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Alpha & Omega #6
Wild Sign
Mated werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham must discover what could make an entire community disappear — before it's too late — in this thrilling entry in the #1 New York Times bestselling Alpha and Omega series.
In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they've consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.
Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.
In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they've consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.
Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 16, 2021
About the author
Patricia Briggs
130 books29.1k followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.
Patricia Briggs was born in Butte, Montana, to a children’s librarian who passed on to her kids a love of reading and books. Patricia grew up reading fairy tales and books about horses, and later developed an interest in folklore and history. When she decided to write a book of her own, a fantasy book seemed a natural choice. Patricia graduated from Montana State University with degrees in history and German and she worked for a while as a substitute teacher. Currently, she lives in Montana with her husband, children, and six horses and writes full time, much to the delight of her fans.
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March 19, 2021
4.5 stars. On sale this week! Final review, first posted on FantasyLiterature.com:
The Call of the Wild (Singer):
A woman goes hiking with her dog in the northern California mountains, searching for the hidden settlement her father calls home. After a long search she finds the encampment — really a small town — but her father is gone, along with every other person who lived in Wild Sign. Some time later, two FBI agents pay a surprise visit to Anna and Charles Cornick in Aspen Creek, Montana. The agents lay their cards on the table: The FBI is looking for an alliance with the werewolves, and because of past interactions they’ve concluded that Anna is likely the Marrok, the werewolf who rules them all (which leads to an amusing scene with Bran Cornick, who is).
The agents suggest that the werewolves might be interested in helping to investigate the disappearance of the town of Wild Sign, especially since part of the town was located on land now owned by the Marrok’s pack, and originally owned by Leah Cornick, Bran’s mate. What the FBI agents don’t know, but Bran does, is that Leah has been singing disturbing music ever since April, the time of the last communication from someone living in Wild Sign.
Some type of great power is in the area of Wild Sign, and has been for at least two hundred years, Bran explains to Charles, bringing death and misery to the humans it meets. And now it’s waking up again.
So Anna and Charles, along with a third werewolf named Tag, who has some barely-controlled berserker tendencies but also a useful resistance to magic, take a road trip to the northern California wilderness to investigate the mass disappearance of the inhabitants of Wild Sign, and find out what it has to do with the long-ago, dark history of their alpha’s mate, Leah, and the mysterious werewolf Sherwood Post, who’s been haunting the pages of the last several books in this series.
Wild Sign is the sixth novel in Patricia Briggs’ ALPHA AND OMEGA fantasy series, or the seventh if you count the 2007 introductory novella, Alpha & Omega (which you should) … or the eighteenth if you include the closely-intertwined MERCY THOMPSON series (which you also should). It’s a pleasure to see the way Charles and Anna have grown and changed, individually and as a couple, over the course of this series. Anna has grown far more confident, and she plays a vital role in increasing not just the peacefulness, but the happiness, of Bran’s entire wolf pack. Even when events occur in California that almost literally take her back to her time with the abusive werewolf pack in Chicago, where we first met Anna in "Alpha and Omega," the set-back is temporary. Charles has always been Anna’s protector, but he’s able to watch Anna take the initiative and take pride in her strength.
Tag is an interesting character in his own right, though I didn’t feel that we really got to know him all that well in Wild Sign. The real illumination for readers is in Leah’s newly-disclosed backstory and the insights given into her thoughts and personality. Leah, who’s always been defined by her selfishness and harsh coldness, is clearly in the process of getting a redemption arc here which, well, Briggs has bitten off a lot there. But it’s working for me. Leah’s story is both painful and humanizing for her character.
There’s also a cameo appearance or two by a new magical race in California that (I’m slightly embarrassed to admit) made me squee out loud. They’re a delightful addition to this series, and I hope we meet them again. Less pleasant, but equally compelling, are the black witches, including more of the Hardesty clan that has caused so much trouble for the werewolves in the last few books. They are truly, irredeemably evil … even to their own.
Wild Sign is a fascinating story, hard to put down. But, fair warning, the darkness and horror vibes are especially strong with this novel. The horror includes trigger-warning types of events, like (minor spoilers here) . Briggs grapples with serious issues in this series and this book in particular, and she never lets favorite characters off the hook. Still, there’s an underlying optimism and hopefulness that ultimately carries the day in Briggs’ books.
Some highly interesting events happen at the end of Wild Sign, especially with the epilogue, that open up all sorts of intriguing options for later books. I’m glad Briggs comes out with these MERCY THOMPSON and ALPHA AND OMEGA books about once a year! They make up one — or maybe two, depending on how you slice it — of my very favorite urban fantasy series.
Initial post: I've been approved for a NetGalley ARC, cheers!! I always get so unreasonably excited when I get a new Patricia Briggs book. Or maybe it's reasonably excited. :)
The Call of the Wild (Singer):
A woman goes hiking with her dog in the northern California mountains, searching for the hidden settlement her father calls home. After a long search she finds the encampment — really a small town — but her father is gone, along with every other person who lived in Wild Sign. Some time later, two FBI agents pay a surprise visit to Anna and Charles Cornick in Aspen Creek, Montana. The agents lay their cards on the table: The FBI is looking for an alliance with the werewolves, and because of past interactions they’ve concluded that Anna is likely the Marrok, the werewolf who rules them all (which leads to an amusing scene with Bran Cornick, who is).
