Review: Fair Game by Patricia Briggs

Here's my review of Fair Game! Yay!! I really wanted to have this up at the beginning of the week and am so happy I managed it LOL. Also, it came a lot easier than I expected :) Seems like I'm really getting back my blogging groove! Double yay! Now, I need to get back to my TBR book... Otherwise, I won't make it on time ^_^;

Enjoy!!


Fair Game by Patricia Briggs
published by Berkley (Ace) in March 2012

They say opposites attract. And in the case of werewolves Anna Latham and Charles Cornick, they mate. The son-and enforcer-of the leader of the North American werewolves, Charles is a dominant alpha. While Anna, an omega, has the rare ability to calm others of her kind.

Now that the werewolves have revealed themselves to humans, they can't afford any bad publicity. Infractions that could have been overlooked in the past must now be punished, and the strain of doing his father's dirty work is taking a toll on Charles.

Nevertheless, Charles and Anna are sent to Boston, when the FBI requests the pack's help on a local serial killer case. They quickly realize that not only the last two victims were werewolves-all of them were. Someone is targeting their kind. And now Anna and Charles have put themselves right in the killer's sights...

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Alpha & Omega, Book #3

The Story: Ever since the werewolves have revealed themselves to the public, they have been under close scrutiny. They each have to behave carefully and be accountable for their action. The last thing they can afford is cause fear and being seen as animals. As such, the Marrok had no choice but to become more strict and less lenient. Unhappy with the new harshness of the laws, the Alphas have not dispensed the punishment, i.e. death, as they should. To enforce the laws, the Marrok therefore has to send in Charles. However, to kill for offenses that would have previously been pardoned... and so many werewolves that he knew is taking a toll on Charles. It is actually simply destroying him.

After Anna has brought this to Bran's attention, the Marrok realizes some changes are needed. In addition, it's time for Charles to play the hero instead of the bad guy... So he sends Anna and Charles to Boston which has become a serial killer's latest playground. As the last three victims were werewolves, the FBI would like a werewolf to consult with. As Anna and Charles offer their expertise, they realize that many of the serial killer's previous victims were fae. They hope that the FBI will accept their help in the investigation... especially since the next victim, a young half-human, half-fae woman, has already been taken and her life is in danger.

My Opinion: Finally, the new Alpha & Omega book!! I love the world Ms Briggs has created, but if I have to choose between the two series, it's Anna and Charles hands down for me :) And so I've really been looking forward to Fair Game. Do you realize that Hunting Ground was released in August 2009? That's 2.5 years ago! However, I can't help but wonder if this long wait has hyped up my expectations? Most probably ^_^;

Overall, I did enjoy Fair Game. It's Ms Briggs after all :) This means solid writing as well as an interesting plot. And indeed, I thought the whole serial killer case was very interesting. I liked the inter-agency investigation and turf war. I thought the FBI agents were good and solid characters and I really liked how they weren't afraid of Charles and Anna. Wary, yes, but there was no outright hatred or prejudice. What they wanted was to solve the case and they would accept Charles and Anna's help if it meant they would. I liked their interactions with Charles and Anna, trying to glean new information. These books have mostly been from werewolves POVs and involved supernatural beings. I kind of forgot that the werewolves just recently came out and how limited the humans' knowledge was. So this was a nice reminder.

I also very much liked the involvement of Alistair Beauclaire, a fae. He kind of made the book for me. In this type of world and story, it's always interesting to have such "old" characters. They have this kind of wisdom, knowledge and charisma that definitively enhanced the storylines in my opinion. They make the books more interesting by their life experience... We've seen Bran and Asil in previous books, both werewolves, and now, Beauclaire - from the get go, you know he's a powerful fae, but you don't know who. It's also all in the way they talk, always like half-thruths. Anyway, I thought Beauclaire really added to the story and the action and I was glad he was there :)

"It is not wise to give something old and powerful something they care about. And I am very old. Even possibly, older than your father."

