Review: Alpha & Omega

On the Prowl Anthology
Alpha & Omega (Alpha & Omega, book 0.5) by Patricia Briggs

Genre: Urban Fantasy
Edition Reviewed: Paperback
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
Kindle Single Short Story
Goodreads: On the Prowl (1)

 

Alpha and Omega 0.5 by Patricia Briggs
The werewolf Anna finds a new sense of self when the son of the werewolf king comes to town to quell unrest in the Chicago pack- and inspires a power in Anna that she's never felt before.

Inhuman by Eileen Wilks
Kai has a secret gift of sensing thoughts and desires. What she senses in her neighbor Nathan could be dangerous. Because he has a secret gift, too, and it's about to be let loose.

Buying Trouble by Karen Chance
In a New York auction house, a Lord of the Fey crosses paths with a fiery redheaded mage named Claire. But in this strange underground society, the rarity up for sale is Claire herself.

Mona Lisa Betwining by Sunny
Among the children of the moon, Mona Lisa is of Mixed Blood- part Monere, part human, and destined to be alone. Then she meets a man who could be her salvation- or her downfall.

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Review:

Wow!! I had forgotten how good this short was. It's set in the same world as Mercy Thompson's. Presenting a new character, Anna, and an old one, Charles. Charles is kind of old, but he's a blank slate. Readers first meet him in Moon Called and gets smatterings of mentions in Mercy's books. He's the son of the Marrok so it's bound to happen. He's also the executioner for the pack and a key in keeping it running. Charles is a character I've longed to know so it's exciting he'll be in his own spinoff.

Anna is another example of Briggs creating well realized female leads. They don't need to be bad asses wielding weapons. They can be strong in other ways. Personally I really loved her and it helped showing the other side of werewolf packs. Because it's been hinted at that not all packs are like Adam and Bran's.

It's also wonderful getting full on werewolf pack politics again! Especially from the point of view of a woman. Sure she's an Omega—no I won't ruin it for you—so the sexist rules of the other female members need not apply to her. Which is both cool and a bit of a shame that it won’t be explored. However, since she is a werewolf I have no doubt it will be brought up in future books.

Overall this is an excellent pre-series launch. It got my attention. Sadly it was so amazing it's probably why the first official book in the Alpha and Omega series was such a let down. (Who knows maybe I'll like it more on my reread. Because I can barely remember it!) It introduces an excellent power couple and I can't wait to see them actually fall in love. Because Mating in Briggs world isn’t like basic romance novel crap. Not to mention that Anna will be going up to the Marrok's territory. Oh. Yeah.

Sexual Content: Some sexual rumor, talk and mention of rape and sexual abuse. There’s a darker flavor to this book.

 
4/5- Great! Really enjoyed it.

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Previous book(s) in series:
Reviewed on BW:	Amazon:	Goodreads:
Alpha & Omega (0.5) Cry Wolf (1) Hunting Ground (2) Fair Game (3) Dead Heat (4) Untitled (5)	Alpha & Omega (0.5) Cry Wolf (1) Hunting Ground (2) Fair Game (3) Dead Heat (4) Untitled (5)	Alpha & Omega (0.5) Cry Wolf (1) Hunting Ground (2) Fair Game (3) Dead Heat (4) Untitled (5)