River Marked [Dramatized Adaptation]

Mercy Thompson [Dramatized Adaptation] #6

by Patricia Briggs, Khaya Fraites (Narrator), Gregory Linington (Narrator)

Coyote shifter Mercy Thompson and Alpha werewolf Adam finally reach the altar. But when they make the Columbia River their honeymoon destination, their newlywed bliss turns into a fight for survival...

Being a different breed of shapeshifter—a walker—Mercy can see ghosts, but the spirit of her long-gone father has never visited her. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—and innocent people are dying. As other walkers make their presence known to Mercy, she must reconnect with her heritage to exorcise the world of the legend known as the river devil.

Adapted from the novel and produced with a full cast of actors, immersive sound effects and cinematic music!

Genres: Audiobook, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Vampires, Fantasy, Magic, Adult

8 pages, Audiobook

Published May 30, 2025

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.

Reviews

[Lucie V. · Rating 3 out of 5]

✅ Mercy & Adam
✅ Romance
✅ The wedding
✅ Learning more about Mercy’s ancestry
🆗 New characters
🆗 Plot
🆗 Pace
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: mild gore, mentions of drownings
🔥 Spice level : 🌶️🌶️ / 5

2.5 stars
I was bored for most of it.


❗️❗️Mild spoilers about the romance in the review

The plot is not bad, and it was interesting to learn more about Mercy’s ancestry, but the pace was too slow. The unending dreams and retelling of legends just wasn’t for me. I am not a fan of flashbacks in books, and all this storytelling and weird dreams had the same feeling as flashbacks. I was bored, and by the time there was action and the final confrontation with the villain came, I was just ready to be done with this book and move on to the next. The fact that the only characters we knew from the previous book were Mercy and Adam didn’t help. I missed the rest of the pack, Zee, Stephan, and Mercy’s other friends. I liked that Adam and Mercy had some time alone and away from the pack, but reading a whole book without them was too long.

There are too many new characters in this book. I struggled to remember them all and to differentiate them… And I didn’t really care about any of them. I would read about one or the other and couldn’t even be sure which of the new gang they were, except for the one who was at the hospital and the weird medicine man grandpa. The others all felt the same, and I didn’t care what happened to them, especially since it was clear that they were here only for this instalment, and would disappear once Mercy and Adam went back to their “regular” life.

Even though Adam is right there, next to Mercy for all of the book, everything is centered around Mercy. She is the one who is always in the middle of the action; she is the one who fights the villain; she is the one who seems to be doing everything, and Adam is a sexy accessory in this book. I always liked how Adam trusted Mercy and her abilities to defend herself, but I was still hoping for a bigger involvement. There is a logical reason behind it, but it still felt like Mercy did everything, and Adam was a shiny accessory she dragged around.

The wedding was cute and full of beautiful emotions, but I am a little sad that we didn’t get to see the proposal. Also, I said multiple times that I enjoyed the slow pace of the romance, but that doesn’t mean I would not like a little more spice in this series. Mercy and Adam are now married, yet all we get are fade-to-black scenes. That being said, the wedding was really cute, and it made me a little emotional to see everyone being there for Mercy’s big day, even though she said multiple times that she always felt like she didn’t truly belong anywhere.

Once again, I appreciated the progression of the romance, without any pointless drama. Mercy and Adam continue to show that they are two grown-ups, mature enough to talk about their issues instead of creating problems that could have been avoided. They do argue and fight, but they also always manage to cool down and talk about it before it becomes too big an issue.

Did I miss a novella between this book and Silver Borne?I read In Red With Pearls, but it’s about Kyle and Warren. Now, Gabriel is apparently back at work with Mercy… and living with Jessie… When did that happen? How is his mother dealing with it? I feel that we missed a chapter about them somewhere between this book and the previous one.

I will continue with this series, for sure, because I love the characters and the vibe of the series, but let’s just say that this book was not for me, and I might skip it (except for the wedding part) if/when I reread this series.



🛠️ 1. Moon Called [Dramatized Adaptation] (Mercy Thompson series) ⭐⭐⭐.5
🐺 0.5 Alpha & Omega (Alpha & Omega series) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🐺 1. Cry Wolf (Alpha & Omega series) ⭐⭐⭐
🐺 2. Hunting Ground (Alpha & Omega series) ⭐⭐⭐.5
🛠️ 2. Blood Bound [Dramatized Adaptation] (Mercy Thompson series) ⭐⭐⭐.5
🛠️ 3. Iron Kissed [Dramatized Adaptation] (Mercy Thompson series) ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
🛠️ 4. Bone Crossed [Dramatized Adaptation] (Mercy Thompson series) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
🛠️ 5. Silver Borne [Dramatized Adaptation] (Mercy Thompson series) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Shifting Shadows (collection of short stories)


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[Daisy Delfin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this audio production so much.

