Goldilox and the Three Weres: Review: Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Silver Borne
(Mercy Thompson #5)
Patricia Briggs
Release: March 30, 2010
Goodreads Amazon

When Mercy Thompson, mechanic and shape-shifter, attempts to return a powerful fae book she previously borrowed in an act of desperation, she finds the bookstore locked up and closed down.

It seems the book contains secrets -- 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 Samuel's life forfeit.

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

Review by Rose Red:

This reread is reminding me how much I love this series and world that Patricia Briggs has created.I don't think I'm going to ever get tired of Mercy's world. Mercy Thompson, I love you and I hope you never change!

Sometimes a good urban fantasy series begins to fizzle out more quickly after four or five books because things get repetitive or there gets to be too many unanswered questions. When that happens, I'm lose the motivation to devour the latest book as soon as I get it. Most of the time I still want to know what happens. So I'll wait to pick it up. Sometimes we're lucky enough to get an answer to some questions but other times we get four new questions to take their place. Thank heavens, the Mercy books are still a "ZOMG! MUST READ NOW!" series.

I think this series continues to be strong because the author has stayed true to the character she originally created. Mercy has matured, certainly, but she has not drastically changed. She's still a top notch mechanic, she's still not the biggest badass on the street, and she still worries about those she loves. Each book ties into the one before, but not with drastic cliffhangers that leave everyone annoyed. More like loose ends that once pulled, unravel into a new story. Here, the plot stems from a book that Phin lent Mercy previously, and the unresolved status of Samuel. Some nasty Fae want the book, and now that Mercy has chosen Adam, Samuel's character comes to the fore front. This book has a lot of development of interpersonal relationships (Mercy is still dealing with Tim's assault), and a lot more detail on werewolf society especially now that Mercy is part of a pack.

This book, guys! This book! It's different from earlier books because it focuses more on the romance, but there's still plenty of action and mystery in this book. We learn more about Samuel and his past which is both heartbreaking and intriguing. Oh! What is it that I see? A potential romance for one of my favorite characters? Why yes! I'll take it. Seriously, I ship it so hard, guys.

This book holds a number of changes for Mercy and her friends. The most anticipated thing for me in this book was Mercy's relationship with Adam. The pack is still not completely welcoming to a coyote and a few pack members decide to meddle in Adam's and Mercy's relationship. One of the best things about this series is the real and growing relationship between Adam and Mercy. Briggs doesn't just throw these two into each others arms but instead we get the pleasure of watching two people become a couple. Love does not conquer all but a strong Alpha werewolf and a coyote with a gun can sure reduce the number of their detractors.

Briggs' writing is tight. I'm still SO invested in the characters and the story definitely builds upon that investment. Familiar characters appear, but she resists throwing in a cameo for everyone we know. If they aren't relevant to the plot, they don't appear. So, we get Zee and Bran but no Stefan. I thought the Fae mystery was great but the strongest part of the book for me was the werewolf material. Adam's pack is a little dysfunctional, and it puts Mercy in some tight spots where intelligence and intuition give her a slight edge. She's no match physically for any of the wolves, but she shows her mettle time and time again. This book was very satisfying and leaves room for more development and plotlines in future books. The "mystery" was rather simple and was quickly resolved overall. The main focus of this book was definitely about the character relationships and it succeeded brilliantly.

Overall, Silver Borne was yet another excellent addition to this amazing urban fantasy series!