laurenjodi's review against another edition
4.0
River Marked
4 Stars
To begin with, River Marked is a departure from the other books in the series and ardent fans may be disappointed as the familiar cast of secondary characters is set aside in favor of a completely different group. While Stefan, Warren, Ben and the rest of the gang are missed, the introduction of new characters and concepts related to Mercy's Native American heritage and her role as a Walker is particularly interesting and adds another layer to her characterization, which has been missing up till now.
The book starts off slowly with Mercy and Adam's rather abrupt wedding, which is cute but also kind of cheesy and saccharine. Nevertheless, the story becomes more exciting once the action starts and the plot revolving around an ancient river monster feeding off humans is intense and compelling.
Mercy and Adam are growing closer as couple and their interactions are a highlight of the book, especially their arguments and Mercy's letter at the end. Unfortunately, Ms. Briggs is still halting their relationship at the bedroom door and aside for one or two hints at intimacy, everything happens off page. If Briggs is uncomfortable with these scenes then why include a romance in the story at all - it does nothing but build up readers' expectations only to leave them unfulfilled.
The focus on Native American folklore is fascinating and the revelations regarding the identity of Mercy's father and the origins of her abilities is very intriguing although Coyote's character is a little too mysterious and enigmatic at times.
Overall, a solid addition to the series but not everyone will be pleased with the new direction.
4 Stars
To begin with, River Marked is a departure from the other books in the series and ardent fans may be disappointed as the familiar cast of secondary characters is set aside in favor of a completely different group. While Stefan, Warren, Ben and the rest of the gang are missed, the introduction of new characters and concepts related to Mercy's Native American heritage and her role as a Walker is particularly interesting and adds another layer to her characterization, which has been missing up till now.
The book starts off slowly with Mercy and Adam's rather abrupt wedding, which is cute but also kind of cheesy and saccharine. Nevertheless, the story becomes more exciting once the action starts and the plot revolving around an ancient river monster feeding off humans is intense and compelling.
Mercy and Adam are growing closer as couple and their interactions are a highlight of the book, especially their arguments and Mercy's letter at the end. Unfortunately, Ms. Briggs is still halting their relationship at the bedroom door and aside for one or two hints at intimacy, everything happens off page. If Briggs is uncomfortable with these scenes then why include a romance in the story at all - it does nothing but build up readers' expectations only to leave them unfulfilled.
The focus on Native American folklore is fascinating and the revelations regarding the identity of Mercy's father and the origins of her abilities is very intriguing although Coyote's character is a little too mysterious and enigmatic at times.
Overall, a solid addition to the series but not everyone will be pleased with the new direction.
lynseyisreading's review against another edition
5.0
RIVER MARKED is book six in the Mercedes Thompson series and it was great fun, if a little confusing at times. I think I might have actually broken some kind of speed reading record with this one, it was just so damn readable. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I frickin' love these characters and feel so comfortable in Briggs' hands when it comes to her Mercy world. Great stuff.
The plot did get a bit mind-boggling though, it has to be said. It's probably one of those books that needs to be read slowly to fully absorb the complicated magical and mythological explanations, not at a million miles per hour like I did. But maybe when I re-read it, it will make perfect sense. Or maybe not, becasue Mercy didn't even understand what was going on half the time either!
As much as I enjoyed this instalment, I can't wait for Mercy to get to get back with rest of the pack in the next book. This one was mostly her and Adam alone and out of town away from the rest of the guys. I'm not sure that Mercy is what you'd call "universally loved" within the pack, so it will be fascinating to watch how she gets on with that. Because to me, what makes this series great is the intricacies of the pack dynamics - their behaviours, both human and wolf, and how they deal with them. So I did miss them here, but the new characters we met went some way to making up for their lack.
All-in-all, a great addition to the series.
5 Stars! ★★★★★
The plot did get a bit mind-boggling though, it has to be said. It's probably one of those books that needs to be read slowly to fully absorb the complicated magical and mythological explanations, not at a million miles per hour like I did. But maybe when I re-read it, it will make perfect sense. Or maybe not, becasue Mercy didn't even understand what was going on half the time either!
As much as I enjoyed this instalment, I can't wait for Mercy to get to get back with rest of the pack in the next book. This one was mostly her and Adam alone and out of town away from the rest of the guys. I'm not sure that Mercy is what you'd call "universally loved" within the pack, so it will be fascinating to watch how she gets on with that. Because to me, what makes this series great is the intricacies of the pack dynamics - their behaviours, both human and wolf, and how they deal with them. So I did miss them here, but the new characters we met went some way to making up for their lack.