The agents suggest that the werewolves might be interested in helping to investigate the disappearance of the town of Wild Sign, especially since part of the town was located on land now owned by the Marrok’s pack, and originally owned by Leah Cornick, Bran’s mate. What the FBI agents don’t know, but Bran does, is that Leah has been singing disturbing music ever since April, the time of the last communication from someone living in Wild Sign.
Some type of great power is in the area of Wild Sign, and has been for at least two hundred years, Bran explains to Charles, bringing death and misery to the humans it meets. And now it’s waking up again.
So Anna and Charles, along with a third werewolf named Tag, who has some barely-controlled berserker tendencies but also a useful resistance to magic, take a road trip to the northern California wilderness to investigate the mass disappearance of the inhabitants of Wild Sign, and find out what it has to do with the long-ago, dark history of their alpha’s mate, Leah, and the mysterious werewolf Sherwood Post, who’s been haunting the pages of the last several books in this series.
Wild Sign is the sixth novel in Patricia Briggs’ ALPHA AND OMEGA fantasy series, or the seventh if you count the 2007 introductory novella, Alpha & Omega (which you should) … or the eighteenth if you include the closely-intertwined MERCY THOMPSON series (which you also should). It’s a pleasure to see the way Charles and Anna have grown and changed, individually and as a couple, over the course of this series. Anna has grown far more confident, and she plays a vital role in increasing not just the peacefulness, but the happiness, of Bran’s entire wolf pack. Even when events occur in California that almost literally take her back to her time with the abusive werewolf pack in Chicago, where we first met Anna in "Alpha and Omega," the set-back is temporary. Charles has always been Anna’s protector, but he’s able to watch Anna take the initiative and take pride in her strength.
Tag is an interesting character in his own right, though I didn’t feel that we really got to know him all that well in Wild Sign. The real illumination for readers is in Leah’s newly-disclosed backstory and the insights given into her thoughts and personality. Leah, who’s always been defined by her selfishness and harsh coldness, is clearly in the process of getting a redemption arc here which, well, Briggs has bitten off a lot there. But it’s working for me. Leah’s story is both painful and humanizing for her character.
There’s also a cameo appearance or two by a new magical race in California that (I’m slightly embarrassed to admit) made me squee out loud. They’re a delightful addition to this series, and I hope we meet them again. Less pleasant, but equally compelling, are the black witches, including more of the Hardesty clan that has caused so much trouble for the werewolves in the last few books. They are truly, irredeemably evil … even to their own.
Wild Sign is a fascinating story, hard to put down. But, fair warning, the darkness and horror vibes are especially strong with this novel. The horror includes trigger-warning types of events, like (minor spoilers here) . Briggs grapples with serious issues in this series and this book in particular, and she never lets favorite characters off the hook. Still, there’s an underlying optimism and hopefulness that ultimately carries the day in Briggs’ books.
Some highly interesting events happen at the end of Wild Sign, especially with the epilogue, that open up all sorts of intriguing options for later books. I’m glad Briggs comes out with these MERCY THOMPSON and ALPHA AND OMEGA books about once a year! They make up one — or maybe two, depending on how you slice it — of my very favorite urban fantasy series.
Initial post: I've been approved for a NetGalley ARC, cheers!! I always get so unreasonably excited when I get a new Patricia Briggs book. Or maybe it's reasonably excited. :)
January 26, 2022
Definitely enjoyed this more than the last Mercy book I read.
Charles is just cool. He is the coolest character in all of Briggs' books to me just because there seems to be so much more to learn about him. He's almost like Superman in that his power set is made out of awesomeness. His wolf, his magic, the way he changes, his intelligence, and his sheer badassery. And I feel like there's even more to the story than what we currently know.
He's the most interesting werewolf I've read about in a very long time.
Anyway. Anna and Charles are a great (dramaless) couple and this installment doesn't disappoint.
I do not want to spoil anything major, but I feel that you should know this story is packing a double famous monster punch.
Cthulhu!
And Bigfoot!
Plus, you find out more about Charles' childhood while getting the scoop on Leah's origin story.
Did you hear me? You're about to find out what makes that bitch tick, and you're probably going to really sympathize with her.
And haven't we all been wondering why she and Bran were together? <--THE ANSWERS!
The gist is that Anna & Charles head out with another member of the pack to investigate a community of white witches who were living off-grid on a piece of property out in the middle of nowhere.
Why? Well, that chunk of nowhere was owned by Leah.
Why? Because Bran bought it for her.
Why? Because some really traumatic shit happened to Leah on that land when she was human, and Bran felt responsible for hanging on to it for her.
Why? Because...
You ask too many questions.
Sorry.
The ending shocked the hell out of me. Not the ending to the mystery of what happened, but the ending to the book. There's a BIG reveal between Bran and Leah.
I AM HERE FOR THIS! I want an entire book of this.
I cannot be the only one. Someone say I'm not the only one!
Bottom line is that Alpha & Omega is still killing it, and I'm far more interested in what's happening in this pack than I am in Mercy & Adam's pack. Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.
On a side note, you need to be up to date on both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series if you want to catch all the references.
Recommended.
