User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars! 
The vampire Wulfe has been stalking Mercy, seemingly harmless, for months. But when Wulfe goes missing, the Tri-Cities Pack is blamed. The mistress of the local vampire seethe calls on Mercy and the Pack to find Wulfe or the alliance between them will be broken. The more Mercy and the Pack investigate, they realize that all the vampires in the local area have gone missing along with a few white witches.
The Mercy Thompson series has been one of my favorites for years and I love every single installment. This one took me longer to read but mostly because life got busy and I didn’t have much time for it. It didn’t take away from my enjoyment at all, but I do feel it was slower paced than the last book. Still, it has a good mystery, ghosts, fae, werewolves, witches and vampires so my urban fantasy cravings were satisfied.
I loved revisiting with characters that feel like family, I could easily get lost in this world that Briggs has created. I just wish I wasn’t caught up on this series and Alpha and Omega, I want to spend more time in this world! Maybe a reread is sooner in my future than I figured…
If you haven’t read this series yet, please do. You are missing out on something special!
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley. This did not influence my thoughts or feelings on this book.
Rating: really liked it
I couldn’t click fast enough to start the new Mercy book.I love the Mercyverse and being back with familiar characters and a great story had me smiling.
Did I sweat about what was happening?
You better believe it.A Soul Taker is on the loose. It’s killing people with minimal magic. Mercy has an encounter with it and she knows that the soul taker will be coming for her. Her life is in danger and she is scared but Mercy has evolved. She doesn’t fight alone. She and Adam make a great team. They support each other. Going into battle together is now the norm. So she has a better chance at surviving it, right?
So many awesome things happen in Soul Taken. We get to know more about Wulfe and Sherwood. We learn more about Zee. Tad might be dating someone. Warren is dealing with something he doesn’t want the pack to know (but in the end I thought it was cute). Samuel and Coyote both have a cameo. I felt like it was Christmas and I was getting gifts coming from everywhere. The only thing that would have made it better was a Bran appearance or maybe Anna and Charles.
This is one book that you will enjoy if you have read the series in order. Not that someone couldn’t read it and enjoy it. But I think having the background from prior books makes this book so much sweeter to the fans.
I do wonder what repercussions will come from what happened in this book.
4.5/5 fangs
Cliffhanger: No
A complimentary copy was provided by ACE/Penguin Publishing Group via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
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Rating: really liked it
This series only gets better!! I'm so intrigued by the possibilities - and can't wait to see where some of the characters are going next.
Soul Taken was absolutely unputdownable. A true page turner. A fantastic story and a revisit with favourite characters. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that the series gets better with each book.
I can’t tell you much about the book itself – because of spoilers – but all you need to know is that if you love urban fantasy, great world building, wonderful character interaction, fascinating backstories – you are going to LOVE this series. Also, let’s not forget the romance. 😀
But next to the romance I love the characters the most.
They never stay stagnant in these books and because of it they never get boring. Besides Adam and Mercy, and all of their pack and friends, one of the most fascinating characters is Wulfe. He could be considered an enemy, since he is a vamp, let’s just call him a frenemy, more enemy than friend. But he is so interesting, multi layered and his unhealthy obsession with Mercy is just the most fascinating thing of all. I can’t wait to read more about him.
I’m also someone who loves pack dynamics, the friendships, daily life, pack hierarchy, and adore that the pack plays pirate video games during their free time. Of course it’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but their core is strong and together they can fix every mess, and take on every evil.
___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
You can find me on my blog and on Bookstagram
Rating: really liked it
4.5 Stars
I love you Mercy
And the pack
Forever and always 💕🐺
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Rating: really liked it
Another Mercy Thompson book is coming! And can I just say, MAJOR props to Patty Briggs for coming out with new books on such a regular basis
and having them all be great reads. She and Brandon Sanderson are superstars.
Rating: really liked it
I hope this is the book where she finally becomes pregnant!!!!!
Rating: really liked it
Is it just me?I was really excited to read about Wulf.
