Alpha and Omega

My suggestion for readers of this series is to skip this book & see if the next Alpha/Omega is better. I don’t think you’ll lose much continuity if you just pass on this one (or if you really want to read it, I’d recommend checking it out from the library instead of dropping $14 on it).

After the last so-so Mercy installment, I was looking forward to this book. Unfortunately, like the last Mercy story, this book felt forced. There were two issues for me: (1) the author has already explored the plotline of the evil rapist demigod in different iterations in other books in this world, and (2) there were lots of plot tangents, especially in the beginning, that didn’t seem to go anywhere or add to my overall understanding of the characters or their world.

One of the things I’ve liked a lot about this world is the creepy/scary vibe that never goes too far into dark horror/keep-me-up-at-night territory. But in this book, I just got a sense of redux with other villains — the quest into the woods was similar to their fight against Asil’s witch in #2, the creepy god was similar to the river demon Mercy fought in River Marked & the rapist theme has come up with the changeling in Silver Borne (I think that was the one) and Fair Game.

Yes, this does tie up some loose ends with Leah’s backstory/injured wolf who’s with Mercy now + ends with an exciting tease for the next book. BUT, with two meh books in a row, I’m starting to think it’s time for me to quit this series. I won’t be pre-ordering the next book.

If I could say the one most important thing about this book, it’s a massive, MASSIVE trigger warning. This book deals heavily and repeatedly with r*pe, s*xual assault, gaslighting, and forced pregnancy. I wish I’d known that before reading; right now I need to hug my son, cry on my fianc, and talk to my therapist for about four hours. So if you’re sensitive to those topics, brace yourself.

But the thing is I can’t hug my son, cry on my fianc, or bug my therapist, because it’s 6am. This book came out at midnight, and I read the entire thing. Could not put it down. It was that good.

I’ve been a huge fan of the Mercy and Alpha & Omega books for over five years, and this latest installment didn’t disappoint. Another page turner, full of myths, lore, romance, music, and revenge. Like I said, I wish I’d known what I was walking into- but if you’re current on the Mercy books, you know that Patricia Briggs can handle these subjects without being too graphic. I loved this book, and will read it again.

Let me say upfront that I enjoy the Alpha and Omega series very much (as well as the Mercy Thompson series). I liked this book but the way the history of Bran and Leah is being rewritten in this book bothers me.

In Cry Wolf it is stated

“It had taken him a few years after Blue Jay Woman’s death to find Leah, a woman so selfish and stupid he was certain he could never really love her”.

Yet in Wild Sign Bran says:

“I wasn’t actually out looking for a mate when I left you with your grandfather”; “I bound her wolf to mine by force”

So which is it?

Cry Wolf leads the reader to believe Bran had deliberately sought out another mate who was the antithesis of Blue Jay Woman.
Wild Sign would have the reader accept that Bran only took Leah as mate due to extenuating circumstances.

I don’t object to Bran and Leah finding a closer relationship, in fact I would applaud that story line. There were already hints of that in Burn Bright.

However, it’s disrespectful to the reader, if not downright lazy, to ignore the premise that has already been established in order to take the story in a new direction.

“Charles belonged to Anna with all his complicated soul and uncomplicated heart.”

I have been on a journey with Anna and Charles for almost a decade, and I don’t see myself leaving them anytime soon. Wild Sign is another amazing addition to the Alpha & Omega series, I honestly just can’t get enough of the complex and intriguing characters in the Marrok’s pack. I especially love the bond Anna has with everyone, she is a very important pack member and has made life easier for many wolves. Her bond with Charles is beautiful and I love seeing the developments in their relationship. Anna has grown so much, she turned from a meek scared woman into a strong and fearless warrior. Wild Sign is one of my favorite reads of the year, and I hope I’ll be adding books from this series to that list for a very long time.

“But she wasnt that woman anymore. It was Charles, with his darkness, his violence and contrasting gentleness, who she wanted to take to her bed, to share her life with.”

In Wild Sign Anna, Charles and Tag are assigned to figure out what happened to a group of people who had been living off the grid but disappeared into thin air. This book was very mysterious and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened to these people. The atmosphere the author creates always gets me in the mood and keeps me intrigued until the end. It gets very dark sometimes, but there are also lots of sweet and fun moments. Wild Sign had the perfect balance of mystery, action, romance and humor. I loved that we were able to get to know a couple of characters better in this book, I especially was intrigued about Bran’s mate Leah’s backstory. I always hate getting to the end because I know I’ll have to wait a couple of years for the next book. The ending has me very anxious to get my hands on book #7. I’ll just have to reread this series until then.

I didn’t even realise this book had been released but it turned up on my kindle last night & I have just finished it.
There is so much that happens in this book told mostly from the perspective of Anna & Charles but for me this book finally made Leah into a real character instead of the cardboard cut out she seemed to be before.
I don’t want to post spoilers but by the end of this book we have so many new places the Marrocks pack can now go & I’m really looking forward to seeing where Patricia Briggs takes us next.
I just hope the wait is not so long & I really want to know the name of the newest addition to the Cormick clan.
The story also gave me hope we might see Mercy & the rest of her pack again in the future.

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