Fire touched by Patricia Briggs
Mercy Thompson bk 9. Little Brown, 2016. ISBN 9780356507040
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Paranormal. Good versus evil. The 9th in
the Mercy Thompson series, finds shapeshifter Mercy and her werewolf
partner Adam and his pack, fighting a ferocious troll. Then they
find themselves with a human child, Aidan, who had been stolen long
ago by the fae and who can control fire, not always in the safest
way. Defying both the fae and their own kind, Mercy and Adam decide
to protect him no matter the cost.
I am a fan of the Mercy Thompson series and eagerly await each new
novel in this and the related Alpha and Omega series.
Patricia Briggs is a master in the art of portraying believable and
likeable characters, putting them into tense situations where they
have to make hard decisions about good and evil. There is depth to
all the characters and this makes the book a very enjoyable read.
Mercy's problems with some of the members of the pack not wanting
her to be Adam's mate feature strongly in this novel and family and
pack life are highlighted. Mercy is strong and level headed through
it all, not only fabulous in her action scenes but also in her
personal life.
In Fire touched, Mercy is not prepared to see a young boy
taken again by the fae and is determined to give him shelter and
Adam and his pack are around to give strong back-up. This results in
the fae giving chase and all are involved in some exciting and
thrilling events including evading a volcano troll and a trip to the
fae land of Underhill. Events show that if they are not careful
there could be a war where humans would suffer greatly and Mercy is
instrumental in trying to avoid this.
Each book in the series is self contained. It certainly helps to
have read the books in order, to see character development, but the
reader is not left on a cliff-hanger. There is however, plenty of
scope for future developments, especially with the status of the
werewolf pack. I suspect this series is one that older teens will be
seeking at their local libraries.
Pat Pledger