Really Ravishing Review (Alpha)

Review of Alpha, by Rachel Vincent.


Quickie: The perfect ending to the Shifters series. I couldn't be more satisfied.

Warning: This is an extremely biased and fangirly review. :-p No spoilers though.

Full: First off, if you haven't had the pleasure of reading Rachel's Shifters series -Stray, Rogue, Pride, Prey, Shift, and now Alpha- then you're seriously missing out. It's one of my all-time favorite series of books.

From the back cover of Alpha: You've got to have Faythe... The unscrupulous new Council Chair has charged Jace, Marc, and me with trespassing, kidnapping, murder and treason. Yeah, we've been busy. But now it's time to take justice into our own hands. We must avenge my brother's death and carve out the rot at the heart of the Council.


It's not going to be easy, and loss seems unavoidable, but I have promised to protect my Pride, no matter what. With a target on my back and Marc at my side, I'm heading for a final showdown that can -that will- change everything forever. A showdown I'm not sure I'm ready for. 


But life never waits until you're ready.


Yeehaw! What a fantastic book! I devoured the first 3/4 of it, then I purposefully slowed down. I didn't want it to end!! Ever! All those plot threads come to a head in Alpha, and Faythe makes loads of crazy-important and amazingly difficult decisions. As usual, there were times when I had a gut feeling that she wasn't being very smart, but guess what?! She's learning from her mistakes! If you compare the Faythe from Stray, to the Faythe in Alpha, you can't help but be amazed by her personal growth and the leaps and bounds her maturity has made. She really starts to figure out that the world isn't all about her, and that her decisions have consequences that affect lives. Not just her own life, but the lives of everyone she cares about.

Oh, and yes, she finally makes her decision regarding Marc vs. Jace. I think you'll be satisfied with it. I was. I was having just as hard a time as Faythe making the choice. I've been in a position nearly identical (minus the werecat aspect) and I know how hard it is to choose. How impossible it is. For a terrible comparison, it's like asking somebody if they'd rather have cookies or cake for the rest of their lives. (I want both, forever, but for different reasons) Granted, it's a terrible comparison, but you know what I mean. Choosing between two things you love dearly... is pure pain.

Alpha made me laugh out loud. It made me cry. It made me so stinkin' mad that I slammed the book down (poor book, I'm sorry!) and stomped off. Books rarely get me so worked up and emotionally invested, but each and every Shifter book has done so. To me, that speaks volumes about Rachel's writing and amazing storytelling ability.

Please, if you enjoy stories about shifters, do yourself a favor pick up Rachel's books.

5 out of 5 fangirly stars.