TL;DR: The twelfth book in the Mercy Thompson series, Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs delivers what readers come to expect from the series.
My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mercy Thompson and Adam’s wolf pack face yet another strong foe (Fae) in the twelve book in the series. Mercy and Adam also face fallout from the previous book and the unfortunate dealings with the witches. To top it off, something has escaped Underhill and is taunting Mercy and Adam’s pack.
I’ve read all the books in the series and count the earlier books as some of my favorites in urban fantasy. However, I’m finding I’m not as thrilled or excited to read this series as I used to be. There is a repetition to the series and a missing spark between Mercy and Adam that makes me less enthusiastic to read or finish it. However, the story is good, the mythology is strong, and I liked that there were repercussions from the previous books, so I’m rating it 4 stars.
The Plot
Underhill, the place and the fae who is it, locked the doors to it many years ago. She also let out of their prisons some nasty beings only the fae could countrol. In this new story, one of the prisoners escapes Underhill and invades the Tri-Cities area that Mercy has promised to keep safe.
This fae can look like anyone and a simple bite can put you under its spell. As the tension increases, Mercy is also dealing with the psychopath vampire wizard, Wulfe, who is openly stalking her. On top of that, her relationship with Adam is strained.
Can Mercy save the pack, her relationship and vanquish the mysterious prisoner before it’s too late?
What I liked & liked less
I like the mythology in this book and that Mercy spends a lot of the time running around putting out fires and trying to solve the mystery. I also like that it’s not as easy for her as it could be (if only she had access to Kate Daniels’ knowledge of all things myth, it would speed it up). I also like who this threat turned out to be, but I won’t spoil it for you. It was a good twist to the story.
The usual suspects are in this book, although there is less of Warren and Kyle than I would’ve liked. He’s one of my favorite of her friends and he barely makes an appearance. There’s also very little of Jesse, Adam’s daughter, another favorite.
The first people to suffer from the prisoner are people we don’t even know as they’re her neighbors that she no longer talks to. While Mercy suffered their loss, I didn’t feel it because they were side characters that may have made one appearance in the entire series. It would’ve been better to make it someone Mercy had interacted with more so that it hooked me in.
The other issue I had and have with this series is that only Mercy can figure it out. Only Mercy can vanquish the foe, even though everyone else has access to the same information she does. And I think that’s what my biggest issue with this series is nowadays. I’d love for other people to solve it or for her to be over her head and someone else, like Zee or Tad, to wade in and tell her who the bad guy is.
I also felt like there wasn’t as much as a spark between Mercy and Adam as before. Yes, they’re having issues and Adam is distant, but even when they sort of solved it, it didn’t have the playfulness and the complexity their relationship has had in the past.
To Sum Up (Too Late!)
If you like the Mercy Thompson series, this is another solid book in it and I’d recommend you read it. If you like sexy wolves, odd fae, and fun mythology, then you’ll like this book. If you like reading something that is comfortable, like an old pair of sweatpants, you’ll like this book, although the seat may be wearing out on them. For all those reasons and more, I give this 4 stars. It was good, not great, and I’m not sure when I’ll get around to reading the next book in the series.
About the Author
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.
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This fills in the Shapeshifters square on my Fantasy Bingo 2022 card.