'Alpha' Werecats #6 by Rachel VINCENT

From the BLURB:

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.

‘Alpha’ is the highly-anticipated (craved, salivated, desired) sixth and final book in Rachel Vincent’s ‘Werecats’ series. And it is good. . . so, so good.

‘Alpha’ picks up where the mess of ‘Shift’ left off. Faythe Sanders and her South Central Pride find themselves in a tangled web of deceit and corruption, woven by the power-hungry Calvin Malone. Faythe’s father and Alpha werecat, Gregory Sanders, is about to be out-voted in a political manoeuvre that will give Malone absolute power over the territorial council. Malone intends to introduce a werecat police force to keep order amongst the prides (and the officers will be, coincidentally, hand-picked by Malone). He also intends to introduce an Alpha voting system whereby an Alpha candidate may be deemed unfit to rule, and to impose restrictions on ‘strays’ within pride’s (look out Marc. . .)
All of these political upheavals are leading towards a coup; a civil war to bring Malone down and allow the South Central Pride to defend their land.

But amidst the lead-up to battle, Faythe Sanders has her own personal problems. In ‘Shift’, Faythe’s ex-fiancée/love of her life, Marc, discovered that she’d had a heated encounter with fellow enforcer, Jace. In ‘Alpha’, Marc is cuckolded and hurt. . . even more so when Faythe reveals her love for Jace and inability to choose between the two men. Now it’s up to Faythe to choose, remembering that whoever she marries will rule the South Central pride alongside her...

Let me just start by saying Rachel Vincent had a very hard-task in ‘Alpha’. This is the final instalment in the ‘Werecats’ series and a lot of fans had some very high expectations. . . which Vincent delivers, ten-fold.

For me, the politics in ‘Alpha’ was the stand-out storyline. For five books now Vincent has been writing dark, political foreboding. She’s created intricate plot-points and an outstanding over-arching theme concerning power, responsibility and good vs. evil via the werecat societal structure. And it all comes to a head in ‘Alpha’, brilliantly so. I've always loved the politics and power-struggles in the ‘Werecats’ series, particularly because they are close to home. Throughout the entire series Vincent has been world-building this American shapeshifter society, feeding us tidbits of anthropological information about their society, hierarchy and conventions – everything from the importance of dams in the werecat population to stray’s territorial fights. And all of Vincent’s finessing pays off in this final instalment. The stakes are high, the politics under-handed and the players devious. I've been invested in this storyline from the get go, and the political-thriller ending is marvellous, bloody and satisfying!

I went into ‘Alpha’ with a severe inkling that I would be crying throughout the book. . . and I was right. I won’t give anything away, but my fears were met and exceeded. I knew that going into civil war would be messy for the South Central Pride. I knew there would be casualties, and to a certain extent I correctly guessed who would be taken out. But no matter how prepared I was for heartache, Vincent still bowled me over and had me weeping into the book. She handles the death and carnage with equal-parts adrenaline and sympathy; my heart was racing throughout the battles, but when it came time to say goodbye to certain characters I loved that Vincent slowed the pace and drew out the emotional upheaval. I cried, a lot, but I can’t fault Vincent’s fantastic storytelling. . . and I do tip my hat to her for making tough decisions and killing-off beloved characters for the sake of story (unlike some precious authors, *cough* Stephenie Meyer, ‘Breaking Dawn’ *cough*).

One thing I was concerned about going into ‘Alpha’ was the protagonist, Faythe Sanders. I really struggled to like Faythe from ‘Stray’ through to ‘Pride’ – I found her self-centred, spoilt and selfish. Faythe started to rise in my esteem around about fourth novel ‘Prey’, when she became a hardened enforcer and started to see the end-game her father had in mind for her as successor to the pride. I was really impressed with Faythe’s leadership role in ‘Alpha’. I wasn’t sure if she had it in her to be anything other than a narcissistic whinger. . . colour me shocked when Faythe stepped up to the plate. In ‘Alpha’ she is 100% bad-ass, a changed person from her first appearance in ‘Stray’; in this final instalment she thinks of herself last and always puts the pride first. Not to mention the fact that she has balls of steel and faces down her worst enemies and darkest nightmares;

“Can I see it?”
He blinked, still scowling. “See what?”
“Your scar.” His expression darkened like a sudden eclipse, and I let my gaze grow cold. “You want to hear me scream? Give it your best shot. But until then, every time you take off your shirt, you may as well be handing out my business card. I shoved my blade deep inside you and loved every single inch of it. When I can’t sleep at night, the memory of you screaming like a little bitch is my lullaby. And everybody knows exactly what that scar means – that you got your ass handed to you by a little girl. Again.”