Seriously, how can't you not be intrigued by this character? LOL. Also, those were the words of this book. They were very important and do not only apply to Beauclaire. Some foreshadowing perhaps? :P

One more thing I enjoyed was Anna and Charles' relationship. I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't as sweet as in previous books. Mainly because Charles has built some walls around him in order to shield Anna. However, the conflict in the relationship really worked and blend well with the storyline. Plus, I liked seeing how their relationship has evolved. I loved seeing Anna so much more confident, sure of herself. She's no longer hesitant towards Charles, their relationship or her position in the Pack. She understands Charles better than nobody and when he needed her, she acted. Even if it meant facing Bran. And when Bran didn't listen to her, she seek advice from Asil. She's really grown and it was a pleasure to see. I think it's now Charles' turn to let go and believe in Anna. She's strong and doesn't need him to shield her. So it'll be interesting to see how their relationship evolve in the next book.

While there was a lot to like about Fair Game, there were also some flaws. The biggest one for me was the mystery was not very suspenseful. I did like the case, the set-up, but I thought the investigation was a bit too linear. It was one foot in front of the other and they got to the end pretty quickly with very little surprise :( In addition, I thought the pacing or tone was a bit flat and that meant a lack of excitement. Like I wasn't sitting at the edge of my seat which is something I usually do with Ms Briggs books. Perhaps if the book had been a tad longer? I noticed that the Alpha & Omega books tends to be on the thin side. I mean, the firs three books of the Mercy Thompson series weren't thick by any means, but once the series switched to hardcover, it seemed they were normal thickness. Whereas Fair Game is not even 300 pages. Sure, the last thing readers want is for a book to be draggy... but you need a bit of balance. And the last thing is I wished there'd been a mention of how much time has gone by since Hunting Grounds. I know Fair Game takes place really soon after River Marked, since there's a mention of Mercy recovering from her injuries... but that doesn't tell me how long it's been since Hunting Grounds. One year? Two years? Because between Hunting Grounds and River Marked, there was Silver Borne. I'm just curious, because I think it would have told us a bit more about Anna and Charles' relationship.

And before I conclude my review, I want to mention the ending of Fair Game. I'm not going to say much, except that it was good. I really liked it, Beauclaire was awesome LOL. It also opens many, many doors for the series.

My Grade: B. There was lots to love and enjoy about Fair Game and I did. But ultimately, it came down to the feelings. The lack of suspense and excitement kind of took steam out of the book, so the impact just wasn't there. Basically, Fair Game was a solid book, but lacked the wow factor.

Review: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Don't you hate it when your planning goes awry? I was going to blog-hop and write the review yesterday while at work between my experiments. I was all psyched up, because seriously, I do miss blogging and commenting. Lo and behold though, there was no freaking internet connection for the whole day!! I mean, do you realize how much we depend on internet nowadays? And not just as a hobby but for work too! I was going to blog and blog-hop yesterday evening, but my sister used my computer for a while and I fell asleep ^_^;

Then again, there's always today right? :P

19 days till RT 2010 in Columbus!! Woohoo! I'm really looking forward to it :) You can't believe how my hands are itching to go buy books ^_^; but I'm trying hard not to. Really hard LOL.

*Warning: I usually do my best to keep the spoilers to a minimum in my reviews. However, it wasn't possible for this one. Therefore, read at your own risk!

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs
published by Berkley in March 2010

When mechanic and shapeshifter Mercy Thompson attempts to return a powerful Fae book she'd previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secret knowledge-and the Fae will do just about anything to keep it out of the wrong hands. And if that doesn't take enough of Mercy's attention, her friend Samuel is struggling with his wolf side - leaving Mercy to cover for him, lest his own father declare Sam's life forfeit.

All in all, Mercy has had better days. And if she isn't careful, she might not have many more to live...

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Mercy Thompson, Book #5

The Story: Seriously, I think the blurb has left out the most important element of Silver Borne, Adam and Mercy have to face "their" Pack. Okay, let's take it back from the beginning.

