Rereading Mercy Thompson. Again. (and Alpha and Omega). I finished Moon Called at work with an hour left, which gave me an hour to contemplate the cover… and I still don’t get it.
I mean it’s not just the sexy pin-up, I get sexy pin-up… I guess. No I don’t it makes absolutely no sense in the the context of the story. Mercy’s a mechanic, not a pin-up model (I wouldn’t have a problem if she was a pin-up model, but she’s not, so it’s annoying.)
Combined with the back:
“Mercy Thompson’s sexy next-door neighbor is a werewolf.
[…]
But then, Mercy Thompson is not exactly normal herself…and her connection to the world of things that go bump in the night is about to get her into a whole lot of trouble.”
Does this sound like a book about a woman who shapeshifts into a coyote, fights evil werewolves (and vampires, and fae, and humans), is a general badass, and knows exactly when you take shit from someone and then go leave a dilapidated old car in their scenic view.
No, it sounds kinda like a romance novel. It doesn’t exactlylook like a romance novel… I’m not sure what girly pin-up is for when the seeming target audience of this book is probably straight women. (Mind you, I’m a queer woman and I love the fuck outta it *shrugs*) I’ve read a lot of reviews that have people embarrassed to be reading them in public because of the cover, which always strikes me as such a shame because it really is a great series.
But… based on the cover? I wouldn’t have read it if a friend hadn’t recommended it to me. And then put it in my hands and made me read it. Because what? It’s like a silly romance novel, right?
Nooope. We have badass ladies of all sorts (And badass in all sorts of ways. Honey isn’t even vilified for being feminine.), a main character that is not white (in both Mercy’s series and Alpha and Omega), actual acknowledgement of queer characters and how the universe relates to them (Depressingly absent from a lot of the fantasy out there…), stories mainly about adventure, mystery, and monster fighting with romantic elements woven in tastefully.
Augh, it’s almost four in the morning and I’m rambling, but. This series, and its spin off, is awesome. But the covers, I think, kind of defeat it. Highly sexualized ladies on the front, fluffy descriptions on the back. Bad news all around.
Basic point of my rambled nonsensical rant? I heavily recommend this series to fans of the Urban Fantasy genre, badass lady main characters (who are still written as people, with weaknesses and interests and personalities beyond ‘tough’), and just good books. Patricia Briggs creates a really interesting world, and some really amazing characters. Pleeeaaase don’t let the covers fool you, this is a great series.
