I started this series quite a while ago and tossed it aside because I just couldn't get into it. This time I listened to it in audiobook format and loved it so much I listened to them in sequence. I enjoyed every moment of it. 

 

 

Please note spoilers from previous three books are discussed here. Also trigger warning: rape. 

 

Ugh. So I was busy all weekend and just read books and didn't update because I just didn't have the energy. Sunday ended up being a time suck day (saw Halloween) and then I couldn't sleep (cause I saw Halloween) and every noise had me tense up and it didn't help matters that my cat kept looking past me like someone was there. I bring up these points to explain how I finished this book and the two other Christie books I am going to be posting reviews on later. 

I read "Bone Crossed" years ago. I own all of the Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega books, but after finishing "Burn Bright" this year, I was reluctant to even revisit Mercy. I have to say, that this one was a tough read just because I just couldn't get into it. I already knew what was going to happen, and I knew what other crap is going to be thrown Mercy's way, so I just felt frustrated and annoyed while reading. That said, this is still a good book. We have Mercy still dealing with being raped in the last book. She wants to be with Adam, but doesn't know if she's ready for all that entails. If that isn't enough, Mercy is now "marked" by Marsilla the Queen of the Vampires seethe in her area. Mercy killed one of Marsilla's people so she leaves crossed bones above her place of business letting everyone know that her days are numbered. Stefan is left a husk (literally) with the other werewolves in the Pack stepping up to make sure that he lives. Things are not that simple though at first glance. 

 

I do feel bad in this one that we finally have Mercy with an older female friend (Amber) who she hasn't seen in years. Amber comes for help with getting rid of a ghost that is bothering her family. We all know that Mercy can see ghosts and as she showed in Blood Bound, is able to get rid of them too. Too bad for Mercy that has walked into another trap dealing with vampires. I really do wish that Mercy had more human female friends. She's been all up in Pack business for the last 5 or 6 books and it's getting old. I think I called Mercy a Mary Sue in the later books, and she honestly is one. There's no situation she cannot win. 

The strengthened relationship between Adam and Mercy is wonderful to see though. Now that she has made her choice between him and Samuel, you get to see them both just totally go all in for each other throughout the book. There is a little hiccup with Stefan though and us finding out what it really means when a vampire bites you. 

 

Bran shows up in this one. Whatever to him. Used to be one of my favorites, now I just want to clobber him with something. 

Mercy's mother shows up in this one too. I really wish that Mercy had let her mother stay and actually talk to her about what happened to her. I think that Briggs glossed over this a bit in the later books. We know that Mercy was raped and it's even discussed how gentle Adam is with her because of this, he also asks permission with her and gets her full consent. I just think that it would be great for Mercy to just talk to someone about it that is a female friend. 

 

We do find out more about the vampires in this one and we get the first time that Mercy meets her faithful walking stick. That thing needs its own backstory. 

The writing was good, crisp with new information not previously known. The flow was off though. We had Mercy going back and forth between the Tri-Cities and Amber's place in Spokane. I just thought that there was a bit too much going on in this one starting off. Things get revealed in the end and make sense, but at first I felt a little lost.

 

The world-building with the vampires are more fleshed out in this one. I didn't realize how much I needed a break from the Pack in this one until now. 

 

The ending leaves Mercy with her walking stick and doing what she can to free/save some people that mean a lot to her. We get a lot of ghost action in this one too. 

 

The fourth Mercy Thompson books starts right after the trauma of "Iron Kissed" and then kicks it up a notch by literally dropping a tortured, ravenous vampire into Mercy's arms.

What follows is clever, dual plot novel, focused on vampires and ghosts, that moves the whole series forward.

 

I was impressed at Patricia Briggs' ability to continue to be inventive in how she shapes the supernatural world. "Bone Crossed" gives me a kind of vampire I've never encountered before. It also succeeds at mixing werewolves, fae, vampires and ghosts in a way that feels credible and doesn't leave me feeling I need a field guide to supernatural beings to understand what's going on.

