Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)

Location: Home » vampire: masquerade » Contemporary » Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega, Book 1)

Similar Items:

•	Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson, Book 3)
•	Magic Burns (Kate Daniels, Book 2)
•	Magic Bites (Kate Daniels, Book 1)
•	On the Prowl
•	Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson, Book 2)

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Now Briggs begins an extraordinary new series set in Mercy Thompsons worldbut with rules of its own.

INTRODUCING THE ALPHA AND OMEGA NOVELS...

Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attackand became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, shed learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country will recognize her value as a pack memberand as his mate.

Customer Reviews: Read 100 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Start to a New Series August 4, 2008
85 out of 88 found this review helpful

Though it is not absolutely necessary, readers should definitely start with Briggs' short story in the On the Prowl anthology. She introduces Anna and Charles, and the events in "Cry Wolf" begin immediately following that story. Patricia Briggs really hit her stride with the Mercy Thompson series. Great urban fantasy with a smart, resilient heroine. So, I was surprised to find I enjoy her new "Alpha and Omega" series just as much. It is set in the same world as Mercy; she is mentioned and characters from her books make an appearance. Mercy is a great heroine, but she is somewhat an outsider looking in on (and getting dragged into) paranormal affairs. Anna is a were, and knee deep in werewolf society.

In the short story, Anna was changed against her will and has been beaten down and brutalized by her pack ever since. When a local young man turns up dead, Anna recognizes him as one killed by her pack. She drums up the courage to call Bran, the Marrok and leader of all alpha werewolves. I was intrigued by this character when he was introduced in the Mercy books and was happy to see more of him. Bran sends his son and enforcer, Charles. When Charles meets Anna, he recognizes what she is - a rare and precious Omega wolf with the ability to calm wolves and keep their violence in check. Anna returns to Montana with Charles to join The Marrock's pack. Charles is needed almost immediately to investigate a possible rogue were killing people in the mountains. But, the problem is much more than a rogue - dark magic is targeting the pack. And only Anna and Charles stand in the way.

I think I enjoyed this book so much because we got a deeper look into how Briggs' has formed her werewolf society. Every paranormal series has its own "rules" for weres and vampires, and this is no different. Here the author expands on pack hierarchy, the role of the Marrock, Anna's Omega status and more. Yet, this book also leans far more toward paranormal romance than urban fantasy. Though Mercy has some great sexual tension with Adam and Samuel, she doesn't have a romantic relationship with either. So, the opportunity for witty repartee with someone she loves is missing (though the first chapter of book 4 included here indicates this will change). Anna and Charles make a great couple. Briggs' takes time to build the relationship, while simultaneously weaving her plot around them. Obviously, Anna's abilities as Omega will make her vital to the story's resolution, but the author makes it more than a plot device. Though they are mates, Anna was raped by members of her old pack and is uncertain of herself and Charles. Charles has never let himself have a long term relationship because a human mate would grow old and die. They have issues to overcome. Another big bonus for me was the direct inclusion of Bran in the story. Though he has a history with Mercy, his role in those books is very minor and in the background. Here, he takes center stage for a time and we learn more about him and his family. Though this is more romance than Mercy's series, I think that will change in subsequent books. Now that Anna and Charles are committed, and resolved many of their issues, a more straightforward adventure/mystery is possible without losing their closeness.

The book is well-paced, with great dialog and likeable characters. I could not put it down. The ending was so good, I re-read it twice after I actually finished! Highly recommended.

4 out of 5 stars

New series August 2, 2008
24 out of 32 found this review helpful

If you have followed Briggs, Mercy Thompson series you know who Charles is. If not he is the son of the Marrok, the leader of all the werewolves. He met and mated Anna in a short story in the anthology ON THE PROWL. Now they have their own book and it is rich and full of the mysteries of the Pack.

Anna is an Omega wolf, she is above and outside the Pack. She brings calm and peace to the ever anxious wolf. That is why the leader of the Chicago Pack had her made into a werewolf. But she was never told what she was only that she was a submissive wolf and because she fought, she was subjected to many tortures and rapes. Only when Charles came to find out what was wrong with the Chicago Pack did she find out she was an Omega and she has not yet come to realize who and what she is. She is still scared of the males in the Marrok's Pack.

Charles found Anna being abused in Chicago. He finally had to kill the alpha of the Chicago Pack and he was shot with silver bullets at that time. He has not quite recovered when they return to Montana. The only thing he is sure of is that his wolf has claimed Anna.

Bran is trying to decide whether to reveal the existance of the weres. Someone has killed a hiker in the mountains. He was killed by a were and Bran needs Charles, who is his enforcer and son, to go to the mountains and if necessary kill the rogue werewolf. Anna asks to go with him and against Charles will, Bran agrees.

The problem is that it is not just a were but also a black witch who is looking for one of the wolves in the Pack. She has hunted him for many yrs. The rogue wolf is not alone and there may be more than one.

I liked the story about Anna and Charles, some of the part about the black witch and her motives left me abit disturbed. I really didn't like that part as much. But this is a good series and it can only get better.

3 out of 5 stars

Good, not great August 3, 2008
23 out of 30 found this review helpful

This is set in the same universe as the Mercy Thompson novels (which I love), but follows the Omega wolf, Anna, and Charles Cornick, son of the Biggest Baddest Alpha of them all, Bran Cornick. We get a much closer look inside the Cornick family with all their thorny complications, and some very interesting back story on each of them.

I really loved the story from the On the Prowl anthology which was the basis of this novel, so I was eager to read this one. It's good, I liked it, but it didn't strike me as being as well-paced as most of Ms. Briggs' books--perhaps because the entire opening of the novel was sliced off and turned into a story for the anthology. This novel would have been better off if the marketing folks (or whoever) left that part with this and cut down some of the "talky talky" stuff and extended "What do you think he/she meant by that?" emotional analysis used to stretch this book out to novel length. The pacing in the last half is definitely better than in the first, and overall and enjoyable read. I'll read the next book in the series, probably, and hope the pacing issues improve.

For Mercy Thompson fans, there's also a little blurb at the end of this edition for the next Mercy book, Bone Crossed, which addresses some of the issues some people had with the ending of Iron Kissed.

4 out of 5 stars

I'd have liked a bit more at the beginning July 31, 2008
16 out of 23 found this review helpful

I love the Mercy Thompson series and other books by Patrica Briggs. I don't generally read short stories so I missed the first Anna & Charles installment, though, and that made getting into this book seriously annoying--especialy since this book is listed as the first book of a series. As the first book of a series, the story needs to be clear from the beginning and NOT read like a sequel. Other than that, great book.

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent book but not outtanding July 31, 2008
13 out of 15 found this review helpful

The protagonists are well written and compelling. There are some bobbles, Walter (a new wolf) started with 2 tours in Nam and wound up with three and started as a gray on gray wolf and became a black wolf. But they aren't really annoying and overall the author and editor are to be congratulated. Congratulations are also due the author for the clear distinction between a bandage and dressing. A dressing is like a telfa pad and a bandage holds it in place, important when you are looking at serious trauma. But the major problem that I have is that Charles is his father's uber enforcer and from previous books a financial genius; but he gets viewed as a simple thug? Over all that inconsistency and a good but not excellent plot keep the book from 5 stars.

Slightly annoying in that if you didn't read the Charles and Anna short this book can be hard going at first.

Still a very good read though.

BTW this book was on the stands 2 weeks before Amazon shipped it.

Powered by Associate-O-Matic

T-shirts, Posters

Pentagram T-shirts, bags, etc...

Gothic Posters