Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, #3)

by Patricia Briggs

“Expect to be spellbound”* by Patricia Briggs’s #1 New York Times bestselling series starring Mercy Thompson. Being a lowly “walker” in a world of vampires, werewolves, and fae once kept her safe. But Mercy’s bark—and bite—are not so harmless any more…
 
Though Mercy can shift her shape into that of a coyote, her loyalty never wavers. So when her former boss and mentor, Zee, asks for her help, she’s there for him. A series of murders has rocked a fae reservation, and Zee needs her unique gifts, namely her coyote sense of smell, to sniff out the killer.
 
But when Zee is accused of murdering the suspect Mercy outed, he’s left to rot behind bars by his own kind. Now it’s up to Mercy to clear his name, whether he wants her to or not.
 
Mercy’s loyalty is under pressure from other directions, too. Werewolves are not known for their patience, and if Mercy can’t decide between the two she cares for, Sam and Adam may make the choice for her...


 
*Lynn Viehl, New York Times bestselling author

• ISBN10: 0441015662
• ISBN13: 9780441015665
• Publish Date: 2 January 2008
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780441015665

Reviews

[booksandcats]

This book...

First, it is a very very good book (in my opinion). I liked the books before this in the series, I like this maybe even more. I enjoyed, as alwys the World Ms Briggs has created and I was very much intruiged by how she is expanding it. I loved getting an insight into the Fae. One thing I really like about this series is, that not one species is superior then the others. They all have very different attributes, all with positive and negative implications and with very real and realistic consequences. Getting to know more about the Fae and Zee especially was fascinating and sometimes chilling, in a good way.

What I loved most are the characters, I like Mercy as the Main Character, but I also am really glad that the side characters aren't just there, but that all of them have development of their own and that we get to know more about them as Mercy does as well.

This book should definitely come with a trigger warning though, there are some very very hard to read scenes about sexual abuse and the trauma that the victims go through. Since I (luckily) haven't ever experienced something like that, I can't speak to how realistic or good the book deals with that trauma, but for me, it seemed real, very impactful and I belived it and I felt it. I felt the Trauma of Mercy and I personally liked how Ms. Briggs dealt with it. I do hope that it is something addressed in further books, as I believe it isn't something that can be overcome quickly, but rather something that would need to affect Mercy from some time to come.

To end this review on a higher note, I loved how the book dealt with Samuel and Adam and the love triangel and that it was resolved, I like that it wasn't made out to be Mercy just being indecisive, but that she was torn between two versions of herself basically, the one she was at 16 and the one now. Also, I loved that she realized that her decision would affect more than just her heart and feelings but, aside from her life, a lot of the people around her as well. It seemed a very nice and mature approach to a trope that, for me, usually involves a lot of immaturity, whilst still providing all of the angst, chemistry and romance that comes with it.

So, I would definitely recommend this if you liked the previous books, but please be aware that there is sexual abuse in this book and it could be hard to read.

[Berls]

I had forgotten so much!!! The events of this book happened much earlier than I remembered, so they actually still sort of came as a surprise, despite having read it years ago. Love this series so much!

[Rowena]

I was gripped from beginning to end. This was not an easy book to read and I couldn’t believe my eyes when I was reading what was going on but this is the book that made me sit up and take notice of Mercy and everything in this world. I am completely hooked now. Be okay, Mercy!

[mitabird]

2.5 stars

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.75 stars

[littleread1]

1. I need these books to be longer, or for me to have more patience and listen to them slower. They are over WAY too fast.
2. I need more satisfying endings. I like getting into the nitty gritty conversations and this fade to black stuff makes me nuts. I NEED TO SEE THE THINGS. Especially at the end of this, when a decision is finally made firm and after certain events ... I want that convo. I NEED. All the things.

*growls* I WAS going to be productive tonight and do some other things that need doing around the house, and taking care of me by working out and stuff, but I GUESS I have to go ahead and start the next book.

You are a jerk Ms. Briggs. I am going to send my husband to you with his complaints. #Ihavenoselfcontrol #nointerventionneeded

[nitzan_schwarz]

This book is still brutal!! This is my third time reading it and I still cried??

So, despite the total awfulness of parts of this book, this one is one of my favorite in the series.

Mostly because of how Briggs handled the rape, and the way the rape victim feels despite knowing it's not their fault. The whole situation is completely heartbreaking, with the panic attack and the difficulty of returning to normal life, but it was also empowering and thought-provoking. And I loved the addition of Ben's insight because often times rape is treated like something that can only be done to a female when it's really not.