He's this superstar vampire/witch/sorcerer with all kinds of powers, he's completely mental, and he's taken an interest in Mercy.
Then
Boom! He's gone. Something has happened to him, and it's up to Mercy & Adam to find out what before the pack gets blamed and a war gets started with the vampires. <--that's the gist.
So basically, there's no Wulf in this book. You find out a blurpy little snippet about his past that explains why he's batshit, but that's the extent of seeing him in the book.
Instead of a book about a cool vampire, it's more of the cringy Adam & Mercy show. Which means more of their god-awful mating bond and his protective instincts and her calming influence and his growly comments that are supposed to be sexy but...
Ok, maybe my
grandma would find the stuff that Adam and Mercy say to each other funny or
racy or interesting, but I just cannot with these two. It's like listening in on your parents having sex. And I say that as a parent who has sex.
But I just wanted it to stop.
There are all these awesome characters who AREN'T Mercy and Adam, and I would just love to read a book about
any of them. The bad guy wasn't even all that scary and I
still don't understand what sort of ex-Machina shit happened at the end that saved the day.
Oh no! The evil is too much!
Hang on, let's cross the streams and have everyone chant
we believe in magic and it will all be ok.
What?
I’m still very interested in the Alpha and Omega series and the goings-on in Mercy’s world criss-cross with that one, so I feel like I need to keep reading these.
BUT DAMN.
Rating: really liked it
It pains me to say this, but the reveal about Sherwood Post at the very beginning of the book was basically the only real highlight of this book for me. And even then, I wanted more from that reveal. As to the actual focus of the book, the Soul Taker itself wasn't all that interesting but the reveal at the very end (major spoiler so I won't go into that more) definitely piqued my interest. So make that two highlights for this book. But the middle ~80%: just ok. I will still happily pick up the next book this author releases in this series or the spin-off series.
Rating: really liked it
Check out my Booktube channel at: The Obsessive BooksellerBriggs delivers yet another solid installment in the Mercy/A&O series.
It started out a bit slow, but I love spending time with these characters so much that they could be doing anything and I’d probably want to read about it. Werewolf pack dynamics continue to be one of my favorite elements to this series, and the beginning of the book focused on some changes brewing within it. Even though it took a while to get to the meat of the overall mystery, the time spent developing character was a huge highlight of the book for me. Briggs has this amazing ability to keep many characters enigmas while still providing satisfying discoveries for her readers. She withholds just enough to keep you wanting more without making it frustrating. Every reveal has an impact! It’s a testament to how rich this world is becoming.
This is a perfect mystery novel for the fall – complete with pumpkin patches and scythe-wielding villains. I loved the atmosphere and the lore. And even found the mystery page-turning. Overall, the book mostly worked to deepen character for me, as opposed to a few others which focused more on advancing the arc of the series. It was a delightful mystery full of action and humor and I can’t wait to read whatever she comes out with next!
Recommendations: Moon Called, the first book in this series, is one of the most accessible urban fantasies on the market and a great place to start in the genre. Beyond that, if you’re at this point in the series already, you definitely don’t need my encouragement to keep going! :)
I’d like to thank Berkley Publishing Group, Patricia Briggs, and Netgalley for the chance to read an early copy of Soul Taken!
Thank you to my Patrons: Filipe, Dave, Frank, Sonja, Staci, Kat, and Katrin! <3Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
Rating: really liked it
2022??? Nooooooo!!!!
update: 28th Jan 2021- we got a title
now dear Author can we please prepone the date to. I don't know..hmmm.. you know maybe this year:).
Update: June 2021- there’s a blurb…..interesting!
New Update: The release date has been shifted to June 2022!! (crying in the corner)!!
Maybe I need another Chronological read of the Mercy Universe..... Hope it tides me till freakin June 2022!!
Aug 2022
it's here! it's here!
long delayed gratification.
let me make a cup of tea and get in the mood.
let me know how it was for you guys too:)
Happy Reading!
(view spoiler)
[I have read and re-read and here are my thoughts...
The waiting was justified, and the prologue is excellent.
the action scenes are kickass and the word building from the get-go is just ON...
