I really like Moon Called. This is my third read through and it still holds up fairly well. I am a little peeved that Mercy’s super intuition about the plot, but someone had to do the thinking parts so it might as well be her.
Not sure if I really appreciate the first big lore dump or if it’s really well done… cuz it’s a lot… it does, however, highlight that human tendency to other anyone who doesn’t fit into the nice little boxes. The Fae receive the same treatment as people of color, LGBTQ+ people, and Native peoples do in our world and I seriously doubt that sort of thing stopped in Mercy’s either. It’s really quite sad but unsurprising. I think I’ve decided it’s an alright lore dump, just seems a little weird as we have so far no encountered any Fae other than Mercy mentioning Zee in passing.
I find the pack structure of the Patricia Briggs Mercy Thompson universe kind of interesting. Not so much the individual packs themselves, but the overarching thing with The Marrok. Having a higher order or office or whatever to answer to isn’t something I’ve seen a lot. Usually it’s just the individual packs and you’re lucky to get any pack other than on the one you’re introduced to as a result of the story. It’s lucky there is a more-or-less neutral party to take an injured Alpha to, especially as Adam being injured had nothing to do with pack politics. Part of me would like to rant about how werewolf packs work differently than real wolf packs, but I’m just gonna chalk up all the “Alpha” nonsense to the human part of the brain influencing the wolf bits… and even then it’s problematic as fuck so… yeah. Also, this view there werewolves have towards humans is dumb, in my opinion. You might be a werewolf but I assume you spend more time in human form than wolf so treating humans as lesser and/or nonexistent is stupid. Aaand I won’t get started on the women thing… always prevalent in lycanthrope society apparently and always gross.
For some reason and despite a physical description of him, I have blended Sam with Sam from the Twilight series in my head. Probably the same name issue and probably because Charles is definitely Native in looks and Sam’s brother.
I love Warren and Kyle, but I’m not sure if that love was born here or later on down the line. Still, they’re great. Pretty sure it’s a later thing, thought Kyle takes Mercy’s outing of herself and Warren like a champ.
I am really amused that Mercy wears a lamb instead of a cross. Anita Blake does that same at some point, I believe. Makes sense and I truly agree with Mercy’s spiel about the torture device thing with crosses. I’m honestly not sure how I feel about the vampires being involved with the plot. Pretty sure it’s some setup for later… I don’t remember as it’s been a few years since the last time I was reading Mercy. There is a lot of world building that gets done here and it’s a little hard to keep track of everything. The vampires don’t play that big a role at all in Moon Called but they are part of the overall preternatural community of the Tri Cities so… much shrugging.
First off, I love love love this book and this series.
Second,
there's a crap ton of things that happen here, but it somehow doesn't
feel rushed --or rather, it feels the proper amount of rushed-- at all.
Feels more true to life where you're in a crisis and things just keep
happening one right after the other, some spurred by others. No long
bouts of thinking about things in-depth between actions or bits of
dialogue. It's honestly refreshing after rereading a good chunk of Anita
Blake.
Third, Mercy is probably my favorite heroine at the moment. She's no-nonsense in the best way. She and Adam make me laugh.
Speaking of Adam, I really enjoy the side characters in this. My main faves being Warren and Zee.
Anyway, I'm tired and gushing, so I'll leave it at: frigging loved it.
Favorite Lines
"Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, "At the very least, you will be polite to them." - Mercy Thompson and Evelyn
"Hard truths can be dealt with, triumphed over, but lies will destroy your soul." - Bran Cornick
"When a wolf watches a lamb, he's not thinking about the lamb's mommy." - Adam Hauptman
"I don't play games with people I care about, and I won't let them play games with me." - Mercy Thompson
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