I love the resolution of the love triangle-ish situation, especially since my team won lol.

I LOVE Ben in this one. Warren and Kyle are still a highlight, but tbh when are they not?

Adam is a darling, and I love him both as a romantic interest and the Alpha.

Interesting to learn more of the fae and Zee.

Proper review sometime after my exam is done probably...

[EBookObsessed]

Mercy Thompson has always tried to keep out of the way of other preternatural creatures. When you know that goes bump in the night, you know it is best not to let them notice you. Growing up in a werewolf pack, Mercy has always been in and around pack business. Recent events have caused Mercy to now owe favors to the vampires and to the fae and she is making a lot of friends and enemies with both groups. The vampires calling in that favor didn’t go so well for Mercy, so what makes her think helping out the fae would be any better?

The Grimm brothers had it right. Fae are not nice creatures and everything they do comes with a price.

Uncle Mike and Zee, Mercy’s friend and mentor, have asked for Mercy’s help to find out who has been killing fae on the fae reservation. In her coyote form, Mercy’s nose can pick up the scent of anyone who has been at all the crime scenes. Except Mercy’s immunity to some magic allows her to see some things on the reservation that the fae don’t want outsiders to know about.

When Mercy points out the killer, Uncle Mike and Zee go to have a talk with him (fae code for make him disappear forever) only to find out someone beat them to it. Someone with enough strength to rip off a man’s head. Surprising the police arrive at the door just as Zee and Uncle Mike arrive and Zee is arrested for murder.

The Grey Lords who rule over the fae are more than willing to sacrifice Zee to the humans so that no more attentions is focused in on the fae, but Mercy is not willing to sacrifice her friend and let the real killer go free and the Grey Lords aren’t very happy with Mercy’s decision to get in their way.

THOUGHTS:
I am really getting into this series, but this was a much darker story than the two prior books. In the last one Mercy is helping the vampires but learning things that the vampires don’t want her to know, like how to kill a vamp. In this one Mercy is learning too much about the secretive and mysterious fae. Vampires each have different gifts and abilities, but that is nothing to the broad spectrum of the fae.

Even Zee becomes angry with Mercy in this story, but whether it is because she is drawing the attention of the Grey Lords by fighting Zee’s imprisonment or whether he is angry because Mercy tells fae secrets to the attorney she hires, Mercy isn’t sure. When Zee calls due the note on the garage (which is a serious fae spit-in-the-face), Mercy is heartbroken that she has lost her friend and mentor.

It is a much darker story since Mercy does not get away unscathed from this adventure. Fae magic is used against her in the most brutal way. This leads to anxiety attacks and PTSD issues in the next story. She is now being watched by the Vampire Mistress and the Grey Lords and being under the protection of the wolves may no longer be enough to keep Mercy safe.

Another great book in the Mercy Thompson series. This shows the inner working of the Fae community and how they operate in the world that Briggs has created.

This book focuses on Zee and shows Mercy's loyalty to those around her. And of coarse there is Adam and Sam which makes for a good read.

[MurderByDeath]

3.5 stars really. I was dreading this book because I knew what was waiting for me in it, but I had just finished a Janet Evanovich, and if that isn't inoculation enough against a dark, intense read, I don't know what is, so I picked Iron Kissed up off Mt. TBR and started reading.

There's no doubt that this is a great series with excellent characters. I enjoyed the slightly stronger focus on Samuel vs. Adam and I'm happy that this triangle isn't going to drag on indefinitely. I also really enjoyed finding out a bit more about Zee and some of the fae folklore, although the fae as a group don't hold a lot of fascination for me.

Iron Kissed is closer to a traditional murder mystery than the first two, and I have to admit I had the evil pegged from it's first scene, but there's so much going on in this book that it didn't at all matter - I'm not even sure the author's first goal here is to keep us from knowing who the evil is.

Finally the scene I dreaded the most: I was relieved to find the author didn't feel the need to be disgustingly graphic about the physical brutality, but she does manage to convey the horror and creepiness of the scene vividly by exploiting the mental angle. I think of all the disturbing scenes of the overall horror, the one in the car ride over to the garage was the most disturbing for me. In just two (maybe 3?) short sentences, I'm completely creeped out, and horrified by the lack of free will Mercy suffers. The garage scene felt a bit jagged - like a film clip that was missing frames - but I was completely ok with that. I was happy to have details filled in when needed after everything was over and the body parts swept up.

This isn't a series where I'll be reading the books back-to-back until I catch up, but I'll definitely keep on reading.