Keri Arthur: Moon Sworn

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Dell (May 25, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-13: 978-0440245711

 Shape-shifting werewolf and vampire Riley Jenson is through with death - causing it, solving it, surviving it. Her soul mate, Kye Murphy, is dead - and at Riley's own hands. Not even the seductive embrace of her vampire lover, Quinn, can fully ease her mind, for she has begun questioning everything that makes her Riley - including her job at the Directorate.
 Now the ritualistically slain bodies of ex-cons have started turning up. Reluctantly, Riley takes the case, but something even worse is waiting in the wings. A vicious enemy from her past is determined to strip Riley of everything that gives her life meaning: her lover, her brother - and even her own identity. Can Riley survive this ultimate assault? All she knows is that she must fight one last time to find answers, before everything goes dark forever.

 Ah, the end of an era. For me, anyway. I picked up Keri Arthur's first novel in the Riley Jenson series way back when, when I was first getting into the paranormal novel field. I bought up several new authors at the same time (YOLO) and she was one. I greatly enjoyed her first novel. It was original and impressive and complicated. Over the years, the writing has gotten less...well, good...but that doesn't mean that her story isn't there. As the last few books wind down, we have less and less to focus on and think about as all the other plots are tied off. Now, we're down to two - the mystery of the novel, and the questions that have been ongoing through the entire series: Riley doesn't want to be a Guardian, and, oh yes, the leader of her former pack is hell bent on ruining her life even further. By the end of the series, we will have solutions to these problems, although they are not necessarily the ones we expected. And that's not a bad thing.
 In this novel, we have some pretty gory and gruesome murders, but about a third of the way, they take a backseat to Riley's major problem - she doesn't remember who she is, and someone out there (well, we know who) is messing with her mind. While she's dealing with that, she's also solving the case, which is, quite frankly, multitasking at its finest. I have never been so proud of Riley. She has truly grown into her badassery. On the other hand, while Quinn is still pretty awesome, the fire has kind of gone out of their relationship for me. It used to be so full of angst (I like that its not anymore) but there was always something interesting going on. Now, they've settled down into that old couple mentality, which is definitely not a bad thing - I just think Arthur went a little far in de-clawing Quinn.Also, after so much build up, the final fight scene was slightly anti-climactic. It just ended a little too easily for my taste.
 All that aside, the plot was developed, our characters have reached fruition and will achieve their HEA, and we have come to the end of a series.
 Overall: A
 A pretty good wrap up overall. Not as good as some in the series, better than others. Definitely nice to see an author take care of a character's life and not completely destroy her in the end, especially after all the growing up she had to do.

Keri Arthur: Mercy Burns

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dell; Original edition (April 19, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440245702

Mercy Reynolds is a reporter in the San Francisco Bay area, but she’s also more—and less—than human. Half woman, half air dragon, she’s a “draman”—unable to shift shape but still able to unleash fiery energy. Now something will put her powers to the test.

Mercy’s friend Rainey has enlisted her help to solve her sister’s murder. Then a horrible accident claims Rainey’s life, leaving Mercy only five days to find the killer: If Mercy fails, according to dragon law, Rainey’s soul will be doomed to roam the earth for eternity. But how can Mercy help when she herself is a target? With nowhere else to turn, she must join forces with a sexy stranger—the mysterious man they call “Muerte,” or death itself, who’s as irresistible as he is treacherous. But can even Death keep Mercy alive for long enough to find her answers?

  The problem I have with Keri Arthur's most recent novels is their brevity. Most authors take two or three books to develop the mythos of their worlds. Arthur barely takes one. Her first novel in her Myth and Magic series, Destiny Kills, began to create her world where dragons exist in "cliques," which I can only assume are sort of like eagle eyries. However, I wouldn't know because she doesn't bother to explain very much. For the first book it's understandable, as the main character has amnesia, so she's discovering right along with the reader.
  This book, if anything, should have expanded that universe. Instead, we stayed within the same bounds for the most part, focusing entirely on saving Rainey's draman soul. We get a glimpse into the abuse Mercy suffered as a draman living in a dragon clique, but we already had some vague ideas about that from book one. We learn nothing new, but we get some hints of a mystery awaiting in the Jamieson clique. Is the king involved? Probably. How so? Who knows. I can only hope that the series picks up a little steam and we can finally delve into the universe of the book more fully and understand what is going on.
  Characterization was nice. It wasn't holy-crap spectacular, but it wasn't completely void, either. We got more into Mercy than "Muerte" a.k.a. Damon. All we know is his father died in the service (his grandfather, too, if I remember correctly) - and I don't mean military, I mean assassin - so he has an early death complex. That is the basis for all the romance-drama. Stay tuned for how that turns out. Other than the giant ass of a bad guy, these are the only two characters of any importance, so on characterization I give her a B-.

  Overall: B
  The plot was fast moving for all of its lack of information, and it was action packed. I flew through the book in less than a day, when I probably should have been doing other things. I would give the book a lower score, except Arthur knows how to keep pacing up, so the book always keeps your attention and it's honestly difficult to put down.