River Marked (Mercy Thompson, #6)

by Patricia Briggs

The sixth novel in the international No. 1 bestselling Mercy Thompson series - the major urban fantasy hit of the decade

'I love these books!' Charlaine Harris

'The best new fantasy series I've read in years' Kelley Armstrong

MERCY THOMPSON: MECHANIC, SHAPESHIFTER, FIGHTER

Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. And she's never known any others of her kind. Until now.

As Mercy comes to terms with this new information, an evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River. Something deadly is coming, facts are thin on the ground and Mercy feels ill at ease. However, her father's people may know more. To have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need all the resources the shifters can offer. Or death will be the least of their worries.

A fast-paced adventure featuring the ingenious and appealing Mercy Thompson - mechanic, trouble-magnet and coyote shapeshifter.

Praise for the series:

'Plenty of twists and turns . . . Kept me entertained from its deceptively innocent beginning to its can't-put-it-down end' Kim Harrison, bestselling author of Dead Witch Walking

'I enjoyed every minute of it. I love Mercy and can't wait for her to kick some more ass' Lilith Saintcrow

Books by Patricia Briggs:

The Mercy Thompson books
Moon Called
Blood Bound
Iron Kissed
Bone Crossed
Silver Borne
River Marked
Frost Burned
Night Broken
Fire Touched
Silence Fallen
Storm Cursed

Shifting Shadows (Stories from the world of Mercy Thompson)

• ISBN10: 1101467215
• ISBN13: 9781101467213
• Publish Date: 1 March 2011
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Penguin Group USA, Inc
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 336
• Language: English

Reviews

[booksandcats]

I loved this book and specifically the insights into Mercy's native American background.

I would love to hear from someone who has any knowledge in that area, if this book is somewhat accuarte about the legends and stories and the way it depicts them, since I am not knowledgable at all in that area, but as far as it seems, the stories and background seems legit and respectfully written and makes me wish that more authors would take native american histories and mythology as an aspect of their stories, instead of "just" greek mythologie or other stuff that has been seen before.

[Rowena]

Mercy Thompson strikes again. This was another fabulous reading journey and I loved seeing Mercy and Adam battling the bad guys together. I can’t wait for the next one.

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4 ★

[littleread1]

FINALLY some of Mercy's Indian heritage comes to light. It was also neat to see Mercy and Adam on their own, without the pack and all the other backup they are used to, relying on each other, their instincts, and strangers. Though can I vote someone other than Mercy takes a beating next time? That poor girl is due for a break!

[nitzan_schwarz]

So, the best parts of this book are the Mercy and Adam scenes, hands down. Wasn't as in love with the rest of it, especially since a lot of my favs are not there for 90% of the book. I'm actually super interested in the next books 'cause this one sets a lot of things up!

2015 tbr challenge + cleaning my shelves 2015

As always, had so much fun with everyone!
And hooray for Adam face time!

[EBookObsessed]

The time has finally come for Adam and Mercy to say their wedding vows and after a beautiful wedding, they leave to spend several weeks alone on their honeymoon. There is nothing like a little time in the woods for a couple of shifters so they can spent their alone time both in their human forms and in their animal forms.
One of Adam’s clients is opening up a campground and has offered the pre-opened campsite for Adam and Mercy’s personal use and a friend has loaned a camper bigger than Mercy’s trailer for their use. Time away from the garage and from the wolf pack and Adam’s teenage daughter, all of whom are always at Adam’s house, is just what Mercy and Adam need to build on their mating bond and new relationship.

But a vacation for Adam and Mercy just can’t stay a quiet getaway. It seems the fae orchestrated the choice of honeymoon getaways for them based on a premonition had by the owner of the campground. Someone has raised an ancient evil from the bottom of the river and human flesh is its choice diet.

With the help of some local Native Americans, Mercy learns more about her own past and about the River Devil and how to stop it. Except the bait they need to lure it out, seems to be Mercy.

THOUGHTS:
Once again, after the world building has been set up, these stories just move, move, move. We do spend a bit of time going back into Mercy’s life story dealing with her Native American blood and her father and she learns several things that she just wasn’t prepared to learn.

And once again, what happens in this story will have an impact in the next so this is not a series which is easily picked up in the middle.

I definitely recommend picking up Moon Called and starting from the beginning. It is a great series for the paranormal lover.

This book was different than the other books in the series. The only main characters in this book is Adam and Mercy as they are on there honeymoon. I missed the other characters but this one was still good in that we learned quite a bit about Mercy's heritage and where she comes from. I think Patricia Briggs did a good job in expanding her story and was able to provide us more info about Mercy. Usually at the 6th book mark the characters start to get old, but Patricia is still able to expand her world with new elements and players, to keep things fresh.

[MurderByDeath]

Great read. As usual, the humour and wit shown in these books offsets the sometimes dark themes the plot lines incorporate. I loved the American Native Indian focus to this story; learning about Mercy's heritage, and the introduction of Coyote. I hope he'll be a recurring character in the remaining books. The River Devil was a little over the top, but the whole story was enjoyable, nevertheless.

[Berls]

For more reviews, see: Fantasy is More Fun

I think this book is the most confusing of the series so far; I enjoyed it much more the second time I read it, probably because I didn't inhale it in one night and therefore didn't get as confused.

Despite greater potential for confusion, this book is worth slowing down and reading carefully, since it explores a side of Mercy that is normally hovering below the surface - her Native American roots. I really enjoyed this chance to explore where Mercy get's her ability and her history; the other books focus so much on the werewolves and the supernatural entities that they interact with that it's easy to forget that Mercy is not necessarily one of a kind. I think it's about time we learned more about where she comes from.


Review from second read in 2020
I KNOW I thought this book was confusing when I first read it, but this time it wasn't confusing at all. I think having read it before helped, as did the fact that I was alert to it being confusing and really paid close attention. I also listened this time for the first time, so maybe that helped. And I've been binge reading the series, so everyone and thing is super fresh. I was surprised to be at this point in the series already - I remember thinking it took a lot longer for Mercy and Adam to reach this point in their relationship. I'm so enjoying this binge read though, and am glad I decided to join in Anne's read-along, even though I've totally skipped ahead of everyone at this point.

I also enjoyed that this book takes place mostly away from the pack - thus allowing us to see Mercy and Adam alone, developing as a couple. Oh and of course, there's a big bad and Mercy (AKA Trouble) finds her way right into the middle. Really great read - just take your time so you can enjoy it!

[Chelsea]

This book really freaked me out. It was kind of scary. Not in a Steven King kind of way but a creepy kind of way. The plot was really cool though and I really enjoyed it. I'm now terrified of going swimming in a river though. No big lose. It was worth reading. This is probably my favorite in the series so far. I just loved everything about it. I was really interested in the plot and how it was going to turn out. Especially because Mercy learns about her shapeshifting and father. This book is different from the others but it still fits in the series. I think a lot of people might not like it because of how different it is but give it a try and keep an open mind!

I liked the new characters in this one too. They were really cool. I still love Adam the most and there was A LOT of him in this book. I was sad that the pack isn't in this one though. It's just Mercy, Adam and some new people they meet while on their honeymoon. It's still a good read though and I really enjoyed it.

I'm nervous to see how long this series is going to be though. Long series aren't always the best. Sometimes you just need to stop writing and leave a little to the imagination. Hopefully it all turns out well!