Monday, April 6, 2015

Review: Omega

Omega (War of the Alphas - Book 1) by SM Reine

Publication Date: 04/02/2015
Publisher: Red Iris Books
Sold By: Amazon Digital 
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Pages: 264 (print)
File Size: 724 KB
ASINB00RODITCC

(Received for an honest review from Amazon Digital)

Purchase: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, itunes, Kobo

SM Reine on the WEB: website, twitter, facebook, goodreads

Synopsis:

Ten years ago, Deirdre Tombs died. When she was reborn the next day, Deirdre had become a shapeshifter who can’t shift shapes. Nobody knows what animal she’s supposed to be. She’s definitely not a werewolf. The Alpha, Rylie Gresham, can’t force her to transform like other members of her pack.

Now Deirdre is considered an omega, the weakest shapeshifter in the pack—a vulnerable position when Everton Stark demands tribute from Rylie. He wants to be the dominant Alpha. The only Alpha. And he plans to make her pack submit whether they want to or not. Stark can make every shapeshifter obey him by force of will alone.

Every shapeshifter except Deirdre.

The shifter who can’t shift is the only hope for Rylie to win the war against Stark. It will take everything Deirdre has to survive undercover in his den. But can an omega’s will be stronger than that of a charismatic, deadly Alpha like Everton Stark?


Thoughts:

SM Seine brings readers a spin off series from the world of the Ascension. Omega is the first book in the War of the Alphas series and features Deidre, a shapeshifter that is unable to shift. Readers who are familiar with the Ascension series already know about Genesis and how normal mundane people die and wake as werewolves, vampires and other creatures. This heroine has a problem, she's a shifter but she doesn't know what animal she is supposed to be. Seine continues to blow the minds of readers who love her writing and style. 

I have read a few of the Ascension books and liked them very much. I was excited to hear that there would be a spin off series that would feature some of the characters from the Ascension world. Deidre is a really strong character. Reine was able to make her status as an Omega seem like a badge of honor for this character. She used it to her advantage though she desperately wanted to know what was wrong with her and how to fix it. Deidre wasn't too sure whether to trust Rylie, the alpha or to side with Everton, the usurper. It was interesting to see how Reine made that choice play out and how it will affect the rest of the series. 

The world building in this series is pretty amazing. It takes the world of Ascension and somehow magnifies the players and tensions. In the Ascension series you got that feeling of urgency, but it wasn't as prevalent as it was here. The reader is treated to a series that could potentially stand on it's own but Reine does mention things that have happened in the past. I don't think it's necessary to back track and read the whole series, but it might be wise to read the last couple of books, just to get the necessary background.

Bottom Line:

For me there has to be a reason for a spin-off. If it's really just a continuation of a previous series under a different name, I'm not that interested. With War of the Alpha's the Ascension world is a factor but certainly not the whole ball of wax. Reine has created a distinctly different set of characters and circumstances to set this series apart from her previous books. I loved Deidre and her tough attitude. She was a warrior in a lot of ways and I liked the way Reine wrote her. Looking forward to seeing if this series lives up to the last. A great first book!

Omega is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.

I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!



About the Author:


Hi everyone! My name is Sara, and I'm the New York Times Bestselling Author of urban fantasy known as SM Reine. I collect swords, cat hair, and typewriters (which I do use for writing!). You can usually find me writing on my treadmill desk at 2am whilst listening to dubstep. Yes, dubstep.

If you would like to know the instant I have a new book available, you should enlist in my Army of Evil! I'll only email you when I have a new release, which is generally no more than once a month. I can't write any faster than that. :) http://smarturl.it/armyofevil

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