I admit I was reluctant to read this book. It was the cover. I know, I know, don't judge books by their cover but... come on. I thought it was going to be another Urban Fantasy novel with a "strong female character" who isn't actually that strong or smart or, alternatively, is too strong and too smart. But my coworker really loves this series and wanted me to give it a try so I agreed.

Much to my surprise I found that I really enjoyed the novel. It has it's problems but those are mostly "first book in the series" problems where we have to quickly learn the world and the rules and the people. What's great about this book is that it plants a lot of seeds for world growth and character growth. Mercy is complex and interesting with her own drives and motivations. She does not allow herself to be defined by the numerous men around her. Over and over again she establishes that she will not allow the men in her life to treat her like a prize.

There are other things I love about the book, too. Gay werewolves! Fae! Vampires who are actually scary! Teen age girls who are not sexualized or dehumanized! POCs as far as the eye can see! It's super pleasant compared to the straight, white cast that usually makes up Urban Fantasy novels.

Having said that, the book also has some issues. The werewolves are, by and large, a pretty sexist lot. Mercy calls them on this over and over but that doesn't make it better for me. It's a fantasy and I rather like my fantasies not to include sexism. So while I enjoy Mercy calling bullshit, I wish Briggs hadn't felt the need to lace her weres with Victorian views on women. There is also a lot of unexplained woman-on-woman hate. Mercy points out on several occasions that she doesn't get along with most of the women she's met. The one exception being the teenage who lives next door. The few interactions with other women we see Mercy have are largely about other men (the weres) and have a lot of hostility. I am more than a little desperate for strong female friendships in my urban fantasy.

Despite these problems I'm going to give this series more of a chance. I think it has a lot of room for growth and I very much look forward to seeing where it goes.