Review: Alpha by Rachel Vincent ~ Once Upon a Bookcase

Alpha by Rachel Vincent (review copy) - WARNING! This is the sixth and final book in the Shifters series. I cannot review this book without spoiling the previous books in the series. Read no futher if you plan on reading the Shifters series and don't want it spoiled for you.

Power, revenge, and justice - prepare yourself for the final battle! In the final chapter of "The Shifters Series", Faythe and her Pride must fight a tyrannical werecat intent on taking over the territorial council, and the south-central Pride in particular. It's down to Faythe to take on the role of Alpha before she feels completely ready for the job. Forced to rise to the occasion, Faythe must balance experience, advice, and the urge for vengeance. She must also finally choose between Marc and Jace...No decisions will be is easy, and not everyone will survive this epic fight to the death. From Amazon UK

As the final book in the Shifters series, I was really looking forward to reading Alpha yet not at the same time. I'd get to find out all the answers to the questions left over from previous books, but I'd also have to say goodbye to Faythe, Marc, Jace, and everyone else. Now I've finished it, I can only say this: what an amazing way to end the series!

All those ends get tied up; we find out who ends up being the head of the territorial council, we find out who Faythe chooses between Marc and Jace, and we find out the outcome of the war. And I can't tell you how amazing it is! I actually think "amazing" is a bit of an understatement.

What I loved most about this book is the politics. Alpha is as action packed as all the other books in the series, but it also has a lot of decision making, organising, strategising, and a lot of Faythe having to use her head. But it's not all plain sailing. Vincent drops stumbling block after stumbling block in Faythe's path, causing her to re-think, re-group, restart. Faythe's strength in such impossible situations is incredible, especially when you consider the emotional turmoil she's also under.

Marc and Jace find it difficult to wait for Faythe to make her mind up over who she wants, and what's so difficult is she loves them both so much. There are a few times throughout the novel when one or the other's reactions to certain events made me think I knew who Faythe would end up choosing, but then wonder if they were just red-herrings, so I was never really sure who would end up being Faythe's guy. I won't say whether I was happy or not with who she ended up choosing, because that may give it away, but I will say it was emotional and heart-wrenching to read Faythe try and make a decision.

There were a few other emotional events throughout the book that would have left me in floods of tears if it weren't for the fact that I was at work at the time and couldn't be unprofessional. No-one writes such excruciating scenes like Vincent. The agony that these characters go through emotionally is just so raw, it's literally painful to read.

The action in this book is just phenomenal. Really. The war is just terrifying in that everything is happening so fast in so many places, you don't know who's hurt, who's dead, who's alive. Having read the previous books in the series, I know that violence and gore are to be expected, but Alpha takes it to a completely new level. I didn't think I could be shocked by the violence that I read, or by the actions of some of the disgustingly evil antagonists, but I was, time and time again.

But now it's finished. I closed the book feeling extremely happy with how the story ended, but so, so sad that that was it. That there would be no more from Faythe and her family. I get so emotionally involved in books, and in this series especially, that I actually feel that friends have died. I finished reading right before going to bed, and I laid there not sleeping for ages, not being able to get the story out of my head. As sad as it may sound, I miss them all already.

This is not a book to be missed! It might possibly be my favourite of the series. Vincent has far surpassed my expectations, and my awe of her has no limit, it seems. An incredible finale from an incredible author. I seriously cannot wait to see what adult series Vincent brings us next.

Thank you to Midas PR for the review copy.