Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher (Ace) in exchange for an honest review. While I’m incredibly thankful, all opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was ecstatic to receive a copy of this book. First of all, Briggs’s Mercy Thompson series served as my gateway into truly appreciating urban fantasy. I had previous exposure to the genre, having binge read many of the Anita Blake novels (until it devolved into nothing but orgy after orgy), a handful of the Black Dagger Brotherhood books, and the first five of Moning’s Fever series. While I enjoyed these books in the moment, I always viewed them as junk food, something to be consumed and forgotten, leaving nothing behind but a vague literary equivalent of a stomach ache from overindulgence.

Mercy was the first heroine in the UF genre who had true staying power for me. As soon as I met her in Moon Called, I was enamored. Here was a woman who felt like she could step right out of her story and become my friend, someone I would invite over when I was cooking something particularly spicy for dinner, who I could watch movies with or invite to a concert knowing that we would feed on each other’s enthusiasm. She felt (and still feels) incredibly real for me, despite that fact that she can shape-shift into a coyote. She’s been through some rough times, but she always bounces back. She was also the first UF heroine I’ve come across who shares my faith in spite of the craziness that plagues her life. Mercy is vibrant and kind and stubborn and fierce and I love her for it. The only other heroine who has this lifelike quality for me is J.D. Robb’s Eve Dallas, who I will also love forever.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which felt like more of a return to the world I had come to love after the slight departure in both setting and storytelling style Briggs presented in Silence Fallen, the installment that preceded Storm Cursed. This book is once again told entirely from Mercy’s first person perspective, which is in my opinion the perspective through which Briggs’s writing shines the brightest. Some bad black magic is plaguing the Tri-Cities area. It first expresses itself in the form of a herd of miniature zombie goats. They’re just as adorably disturbing as they sound. Mercy is trying desperately to stay ahead of the zombie situation and find the culprit while Adam and most of the werewolves are preparing for a summit between the US government and the fae. Aiding Mercy is Sherwood, the mysterious werewolf amputee who was sent to their pack by Bran with little explanation. Finding out a bit more of his story was an interesting, satisfying addition to the story.

Storm Cursed was action packed and sassy and heart breaking, and was impossible to put down. My one and only issue was really more of an issue on my part than with the book itself. This is the 11th installment in this series. At this point, I simply don’t have time to reread ten books to refresh my memory, and the one thing I would add to this book if I could would be a quick recap of pertinent information from preceding books before beginning this story. However, Briggs did a good job of giving readers enough to keep them from getting lost without ever breaking the tension of the story by stepping outside of the narrative to explain or remind.

I thoroughly enjoyed my visit with Mercy. She’s a character who I could happily read dozens of novels about, and who I am always thrilled to revisit. This book had everything I’m looking for in an urban fantasy tale, and I was sad to reach the last page. And can I just mention this gorgeous cover? Talk about fierce. I can’t wait to see where her crazy life takes Mercy next!

Publication date: May 7th

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