ARC Review: Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1

Author: Patricia Briggs

Genre: Urban Fantasy; Graphic Novel

Release: March, 2011

Source: Netgalley

Rating: 3.5/5

Description: Mercy Thompson inhabits two worlds without truly belonging to either. To the human inhabitants of the Tri-Cities she's an oddity, a female mechanic operating her own garage. To the town's darker residents, werewolves, vampires, and fae, she's a walker, a last-of-her-kind magical being with the power to become a coyote. Mercy warily straddles the fine line dividing our everyday world from that darker dimension... 'till a boy, mauled by vicious werewolves and forever changed by the attack and on the run from those who committed the crime, appears at her door. Now her two worlds are about to collide! Outnumbered and out-muscled, can Mercy possibly save the boy... or even herself?

Review: Mercy Thompson is a one-of-a-kind shapeshifter who can shift into a coyote. She's also a car mechanic who has her own shop. When Mac, a runaway werewolf shows up on her doorstep, Mercy takes him in. Eventually, she saves him from thuggish wolves, killing one of the wolves in the process. Afterwards, she hands Mac over to Adam, the local Alpha wolf. One night, Mercy finds Mac dead and Adam wounded, causing her to search for who's responsible.

What I Didn't Like

• Mercy is half Native American, so I'd think the artist would make her skin color a little browner.
• Sometimes, it was hard to tell the difference between some of the male characters. It tripped me up when I thought the character portrayed was someone only to find that he was someone else.
• The extra chapter at the end. Tho I'm glad I got a look at how Mac came to be, the writing just didn't catch me. And the illustration wasn't on the same level as the illustration throughout the novel.

What I Liked

• Mercy is such a kick-ass character. I'm a sucker for novels with strong heroines...especially when the book shows her vulnerable side (she's not all hard, but soft sometimes).
• I like the fact that I didn't have to read the original novels in order to figure out what was happening. I didn't even know about Ms. Briggs' Mercy Thompson series before seeing this graphic novel.
• Besides the fact that the illustration of the men were confusing at times, I liked the illustrations overall. Great details.

Overall, I liked Mercy Thompson: Moon Called Volume 1; enough to want to read the original series. This book will appeal to those who are already Ms. Briggs' fans as well as new fans.