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Moon Called

Book 1 in the series:Mercy Thompson

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"Moon Called" by Patricia Briggs follows the story of Mercy Thompson, a Volkswagen mechanic who is also a shapeshifter able to transform into a coyote. Living in a small town in Washington state, Mercy navigates her life while trying to maintain peaceful relations with neighboring groups of werewolves and vampires. When a newly turned werewolf seeks her help, Mercy gets entangled in a complex intrigue involving the politics of various supernatural creatures in the area. Despite some clumsy exposition at times, readers are drawn into an alternate world with a captivating mix of characters and engaging storytelling.

Mercy's character is portrayed as a strong, relatable, and likable protagonist who faces challenges and mysteries within a world populated by werewolves, vampires, and faeries. offers a unique blend of paranormal elements, fast-paced action, and intriguing relationships, setting the stage for a series filled with supernatural adventures and unexpected twists.

Characters:

The characters are well-developed, with Mercy as a strong protagonist surrounded by a cast of distinct supernatural beings that contribute to the plot.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is engaging and fast-paced, with a balance of exposition and dialogue that allows readers to immerse themselves in the world.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot involves Mercy Thompson uncovering a conspiracy after helping a young werewolf, leading to murder, kidnapping, and tension within the werewolf community.

Setting:

The setting is in the Tri Cities of Washington state, creating an immersive backdrop for the urban fantasy narrative.

Pacing:

The pacing is generally quick and engaging, with consistent action, although some parts may feel convoluted towards the end.
I didn’t realize he was a werewolf at first. My nose isn’t at its best when surrounded by axle grease and burnt oil—and it’s not like there are a lot of stray werewolves running around. So when someon...

Notes:

Moon Called is the first book in the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs.
Mercy Thompson is a Native American Volkswagen mechanic who can shapeshift into a coyote.
The book features a cast of supernatural characters including werewolves, vampires, and fae.
Mercy was raised by werewolves, which gives her insight into their behavior.
The story involves a young werewolf named Mac seeking help from Mercy, leading to dangerous situations.
Mercy becomes embroiled in werewolf politics when Adam, the local Alpha, is wounded and his daughter Jesse is kidnapped.
Briggs builds a complex world with distinct mythology for each supernatural group.
The relationships between characters evolve throughout the series, particularly Mercy's love interests Adam and Samuel.
The book avoids excessive romance and focuses more on action and plot, which some readers find refreshing.
Sexual assault is a significant plot point in book three, and its aftermath affects Mercy's character development.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Potential triggers include themes of violence, kidnapping, and sexual assault that are present in the series.

Has Romance?

There is a romance element, but it's not the primary focus of the storyline. It develops gradually throughout the series.

From The Publisher:

THE FIRST MERCY THOMPSON NOVEL!

Moon Called is the novel that introduced Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson to the world and launched a #1 bestselling phenomenon…

Mercy Thompson is a shapeshifter, and while she was raised by werewolves, she can never be one of them, especially after the pack ran her off for having a forbidden love affair. So she's turned her talent for fixing cars into a business and now runs a one-woman mechanic shop in the Tri-Cities area of Washington State.

But Mercy's two worlds are colliding. A half-starved teenage boy arrives at her shop looking for work, only to reveal that he's a newly changed werewolf-on the run and desperately trying to control his animal instincts. Mercy asks her neighbor Adam Hauptman, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, for assistance.

But Mercy's act of kindness has unexpected consequences that leave her no choice but to seek help from those she once considered family-the werewolves who abandoned her…

"In the increasingly crowded field of kick-ass supernatural heroines, Mercy stands out as one of the best."-Locus

Ratings (251)

Incredible (52)
Loved It (121)
Liked It (42)
It Was OK (22)
Did Not Like (13)
Hated It (1)

Reader Stats (375):

Read It (261)
Currently Reading (1)
Want To Read (64)
Did Not Finish (3)
Not Interested (46)

4 comment(s)

Liked It
4 days

Love the characters but it was a little purple prosy and hand wavy.

 
Loved It
1 week

Re-Read: 21 Jan 2021 // ✮✮✮✮✮

( as a part of

SOS' Mercy Thompson series read )

First Read: Sept 2006 // ✮✮✮✮☆

"Livin's easier than dyin' most times, Mercy girl. Dance when the moon sings, and don't cry about troubles that haven't yet come."

This re-read, fifteen years later, was a lot of fun. I'd forgotten a lot, but I was surprise by all I'd remembered. Couples things that struck me: ➊ On my first read, I liked Sam. Now, not as much, certainly not for Mercy. That might be because

I know she's with Adam and they fit. And, as much as I might empathize with Sam's reasons for wanting to mate with Mercy when she was younger, I don't like how he was lying by omission about them.

➋ I miss Stefan, a lot! I already missed him in recent installments, but now that I've reconnected with "early Stefan", I miss him even more. I hope he's more present in future installments.

 
Loved It
3 weeks

I had heard a lot of recommendations for this series, and I was worried that I would be disappointed by my high expectations. Happily, I wasn't. It's a fun, fast read with characters I was happy to follow. The plot... eh. It was a little convoluted, and when the big reveal happened, I actually had to go back and re-read those few pages, because my reaction was "...what?" Maybe a touch anti-climactic. But that honestly didn't impact my enjoyment of the book, because this is one of those books you read out of affection for the characters and their interaction with each other, not because it tells some jaw-dropping story. And I totally don't mean that in a condescending way. It's a book version of chocolate. Nom nom nom...

It was fun! Fun enough that I already started Blood Bound. :-)

Re-read, March 2017:

I just finished book 10, and wasn't ready to leave this world, so I jumped into a series re-read. I loved this book so much more the second time around... probably because I just adore Mercy, Adam, Samuel, Warren, Kyle... the whole cast. And watching them dance around each other, before their relationships have firmed up, is great fun.

Re-read June 2024

You know the thing that stands out to me the most in this re-read? It's Adam. He's a sneaky, sneaky man. It was subtle, but after 14 books of this series and feeling like I know these characters as if they are good friends of mine, I can see that sneaky, clever wolf hunting Mercy. I don't know when, exactly, he developed a thing for her, but he was circling her well before this first book. Wolves really are patient hunters.

 
Did Not Like
5 months

This could have been great but she added Christian moralizing and "preaching" to everything and has no understanding of other religions to the point of absurdity.

 

About the Author:

Patricia Briggs is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Mercy Thompson urban fantasy series and the Alpha and Omega novels.

 
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