. Why doesn't Bran take care of some of these situations himself? It makes me wonder if it's too much for him so he passes it off on his son, which is utterly pathetic.
Secondly, his relationship with Leah is selfish. It's perfect for him but not for anyone else. He wanted a woman he would never love and that's what he got. This book tried to point out good things about Leah to either make her more appealing or to explain why Bran is with her. Just because she isn't a horrible person all the time does not mean she's a good one. Leah is a cold hearted bitch, and it's unlikely she'll ever change. It's always been said to trust the instincts of their wolves. WTH was his wolf thinking when it decided Leah was right for him? Wolves don't seem to be focused on things like love in the same way a person would. I would have thought that his wolf would have had more clarity when it comes to Leah's bad points than Bran the person did. Did Bran ever consider the impact Leah would have on his family and the pack? She treated Charles and Mercy like shit. Who does that to children? How immature is she to behave that way? Leah's behavior in light of the Mercy revelation is sick. When it comes to the pack, Leah is #2 because she is mated to the leader. Charles is the one left in charge when Bran isn't around and is his right hand man, but the hierarchy of the pack means Leah outranks him. Someone who is prone to cruelty shouldn't be given power. Bran allowed this to happen to his pack and children.
I seem to have a more difficult time with every book I read in the Mercy Thompson world. I tend to like books with a faster pace these days which is not the fault of the series. I have noticed that some characters are described one way while none of their behavior reflects the things said about them. For instance, Asil is made to sound unstable and expects Bran to kill him at any time. To me he seems fairly well balanced despite his past. Charles is feared by everyone. Based on people's reactions it would seem that he is more than a man who executes people for the Marrok but is unstable and possibly a psychopath as well. Bran was always made to seem like a wise, fearless leader when for the reasons I already described he is not.
A few things the people in charge did were not wise. I understand why they had a funeral with the pack at the beginning. They had a real concern about about people spreading word about the fae artifacts they found, so it didn't make sense that they invited everyone up there before they cleared the area. Jonesy's note was useless. If none of them could have figured out what that note said without being told, then they didn't deserve to be in charge. I would have thought that the older werewolves would have known it wasn't the best idea to bring an omega around the wildlings.
All of that aside, it was an alright book. The mystery was good. It will definitely be interesting to see where things go from here since there is still a big threat out there. Something is likely to occur because of the fae artifacts. Those won't go unnoticed forever. I was disappointed in who the immediate threat was. Now that would have been shocking and vastly more interesting because of the dire ramifications of that situation.
There are other things that I don't like about Bran. They are things that have been well known throughout the series, but this book really highlighted them. I've never understood why Charles is the pack executioner. He is strong and level headed, but he's not the only wolf with those qualities. It's unfair to make him bear that burden alone. Some of the reason that job falls on Charles is because Bran clearly trusts him a lot. Why doesn't Bran take care of some of these situations himself? It makes me wonder if it's too much for him so he passes it off on his son, which is utterly pathetic.
Secondly, his relationship with Leah is selfish. It's perfect for him but not for anyone else. He wanted a woman he would never love and that's what he got. This book tried to point out good things about Leah to either make her more appealing or to explain why Bran is with her. Just because she isn't a horrible person all the time does not mean she's a good one. Leah is a cold hearted bitch, and it's unlikely she'll ever change. It's always been said to trust the instincts of their wolves. WTH was his wolf thinking when it decided Leah was right for him? Wolves don't seem to be focused on things like love in the same way a person would. I would have thought that his wolf would have had more clarity when it comes to Leah's bad points than Bran the person did. Did Bran ever consider the impact Leah would have on his family and the pack? She treated Charles and Mercy like shit. Who does that to children? How immature is she to behave that way? Leah's behavior in light of the Mercy revelation is sick. When it comes to the pack, Leah is #2 because she is mated to the leader. Charles is the one left in charge when Bran isn't around and is his right hand man, but the hierarchy of the pack means Leah outranks him. Someone who is prone to cruelty shouldn't be given power. Bran allowed this to happen to his pack and children.
I seem to have a more difficult time with every book I read in the Mercy Thompson world. I tend to like books with a faster pace these days which is not the fault of the series. I have noticed that some characters are described one way while none of their behavior reflects the things said about them. For instance, Asil is made to sound unstable and expects Bran to kill him at any time. To me he seems fairly well balanced despite his past. Charles is feared by everyone. Based on people's reactions it would seem that he is more than a man who executes people for the Marrok but is unstable and possibly a psychopath as well. Bran was always made to seem like a wise, fearless leader when for the reasons I already described he is not.
