#Review: Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs - 4 Wine Glasses

Title: Fire Touched
Series: Mercy Thompson #9
Author: Patricia Briggs
Format: Kindle/Hardcover, 352 pages
Published: March 8th 2016 by Ace
ISBN: 0425256766
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | B&N
Reviewer: Crystal
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4 out of 5 Wine Glasses

Mercy Thompson has been hailed as “a heroine who continues to grow and yet always remains true to herself.”* Now she’s back, and she’ll soon discover that when the fae stalk the human world, it’s the children who suffer...

Tensions between the fae and humans are coming to a head. And when coyote shapeshifter Mercy and her Alpha werewolf mate, Adam, are called upon to stop a rampaging troll, they find themselves with something that could be used to make the fae back down and forestall out-and-out war: a human child stolen long ago by the fae.

Defying the most powerful werewolf in the country, the humans, and the fae, Mercy, Adam, and their pack choose to protect the boy no matter what the cost. But who will protect them from a boy who is fire touched?

Crystal's Thoughts:
The stakes are higher then ever for our favorite coyote walker and her merry band of werewolves in Fire Touched, the latest must-read book in Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series!

A war is brewing between human and fae, and when Mercy and her pack of werewolves are called to the scene of a monstrous troll attacking humans, Mercy can't help but stick her foot in it again. She is about to shake things up for the Tri-Cities area and the supernatural world in general. But when the pack is left to fend for themselves with a fire-touched human child in their care that was held captive by the fae for centuries, can each of the members set aside their differences and unite as one to defend their territory?

So, a little fact: After passing over this series again and again on my to-be-read list, I finally started it this year and could kick myself for waiting so long! Urban Fantasies are usually hit or miss for me, the heroines tend to be too headstrong which equals stubborn and flat-out annoying in there quest to prove themselves. While Mercy can definitely be considered headstrong at times, she is such a strong, loyal, and supportive character, you can easily over-look that small flaw. My favorite trait of Mercy though is that no matter how much her character grows and develops, (because after nine fantastic books, this happens) or how difficult the situation she finds herself in is, she always remains true to herself.

Fire Touched is more focused on the characters in the story then the craziness surrounding them. That's not to say that this story doesn't get chaotic at times, it wouldn't be a Mercy Thompson book without five million things being thrown at her all at once. But we see a lot of progress within in the pack's dynamics, the individual member's attitudes, and the relationship between Mercy and Adam themselves. Which all-in-all create a more supportive unit. My favorite aspect of the story though was  Adam finally putting his foot down when it came to his pack, and lack of respect that Mercy has received thus far in it. This was a much needed turn-around after the disappointing actions in the last book, Night Broken. 

The Mercy Thompson series is incredibly fast paced and there's never a dull moment for this coyote! Fire Touched was packed with page-gripping danger and excitement, laugh-out-loud humor that was sprinkled throughout the plot ("Nudge."), and I can't leave out the swoon-worthy romance between Adam and Mercy! *lesigh* I am thoroughly invested in each of these characters and look forward to what crazy adventures are in store for Mercy and her merry crew next! But! *sigh* The moment when you read an entire series, get to the last published book, and realize that you now have to wait a year for the next book.....*cries*


Suggest Reading Order:
Moon Called (Mercy Thompson, #1) 

Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, #2) 

Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, #3) 

Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson, #4) 

Silver Borne (Mercy Thompson, #5) 

River Marked (Mercy Thompson, #6) 

Frost Burned (Mercy Thompson, #7) 

Night Broken (Mercy Thompson, #8) 

Fire Touched (Mercy Thompson, #9)