There were so many times throughout ‘Alpha’ when I was whooping and hollering for Faythe. She gets knocked down, but is never out and I applaud Vincent’s beautiful execution of Faythe’s character trajectory.

But one thing I've never been able to comprehend about Faythe is her love-life. I've always been a Marc fan, and I've never understood his devotion to Faythe after she repeatedly put him through the emotional ringer – by abandoning him at the altar, not speaking to him for years and finally when she cheated on him in ‘Prey’. But as much as Faythe’s infidelity stuck in my craw, I begrudgingly understood her predicament. Jace and Marc are both incredible Alpha men, and each is perfectly suited to Faythe. Jace and Marc both challenge and question her; they push her to be a better woman, fighter and leader. Not to mention the fact that they are both hunky-delicious. I empathized with Faythe’s love triangle, less because I felt sorry for her, more because of Marc and Jace’s likability. . .

However, for all that I loved ‘Alpha’, the resolution of the romance and love triangle between Jace, Faythe and Marc did not work for me. . .

**SPOILERS ahead. Highlight to read **

I loved the many romantic red-herrings Vincent peppered throughout ‘Alpha’. Referencing Faythe’s mother and father’s romance which was originally a triangle with Di Carlo – I thought that was a wonderful piece of trickery to keep reader’s guessing (because in that scenario Greg Sanders was Jace, and he ended up with the girl).

And I've got to say that for the bulk of ‘Alpha’, I was as clueless as Faythe as to who she should pick. I swung back and forth between Marc and Jace, Jace and Marc so many times that my head was spinning.

But in the end I don’t think Faythe was worthy of Marc’s love. . . She left him standing at the altar. She didn’t speak to him for all the years she was away at University (consequently shacking up with a human boyfriend). She cheated on him. . . and then the rubbed salt in the wound by considering carrying on her affair with the other man and refusing to choose between them. Marc was well and truly cuckolded, and for all that Faythe put him through I don’t think she’d earned his love by the end of ‘Alpha’.

Sure, she asked him to marry her. . . but they’d been engaged previously and she’d run out on him. I needed more than Vincent’s ending offered. I need a bigger declaration of love – more proof of Faythe’s changeability and reform. I also didn’t like the fact that Faythe’s romantic declaration came in the aftermath of battle, when adrenaline was stilling running high and euphoric. I’m not saying I wanted her to hold a boom-box over her head and serenade Marc outside his window. . . but I needed *more*. To balance out Faythe’s past acts of cruelty, she needed to really make it up to Marc and prove herself and her love for him, and I didn’t get that in ‘Alpha’. All I got was Faythe finally choosing him, without backing her decision up with evidence of her devotion.

**END spoilers**

‘Alpha’ was a befitting ending to a roller-coaster series. I am sad to see this series end – especially because the finale in itself offers such tantalizing possibilities. I think this series could have conceivably gone on for a couple more books, focusing on the aftermath of the werecat civil war. And if this truly is the end for ‘Werecats’, then I would have liked an epilogue to balance out the horror and death of the final chapter. . . even if an epilogue was just mush and romance, I would have appreciated one nonetheless.

Still, this was an admirable finale full of intrigue, destruction, and romance, with one kick-ass and reformed heroine at the centre. Brilliant.

4/5

'Shift' Werecats #5 by Rachel VINCENT

** SPOILERS **

From the BLURB:

Being the first female werecat enforcer isn't easy. Scars accumulate, but I'm stronger in so many ways.

As for my personal life? It's complicated. Choices worth making always are. Ever since my brother's death and my father's impeachment, it's all I can do to prevent more blood from spilling. Now our Pride is under attack by a flight of vicious thunderbirds. And making peace with our new enemies may be the only way to get the best of our old foe.

With the body count rising and treachery everywhere, my instincts tell me to look before I leap. But sometimes a leap of faith is the only real option…

‘Shift’ is the fifth book in Rachel Vincent’s ‘Werecats’ series.

Book #4, ‘Prey’, left fans with one hell of a cliff hanger. Psychotic Werecat councilman, Calvin Malone, murdered Faythe Sander’s youngest brother, Ethan, and the entire South Central Pride was on the precipice of Civil War.

