Alpha and Omega (Alpha and Omega, #0.5)

by Patricia Briggs

[jesstheaudiobookworm]

4.25★ Audiobook⎮This was a super quick listen and I’m so glad I started with it before beginning the regular series. When given the choice, I like to read things chronologically rather than in the order they were published. This novella ties in nicely with the first installment of the Mercy Thompson series, Moon Called.

I’ve been Netflix-style binging the Mercy Thompson series over the past week, miraculously averaging an installment today! I’ve fallen so hard for Patricia Briggs’ writing. But my ravenous devouring of Mercy Thompson has begun to wear my enjoyment thin, so I decided it was the perfect opportunity to start Alpha and Omega.

This series takes place in the same universe as Mercy Thompson and its characters are often referenced. Another popular example would be Richelle Mead’s Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series. There seems to be more of a focus on romance in this series, but I’m already so invested in the universe/characters/writing that I decided to just roll with it. I’m very interested to see how the expansion of Briggs’ universe develops. It seems that upcoming installments will take place in Montana where Mercy Thompson was raised and the Cornick pack lives.

Much of the Mercy Thompson series revolves around dealing with various types of paranormal species (Vampires, the fae, etc.) and I’ve recently felt that there was a gap in my knowledge concerning the werewolves themselves. Briggs aims to fill that gap through the Alpha and Omega series. Just in this 2.5 hour novella, we are given so much essential information regarding pack rules, hierarchy and etiquette as Charles explains it all to Anna.

Anna is a very different type of protagonist than Mercy. She’s more along the lines of your “typical” female protagonist, whereas Mercy is definitely an atypical heroine in the best sort of way. I’m sure Anna will continue to grow on me, as she already began to do in this short novella. I found Charles to be the most enjoyable character in this short story and I look forward to more of him in the series.

From what I can tell, it seems like you could start with either series and read them simultaneously or one after the other. They are meant to coordinate adjacently. However, I have to echo of the reviewers and recommending this novella before beginning Cry Wolf (Alpha and Omega #1). The novella sets the scene nicely for the opening of Cry Wolf.

Narration review: It didn’t take long for Holter Graham to grow on me either. By the end of this novella, I was already in love with his voice. He is a *fantastic* narrator. I mean, absolutely brilliant. His character distinction was impeccable and his voicing of Charles and Bran had this Marlon Brando quality to it that made me swoon. His voice actually reminds me a lot of Will Patton’s, which can only be a good thing. I’m excited to continue on with this series and hear more from Holter Graham! ♣︎