 

The main strength of the series is the strong focus on character-driven narrative, not just Mercy's character but for the secondary characters as well. Even the rather unpleasant leader of the local vampires gains some depth in this book. Everyone is granted some complexity that helps make them real.

 

I also admire the way humour, especially banter, is used to leaven the dark themes of the book without undermining or denying them.

 

What keeps things fantasy fretwork grounded is the willingness to take a realistic approach to the emotional impact of events. Patricia Briggs acknowledges that, even when you're a kiss-ass heroine coyote mechanic raised by wolves, the aftermath of rape is months of panic attacks that leave you vomiting and curling up into a ball.

 

She also allowed Mercy to make a choice between the two men who want her. I'm glad we avoided the Stephani Plumb Purgatory of never being allowed to choose one man because unresolved sexual tension sells. I also think she chose the right guy, so I'm smiling (who knew I'd care?).

The fourth Mercy Thompson books starts right after the trauma of "Iron Kissed" and then kicks it up a notch by literally dropping a tortured, ravenous vampire into Mercy's arms.

What follows is clever, dual plot novel, focused on vampires and ghosts, that moves the whole series forward.

I was impressed at Patricia Briggs' ability to continue to be inventive in how she shapes the supernatural world. "Bone Crossed" gives me a kind of vampire I've never encountered before. It also succeeds at mixing werewolves, fae, vampires and ghosts in a way that feels credible and doesn't leave me feeling I need a field guide to supernatural beings to understand what's going on.

The main strength of the series is the strong focus on character-driven narrative, not just Mercy's character but for the secondary characters as well. Even the rather unpleasant leader of the local vampires gains some depth in this book. Everyone is granted some complexity that helps make them real.

I also admire the way humour, especially banter, is used to leaven the dark themes of the book without undermining or denying them.

What keeps things fantasy fretwork grounded is the willingness to take a realistic approach to the emotional impact of events. Patricia Briggs acknowledges that, even when you're a kiss-ass heroine coyote mechanic raised by wolves, the aftermath of rape is months of panic attacks that leave you vomiting and curling up into a ball.

She also allowed Mercy to make a choice between the two men who want her. I'm glad we avoided the Stephani Plumb Purgatory of never being allowed to choose one man because unresolved sexual tension sells. I also think she chose the right guy, so I'm smiling (who knew I'd care?).

The fourth Mercy Thompson books starts right after the trauma of "Iron Kissed" and then kicks it up a notch by literally dropping a tortured, ravenous vampire into Mercy's arms.

What follows is clever, dual plot novel, focused on vampires and ghosts, that moves the whole series forward.

I was impressed at Patricia Briggs' ability to continue to be inventive in how she shapes the supernatural world. "Bone Crossed" gives me a kind of vampire I've never encountered before. It also succeeds at mixing werewolves, fae, vampires and ghosts in a way that feels credible and doesn't leave me feeling I need a field guide to supernatural beings to understand what's going on.

The main strength of the series is the strong focus on character-driven narrative, not just Mercy's character but for the secondary characters as well. Even the rather unpleasant leader of the local vampires gains some depth in this book. Everyone is granted some complexity that helps make them real.

I also admire the way humour, especially banter, is used to leaven the dark themes of the book without undermining or denying them.

What keeps things fantasy fretwork grounded is the willingness to take a realistic approach to the emotional impact of events. Patricia Briggs acknowledges that, even when you're a kiss-ass heroine coyote mechanic raised by wolves, the aftermath of rape is months of panic attacks that leave you vomiting and curling up into a ball.

She also allowed Mercy to make a choice between the two men who want her. I'm glad we avoided the Stephani Plumb Purgatory of never being allowed to choose one man because unresolved sexual tension sells. I also think she chose the right guy, so I'm smiling (who knew I'd care?).