A few things the people in charge did were not wise. I understand why they had a funeral with the pack at the beginning. They had a real concern about about people spreading word about the fae artifacts they found, so it didn't make sense that they invited everyone up there before they cleared the area. Jonesy's note was useless. If none of them could have figured out what that note said without being told, then they didn't deserve to be in charge. I would have thought that the older werewolves would have known it wasn't the best idea to bring an omega around the wildlings.
All of that aside, it was an alright book. The mystery was good. It will definitely be interesting to see where things go from here since there is still a big threat out there. Something is likely to occur because of the fae artifacts. Those won't go unnoticed forever. I was disappointed in who the immediate threat was. Now that would have been shocking and vastly more interesting because of the dire ramifications of that situation.
March 5, 2018
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CRY WOLF
by Patricia Briggs
Book 1 in the Alpha and Omega Series
Giveaway Runs Feb. 2 - March 6, 2018
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Bran has left the pack to Charles while he heads to Europe to deal with an emergency with Mercy. Once that emergency is over Bran extends his absence from the pack by stating he is going to visit Samuel leaving Charles and his mate, Anna, to deal with an emergency call from a wilding’s fae mate.
You’ve gotta love the bond between Charles and Anna and in Burn Bright Briggs shows not only that bond but the wildings, extremely unstable shifters, and even Charles and his bitch mate (yes, she is a bitch, but still his mate). These mate bonds come into play like never before making for some swoon worthy reading.
Reading every book Briggs has published, I am still amazed, surprised and in awe of her imagination and unexpected machinations that she throughs our way and that is just a few factor why I love her writing. In the end, I flat out loved it! I don't think I can ever get enough of Briggs' storytelling! A re-read and a go to author for recommendations because I know everyone of those urban fantasy fans out there that picks up one of her works is going to enjoy it.
I received this ARC copy of Burn Bright from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my honest and voluntary review. Burn Bright is set for publication March 6, 2018.
My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega
Sequence in Series: Book 5
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Alpha-O...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burn...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/burn...
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
Click to Enter:
Tome Tender Book Blog Giveaway
1 Winner of a Mass Market copy of
CRY WOLF
by Patricia Briggs
Book 1 in the Alpha and Omega Series
Giveaway Runs Feb. 2 - March 6, 2018
Winners must have USA Mailing Address Only
Bran has left the pack to Charles while he heads to Europe to deal with an emergency with Mercy. Once that emergency is over Bran extends his absence from the pack by stating he is going to visit Samuel leaving Charles and his mate, Anna, to deal with an emergency call from a wilding’s fae mate.
You’ve gotta love the bond between Charles and Anna and in Burn Bright Briggs shows not only that bond but the wildings, extremely unstable shifters, and even Charles and his bitch mate (yes, she is a bitch, but still his mate). These mate bonds come into play like never before making for some swoon worthy reading.
Reading every book Briggs has published, I am still amazed, surprised and in awe of her imagination and unexpected machinations that she throughs our way and that is just a few factor why I love her writing. In the end, I flat out loved it! I don't think I can ever get enough of Briggs' storytelling! A re-read and a go to author for recommendations because I know everyone of those urban fantasy fans out there that picks up one of her works is going to enjoy it.
I received this ARC copy of Burn Bright from Berkley Publishing Group - Ace. This is my honest and voluntary review. Burn Bright is set for publication March 6, 2018.
My Rating: 5 stars
Written by: Patricia Briggs
Series: Alpha and Omega
Sequence in Series: Book 5
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Ace
Publication Date: March 6, 2018
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Bright-Alpha-O...
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/burn...
Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/burn...
For more reviews check out Tome Tender's Book Blog or find us on Facebook.
March 13, 2018
This spin off series is not as "fun" as the Mercy-centric series (because Mercy is the best), but I still find myself reading these. Partially because they sometimes give us more insight into Bran, who has always piqued my interest. And man, did this book deliver on the Bran front even though he barely even directly appears in this book. When you get to the part where Anna reveals a very interesting insight she has about Bran, you'll know what I mean! It was a jaw dropping moment for me.
Ok adding more with MAJOR SPOILER TAGS to address the issues stemming from the Anna conversation
Anywho, this installment has Anna and Charles interacting with more of the "broken" wolves Bran keeps under his thumb in Montana while also solving a mystery and battling unknown foes. Good stuff! It's not particularly fast paced but I still read this in 24 hours, so it definitely kept my interest. I think this is a solid addition to the series.