We get to know more about Wulfe and understand the whys and hows of his personality.
The book starts with a bang, never a dull moment.
Mercy's interaction with the pack is wholesome and her progression from being an outcast to being recognised as a part of an Alpha pair is satisfying.
Adam proves his role as a powerful Alpha.
This book is more like a cross between a would-be filler and a full-fledged book, things happen but you know that it sets up more exciting possibilities for the future Mercyverse- Sherwood, Tad, Zee, Samuel, the Goblin king and even Adam and Mercy themselves.
Adam's curse hasn't been resolved yet, would have liked a bit of dramatization on that part.
It's disappointing that Bonarato still gets to be alive, his villainy is a bit repetitive.
I know the next Mercy will be next year, so there's that.
I am excited about how Mercy will navigate further in the future- I mean we have had vampires, rogue wolves, witches, the gray lords, and ghosts.......
Count me in for the next Mercyesque Adventure time filled with action,drama, love-action :P, and family bonding...... (hide spoiler)]
Rating: really liked it
I find that I may be in a minority here, I did not LOVE this book, but I also did not HATE it. I was more frustrated than anything.
Ms. Briggs faithfully follows her recipe for a good book. She does not stray off the beaten path. And speaking of beaten paths ( or should I say 'beating dead horses'), it would be nice if she cut down on the boring bits by knowing that nobody would start a series at book 13, so there really is no reason to rehash things that faithful readers need no re-hashing of.
I am thankful that we finally find out who Sherwood is, yet that seems to be a tertiary storyline which I hope we find out more about in the next book. We just learn these things too late to ever discuss things properly, so the reader is again left hanging.
Ugh, Bonarato is back, and it looks to me like he will be the next book's main storyline. I am so not happy about this. It looks as if the Wolves will have to be helping the Vamps again.
Wulfe, well, what can I say about Wulfe? We do learn a lot more about him in this book, but, again we learn it all near the end of that book, and we never get to deal with it properly or in depth.
There is a lot of sex in this book. Meh!
With no ultra main monster to fight and overcome, there is no end of this series. This is not always a good thing.
Rating: really liked it
This review can be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/
I loved this book! I have been reading the books set in this world for quite a few years and look forward to each new installment. Each new story feels like a chance to visit with old friends, although Mercy and her friends are a lot more exciting than anyone I know in reality. This book was just as good as I had hoped, and once I started reading it, I did not want to put it down.
Mercy and Adam have their hands full once again. The vampire Wulfe is missing and they must find him and stop the Harvester from terrorizing their territory. There is some new information regarding a pack member that could change the delicate balance with the pack. This book was really exciting and I loved the fact that thirteen books in, this series can still surprise me. This book had all of the action and supernatural presence that kept me glued to the pages.
The pacing of the book was expertly done. The action in the story was nicely balanced with quieter moments that illustrated the strength of the bond between Adam and Mercy. It is so nice to read a series with such a solid relationship at its core. I also loved seeing the bonds between the members of the pack and seeing them work together to achieve a common goal. I was very happy to see Tad play a bigger part in this story and just really loved checking in with all of the people important to Mercy.
I would highly recommend this book to others. This is the thirteenth book in the series and I would recommend reading the series in order since each book builds on the events from the previous installments. This book is one that I know I will be reading again and cannot wait to read more of this author’s work.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group.Initial ThoughtsI loved this! I am amazed by how this series just seems to keep getting better and better. At this point, I am in love with this group of characters and am invested in seeing things work out well for them. In this book, Adam and Mercy have their hands full. The vampire Wulfe is missing and they must find him and stop the Harvester from terrorizing their territory. There was a lot of excitement that kept the story interesting and some quieter moments that illustrated the strength of the bond between Adam and Mercy. There were a few developments that should have an impact on future books as well.
Rating: really liked it
I think we can all agree that this book has the best cover of the series, right? Because it's ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. See a time lapse of it being made, and sketches, here: https://www.dandossantos.com/the-maki...