Charles is just cool. He is the coolest character in all of Briggs' books to me just because there seems to be so much more to learn about him. He's almost like Superman in that his power set is made out of awesomeness. His wolf, his magic, the way he changes, his intelligence, and his sheer badassery. And I feel like there's even more to the story than what we currently know.
He's the most interesting werewolf I've read about in a very long time.
Anyway. Anna and Charles are a great (dramaless) couple and this installment doesn't disappoint.
I do not want to spoil anything major, but I feel that you should know this story is packing a double famous monster punch.
Cthulhu!
And Bigfoot!
Plus, you find out more about Charles' childhood while getting the scoop on Leah's origin story.
Did you hear me? You're about to find out what makes that bitch tick, and you're probably going to really sympathize with her.
And haven't we all been wondering why she and Bran were together? <--THE ANSWERS!
The gist is that Anna & Charles head out with another member of the pack to investigate a community of white witches who were living off-grid on a piece of property out in the middle of nowhere.
Why? Well, that chunk of nowhere was owned by Leah.
Why? Because Bran bought it for her.
Why? Because some really traumatic shit happened to Leah on that land when she was human, and Bran felt responsible for hanging on to it for her.
Why? Because...
You ask too many questions.
Sorry.
The ending shocked the hell out of me. Not the ending to the mystery of what happened, but the ending to the book. There's a BIG reveal between Bran and Leah.
I AM HERE FOR THIS! I want an entire book of this.
I cannot be the only one. Someone say I'm not the only one!
Bottom line is that Alpha & Omega is still killing it, and I'm far more interested in what's happening in this pack than I am in Mercy & Adam's pack. Can't believe I'm saying that, but it's true.
On a side note, you need to be up to date on both the Mercy Thompson series and the Alpha and Omega series if you want to catch all the references.
Recommended.
September 10, 2021
I love these books and I always will! I love Charles and Anna and Tag and others. Charles is my spirit boyfriend 😃. I need me a Native American Werewolf, I always have and I still want to be a werewolf when I grow up. I reckon I’m too old now 🙄
Read this from the library until the paperback comes out to match my other books. And the audio is great!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Read this from the library until the paperback comes out to match my other books. And the audio is great!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
July 4, 2024
Wow, this was intense!!!!
Again, the author wrote an unputdownable story. Full of magic, and also some very fascinating revelations. And as always, whenever I read a new book by Patricia Briggs I get completely sucked into the story and world, and the wait for the next book seems awfully long.
Also Anna was my favorite character this time. She impressed the hell out of me!
___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
Again, the author wrote an unputdownable story. Full of magic, and also some very fascinating revelations. And as always, whenever I read a new book by Patricia Briggs I get completely sucked into the story and world, and the wait for the next book seems awfully long.
Also Anna was my favorite character this time. She impressed the hell out of me!
___________________________________
I received a copy of this book from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. My opinions have not been influenced by the publisher or the author.
March 8, 2021
Back to the Mercyverse!! One of my favorite fantasy worlds ever!
As an Alpha and Omega novel, we know Charles and Anna are frontpage. Ana, the Omega that has stabilized Bran's pack of unstable powerful werewolves and Charles, Bran's son, the enforcer. If Charles shows up, you know someone has misbehaved and death is close. Charles is only different around Ana. She sees parts of him that no one else does.
So what's Wild Sign about?
A new threat.
The FBI comes knocking (literally) on Charles and Ana's door. They're asking for help. A whole community that was living in the northern mountains of California has disappeared. No one has heard from them and the daughter of one of them has sounded the alarm. Her father used to communicate with her regularly and now there has been no communication whatsoever. So why ask Ana and Charles for help? Well, the community was staying on Leah's property!
Bran can't leave the pack so he sends Anna, Charles, and Tag to investigate instead. As soon as they get there, Carles can feel the magic. Witches have been there but someone older is lurking. All types of questions are coming up: What happened to the community? Are they still alive? What's the connection with Leah's past?
Well, I was not expecting this one. Leah and her past. Leah and her losses. Leah and the choices that were taken away from her and the ones she had to live with. It made my dislike for her simmer down a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a fan and will never be. I've got a long memory and her behavior towards Mercy is still unforgivable.
Wild Sign has some scary parts. I didn't want Anna to lose what she had gained over the years. But, I shouldn't have worried. Ana is a survivor and a fighter and Charles is deadly to their enemies. I love them as a couple and Patricia Briggs proves that there is no need for a love triangle for it to work.
I love Tag in this one. He brought humor to the story. We all know he is lethal but Anna pacifies him in all the right ways. I was laughing when he introduced himself as the henchman.
I wonder if Patrica Briggs was checking to see if we were awake enough with the last part and that epilogue! It brought in a huge development and so many repercussions to come to so many: Bran, Sherwood, Samuel, Coyote, Mercy. You name it.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Ace Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
As an Alpha and Omega novel, we know Charles and Anna are frontpage. Ana, the Omega that has stabilized Bran's pack of unstable powerful werewolves and Charles, Bran's son, the enforcer. If Charles shows up, you know someone has misbehaved and death is close. Charles is only different around Ana. She sees parts of him that no one else does.
So what's Wild Sign about?
A new threat.
The FBI comes knocking (literally) on Charles and Ana's door. They're asking for help. A whole community that was living in the northern mountains of California has disappeared. No one has heard from them and the daughter of one of them has sounded the alarm. Her father used to communicate with her regularly and now there has been no communication whatsoever. So why ask Ana and Charles for help? Well, the community was staying on Leah's property!