Ok adding more with MAJOR SPOILER TAGS to address the issues stemming from the Anna conversation
Anywho, this installment has Anna and Charles interacting with more of the "broken" wolves Bran keeps under his thumb in Montana while also solving a mystery and battling unknown foes. Good stuff! It's not particularly fast paced but I still read this in 24 hours, so it definitely kept my interest. I think this is a solid addition to the series.
March 15, 2018
I don’t read a lot of urban fantasy, but I do read everything that Patricia Briggs writes. After I read the first book in the Alpha and Omega series I was hooked, and Patricia Briggs became one of my favorite authors. Each of her books are a treat to read and enjoy. As soon as a new book comes out I make sure that the kids are in bed and I have no plans for the next day. Because I know I will be up all night until I read that last page…
The Alpha and Omega series is about two werewolves (a mated couple) Charles and Anna. Charles is the son of Bran who is over all the werewolves in North America. Anna is a rare Omega wolf. She is special in many ways and one of them being that she is not a submissive wolf.
In Burn Bright Bran is away on ’vacation’ so Charles is left to watch over everything. Of course, they get a message saying the one of their wolves are in trouble. Charles and Anna with the help of some of the pack begin to learn that this trouble could be because they have a traitor in their midst…
Burn Bright is the fifth of the Alpha & Omega series and sure you could read as a standalone, but I really, strongly suggest you don’t. You will get so much more enjoyment of this book if you have started reading the series from the beginning. This is one of my favorite series to read so naturally I am waiting impatiently for the next book to come out.
The Alpha and Omega series is about two werewolves (a mated couple) Charles and Anna. Charles is the son of Bran who is over all the werewolves in North America. Anna is a rare Omega wolf. She is special in many ways and one of them being that she is not a submissive wolf.
In Burn Bright Bran is away on ’vacation’ so Charles is left to watch over everything. Of course, they get a message saying the one of their wolves are in trouble. Charles and Anna with the help of some of the pack begin to learn that this trouble could be because they have a traitor in their midst…
Burn Bright is the fifth of the Alpha & Omega series and sure you could read as a standalone, but I really, strongly suggest you don’t. You will get so much more enjoyment of this book if you have started reading the series from the beginning. This is one of my favorite series to read so naturally I am waiting impatiently for the next book to come out.
March 15, 2020
Not much to add to my first review. The famous conversation came out of the blue and did not sit well with the rest of the story. So I am really looking forward to finding out if this topic will get a lot more coverage in the next Mercy novel coming out this month. Why else even stick it in there, as it was never mentioned in any of the many previous books.
This time around I did not know who the bad guy was and really only clocked on in the last moment. The story didn‘t keep me up at night, but it was good. I liked the look at the various wildlings and loved the altercation with the vikings. Fun!
Onwards to the last book of my re-read!
P.S.: Forgot about that playlist down there. This book is the reason I started to actually listen to Dolly Parton. I recently watched a documentary about her on Netflix. Turns out she is not the dumb, enhanced bimbo she looks like! Why do women do that to themselves? I will never understand that...
————
Reading order and progress of my chronological Mercyverse re-read:
- Next: Storm Cursed, ★★★★★, Mercy #11
- Next: Smoke Bitten, pub date March 2020, Mercy #12
Complete time-line for the "Mercyverse", including the short stories:
http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/t...
————
First read in 2018: ★★★★☆
Very early in the book there is a brief conversation between Charles and Anna, that upset some of my goodreads friends quite a bit. It might cause them to stop reading this series and also Mercy Thompson. I was surprised when I read that conversation, mulled it over a little, but was not massively perturbed by it. It might or might not be a plot bunny for later books, we shall see.
Unfortunately the comment thread of that review had spoiled me by revealing who the traitor in this story is. That obviously took some of the suspense out of the story.
The plot as such was pretty straight forward and simple, the action was good, we get a deeper look into Anna‘s ever developing skills with her gift. Leah gets some page time that helps to make her a more interesting character. I liked it, solid addition to the series.
Playlist:
Johnny Cash, Hurt
Bobby Dylan, Knockin‘ On Heaven‘s Door
Waylon Jennings, I‘ve Always Been Crazy
Johnny Cash, Personal Jesus
Patsy Cline, Crazy
Dolly Parton, The Company You Keep
This time around I did not know who the bad guy was and really only clocked on in the last moment. The story didn‘t keep me up at night, but it was good. I liked the look at the various wildlings and loved the altercation with the vikings. Fun!