Not only that, but Faythe and fellow enforcer Jace Malone caved into their feelings for one another and had sex after drowning their sorrows in tequila.

At the end of ‘Prey’ the Werecats were going to Civil War, and Faythe was grappling with her newfound romantic feelings for Jace, while heartsick at having to confess her adultery to her Werecat mate, Marc.

This is where ‘Shift’ picks up. Faythe’s father and Werecat leader, Greg Sanders, is preparing his troops for an attack on Calvin Malone. Marc’s previous banishment is void in the face of civil outbreak, and he is back living on the Sanders property, which makes things awkward for Faythe when she’s trying to quell Jace’s heated stares and insistence that they confess their indiscretion to Marc.

Right in the middle of all this chaos the littlest Werecat, Kaci, is nearly abducted by a flight of thunderbirds. Thunderbirds are Werebirds. Falcons, eagles and vultures – the last Werecat sighting of a thunderbird was nearly a decade ago, and their reappearance and attempted kidnapping spells doom for the Werecats.

This is a real helter-skelter plot. Right from the first page the storyline is intense and the pressure only increases. The Civil War looms, thunderbirds are picking off Werecats one by one for no apparent reason, and Faythe may have to choose between the two men she loves… WOAH!

First off, the thunderbirds plot is amazing. Rachel Vincent is absolutely in her writing element with the action scenes involving the swooping, clawing thunderbirds. I had goose bumps when reading all those combat scenes - absolutely enthralling and hair-raising. I especially liked the thunderbirds plot because Vincent did such an amazing job of describing and detailing this new ‘Were’ society.

I rolled my eyes. “We’re not going to kill you.”

“Right. You’re going to fix me up and toss me out the window with a Popsicle stick taped to one wing.” He shrugged awkwardly with the shoulder of his good arm, leaning against the cinder-block wall for support. “I’ve seen this episode. This is the one where Sylvester eats Tweety.”

Secondly, the Civil War plot is shaping up to be a doozy for the 6th (and final) Werecat book. In ‘Shift’, Vincent adds layer upon layer of political intrigue and power plays – it is a beautiful set-up for the 6th book and a fantastic cliff hanger at the end of ‘Shift’.

Lastly, the emotional stakes are higher than ever for Faythe Sanders. I’m still not much of a Faythe fan, because it still sticks in my craw that before she became an enforcer and accepted her role as Alpha-in-training, she was a spoilt little brat. Books 1 to 3 had me gritting my teeth at all of Faythe’s selfish and stupid actions. But I started to warm to her in ‘Prey’ and even more so in ‘Shift’.

Faythe’s made a *LOT* of stupid mistakes. Not least of which is cheating on Marc by sleeping with Jace in ‘Prey’. Unfortunately for Faythe, she attracts orphan men who find their lives revolving around her and her love. Jace is estranged from his family, since his step-dad is Calvin Malone. Marc is a stray whose family were brutally murdered, after which he was adopted by Faythe’s family. In ‘Shift’ it becomes brutally apparent that in choosing one of these men, Faythe will be banishing the other. Jace and Marc are both Alpha males, and they will not be able to live together in harmony if one of them is Faythe’s mate. Unfortunately neither man has any family beyond the Sanders, and Faythe’s choice will weigh heavy on their futures.

I know Faythe has cooked up quite a mess for herself, and these two men. But where I once would have been very harsh in my judgement of her, in ‘Shift’ I found myself just sad for her and her future decisions. She is in such a predicament, and no choice is going to be easy or without consequence. Faythe’s emotional turmoil is so gut-wrenching that I had to put aside my previous prejudice and just sympathize with her.

Vincent does a good job of gaining reader’s empathy for Faythe by making her love triangle a real conundrum. Jace and Marc are both great guys. It’s not a clear-cut case of HEA, because I could easily see Faythe choosing either guy. I would be happy for Faythe to end up with either of them, but I am leaning a little towards Marc - mostly because Faythe has put him through the ringer in the past. First, she left him at the altar and vanished for 5 years with no communication. Then in ‘Prey’ when Marc is banished and kidnapped, Faythe cheats on him. And to top it all off, if Faythe chooses Jace over Marc, Marc (being a stray) will have the hardest time finding a new Pride and may even have to rejoin other strays. I think Faythe has put him through enough, choosing Jace would be just too much heartache for one guy.