This is the 13th book in the Mercy Thompson series, full of vampire politics and halloween slasher monsters.
I was hooked on this book all the way though. I could barely put it down. The pacing was precise and typical of Mercy Thompson books. This books have a literary magic about them that makes me excited even for the exposition and slow moments.
I think that this is a series that is better binged than read in small installments. This book showcases that. We get some progression to the ongoing mysteries (such as with Wulfe and Sherwood's backstories, as previously teased). However, not all of that payoff gets the emotional reaction that it deserves after being built up for so long. I'm sure we'll get more payoff in future books, but the problem is those books don't exist yet.
Hence why it's funner to binge the whole series instead, because the books can support each other. These books are seriously fun and entertaining. The books have a lot of heart and I wholly recommend them. I will love them even more when the whole series is finished, and I can reread and binge all of them together.
My video review: https://youtu.be/EuGR5TJkgkI
Thanks to Netgalley and Ace for a copy of this book to review. All opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
Halloween Bingo 2022 I always enjoy the Mercy books that centre around the vampire seethe, so I've been anticipating this novel with glee. It mostly lived up to my expectations—I am a big fan of Wulfe, so a story that revolves around him was a good choice for me. However, my all time favourite is Stefan and he was sadly relegated to brief supporting roles.
There were plenty of tasty tidbits to be enjoyed. We get to learn a bit more about goblins (and get a glimpse of their magic ponies!), Tad gets a girlfriend (if Zee approves), Sherwood Post has recovered his memory (causing consternation in the werewolf pack), and the usually imperturbable Warren meets the end of his patience. For once there is no relationship angst between Mercy and Adam, a very pleasant occurrence. Now I am
very curious about the next
Alpha and Omega book to see where Briggs takes Samuel, Sherwood, and Asil. She has written tantalizing hints for each of them!
The main course of this volume, though, is vampire history: we learn more than I anticipated about the tangle that is Wulfe, Marsilia, and Stefan, plus how Bonarata fits into that knot. Wulfe's motivation for stalking Mercy, which we learned about in Smoke Bitten, is revealed. You'll want to have that book and Storm Cursed under your belt if you want to have a hope of understanding this series of events.
Once again, this book arrived for me at the library while I was planning my Bingo dance card. I had held out a faint hope that it might fulfill the
Monsters square, but no dice. So I pulled out the
Tell Tale Heart wild card to use it for this square anyway. Either way, it was an enjoyable ride!
Rating: really liked it
The Walking Stick is a well known staple of the Mercy Thompson world and readers are well aware of how a magical artifact can change over time. But what if there was an artifact that's purpose was different and had been used to kill many already. What would that turn into after thousands of years?
Wulfe has always been a bit of an enigma and that is no different in Soul Taken. Wulfe seems to have an unhealthy obsession with Mercy and when Marcillia comes to Mercy and tasks her to find Wulfe or all will be lost she knew something was wrong and somehow the vampires are involved.
The Mercy Thompson world is rich with lore, characters and connections. I enjoy being in this world and even when we are looking for the wielder of a scythe that seems to be reaping the souls of slightly magical beings it is still a good time. Mercy and Adam are again adorable together and I like that every once and awhile we get a PoV from Adam now. The love he has for Mercy and the way he has convinced his wolf they are taking care of her by not over-protecting her is really well done.
The plot for the story is well done again and I always enjoy time with Zee and even the creepy Underhill. She does seem to have a little vendetta against our Zee and wants everyone to remember that the kind yet grumpy mechanic used to be force of nature to be reckoned with and served his enemies wine out of a goblet crafted from the skulls of their sons. I mean we all know Zee has not always been a good guy, to be fair they had kidnapped and imprisoner him.
Sherwood is character that we got a few more details of who he really is and why Bran might have sent him to be a part of Adam and Mercy's pack. But there are a few dynamics to figure out when some of those memories come tumbling back.
Another great story and honestly one that works well in the fall and Halloween time. Mercy and crew bring together another great story, with fun times to blend into the serious ones and a few deeper discoveries along the way.
