Tuesday 13 August 2013

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs


Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, #5)


Title: Silver Borne
Author: Patricia Briggs
Rating: 4 Stars


Synopsis: At first Mercy's life seems to have settled down but she soon finds herself embroiled in new conflicts with the werewolves in Adam's pack and with a mysterious Faerie Queen interested in a fae book that has found its way into Mercy's possession.


Review: As with the previous books in the series Silver Borne has its pros and its cons.

Adam is an incredible hero, and he and Mercy have the potential for an intense and spell binding relationship. Unfortunately, Briggs fails miserably on this front as the chemistry that builds up in the first two books never comes to fruition. Any and all intimate moments between the two either fade to black or devolve into the abstract. Yes, this is UF and romance is not the focus but if the author has decided to include this element, she should make a good go of it.

Moreover, the misogynist undertones have not improved. Once again, the secondary female characters are not presented in a good light. Aurelia seems to have accepted Mercy but I wouldn't call her a friend, Mary Jo reveals her true feelings - what a cliche! And Sylvia, who has actually been a sympathetic character up until now, takes a turn in the opposite direction. I'm starting to lose hope that Briggs will write a strong and likable female other than Mercy.

As in the earlier installments, several plot threads are introduced at the outset including the mystery surrounding the fae book, the conflict within Adam's pack, Samuel's emotional issues, and the attack at Mercy's garage. Nevertheless, these all come together quite quickly and the story is the most linear and cohesive in the series thus far. Of particular note is the manner in which Mercy's problems with the pack ultimately come to her aid against the fae and the resolution of Samuel's problems, which does seem to come out of nowhere but is satisfying nonetheless (looks like there is more to Samuel's past than meets the eye).

In sum, while Mercy and gang are an entertaining bunch, my difficulties with some of the ongoing themes in the books are preventing the series from moving beyond the realm of the simply enjoyable and into the realm of the truly spectacular.

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