Review: Alpha - Rachel Vincent

"The only thing I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt - I would live and die for my pride"

Everything is about to change for werecat Faythe when her father is ousted from the council that controls their secret world.  And a shocking tragedy jeopardises her future as Alpha of the pride.

Now a rebel on the run, Faythe's biggest fight lies ahead.  Old allies from the supernatural world are ready to stand by her side.  And weretoms Marc and Jace would give their very souls in the duel for Faythe's heart...

Yet as their enemies draw near Faythe knows that she - and she alone - can lead the pride into what may be their final battle.

Shifters Series:
Stray
Rogue
Pride
Prey
Shift
Alpha

For more information visit Rachel Vincent's website

Review:
This is the 6th and final book in the Shifters series so it is very difficult to review without giving spoilers for previous books.  There won't be any spoilers for Alpha included in this review but if you're new to the series I strongly recommend you stop reading now as this series really should be read in order - why not check out my review for Stray instead.  This is my favorite Urban Fantasy series though so I'd definitely recommend you check it out!

Anyone who knows me probably knows by now what a massive fan I am of this series, I have been completely hooked since I first read Stray and my addiction has only got worse as I continued reading.  I think it's fair to say that I've been anticipating this book for what seems like forever but I've also been dreading it too.  It's always sad to reach the end of a series you love and know that you're going to have to say goodbye to characters you've come to know and love and I know I could have happily read many more books set in this world.  I have to say that I'm pleased that Rachel Vincent decided to end this series on a high though rather than drag it out until I wanted to stop reading like some authors who I refuse to mention here!

I doubt you'll be surprised to hear that as soon as this book arrived I immediately dropped everything else and settled in for the long haul.  I did manage to make it last 2 days but that was more due to lack of reading time than anything else!  If you've read the other books in the series then you'll already know how action packed the story lines usually are and Alpha was even more of a roller coaster ride.  There were plenty of times I was reading with my heart in my mouth worrying desperately that everyone would survive the final battle.  I'll admit that I was worried about Rachel's ability to tear my heart out and I'll confess to shedding more than a few tears during this installment in the series. 

I really did go through every possible emotion reading this book & was glad I was reading in the privacy of my own home as I literally shouted in indignation at the bad guys, sobbed my heart out with both joy & sadness and jumped up and down with glee.  This probably isn't a story you'd want to be reading in public!

There are a lot of threads that needed to be tied up in the final installment but one that was at the top of my list had to be the love triangle between Faythe, Marc and Jace.  I'm not going to say if I was happy with the outcome of that as I'm sure I've mentioned in other reviews which guy I was routing for so I'll just say that Rachel managed to ratchet up the tension until I wasn't sure if I could stand any more.  I swung wildly back and forth over who Faythe would eventually choose until I almost decided that she would be left without either of them.  It was both heartbreaking and uplifting to read.

If you're a fan of the series you need to get hold of Alpha as soon as possible but if you're yet to enter the Shifters world then I'd urge you to do so as soon as possible.  As soon as I'd finished the last page I wanted to pick up Stray and start the journey all over again (the only thing that stopped me is that it's already been packed in anticipation of my house move!).  I'm pretty sure re-reading the series is one of the first things I'll do when I've unpacked.  Faythe has come on such a massive journey since the beginning of the first book and I feel lucky that I got to share that experience with her.  I can't recommend this series highly enough and am looking forward to seeing what Rachel Vincent comes up with next.  I just hope that one day she will revisit the world of the werecats and that we will get to see how the future pans out for the characters we love.

Source: Purchased

Other Reviews:
Ink and Paper
Portrait of a Woman
I Want To Read That
Tynga's Reviews
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.