Bran can't leave the pack so he sends Anna, Charles, and Tag to investigate instead. As soon as they get there, Carles can feel the magic. Witches have been there but someone older is lurking. All types of questions are coming up: What happened to the community? Are they still alive? What's the connection with Leah's past?
Well, I was not expecting this one. Leah and her past. Leah and her losses. Leah and the choices that were taken away from her and the ones she had to live with. It made my dislike for her simmer down a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm still not a fan and will never be. I've got a long memory and her behavior towards Mercy is still unforgivable.
Wild Sign has some scary parts. I didn't want Anna to lose what she had gained over the years. But, I shouldn't have worried. Ana is a survivor and a fighter and Charles is deadly to their enemies. I love them as a couple and Patricia Briggs proves that there is no need for a love triangle for it to work.
I love Tag in this one. He brought humor to the story. We all know he is lethal but Anna pacifies him in all the right ways. I was laughing when he introduced himself as the henchman.
I wonder if Patrica Briggs was checking to see if we were awake enough with the last part and that epilogue! It brought in a huge development and so many repercussions to come to so many: Bran, Sherwood, Samuel, Coyote, Mercy. You name it.
Cliffhanger: No
4/5 Fangs
A complimentary copy was provided by Ace Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
July 19, 2022
4.5 stars!
After reading this book I cannot decide if I want to wrap Patricia Briggs in a big old hug, or strangle her. I’m kidding, kind of. Let’s just say she left us hanging a little bit at the end like she usually does and I am already anxious to read the next book.
Wild Sign follows Anna and Charles as they investigate a community in Northern California that just completely disappeared, and no one knows why. The case is given to them by the FBI as the land is owned by a member of the pack and seems to fall under their jurisdiction. Anna, Charles, and a third wolf Tad, try to solve the mystery together.
I friggin love Patricia Briggs. This world she’s created with these books, I honestly want to live in it (despite it being very dangerous). The world building is so expertly done, and the characters all feel so real. I loved the concept of this book, of a hidden creature that has power through song and music.
I loved that we got to know a little bit more about Leah. And honestly at this point, I kind of thing we the fans need to demand a Leah and Bran spinoff series. I feel like even though I love Anna and Charles, the relationship I want to dive into the most is Bran and Leah. They’re both so layered.
The Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series are some of the best urban fantasy books out there. Somehow, they consistently get better with every book even when I don’t understand how that can be possible.
After reading this book I cannot decide if I want to wrap Patricia Briggs in a big old hug, or strangle her. I’m kidding, kind of. Let’s just say she left us hanging a little bit at the end like she usually does and I am already anxious to read the next book.
Wild Sign follows Anna and Charles as they investigate a community in Northern California that just completely disappeared, and no one knows why. The case is given to them by the FBI as the land is owned by a member of the pack and seems to fall under their jurisdiction. Anna, Charles, and a third wolf Tad, try to solve the mystery together.
I friggin love Patricia Briggs. This world she’s created with these books, I honestly want to live in it (despite it being very dangerous). The world building is so expertly done, and the characters all feel so real. I loved the concept of this book, of a hidden creature that has power through song and music.
I loved that we got to know a little bit more about Leah. And honestly at this point, I kind of thing we the fans need to demand a Leah and Bran spinoff series. I feel like even though I love Anna and Charles, the relationship I want to dive into the most is Bran and Leah. They’re both so layered.
The Alpha and Omega series and the Mercy Thompson series are some of the best urban fantasy books out there. Somehow, they consistently get better with every book even when I don’t understand how that can be possible.
March 25, 2021
Oh yes, finally more info on the mysterious Bran - but not enough, of course. I know the author was upset with us for our reaction to the last book in this series because, until then, we had all been a little in awe of him. She wanted to let us know that Bran isn't a good guy or hero. But, I like the occasional villain so we'll see how this all plays out.
So the book is about Charles and Anna looking for an entire town's worth of people who disappeared. They are comparing the situation to Roanoke which is a story I always found intriguing. They start digging around and find a whole lot of witches. Ugh. Not my favorite. The witches in these books aren't fun at all. Serious jerks.
Although, I like this girl. We should hang out.
The monster that they encounter during all of this is a pretty creepy guy. He will give power, but there is a price. And the price is pretty yuck.
And I just have to say - don't you know by now that when something magical offers you a bargain you should NOT take it? I mean, sheesh, how dumb can you be?
Not sure if this guy is smart or dumb.
The very beginning of the book was slow for me but once it hit its stride I couldn't put it down. And the ending? Omg. So much cliffhanger stuff! It's going to suck waiting - again.
So the book is about Charles and Anna looking for an entire town's worth of people who disappeared. They are comparing the situation to Roanoke which is a story I always found intriguing. They start digging around and find a whole lot of witches. Ugh. Not my favorite. The witches in these books aren't fun at all. Serious jerks.
Although, I like this girl. We should hang out.
The monster that they encounter during all of this is a pretty creepy guy. He will give power, but there is a price. And the price is pretty yuck.
And I just have to say - don't you know by now that when something magical offers you a bargain you should NOT take it? I mean, sheesh, how dumb can you be?
Not sure if this guy is smart or dumb.