Mercy and Adam's relationship is deepening, but yet they're still at the dating stage. That's because Adam's Pack is still struggling from the past few events: accepting a gay werewolf in, taking a coyote shapeshifter for Alpha's mate, Mercy not knowing about Adam's declaration and her belated acceptance of the mate bond which kind of set Adam on the edge. You'd think things couldn't get worst, but they always can and what happens is a couple of wolves getting together and using Pack magic to create a gap between Mercy and Adam. While it doesn't work, it does declare loud and clear that there are issues in the Pack that Adam has to address and Mercy's decision not to move in has been the right one...

In the meantime, Mercy gets a phone call from Tad warning her to take care of the book about Fae that Phin lent to her. Mercy thus decides to return it, but the bookstore is closed and Phin cannot be found. After an incident at Mercy's garage, it quickly becomes apparent someone is after Phin, the book and Mercy... which means trouble for Mercy.

As if this wasn't enough, Mercy also has to deal with Samuel whose latest suicide attempt has failed and whose Wolf has taken over to keep them both alive. The only problem is letting the Wolf in control - that's usually a death sentence and now, Mercy has to figure out a way for Adam and Bran not to find out.

My Opinion: I'm a self-professed fan of the Alpha and Omega series by Ms Briggs. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the Mercy Thompson series, I do, but between the two, I prefer Alpha and Omega. I guess it's Charles and Anna :P Still, I've been looking forward to Silver Borne because I do enjoy the series, but I wasn't super excited like I can be for other books because I didn't really know what to expect of it.

After reading Silver Borne, I was content. The book doesn't disappoint, it's a solid good read, but it didn't blow me away either. As always, Ms Briggs' writing is great, she has captured Mercy's voice and the style is easy to read. There's also a lot of characters/relationships development and this is always something that readers look forward to. Where the book falters a little bit in my opinion is the plot.

As you can see in my summary, I would break down Silver Borne into three parts/storylines: the Pack,Samuel and the Fae. My favorite part of Silver Borne was Pack business and this is something Ms Briggs excels at. Unlike other werewolf series, I feel that Ms Briggs has done a great job throughout the series with her world building of Pack - the hierarchy, the dominance, the interactions, etc. She hasn't simply told us about it, but has shown us - mostly through the Alpha and Omega series. In addition, Ms Briggs' werewolf packs are very similar to royal courts with their intrigues and politics and it's just something I find interesting and fascinating. I thought Ms Briggs had a great plot concerning the Pack in Silver Borne, it was exciting and clever and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough to find out more :D Basically, Adam's Pack hasn't been united for quite some time and there is a number of reason for it: Warren - the gay werewolf, Mercy - a coyote skinwalker, and the fact that it took so much time for Mercy to accept Adam as a mate which put Adam's on the edge and almost broke the Pack. Obviously, not every werewolf is happy and some have taken it upon themselves to create even more havoc - either to break up Adam and Mercy or simply take Adam's place as Alpha. Like I said, this was the best part of the book because I was really engaged. The bonus was getting more on Mercy and Adam's relationship since their relationship is somehow intertwined with Pack business. I enjoyed seeing Mercy and Adam together, how much they care about each other and have each other's back. I'd say this is the most romance/interaction between the two that readers have been able to witness and I'm really glad for it :D

