I finally decided to try this series, which to be honest mostly drew me in because the cover art is so beautiful. The world of Mercy Thompson is definitely an interesting one, where supernatural creatures are slowly "coming out" to society; there are fae, werewolves, vampires, and who knows what other supernatural creatures living amongst humans, some hiding in plain sight more successfully than others. Mercy, who is half-white and half-Blackfoot, has a unique shifting ability to transform into a coyote, and has never met another supernatural creature with her powers, having been raised by a pack of werewolves. I found Mercy to be a pretty good lead; she's smart, resourceful, and has a pretty sensible understanding of the world around her. I think her voice could be a bit stronger, but since is the first book I'm sure that aspect will improve throughout the series. 
 Overall, I think this book was pretty solid. The first half really drew me in, and I liked learning more about Mercy's past. My interest waned a little bit towards the end of the book but that might be because werewolf politics aren't really a big draw for me when it comes to urban fantasy. 
 One thing I was a little worried about starting this series was the depiction of Native Americans in the work, and I think overall it was pretty well-done. Mercy is a fully-fleshed out character and doesn't seem to fall into any particular stereotypes so far. We haven't met many other Native characters other than Mercy, but some of the other werewolves had Native ancestry and I did like that their ancestors were described with their specific tribes. I'm hoping we get a bit more insight into Mercy's Blackfoot lineage, as well as learn more about her unique shifting abilities. 
 Although this book did have a few faults, I will definitely keep reading this series and hopefully it will continue to improve. I think if you enjoyed Anne Bishop's The Others series or are a big urban fantasy fan in general, this series is a good fit.