The very beginning of the book was slow for me but once it hit its stride I couldn't put it down. And the ending? Omg. So much cliffhanger stuff! It's going to suck waiting - again.
March 19, 2021
4.5 stars
Um, we need to talk about that last chapter and epilogue! I need my GR friends that have read all the prior books in the Mercy series and this Anna series to read this book ASAP, please and thank you.
Random non-spoiler thoughts:
- Chapter 5 (especially via the audiobook) basically broke my heart.
- The new “enemy” of this book is seriously messed up and I am still not sure how it existed in the first place or who/what defeated it (or if it was defeated?)
- The last sentence of chapter 13!!
- I didn’t think Briggs could make me sympathize with a certain character, but she managed to do it.
- I am desperate for the next book in this series and in the Mercy series!!
Um, we need to talk about that last chapter and epilogue! I need my GR friends that have read all the prior books in the Mercy series and this Anna series to read this book ASAP, please and thank you.
Random non-spoiler thoughts:
- Chapter 5 (especially via the audiobook) basically broke my heart.
- The new “enemy” of this book is seriously messed up and I am still not sure how it existed in the first place or who/what defeated it (or if it was defeated?)
- The last sentence of chapter 13!!
- I didn’t think Briggs could make me sympathize with a certain character, but she managed to do it.
- I am desperate for the next book in this series and in the Mercy series!!
March 16, 2021
Thanks to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
I'm going to start with some brutal honesty. I love the Mercy Thompson books, I really do, but Anna's books just seem to have created a mate bond with me. They're something special, for sure, and I pretty much always love them in their entireties. Don't get me wrong, as I said a second ago, I do so adore the Mercy books as well, but whenever a new Alpha & Omega book comes out, I get more excited than for a Mercy book. Even if it's just slightly, there's a definite difference in excitement levels.
I think it's because even though I love Adam and Mercy, we really don't get much insight into Adam's head nearly as often as we get to see into Charles, and we get a much deeper understanding of the bond between Anna and Charles. I love the trust that they have for each other, and how they were both broken in different ways and the other's presence helped them have the safe space to begin to heal.
Many readers don't like Leah, but I have always liked her character. Sometimes it's been a "love to hate" situation, but generally, I've always found her an interesting character to read about and one who had a lot of depth that I thought we would one day get to see more of... and we finally do. We see another dark bit of Bran, which might push some readers (those who hated the tidbit offhand comment in the last book), to an even bigger disliking. But there is good in Leah that we haven't gotten to see much of, and there is pain. So much pain. This book goes a long way to plumbing the depths of Leah's self, and I was thrilled to get to know her better.
Lastly, that epilogue really set some new stories up, and I am totally here for it. GIVE ME THE NEXT ONE NOW. *sigh* I'm sure we will get a Mercy or two before another Alpha & Omega... and maybe that promised Tom & Moira book. We'll see (no blind/Moira pun intended).
[also, that cameo!]
I'm going to start with some brutal honesty. I love the Mercy Thompson books, I really do, but Anna's books just seem to have created a mate bond with me. They're something special, for sure, and I pretty much always love them in their entireties. Don't get me wrong, as I said a second ago, I do so adore the Mercy books as well, but whenever a new Alpha & Omega book comes out, I get more excited than for a Mercy book. Even if it's just slightly, there's a definite difference in excitement levels.
I think it's because even though I love Adam and Mercy, we really don't get much insight into Adam's head nearly as often as we get to see into Charles, and we get a much deeper understanding of the bond between Anna and Charles. I love the trust that they have for each other, and how they were both broken in different ways and the other's presence helped them have the safe space to begin to heal.
Many readers don't like Leah, but I have always liked her character. Sometimes it's been a "love to hate" situation, but generally, I've always found her an interesting character to read about and one who had a lot of depth that I thought we would one day get to see more of... and we finally do. We see another dark bit of Bran, which might push some readers (those who hated the tidbit offhand comment in the last book), to an even bigger disliking. But there is good in Leah that we haven't gotten to see much of, and there is pain. So much pain. This book goes a long way to plumbing the depths of Leah's self, and I was thrilled to get to know her better.
Lastly, that epilogue really set some new stories up, and I am totally here for it. GIVE ME THE NEXT ONE NOW. *sigh* I'm sure we will get a Mercy or two before another Alpha & Omega... and maybe that promised Tom & Moira book. We'll see (no blind/Moira pun intended).
[also, that cameo!]
April 26, 2021
Trigger warning: Rape, incest, child trafficking.
I told myself that I would only read another book in this series if I borrowed it via the library. Looks like I was smart to do so. What to say. The book drags. Badly. Briggs totally retconned Bran and Leah's whole relationship. I thought I was hallucinating stuff and went back to some of the older Mercy and "Alpha & Omega" books to make sure I had things right. Did I mention the book drags? And there's a lot of rape/incest happening in this one. The book ends on a true what did I just read moment which makes zero freaking sense and I just imagine this will get picked up in the "Mercy Thompson" series.
I think at this point, I will read one more Mercy book. If it's as bad as "Storm Cursed" and "Smoke Bitten" I may have to put a pin in this series.
As I have said before about another series, some authors should consider taking the Ilona Andrews playbook and just ending a series and spinning it off to someone else. That way at least the series grows and you don't stagnate. At this point, I don't think Briggs knows how to end this series. And she keeps changing the rules as they go along which is not helping. And as I said above, she is retconning things we have read about before. I hate when authors do that.
