Smoke Bitten, by Patricia Briggs, is the twelfth novel in the Mercy Thompson series. Coyote shapeshifter Mercy Thompson and the Columbia Basin Wolf Pack are recovering from the aftermath of the black witches in the previous novel, Storm Cursed. The trouble is over, but problems later emerge within the Hauptmann household. Mercy is concerned with the distance built between her and her husband, Adam, the alpha of the wolf pack. Their magical mating bond has been shut down for weeks, which prevents her from sensing Adam's feelings and thoughts.
Meanwhile, Mercy has more urgent problems to resolve. Underhill, the ancient world of the fae, has manifested a door literally in their backyard. Tilly, who oversees the underworld, opened the door from Underhill, allowing a particularly dangerous body-snatching creature to escape. The smoke monster has the power to bite and take over the will of its victims until they are no longer useful. Their bodies generally end up dead. The chaos it has created has everyone, human and supernatural, terrified for their lives.
When Mercy is bitten by the smoke monster, the psychotic vampire-witch-sorcerer Wulfe miraculously saves her life. As a result, Wulfe has taken on a peculiar obsession with Mercy's abilities, stalking and spying on her movements. To make matters more complicated, a rogue werewolf pack moves into the Tri-Cities area. They are willing to challenge Adam's authority and control of his territory.
The smoke monster has taken notice that Mercy is not under its control. At the same time, Adam's withdrawal from the mating bond has revealed an unexpected side effect. With limited time to spare, Mercy must use her wit and ingenuity to save her husband, friends and the community she has sworn to protect.
This installment was fun to read. Patricia Briggs never ceases to amaze me. She always bring in new and interesting characters to the Mercy Thompson Universe. The Pack characters will grow on you over time, and their different personalities is what captivates me to continue this beloved series. Last year, I had the opportunity to visit Portland, Oregon for the firs ttime. I recalled the books and my journeys with Mercy Thomason as I toured the Columbia River region.
I won't spoil the ending, but it will be helpful to brush up on your Grimm fairy tales knowledge. I was ecstatic that I was able to guess correctly the real identity of the villain. I also like how the plotlines are based on events in earlier books. As a result, it is highly recommended that new readers start this series from the beginning, Moon Called. Furthermore, it is one of the first books (I could be mistaken) that has a cameo appearance from her other book projects set in a similar timeline, the Alpha and Omega series. It has sparked my interest to consider picking up her other book series for review next year. While this story felt lackluster to the previous two installments (the plots in Silence Fallen and Storm Cursed were marvelously epic, leaving readers on the edge of their chairs), Patricia Briggs is one of the best shapeshifter urban fantasy writers in the business. Her storytelling skills are outstanding; I hope this novel will set the stage for a bigger plot twist. Overall, I recommend this novel.
Stay tuned for the next novel in the Mercy Thompson series. The next release will be in 2022.
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