All-in-all, a great addition to the series.
5 Stars! ★★★★★
anotherhel's review against another edition
5.0
This might be one of my favorites of this series. Damn. I feel like I say this every book ahahah
In this one we see a lot of character development. We get to know her roots and see how much her relationship with Adam has grown. I just love that she is the one to save herself. To save others. I love this series so much for it. It's just so awesome to see a strong female character who has feelings and stuff that people usually do :p
Also Coyote is the best.
In this one we see a lot of character development. We get to know her roots and see how much her relationship with Adam has grown. I just love that she is the one to save herself. To save others. I love this series so much for it. It's just so awesome to see a strong female character who has feelings and stuff that people usually do :p
Also Coyote is the best.
I want you to know that I fought to get back to you. I didn’t take the easy way out. I didn’t give up. I fought this death because I had you waiting for me on the shore. If it had been possible to drag this puny mortal flesh back to you, I would have done it, if I had to crawl to do so. I would have walked through Hell to get back to you, and only failed because of the weakness of my body, not of my heart.
angie_stl's review against another edition
4.0
River Marked is one of my favorite books in the Mercy Thompson world. With all the Native American history and myths and folklore that we learn, it makes the book truly about Mercy, in a way her fighting style will never show us. We learn things about her that she didn't even know. Also, it's about Mercy and Adam spending more time together than they possibly ever have before, with all their interactions before were combined. It's a good thing they really do love each other, or they may have been fighting like cats and dogs the whole time, just to figure out what the other was really saying with all their "not-lying". The history lesson into the region they are staying can be a bit much at times, but you need most of that info later in the book. I loved the book and would tell any fan of Mercy to make sure you read through this book.
diaryofthebookdragon's review against another edition
5.0
Loved the wedding day angst and the Native American mythology. Great addition to the Mercy Thompson series.
tomwright's review against another edition
2.0
This book fell flat for me. Maybe because I read it while listening to her book Cry Wolf in the breaks?
I hope the 7th book comes back to the awesome that this series usually is.
I hope the 7th book comes back to the awesome that this series usually is.
rosetyper9's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book for review and I also got a signed copy from my friends who went to her signing in VA. I was really excited for a new Mercy Thompson book and this one certainly didn't disappoint. Ms. Briggs sort of went in a different direction and I think this book had a new flavor. I enjoyed it.
Ms. Briggs introduces some Native American lore into this story which I absolutely loved because I felt like we hadn't seen that complete side of Mercy yet. I loved how expertly she wove the story together to go with the faerie lore she usually has here and there and the Native American.
I feel like in this book we get to see a complete picture of Mercy. We get to peek behind her strong veneer to the actual person in the character and I love getting to know more about my favorite characters. I also love Coyote in this book. He is perfectly tricky, makes me think of Loki with a tiny bit more softness, which is to be expected given their relationship but he certainly isn't easy on Mercy.
I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Mercy and Adam. Hopefully no more camping trips.
Ms. Briggs introduces some Native American lore into this story which I absolutely loved because I felt like we hadn't seen that complete side of Mercy yet. I loved how expertly she wove the story together to go with the faerie lore she usually has here and there and the Native American.
I feel like in this book we get to see a complete picture of Mercy. We get to peek behind her strong veneer to the actual person in the character and I love getting to know more about my favorite characters. I also love Coyote in this book. He is perfectly tricky, makes me think of Loki with a tiny bit more softness, which is to be expected given their relationship but he certainly isn't easy on Mercy.
I can't wait to see what the future has in store for Mercy and Adam. Hopefully no more camping trips.
jess_enriquez's review against another edition
4.0
Coyote is always my favorite. I wish he was around more. Although Mercy would end up dead probably lmao
thegeekyblogger's review against another edition
4.0
Read for Fun (Kindle)
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.25
First Thought when Finished: River Marked was the honeymoon that I always thought Mercy would have. Always fun diving into Mercy's world!
Review Coming Soon
Overall Rating: 4.00
Story Rating: 3.75
Character Rating: 4.25
First Thought when Finished: River Marked was the honeymoon that I always thought Mercy would have. Always fun diving into Mercy's world!
Review Coming Soon