** spoiler alert ** 
 I hesitate to give it three stars. It wasn't a "2 star, it's okay" book, but it didn't live up to what I'd hoped. Something was...missing. 
 Things just...I don't know...just didn't flow for me. I love the world, of course, since the Mercy Thompson series is in my top five favs. I like Charles and Anna, and even liked all the new additions in this entry. Beauclaire and Lesley Fischer and Isaac. I liked Boston as a locale. Liked the duel voices and Brother Wolf and Charles. I'm all for POV switches. 
 But... 
 Why start the book out with the story of the fae "gift" card when the card didn't seem to DO anything? It sent magic into the world...maybe it helped Charles reach Anna in time...but mostly she would have defended herself and they would have gotten there with Charles's computer info anyway. What was the point? And having Leslie, who I liked, be her own POV when she's not even part of the series as a whole? Isaac too. Though, I liked them. I did! It just didn't make sense. WHY? That's my question. WHY? Why add them, why take any of the attention away from Charles and Anna and Bran, who are enough to carry a story as it is? 
 The end was chilling, but who didn't see it coming? That Beauclaire was a Gray Lord...or Prince of the Gray Lords or whatever, was pretty great. War. Neat. I like how it will affect everything that happens in the Mercy AND A&O series'. 
 But... 
 It sure was a lot of meandering just to reach the two page courtroom finale, and the showdown on the street with the horses. 
 THAT'S WHAT IT WAS! 
 The book felt like just the vessel to get us to the conclusion of the fae seceding from the U.S., and probably starting a war. I try to enjoy the journey, but backtracking...Anna getting shot, but hardly, Charles deciding he was justice after all (DUH, he ought to be smarter than that!) and repairing their mate bond (back and forth and back and forth)...Anna getting kidnapped, but them TALKING for 30 minutes while she changes to wolf and was therefore fairly safe... Smoke and mirrors. Fake jeopardy to get to the real problem in the end. 
 And Anna's no Mercy. 
 Okay. Done. End of rant. Maybe I'll feel differently in the morning. (doubt it)