I can't really say anything about Charles and Anna. I used to heart them so much and I don't anymore. There's just too much whatever going on.
And we have Bran and Leah and if Briggs wanted to just do books about them, I suggest she do so. At this point the majority of the readers do not like Leah. And after the last book in the Alpha & Omega series a good portion don't care for Bran. There's some weird side plot about Charles and Bran that makes zero sense because once again it comes out of nowhere. I got nothing.
The writing and flow were just off. As someone else said, it seems as if Briggs may be using rape as a plot device for her women characters and....you know, no lies detected there. Another reviewer pointed out that she thinks that Briggs is just substituting Anna for Mercy in this book and honestly this book does remind me of "Iron Kissed". And there are elements in this story that were just rehashes of other plot points/bad guys from the Mercy Thompson series.
The setting of this book takes place in the Mercyverse.
The ending as I said had something happened that makes zero sense based on the character involved. I will say this much, secret babies are always a bad sign in a romance series. I think the same thing applies here.
I told myself that I would only read another book in this series if I borrowed it via the library. Looks like I was smart to do so. What to say. The book drags. Badly. Briggs totally retconned Bran and Leah's whole relationship. I thought I was hallucinating stuff and went back to some of the older Mercy and "Alpha & Omega" books to make sure I had things right. Did I mention the book drags? And there's a lot of rape/incest happening in this one. The book ends on a true what did I just read moment which makes zero freaking sense and I just imagine this will get picked up in the "Mercy Thompson" series.
I think at this point, I will read one more Mercy book. If it's as bad as "Storm Cursed" and "Smoke Bitten" I may have to put a pin in this series.
As I have said before about another series, some authors should consider taking the Ilona Andrews playbook and just ending a series and spinning it off to someone else. That way at least the series grows and you don't stagnate. At this point, I don't think Briggs knows how to end this series. And she keeps changing the rules as they go along which is not helping. And as I said above, she is retconning things we have read about before. I hate when authors do that.
I can't really say anything about Charles and Anna. I used to heart them so much and I don't anymore. There's just too much whatever going on.
And we have Bran and Leah and if Briggs wanted to just do books about them, I suggest she do so. At this point the majority of the readers do not like Leah. And after the last book in the Alpha & Omega series a good portion don't care for Bran. There's some weird side plot about Charles and Bran that makes zero sense because once again it comes out of nowhere. I got nothing.
The writing and flow were just off. As someone else said, it seems as if Briggs may be using rape as a plot device for her women characters and....you know, no lies detected there. Another reviewer pointed out that she thinks that Briggs is just substituting Anna for Mercy in this book and honestly this book does remind me of "Iron Kissed". And there are elements in this story that were just rehashes of other plot points/bad guys from the Mercy Thompson series.
The setting of this book takes place in the Mercyverse.
The ending as I said had something happened that makes zero sense based on the character involved. I will say this much, secret babies are always a bad sign in a romance series. I think the same thing applies here.
March 31, 2021
This was a mixed bag for me. The beginning was good and I was intrigued by the mystery and then the book slowed down for about 100 pages. Not sure why it felt like it dragged but it seemed to take forever to get to the final confrontation. I was getting to the 250 page mark and I felt like nothing was going anywhere. The final 50 pages and the epilogue were good though.
I think what’s been bugging me about the last two Briggs books is that I feel like she’s retconning her own series. In the last few books in the Mercy series and the AO series characters have been acting weird and been assigned motivations/intentions that seem forced or stretched. I’ve always been interested in Leah because it seemed weird to me that Bran would stay with her for 200ish years if he truly despised her. The last AO book gave some insight into her character but this book builds her a whole backstory. It was a good story but it doesn’t fit with Bran’s description of her from the first AO book. He thinks in the first AO book he “chose her because she was selfish and stupid and he knew he could never love her”. This book shines a completely different light on their first meeting and Bran’s first impression of Leah. (There’s also the casual drop of info that the Feds know about vampires now. I thought the vampires were adamant about making sure that they weren’t outed because it would start a panic.) And while I get that in his grief over Charles’s mother he might have ignored Leah’s mental state it’s been almost 200 years. They never talked in 200 years. Wtf. Also Charles starts to think about Leah and the first time they met. He’s never thought about this before though. Seems a stretch.
#possible trigger warnings/slight spoilers below#
Also this book is full of sexual assault and rape. It’s not on the page but characters get raped and get pregnant/miscarry. Ick. Anna also seems to be following some of Mercy’s plot from Iron Kissed and it made me really uncomfortable. There’s a lot of plot threads similar to River Marked. There also seems to be implied incest (I think)and elder abuse. The elder character is not a good person but still.....
I don’t know how I feel about this book. I like the characters and the world. There is usually something that keeps me reading but increasingly I feel like Briggs is just recycling plots/villains and inserting stuff as needed to move the book forward. She seems to have ditched the creepy Bran loves Mercy plot thank God. I just wish there was some consistency with the world building. I think there are many directions to go in but lately it seems like the series is just spinning its wheels.
1 stars for the characters I still like
1 star for giving Leah some dimension and background (even if it doesn’t fit what we’ve seen so far)
1 star for the intriguing set up and the interesting epilogue.
