Storm Cursed (Mercy Thompson, #11)

by Patricia Briggs

In this powerful entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling series, Mercy Thompson must face a deadly enemy to defend all she loves…
 
My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic.
And a coyote shapeshifter.
And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.
 
Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn’t stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.
 
The reality is that nothing and no one is safe.  As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death.
 
But we are pack, and we have given our word.
 
We will die to keep it.

• ISBN10: 0425281299
• ISBN13: 9780425281291
• Publish Date: 7 May 2019 (first published 7 March 2019)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Ace Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425281291

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I love being able to return to Mercy Thompson after so many years away. I'm catching up now and enjoying every minute of it. I wish it was a bit cozier, with more warm and fuzzy downtime for Mercy and crew instead of constant action, but that's the genre. I hope Urban paranormal cozies will be the next cozy subgenera.

[booksandcats]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a nice read, not the best in the series, but really really good. I liked to find out more about the witches introduced in Alpha&Omega. I have a problem with the concept of the torturing of innocents and all that, but it does makes for a fascinating story.

I just love this set of characters and Wulfe is hilarious.

I've got to be honest, the humans are starting to become kind of annoying haha. Always so wary. I mean, come on people, the fae, werewolves, witches and stuff have been around for centuries! If they wanted to kill all of you off, they would have done it by now, heavens!

[MurderByDeath]

My rating would indicate I wasn't all that thrilled with this book, but I was.  I thought it was a very solid entry in the series – it holds its own – though it isn't the best.   I had, overall, three disconnects with the book that stick in my mind after 24 hours.  From least important to most they are:   1.  The blurb set up an unreasonable expectation for me.  The blurb, coupled with the cover, made me think of the scene in X-Men 3, where Jane Grey unleashes the mother of all temper tantrums.  The reality in this book, while horrifying in itself, is rather underwhelming in comparison; it's not really a storm so much as it's a killing spree.   2.  I get it: Mercy really doesn't like being bound to Stefan, even though she freely admits she consented and that he's never, ever done anything to abuse her trust or exploit said bond.  To Mercy I say: get over it already.   3.  And this is really the stickler, the reason I rated a story I mostly enjoyed so low:  animal cruelty and death.  I get it - the story is about black magic that feeds on suffering - and I don't care.  I did not like the long swaths of descriptions; the story didn't need it either - it was horrifying enough without Briggs putting images in my head I'm really not happy about.  I frankly skipped large sections of the book when I discovered she was running with this "theme".   I can't believe I didn't DNF the damn thing, though the rest of the story was good enough that I'm glad I didn't.  But I'll vet her next books far more closely in future and I'm skipping any that appear to revisit this crap.   Beyond those things, the story really was good. I loved Sherwood's part in the story even though it was shades of Bran; Briggs still made it work well.  I found Larry the Goblin King sort of funny, and definitely intriguing - I enjoy stories about, if not underdogs, people who are underestimated.  It sounds like the goblins are woefully underestimated.  I have mixed feelings about Elizaveta, though I'll probably not miss her, and I enjoyed Mercy finally figuring out that her own strengths were unexplored.  It took her long enough, but at least she got there in the end.   Overall a strong story if you can overlook the animal cruelty, which I can't.  My enthusiasm for this series has suffered a significant hit; I won't go so far as to say I'm done, but I'm certainly looking at the next release with a lot more circumspection.

[Berls]

3.5 stars - I wasn't as focused with this read (may have been timing?) but I did still enjoy the characters and their were some unexpected moments in regards to the witches that I enjoyed.

[Rowena]

Well, Mercy does it again! She brought all of her friends together to fight the bad guys and I enjoyed the whole thing. Mercy continues to find herself in sticky situations but I love that she’s never above asking for help. This was a good one.

[Beth C.]

I love Mercy - always. But for some reason, this book felt like packing for the trip back home, knowing that things will soon come to an end. I don't know if that is the case, and I certainly have no knowledge, but...things were more somber in ways, and the story felt less...wild and out there crazy? But still typical Mercy. I'm probably making very little sense, as I just finished the book and am trying to talk about some incomplete feels, but...here we are :)

As for the actual story, it was excellent. Possibly one of my favorites. Some resolution in the pack, a surprising death (no spoilers) and...miniature zombie goats. I mean...how cute? In a weirdly terrifying sort of way? AND THERE WAS EVEN A...well...I *did* say no spoilers, didn't I. Hm. So anyway - loved this one. And, as usual, can't wait for the next one already.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

I'm not planning on doing a full review, but here are some thoughts- I just couldn't connect with this installment of the series, which left me wondering if perhaps it's time to end the series. When I was binging the series, I adored it. But now that I am waiting a year in between installments, my enthusiasm and connection with the newest releases has severely waned. It feels like the Sookie Stackhouse novels after #8. I'm definitely not accusing Briggs of phoning it in for a paycheck, but I can't deny that something was missing here.

I think Storm Cursed was too plot driven with not enough development. Everything is sort of felt rehashed and warmed over, like sticking last night's dinner in the microwave. I mean, I'll still listen to the next installment, because I feel like once you've heard the first 11 books in the series, you kind of have to ride it out. Hopefully Briggs will be able to get the series back on track and remember why we love it in the first place (Mercy!).

[lisacee]

I flew through this book, because it had to be returned to the library, and I probably should have taken my time a little more with it. It feels like it's been a while since the last Mercy book and I had a lot of trouble remembering who everyone was. I don't think this book will have many long terms effects on the story line - it just felt like more of the same.

[littleread1]

It just felt too short.

[Chelsea]

Not my favourite of the Mercy books but still a solid addition to the series. I liked how some old characters were brought back up and in an interesting way. I got a little bored near the middle but that "battle" at the end made it worth it. I love Wulfe as a character and am really happy we got to see him a little in this book. Plus seeing Zee and Tad working together made my heart really happy. I can't wait to see what kind of trouble Mercy gets into next.