A review by mugsandpugs
Alpha & Omega, by Patricia Briggs

2.0

This was such a bitter disappointment after the Mercy Thompson series. I'm used to so much better from this author. What I didn't like about it:

- poor helpless waif of a protagonist who is Good and Pure and needs to be SAVED BY A MAN (constantly). This is just yet another Cinderella retelling and I'm so tired of it. (Also: She's not VIOLENT AND DANGEROUS like those other icky wolves. She's a VERY SPECIAL, RARE KIND. Because of course she is. Ffs.)

- I'm... I have very iffy feelings about sexual abuse in fiction. Some media, such as Netflix's Jessica Jones, gets it RIGHT. And then there's this... wEIRD sensationalized, almost romanticized crap I see in books like Twilight, or the Cassandra Clare books, or a million other things. It exists just so the protagonist has an excuse to be rescued. (Note: I didn't like it in the Mercy Thompson series either. There's a reason #3 was my least favorite. It was gratuitous and unnecessary... However, I did feel some kinship for Mercy's recovery in the following books, including the occasional panic attacks and how well she learns to handle them.)

- Charlie. Everything he does is so possessive and so creepy. He barely KNOWS this woman and already he's CLAIMING her, calling her "MINE", demanding she EAT MORE and making unasked-for appraisals of her body ("You're too skinny." Buddy, did she ASK?! GAG ME.) Saying that he WOULD court her gently and win her heart (without asking.) Sniffing her freaking hair. Pulling her out of her chair and kissing her without asking, or any warning whatsoever. And she's tOTALLY COOL with it, just. BECAUSE there's "SOMETHING ABOUT HIM." It makes me feel gross when I realize there are so many people out there that like this kinda thing... there must be, because I see it everywhere. (Also: Note- if someone tells you they don't like sex, your response needs to be "I respect that." If you can't live in a relationship without it, thank them kindly for their time and break up. You do not, EVER, try to convince them or say they WILL enjoy it with you.)

- Weird racial stereotypes throughout. The (presumably Hispanic) gang that hassles them on the train. The black neighbor who is LOUD AND SASSY AND JUST WANTS ANNA TO GET A MAN. The list goes on. (Don't even get me started about how the only other female characters are MEAN AND SLEEP AROUND WTH ALL THE GUYS (Isabelle) or MOTHERLY AND MATERNAL AND JUST WANT TO PROTECT POOR BABY ANNA BUT JUST CAN'T (Kara)).

This is the sort of drek I'd expect from Sherrilyn Kenyon's work- not Patricia Briggs'. I'm... feeling quite sour about it all. I'm going to be lenient on this and give it two stars, instead of the one that it deserves, because it's a very short novella and it's possible there were parameters placed on Patricia when it was incorporated in an anthology book with other authors. I'm going to go into "Cry Wolf" with an open mind when it's available at the library and give it a fair shot.