Liked the epilogue but it kinda doesn’t make sense either. A character pops up and gives Charles and Anna something to hide from the fae. But that’s the first place I’d look if I was the fae. The implications are interesting but the whole thing seems shaky. Idk. The book is still going to sit at 3 stars for nostalgia for now.
I think what’s been bugging me about the last two Briggs books is that I feel like she’s retconning her own series. In the last few books in the Mercy series and the AO series characters have been acting weird and been assigned motivations/intentions that seem forced or stretched. I’ve always been interested in Leah because it seemed weird to me that Bran would stay with her for 200ish years if he truly despised her. The last AO book gave some insight into her character but this book builds her a whole backstory. It was a good story but it doesn’t fit with Bran’s description of her from the first AO book. He thinks in the first AO book he “chose her because she was selfish and stupid and he knew he could never love her”. This book shines a completely different light on their first meeting and Bran’s first impression of Leah. (There’s also the casual drop of info that the Feds know about vampires now. I thought the vampires were adamant about making sure that they weren’t outed because it would start a panic.) And while I get that in his grief over Charles’s mother he might have ignored Leah’s mental state it’s been almost 200 years. They never talked in 200 years. Wtf. Also Charles starts to think about Leah and the first time they met. He’s never thought about this before though. Seems a stretch.
#possible trigger warnings/slight spoilers below#
Also this book is full of sexual assault and rape. It’s not on the page but characters get raped and get pregnant/miscarry. Ick. Anna also seems to be following some of Mercy’s plot from Iron Kissed and it made me really uncomfortable. There’s a lot of plot threads similar to River Marked. There also seems to be implied incest (I think)and elder abuse. The elder character is not a good person but still.....
I don’t know how I feel about this book. I like the characters and the world. There is usually something that keeps me reading but increasingly I feel like Briggs is just recycling plots/villains and inserting stuff as needed to move the book forward. She seems to have ditched the creepy Bran loves Mercy plot thank God. I just wish there was some consistency with the world building. I think there are many directions to go in but lately it seems like the series is just spinning its wheels.
1 stars for the characters I still like
1 star for giving Leah some dimension and background (even if it doesn’t fit what we’ve seen so far)
1 star for the intriguing set up and the interesting epilogue.
Liked the epilogue but it kinda doesn’t make sense either. A character pops up and gives Charles and Anna something to hide from the fae. But that’s the first place I’d look if I was the fae. The implications are interesting but the whole thing seems shaky. Idk. The book is still going to sit at 3 stars for nostalgia for now.
March 31, 2021
4 ☆
Or it could just as well be, "I am Woman, hear me roar!" I haven't been enamored with the Alpha & Omega series even though I have read all six books to see what was occurring elsewhere within the Mercy Thompson world. So Wild Sign took me by surprise because IMHO it's the best one in this series. I believe that enough background has been provided so that it can be read as a standalone, but one's emotional reactions to the characters would be stronger with prior knowledge about them.
With a mystery as its hook, Wild Sign began well, continued to keep my interest until the very end, and stirred my sympathies for several key characters. FBI Agents who had first appeared in Fair Game #3 show up unexpectedly at Anna and Charles Cornick's home in Montana. An unofficial coalition of FBI agents would like to form an alliance with the werewolves. Based on their prior interactions and other intel they've gathered, they've approached Anna because they believe she's the Alpha. As an indicator of good faith, the agents informed the couple about a settlement of about 40 survivalists which had completely disappeared. The off-the-grid preppers had created their community of Wild Sign on land owned by Leah, wife of the real Alpha, Bran Cornick, aka the Marrok. Their disappearance instigates an investigation by Anna, Charles, and the berserker Tag. The trio lock fangs with a primordial power, with connections to both the amnesiac werewolf Sherwood Post (who has popped up intermittently since around book #8 or #9 in the Mercy series) and especially to Leah, whose memories are also quite hazy.
Leah has been Bran's mate for about two centuries. As the Marrok's mate, her position is ranked second among werewolves, higher even than Charles, who is both Bran's son and the Enforcer of the pack. In her previous novels, Briggs had described Leah only through others' perspectives - a tiny bit from Bran but primarily from Mercy, Anna, and Charles. Despite being diligent about her duties to the pack, Leah has never been depicted very favorably until Burn Bright #5 when she saved Charles' life. Wild Sign revealed her past, especially how she had become a werewolf and then Bran's mate.
As usual, Briggs laid the groundwork for future plotlines. In her Mercy series, the author usually inserted so many strands for the future that each installment tended to feel like a transition book. But that criticism is less apt here and with its tightly focused storyline, Wild Sign is my favorite Alpha & Omega novel.
#1 Cry Wolf 2.5 ☆
#2 Hunting Ground 3 ☆
#3 Fair Game 3.5 ☆
#4 Dead Heat 3.5 ☆
#5 Burn Bright 3.5 ☆
It was not a bad idea to remind your enemy of who you are.
Or it could just as well be, "I am Woman, hear me roar!" I haven't been enamored with the Alpha & Omega series even though I have read all six books to see what was occurring elsewhere within the Mercy Thompson world. So Wild Sign took me by surprise because IMHO it's the best one in this series. I believe that enough background has been provided so that it can be read as a standalone, but one's emotional reactions to the characters would be stronger with prior knowledge about them.
