Iron Kissed
Iron kissed
Characters: Mercy, Adam, Jesse, The pack, Zee, the fea, Kyle, As always the Mercy Thompson books are packed to the gills with characters, characterization, connections, and threads. This time around something seems off while it is mostly story (will elaborate below) theres also something off about the characters this time as well. Mercy is Mercy up to a point in this book in which she isn't mercy and then is but slowly. Mercy gets broken down and beaten and not in the ways you would expect she also makes a choice (two in fact) which will set the course for the rest of the series. Adam is smart, tough, protective, and loves Mercy and we see just how far he will go for her this time around, Jesse gets some screen time and she is over all awesome and we see that while she is human being the daughter of the alpha gives her some control, The pack is shifting and changing in some ways Ben has not one but two moments of awesome that make you see him as a better guy then before, Warren is as awesome as ever etc, Where there is Warren there is Kyle who also gets more screen time in this installment. Zee and the fea are the main creature for this book. We learn more about the Fea and fea politics but we also learn very little as well. Over all the characters were well done but this seemed rehashed just replace vampires with fea however the characters in them selves were well done and we see just how strong mercy can be. B-
Story: Compelling but not intriguing. Mercy is asked to help catch a murderer in the fea reservation and it snowballs from there as it always does. When you first open the book and start reading you can tell something seems off, the chapters, the pacing it seemed jumpy. If you don't like fairy's or fea then this is going to be a hard read as they are the focal point. The plot line of the fea murder and the way it ended seemed disconnected once you close the book you are left asking why the story of the fea murder also jumps around first mercy is helping out then something magical happens then she is sent home it is a weak plot line over all the jumpy skippyness in it does not help its case. Also the fact that the very little the fea politics we learn is confusing as no one can give a straight answer exactly in comparison to say the werewolves and vampires makes it slowly paced. The politics is always the weakest point since it can bog the story down however normally it is interesting enough that it keeps you wanting to know more. With the fea politics it was just slow, slow, slow, however what you could pick out (such as the gray lords are to be feared, fea can kill fea for protection etc) seems rehashed from the vampires and werewolves. The second plot line of the werewolves and who mercy is going to chose is more interesting and keeps you turning pages like a normal mercy Thompson novel however those moments are short lived as we have to get back to the fea plot. These two plots come to a head durning and after the event in Chapter 11. Chapter 11 something horrible and wrong happens to Mercy you can read the book yourself, or read another review to know exactly what happens but it sends the story into a dark dark path that even for and urban fantasy seems almost too dark. Even if you read other reviews and know whats coming actually reading it on the page is different. Very different. The events of Chapter 11 combined with the slow pacing make this a hard read unless you are a fea fan, however it is a must as it will set up events for later on in the series even if it reads like this is just a filler, slow, unnecessary, filler with a punch in the gut chapter it will be important (hopefully) C
Cover: Mercy leaning over a car fixing it, She has on jeans and a shirt that says “Mercy's Garage” Celtic looking sleeve tattoos and one on her back with a wolf face. This is one of the weaker covers as it doesn't tell you much about what is going in. With the first cover there was hints that this was a werewolf book, With the cover of book two it was red and had bats on it. This one doesn't say fea book other then the title and perhaps the car. Mercy's positions is also awkward looking more like she is sitting on the car then leaning over it, as with the other book she is also supporting tattoos that she doesn't really have in the book again this is more to allude to the fea aspect it being more celtic then normal. While this isn't the worst cover ever it doesn't really say “pick me up and read me” C-
Rating: Adult (violence, rape, murder)
Company: Ace books
My rating : 3 of 5. This was a trial to get though you all know as I have said it over and over and over again I. DON'T. LIKE. FEA. BOOKS. I just haven't found the right one that has stuck with me. So of course I'm very hesitate going into this one I also knew there was a sex scence as someone had said and a rape what I didn't expect what that those scenes were one in the same and not who I thought I'll say it now I thought it was Samuel since it would have made sense since if the summery to book four is to be believed he becomes suicidal. So I braced myself and that is not what happened not at all. What did happen shook me so bad I had trouble sleeping. For me this was the weakest of the mercy books dealing with fea but not giving me any reason to like them or the mythology it was a bore to read and I struggled with that then the punch in the gut chapter and it just pushed me away from it.
However I will with 100% certainty countiue the series book four brings back Stefan and the vampires, book five has a stunning cover (which is the whole reason I said yes to reading the series after being persuaded again) and book six well book six has something special. Like mercy I can get over the shock and disgust this book left me with and countiue focusing on the characters I enjoy (Warren, Stefan. Adam, jesse,) and thats that