Onwards to the last book of my re-read!
P.S.: Forgot about that playlist down there. This book is the reason I started to actually listen to Dolly Parton. I recently watched a documentary about her on Netflix. Turns out she is not the dumb, enhanced bimbo she looks like! Why do women do that to themselves? I will never understand that...
————
Reading order and progress of my chronological Mercyverse re-read:
- Next: Storm Cursed, ★★★★★, Mercy #11
- Next: Smoke Bitten, pub date March 2020, Mercy #12
Complete time-line for the "Mercyverse", including the short stories:
http://www.patriciabriggs.com/books/t...
————
First read in 2018: ★★★★☆
Very early in the book there is a brief conversation between Charles and Anna, that upset some of my goodreads friends quite a bit. It might cause them to stop reading this series and also Mercy Thompson. I was surprised when I read that conversation, mulled it over a little, but was not massively perturbed by it. It might or might not be a plot bunny for later books, we shall see.
Unfortunately the comment thread of that review had spoiled me by revealing who the traitor in this story is. That obviously took some of the suspense out of the story.
The plot as such was pretty straight forward and simple, the action was good, we get a deeper look into Anna‘s ever developing skills with her gift. Leah gets some page time that helps to make her a more interesting character. I liked it, solid addition to the series.
Playlist:
Johnny Cash, Hurt
Bobby Dylan, Knockin‘ On Heaven‘s Door
Waylon Jennings, I‘ve Always Been Crazy
Johnny Cash, Personal Jesus
Patsy Cline, Crazy
Dolly Parton, The Company You Keep
January 5, 2019
First I want to address the The Conversation (as it seems to be known). If what they're saying is true then, yes, it's a 180 on everything we've been led to believe and, really, everything that makes sense. It's also incredibly lazy writing because not every man has to be in love with the female lead. That happens in these urban fantasy series with female leads pretty often and it's worrisome in the Mercy Thompson series where she has zero adult female friends. But not every unattached male who isn't gay has to have a thing for her. It's not necessary for creating tension. They live in a world full of magical creatures, for goodness sake! Sexual intent is not the least bit necessary for creating tension. In fact, it's kind of dull and cliched.
And as for not necessary -- that conversation itself was totally unnecessary. There is a simple, obvious explanation as to why
That said, third person POV is unreliable. Every time you get a character's POV you are getting information from an unreliable narrator. So, The Conversation was had by two unreliable narrators who proceeded to misread pretty much everything important in the story, one instance even going back a century to when part of the story began. People died because of their honest misinterpretations, so I'm not going to trust them on something already settled.
So I dismiss that. If Briggs is set on it, then I'm disappointed in her as a writer. It's lazy, unhelpful and unnecessary. And, if true, think about what else it then brings up: Nope.
It's unfortunate that an otherwise decent story was marred by that little drop of poison, because it was a pretty cool story. Tidy and suspenseful. A good read.
These books are too expensive so I got mine from the library.
ETA: so now I know Briggs confirmed it in a blog post, but I stand by my assessment of the situation. I think it's lazy writing and it doesn't take into account so many other issues that come into play if it's true.
ETA2: On further thought, I'm editing my rating down to 2 stars. There was some wiggle room as I explained above, but the confirmation nails it. I just can't imagine how
ETA3: I just finished a reread of the whole Mercy Thompson series and I'm revising my review of this book to 1 star because of the unnecessary, cheap retcon Briggs did with Mercy's relationship with Bran. Here is a review by my friend, Angela, where she has gone and pulled quotes from the MT series that show - clearly - The quotes are in her latest addendum. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I may add some more here, but she included many of the ones that I'd highlighted for myself.
After binging a reread, I feel even worse about this retcon. Because there is something really complex and interesting in the that gets cheapened and damaged (if not destroyed) by this cheap (did I say cheap before, I'll say it a million times because that's what it is -- cheap) fiddling with canon.
I'm going to come back with some more quotes and thoughts after I've had some more time to organize them.
December 9, 2020
3 stars
Though I enjoyed the BB story, a particular 'revelation' felt like it came out of nowhere, impacted my overall view of both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha & Omega series, and knocked me on my now unhappy and deeply disappointed ass.
So all those good feelings I had about
Potentially down the toilet.
This year, I have read/listened to all of the novels in the Alpha & Omega series up to this point and have two more left in the Mercy Thompson series. I have also read all the short stories in both series.