Samuel's storyline was okay. I have to say, this was the storyline that worried me the most coming into Silver Borne because I read somewhere on blogland (I thought it was Renee's blog, but perhaps it's Mandi...) that Samuel's situation would get resolved. For some reasons, I assumed that meant he would be featured predominantly/the focus would be shifted to him. That worried me because while I like Samuel's character, I don't feel a connection to him. He's been quite on the sideline, coming out only when Mercy needs help. I just feel we don't know him enough to have him suddenly be the focus of an installment. However, I was wrong. Yes, Samuel was more present, but the focus wasn't really on him, so that was good :D Unfortunately, as I said, his storyline was only okay. I liked the part where Samuel's wolf (Sam) took control because he wanted to survive. The whole situation was quite interesting and I liked seeing Samuel's wolf and everyone else's shock and fear, but also the whole repercussion, i.e. hiding it from Adam and Bran :P What didn't work for me though was how his situation was resolved. Samuel's longevity has taken a toll on his mind, especially the loss of his children - that none of them made the transition. As a result, Samuel is depressed and suicidal... so what would bring him out of this funk? The answer was quite obvious - bringing up a love interest. However, I'm disappointed because it felt to me Ms Briggs took the easy way out: bring someone from Samuel's past up, someone that apparently, Samuel has been in love with. It seemed to me, if Samuel has really been in love with Ariana, who's a Fae by the way, he'd have kept track of her... or at least, he wouldn't be in the situation he is. When he started being so depressed, he could have tried to look for her, do something. Sure, Ariana is not really fond of werewolf so that's why they couldn't be together in the past and Samuel was being considerate and etc. However, everything just seemed to be resolved so quickly and easily. As soon as Samuel saw Ariana again, he suddenly wanted to live... There was no real development or transition. It just felt off after all the angst he went through. You'd probably get the same result with a new character, but at least, there'd be a bit more development, reasoning. That's why I feel Ms Briggs took the easy way.

Finally, there was the storyline with the Fae. It started out good, especially with the bounty hunter scene... but then, it took a backseat to the other two storylines and it never gained back the momentum. In other words, I just lost interest in that part of the book. In comparison with all the other adventures Mercy has gone through, this one fell flat for me. Thinking about it, it was probably just a foil to introduce Ariana... As a result, I can't exactly say that Silver Borne would have been better without it, but it could have been better. Most probably because the ending was rushed. Ah well.

All in all, Silver Borne was an enjoyable book. It was good and solid, but not a wowzer. Those who enjoy characters/relationships development will be very pleased, as I was. I really enjoyed the Pack aspect of this book, perhaps because it reminded me a lot of the Alpha and Omega series. However, I thought the two other storylines were a little weak, especially compared with previous installments of the Mercy Thompson series. Still, I have to say that Ms Briggs did an impressive job linking all three storylines together. The pacing was a bit off, but all three storylines was necessary to make Silver Borne :)

I hope that in the future, the books will focus a bit more on Adam's Pack. Ms Briggs have created a great cast of secondary characters and there's a lot of potential, especially since the Pack is on the road for recovery. I wished there would have been more of Warren and Kyle in Silver Borne :P I really like them. However, I'm content that Ben is getting more development. I didn't like him at first, but he's turning out to be a really interesting character :) By the way, do anyone know whether werewolf can become more dominant? Or their dominance level is set once they become werewolf?

My Grade: B++.

Review: Hunting Ground

Is anyone watching the US Open? I can't wait for today's match between Kim Clijsters and Serena Williams... and I'll be cheering loud and clear for Kim! Actually, what would be fun is an all-Belgian finale :)

I'm up again today over at Breezing Through. I'm on a roll with my reviews!! It could be a first, but I might review all the books I've read in a month! :) That'd be great and a new personal best for me LOL. So today's review is with Renee from Renee's Book Addiction . It was easy to choose a book, since we were both eagerly waiting for Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs. It was great fun to discuss and you can find the review on Renee's blog here (love her formatting, she has some nice pics!!) or here, on Breezing Through.


Hunting Ground by Patricia Briggs
published by ROC Fantasy in August 2009

Anne Latham didn't know how complicated life could be until she became a werewolf. And until she was mated to Charles Cornick, the son--and enforcer--of Bran, the leader of the North American werewolves, she didn't know how dangerous it could be either...

Anna and Charles have just been enlisted to attend a summit to present Bran's controversial proposition: that the wolves should finally reveal themselves to humans. But the most feared Alpha in Europe is dead set against the plan--and it seems like someone else might be, too. When Anna is attacked by vampires using pack magic, the kind of power only werewolves should be able to draw on, Charles and Anna must combine their talents to hunt down whoever is behind it all--or risk losing everything...