But on the other hand, Jace is a viable love interest in ‘Shift’. Where he was previously cocky and flirtatious towards Faythe, in ‘Shift’ he shows his serious side and reveals just how much Faythe means to him;

“Hell, Faythe, I’m pretty sure that never touching you again would hurt worse than the nastiest death Calvin could think up for me.”

I just don’t know!

I, like everyone else, will be chewing my nails in the lead-up to October 1st and the release of 6th and final book, ‘Alpha’. I don’t want the series to end, but at the same time I *need* to know what happens!

5/5

'Prey: Werecats #4' by Rachel VINCENT

From the BLURB:

Sometimes playing cat and mouse is no game.

Play? Right. My Pride is under fire from all sides, my father's authority is in question and my lover is in exile. Which means I haven't laid eyes on Marc's gorgeous face in months. And with a new mother and an I-know-everything teenager under my protection, I don't exactly have time to fantasize about ever seeing him again.

Then our long-awaited reunion is ruined by a vicious ambush by strays. Now our group is under attack, Marc is missing and I will need every bit of skill and smarts to keep my family from being torn apart. Forever.

I have read the first 3 books in Rachel Vincent’s popular ‘Werecats’ series. But to be honest, I wasn’t blown away – mostly because I had a real problem with the female protagonist, Faythe Sanders. I found her to be self-centered, annoyingly naïve, whiny and ungrateful. Only those who are familiar with the series will know what I’m talking about – that although Faythe had a lot of unfair weight put on her shoulders as a Tabby, I thought her response to that pressure was utterly spoilt and pathetic. Furthermore I could not fathom how someone like Faythe could have two wonderful men (Marc and Jace) chasing after her in light of the fact that she is such an annoying and selfish individual. It’s not an understatement to say that I read ‘Stray’, ‘Rogue’ and ‘Pride’ with my teeth grit. That being said, I could appreciate the fact that Rachel Vincent knows how to tell a good story.

It was reading Patti and Tiffany’s reviews of the 5th book ‘Shift’ that prompted me to finally read book number 4. Both Patti and Tiffany spoke of huge plot-twists in book 4 that made ‘Shift’ an absolute rollercoaster of a read. So I was pushed to pulling ‘Prey’ off my TBR pile and putting up with Faythe Sanders at the promise of intense plot.

Vincent certainly delivers.

I found Faythe bearable in this book – mostly because she does a bit of reflecting on her past stupidity and is the most remorseful she’s ever been. I appreciate the fact that Faythe is imperfect (I hate Mary-Sue’s as much as the next person, *cough* Anita Blake *cough*) but she made so many hugely idiotic mistakes and sometimes came across as blasé regarding their impact. I also didn’t think she deserved the attentions of two very hot male Werecats, especially Marc who she put through the emotional ringer for five years (after practically leaving him at the altar!).

But I think Faythe makes up for past annoyances in ‘Prey’. She really steps up to the plate and starts thinking of her Pride’s future and her role as Alpha-in-training. This is the perspective she lacked in past books, where she insisted on ranting and railing against the unfair pressure put on Tabby’s, etc, etc, etc.

In ‘Prey’ Faythe does make yet another huge mistake in her love life – but the situation is somewhat understandable if not frustrating. And the ‘incident’ complicates her life so completely that I can forgive her stupidity, purely because it’s going to make things so darn interesting in future books!

The best thing about ‘Prey’ is the edge-of-your-seat plot. It is literally high stakes from the first page and only gets more intense from there on in. Vincent has a very tight mystery plot regarding Marc’s disappearance, but alongside that is a wider look at Pride politics that is very intriguing and beautifully sets up the trajectory of future books. This is a very tightly told story, and Vincent has perfectly paced the plot. There’s a great balance of action, romance and suspense.

I ran silently now, slipping between trees and soaring over brush, focused only on getting to Ethan quickly and unannounced. The sounds of the fight grew louder. A solid thunk. A low, feline moan of pain. A hiss. Then Ethan shouting, “Stay the hell back, you Benedict Arnold mother-fuckers, or I’ll bash your fucking skulls in!”

I have to hand it to Rachel Vincent as an author. She definitely isn’t one to let her series stagnate, and in ‘Prey’ she makes some very big changes that are both devastating, but impacting of the overall story-arc. She made me cry, she had me in a state of shock and awe and she has definitely gotten me amped up for book #5!

I can’t wait to read ‘Shift’ because so much happened in ‘Prey’ and there’s a lot hanging in the balance.

Thanks to Patti and Tiffany for kicking my butt and making me reconsider this series.

5/5