- great characters
- the leads have to overcome a lot of stuff and they are both growing
- no cliffhangers at the end of the book
- feels like a finished book even though there are more to come

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic Plot: Mercy gets married, and on their honeymoon, she and Adam run into more than they expect.

This book delves into Mercy's background quite a bit more than previous books did, and I love the voicework the actors did to bring the characters to life. This book also sees Mercy facing a fight she needs help with, more than usual, and the adaptation really did it justice. I love how the wedd8ng played out, and the whole audio just hut all the right notes.

[Shereen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mercy and Adam finally get their long-awaited happily ever after… or so they think. Their honeymoon turns into a full-blown supernatural survival trip faster than you can say “river monster.”

I loved seeing Mercy continue to grow into her strength — both as a walker and as Adam’s equal. The mix of romance, eerie river legends, and that classic Mercy sass made this one impossible to stop listening to. The full cast audio added a whole new depth — it felt like watching a movie play out in my head.

The story hit all the right notes: action, heart, and just enough creepy to make you double-check dark water. 🌊🐺

[MELISSA · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuing with this series now with GraphicAudio, I am delighted and compelled to tell everyone how much I enjoy this series in all the ways to enjoy it. No summary here, yet if you like Urban Fantasy with fae, weres, vampires and all kinds of other characters and lots of action, this is a series for you.

[Kayla Worrall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad I decided to listen to the audiobook of this one, and my first audiobook at that. Listening to the wonderful cast tell the story with a great ambience that fully immerses you into the story.
After this, I’ll definitely continue with the series but likely with the audiobooks instead.

[Hannah Thibodeau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mercy is so kickass even when you think she isn’t going to make it out alive. This was action packed, full of Native American history relative to the storyline. We finally get a glimpse into who her father is/was too!

[Jo Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

So the end of this book made me all emotional! 😢
I loved the storyline - will definitely be looking into Native American culture more.
Mercy is on her honeymoon with Adam, she finds out about her Dad's history and being interwoven with Coyote the mythical supernatural creature. Loved it! 🤩

[Mary Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

*GraphicAudio via Libby*

4.5 stars

This one made me smile so much. Adam and Mercy get married and have a honeymoon, and *surprise!* trouble finds them. lol The tribal spirits, especially Coyote, were a wonderful addition to the story.

[Hailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fav series!!! Love that they are doing the dramatized adaptations!!

[Jamie Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

absolutely love the book. the graphic audio just makes it that much better!

[Robin (DocRobReads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5🌟

[Missy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This time my werewolf book is a First Nations book. Lots of fun in this one with some engaging new characters (coyote ftw).

I will keep reading the series and hope for more like this one.

[Simi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books in the series and the graphic audio version absolutely did NOT disappoint!!

[The Word Nerd Reviews Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although I love the (book) series, River Marked was one of my least favourites... BUT this audio was amazing and I loved every moment!!!

Highly Recommended!!

[Casey Nerau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent, just like the rest.

[Anneli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was great. Loved the folklore aspect in this one.

[Pixie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In River Marked we continue Mercy's adventures into getting herself into trouble; although, this one really isn't her fault. She's on her honeymoon with Adam in a place that a fae suggested after having a vision. This doesn't quite sit right with Mercy, but she goes along with it. A few days into their stay, Mercy gets attacked by something in the river, and their reason for being in this specific location shows itself. The River Devil.

Another resounding success by Patricia Briggs. There is always action and excitement when the paranormal are involved, especially Mercy because apparently, she just attracts trouble.

[Jenni Bearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was finally able to get a hold of this graphic audio production. Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors, and this series is like my comfort food. This book is probably my least favorite in the series, but still absolutely love it. And there were bits that I picked up on in the graphic audio that I haven’t noticed as much reading the regular book. It’s always difficult for me to rate these, the regular book always gets five stars from me. But with graphic audio. I need to take into account the production itself. I thought this one was much better done than some of the previous ones. It still really bothers me that they mispronounce the name of one of a frequently appearing side character. And when they try to make a character seem spooky, the voice that they use seems really campy. I ended up giving it four stars, but bordering on three.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite series and getting to listen to it in Graphic Audio is even better!

River Marked is the ongoing story of Mercy Thompson and her adventures. You should definitely read this entire series. I also recommend the Alpha and Omega series that is about different but related characters in the same world. Reading order can be found on the author’s website.

My highlights from this book (minor spoilers):
-I laugh each and every time I read/listen to the shenanigans surrounding Mercy and Adam’s wedding. Mercy’s mom and Jesse are quite the pair.
-I like that we (finally!) get more information about Mercy’s father and where her supernatural powers come from. Plus more supernatural beings!

The narration and sound effects are amazing! If you have not experienced a book in Graphic Audio, I highly recommend!