Read for the RIP VII Reading Challenge.
I can only write about this book if I first go off on a couple of tangents:
Tangent #1 – I’ve been avoiding this series because of the covers. They’ve got those typical urban fantasy covers with the female character in some sort of sexed-up pose, scantily clad. I’m beginning to really hate those. I think this series bugs me in particular because the main character is a mechanic, and no mechanic in their right mind would wear that little clothing while working, and in the unlikely event she was, she should be covered in grease and/or motor oil.
I decided to give the series a try after reading in one of the forums I frequent that a number of people thought that this series had some of the healthiest romantic relationships they’d run into in the more recent books in the urban fantasy genre. I’ll admit I’d like to see more of that, so I decided to track down a copy of the first book.
Tangent #2 – I realize that I seem to have urban fantasy pretty firmly stuck in my head as darker fantasy, and I’m not sure I like that. I think a big part of it is the covers – they always seem to be set at night. Granted, that makes perfect sense, since vampires are such a big feature of the current crop of urban fantasy books, but it really doesn’t have to be that way. Charles de Lint’s book are quintessential urban fantasy, but I don’t have them lumped into the dark category (though they do predate the current wave, so that’s probably why). Heck, this book seems to happen equally in day or night – and the time frame doesn’t really matter.
Anywho, back to the book. Mercedes Thompson is a skinwalker – not a were, but she has the ability to turn into a coyote. She has a number of interesting connections with the local supernatural community – she lives next door to the local werewolf pack’s alpha, bought her mechanic’s shop from a retiring kobold (who still occasionally helps out), and has a cautious friendship with a local vampire.
At the shop one day, a fairly new werewolf approaches her, looking for work. He’s not part of the local pack, and Mercy is wary, but agrees to help him. What neither of them know is that trouble has followed him, and Mercy is caught up in a battle that reaches all the way to the most powerful werewolves in the country.
I really enjoyed this book. Mercy is a great character – totally responsible for her own destiny (at least she tries her best to be). The author’s interpretation of the various supernatural creatures is also interesting, and I look forward to learning more about this world.
There are hints of romance in this book, and I did think they did seem way healthier than a good chunk of what I’ve been running into recently in the genre, so I’m also interested to see where that goes. So, I’m glad I happened upon that forum post online, and decided to give this series a try.