Review: Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

I might have been on the last bandwagon for the Mercy Thompson series, but I'm determined to be on the first for Cry Wolf... I just love Anna and Charles LOL :)

As a new fan of the series, I was very happy to find out I wouldn't have to wait too long for my next Patricia Briggs werewolf world fix, as Cry Wolf was coming at the end of July. I've been checking the online store indicator for the past week, 3 times a day, and I rushed to the bookstore when it finally appeared that they had received their copies. Luckily for me, it was already shelved too!!

There's already been a lot of good reviews for the book and here is mine :)


Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs
published by Berkley in July 2008

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she'd learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack member and as his mate.

Genre: urban fantasy, werewolf
Series: Alpha and Omega, book #2 (book#1 is the novella by the same name as the series in the anthology On the Prowl) - also connected to the Mercy Thompson series.

The Story: Anna's background was given in the back blurb, so I'll just add some facts. She was part of the Chicago pack and her alpha had her brutalized in order to keep his mate 'sane.' Because of the alpha's bad decisions for his pack, Charles Cornick, the Marrock's son and enforcer, was sent to deal with him. After taking care of business, an injured Charles is returning to Montana with Anna.

From the first moment, Anna and Charles were attracted to each other and their wolves have chosen each other as mate. She has followed Charles in order for her to learn how to be a werewolf as well as to work out their relationship. Not to help matter, Charles is sent to hunt down a rogue werewolf...

My Opinion: This book was great and I hope it'll turn into a series :) I simply love Anna and Charles, they are such a cute couple with awesome chemistry between them. I really enjoyed their interaction with each other and how Charles was so protective and their possessiveness towards each other. I have to admit however that a little bit of communication between each other would have helped, but then at the same time, that's Charles and Anna... Two quiet personality, but unbelievably strong.

I lift my hat to Ms Briggs that she was able to write Anna's character with such balance. What I especially like is how you cannot mistake Anna and Mercy. Both women are so different, obviously not from the same mold or template. I find myself loving Anna more than Mercy. Mercy is all strong, tough and independent while Anna's strength is more subtle, more admirable. I also loved Charles and personally can't wait to find more about it. I like how the appearance of Anna in his life has changed things, changed him a little. I hope that Anna will be able to bring out a bit more of joy...

I think the storyline was great and I definitively enjoyed the mystery. It was very interested and definitively not I was expecting. I like how the synopsis and first few chapters makes you believe that the werewolves have it all figured out and then, there's a huge twist. Ms Briggs was very clever with her writing. Another interesting aspect of Cry Wolf is that it definitively focuses more on the werewolves, the dynamic of the pack, the rules and the way they live. In the Mercy Thompson series, we had other paranormal races introduced and so, Ms Briggs had to build those races, eg. the vampires or fae. In Cry Wolf, as I said, it's very focused on the werewolves and it's different to see it from the werewolves point of view. Mercy might have been raised with werewolves, but after all, she's a coyote. Also, there are a lot more background information on the Marrock, Sam and Charles which make it very interesting and kind of fill some holes.

Finally, I have to applaud Ms Briggs writing. Cry Wolf takes place, time-wise, after Moon Called but before Blood Bound. Ms Briggs was able to go back in time, set Cry Wolf in that time frame seamlessly. Also, what I like the most is that Cry Wolf was written at the third person, so you get everyone's point of view and it gives a distinct feel to the book, different from the Mercy Thompson series. Yes, the books are connected and occured in the same world, but if Ms Briggs decide to start a series with Charles and Anna, then there will be no mistaken the two. By changing the point of view, Ms Briggs was able to give a sense of uniqueness to Charles and Anna.

My Grade: B+ . A great book with more romance than I expected. The only reason it's not getting an A is because I thought it was a bit rushed and I'd have like for Charles and Anna to have more time to get to know each other, spend more time without any threat or pressure.