Winter Lost by Patricia Briggs : Review

In the supernatural realms, there are creatures who belong to winter. I am not one of them. But like the coyote I can become at will, I am adaptable.

My name is Mercy Thompson Hauptman, and my mate, Adam, is the werewolf who leads the Columbia Basin Pack, the pack charged with keeping the people who live and work in the Tri-Cities of Washington State safe. It’s a hard job, and it doesn’t leave much room for side quests. Which is why when I needed to travel to Montana to help my brother, I intended to go by myself.

But I’m not alone anymore.

Together, Adam and I find ourselves trapped with strangers in a lodge in the heart of the wilderness, in the teeth of a storm of legendary power, only to discover my brother’s issues are a tiny part of a problem much bigger than we could have imagined. Arcane and ancient magics are at work that could, unless we are very careful, bring about the end of the world. . . .

Once again Patricia Briggs has managed to prove how and why she is a master of her craft and with the urban fantasy genre. This latest installment in the always amazing Mercy Thompson series does a great job of showcasing her exceptional talent for weaving intricate plots with deeply compelling characters. As someone who has been a fan for well over a decade, I find each new book in the series a cause for excitement, and Winter Lost does not disappoint. Briggs’ ability to blend the supernatural with real-world settings creates a unique and immersive experience whenever I open one of her books. Winter Lost is a fantastic addition to an already amazing series and will help continue to cement Patricia Briggs’s reputation as a standout author in her field.

I don’t have the time or space to list all the reasons I love this series or Patricia Briggs as an author so I will focus on the one thing that always amazes me the most in her books– the worldbuilding. Brigg’s manages to blend the supernatural and real world into a vivid and authentic world that is amazing to read about. Her characters, including Mercy Thompson and all of her various companions and enemies are consistently believable and relatable, even with their fantastical nature. I found the plot of Winter Lost to be especially gripping, seamlessly weaving mystery, magic, and suspense in a way that kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading. Patty manages to expertly balance the high-stakes narrative of her books with intense personal moments that really add a level of emotional depth and complexity a lot of books in the genre miss.

I have to be honesty and say that there is one issue that I’m worried about with this series that I think gets worse with every new book. And that is the fact that it feels like there are way too many side characters in this series now to give all of them the page time they deserve. While I love getting a book like Winter Lost that focuses so heavily on just Mercy and Adam the fact that most of my favorite characters barely made an appearance in this book at all. I can’t help but feel like some character’s stories are going to start falling by the wayside as the series progresses.

Unsurprisingly I can say that Winter Lost is a great addition to the series and I already can’t wait for the next book to release! I will not hesitate to recommend this book and series to anyone looking for something new to read. Though for once I would probably recommend getting the audiobooks over physical copies. The books are amazing in any format but Lorelai King is absolutely fucking phenomenal as a narrator and she really helps bring this story to life.

I received a free copy of my book in return for an honest review.