Didn't see this coming. Not sure I'm ready to believe it. Hate the idea that it's potentially true.
I struggled with my rating which could go up or down in future because I just can't make up my mind from one day to the next on this one. Storywise, I enjoyed most of it, but series wise, consistency wise, things feel off kilter with this book...
...and so do I.
So yeah, still processing over here.
Though I enjoyed the BB story, a particular 'revelation' felt like it came out of nowhere, impacted my overall view of both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha & Omega series, and knocked me on my now unhappy and deeply disappointed ass.
So all those good feelings I had about
Potentially down the toilet.
This year, I have read/listened to all of the novels in the Alpha & Omega series up to this point and have two more left in the Mercy Thompson series. I have also read all the short stories in both series.
Didn't see this coming. Not sure I'm ready to believe it. Hate the idea that it's potentially true.
I struggled with my rating which could go up or down in future because I just can't make up my mind from one day to the next on this one. Storywise, I enjoyed most of it, but series wise, consistency wise, things feel off kilter with this book...
...and so do I.
So yeah, still processing over here.
March 25, 2018
Charles and Anna are left as heads of the pack while Bran is off on a vacation to Africa, without this mate. Yeh it something is weird, but I'll not tell you what. So Charles if left with his mate and Leah. with all their issues and snipping at each other. Talk about a rock and a hard place, ouch. I know you're thinking poor Charles, hah ! those were the easy times. There are some wolves who live on the edge, the windings, bare sane if at all, there are under the pack protection, aka his. One very old and very powerful wolf is captured, her mate who holds enormous power asks for help. This is were you should start feeling sorry for Charles and Anna because things go really bad and have many strings attached. Somebody has betrayed them, perhaps somebody close. But they are not alone, they have the pack, and my favorite big bad wolf is prominent, Asil, the Moor.
Oh my, what a twisted knot. Charles and Anna , aww what a cute mated couple , blah blah blah. Asil, dark quiet mysterious and powerful is finally explored more in this book. His history, the glimpse allowed left me thirsty for more. He is such a tease. I want an Asil book, no I need one. The rest of the pack was interesting, and played well together.
I enjoyed it all, except Bran and... Bran went AWOL and acted out of character from what we've seen of him in the past. Something revealed about his possible motives for something way off base was sort of weird, I hope it doesn't lead anywhere. The mystery of who was pretty easy to figure out, the why wasn't. I was scratching my head going "Hey Wolf ?!?!? Didn't you get that ??? Hello ?" But they didn't hear me or Captain Obvious when he spoke to them.
Oh my, what a twisted knot. Charles and Anna , aww what a cute mated couple , blah blah blah. Asil, dark quiet mysterious and powerful is finally explored more in this book. His history, the glimpse allowed left me thirsty for more. He is such a tease. I want an Asil book, no I need one. The rest of the pack was interesting, and played well together.
I enjoyed it all, except Bran and... Bran went AWOL and acted out of character from what we've seen of him in the past. Something revealed about his possible motives for something way off base was sort of weird, I hope it doesn't lead anywhere. The mystery of who was pretty easy to figure out, the why wasn't. I was scratching my head going "Hey Wolf ?!?!? Didn't you get that ??? Hello ?" But they didn't hear me or Captain Obvious when he spoke to them.
March 13, 2018
There are some great ideas in this book.
There are some great characters in this book.
Unfortunately they take a back seat to Charles and Anna.
Don't get me wrong, I like Charles and Anna. They're great characters. I've enjoyed their story. But maybe it's time to move on. Explore some different characters.
If this book centred on Leah, Bran's wife / mate and the wildlings, I'm pretty sure it would have been a 5 Star book.
There are some great characters in this book.
Unfortunately they take a back seat to Charles and Anna.
Don't get me wrong, I like Charles and Anna. They're great characters. I've enjoyed their story. But maybe it's time to move on. Explore some different characters.
If this book centred on Leah, Bran's wife / mate and the wildlings, I'm pretty sure it would have been a 5 Star book.
January 11, 2018
Fantastic book, enthralling and captivating from beginning to end.
Full review to come...
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Full review to come...
For more of my reviews:
My Blog: Book Twins Reviews
Facebook Blog Page
Subscribe to Blog
June 6, 2018
I had so many issues. So, so many. I'm disappointed with everyone. With some more than others. I'm actually really angry.
I should have known. That cover looks too pretty.
2.5 stars
I should have known. That cover looks too pretty.
2.5 stars
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