With a mystery as its hook, Wild Sign began well, continued to keep my interest until the very end, and stirred my sympathies for several key characters. FBI Agents who had first appeared in Fair Game #3 show up unexpectedly at Anna and Charles Cornick's home in Montana. An unofficial coalition of FBI agents would like to form an alliance with the werewolves. Based on their prior interactions and other intel they've gathered, they've approached Anna because they believe she's the Alpha. As an indicator of good faith, the agents informed the couple about a settlement of about 40 survivalists which had completely disappeared. The off-the-grid preppers had created their community of Wild Sign on land owned by Leah, wife of the real Alpha, Bran Cornick, aka the Marrok. Their disappearance instigates an investigation by Anna, Charles, and the berserker Tag. The trio lock fangs with a primordial power, with connections to both the amnesiac werewolf Sherwood Post (who has popped up intermittently since around book #8 or #9 in the Mercy series) and especially to Leah, whose memories are also quite hazy.
Leah has been Bran's mate for about two centuries. As the Marrok's mate, her position is ranked second among werewolves, higher even than Charles, who is both Bran's son and the Enforcer of the pack. In her previous novels, Briggs had described Leah only through others' perspectives - a tiny bit from Bran but primarily from Mercy, Anna, and Charles. Despite being diligent about her duties to the pack, Leah has never been depicted very favorably until Burn Bright #5 when she saved Charles' life. Wild Sign revealed her past, especially how she had become a werewolf and then Bran's mate.
This chapter in her life would finally have a proper ending. She wasn't sure if the thought terrified her or left her exulted.
Leah said, "I dreamed. The night before I left Bran to come here. Buffalo Singer, Charles' uncle, told me the time had come to finish my battle."
As usual, Briggs laid the groundwork for future plotlines. In her Mercy series, the author usually inserted so many strands for the future that each installment tended to feel like a transition book. But that criticism is less apt here and with its tightly focused storyline, Wild Sign is my favorite Alpha & Omega novel.
#1 Cry Wolf 2.5 ☆
#2 Hunting Ground 3 ☆
#3 Fair Game 3.5 ☆
#4 Dead Heat 3.5 ☆
#5 Burn Bright 3.5 ☆
April 18, 2021
Re-read by audio April 11, 2021. Love getting details I missed the first time around and Holter Graham's performance was excellent!
The Alpha and Omega series is one of my all-time favorites! It’s one of those series you just know you’ll re-read over and over, and relish! This is a series that is best read in order, and if you haven’t started it, go now, and get the novella prequel! You’re in for a treat!
Bran sends Charles, Anna and Tag off to investigate when a whole off-the-grid sort of community disappears from Northern California and there are hints that supernatural forces were at work.
I’ve loved Anna and Charles together from the beginning since they mated on sight and had to sort out the rest as they went along. It just so happens they ended up being perfectly matched, complimenting each other and bringing out each other’s strengths in the very best way!
Leah, Bran’s mate, has been a pretty unlikeable character thus far. Even with her appearances in the Mercy Thompson series, she was mostly hateful, but the last two books, this one especially, has shed some light on her history and motivations, which has changed my views on her greatly!
There’s also a lot of Sherwood Post’s history connected to this story which I found very interesting. Tag was a fun addition, getting to know him better was a treat.
As usual, from the first page I was addicted! Mystery, danger, and characters I’ve grown to love had me fully invested all the way through. And OMG, that ending! I can’t wait for the next Alpha and Omega! Also, the next Mercy Thompson because I bet Sherwood Post’s revelations will be a part of the next installment!
A copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The Alpha and Omega series is one of my all-time favorites! It’s one of those series you just know you’ll re-read over and over, and relish! This is a series that is best read in order, and if you haven’t started it, go now, and get the novella prequel! You’re in for a treat!
Bran sends Charles, Anna and Tag off to investigate when a whole off-the-grid sort of community disappears from Northern California and there are hints that supernatural forces were at work.
I’ve loved Anna and Charles together from the beginning since they mated on sight and had to sort out the rest as they went along. It just so happens they ended up being perfectly matched, complimenting each other and bringing out each other’s strengths in the very best way!
Leah, Bran’s mate, has been a pretty unlikeable character thus far. Even with her appearances in the Mercy Thompson series, she was mostly hateful, but the last two books, this one especially, has shed some light on her history and motivations, which has changed my views on her greatly!
There’s also a lot of Sherwood Post’s history connected to this story which I found very interesting. Tag was a fun addition, getting to know him better was a treat.
As usual, from the first page I was addicted! Mystery, danger, and characters I’ve grown to love had me fully invested all the way through. And OMG, that ending! I can’t wait for the next Alpha and Omega! Also, the next Mercy Thompson because I bet Sherwood Post’s revelations will be a part of the next installment!
A copy was kindly provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
March 20, 2021
4.5 stars
I always found the story about Roanoke interesting. How could you not be intrigued by a whole town of people just disappearing. So for PB to give it her own spin makes it fun to jump down another one of her twisty rabbit holes.
I love Bran so much! His character is such a delightful conundrum.
“Anna had heard Charles’s foster sister, Mercy, say Bran looked more like a pizza delivery boy than the Wolf Who Rules. She hadn’t quite understood it until just that minute.”
I have loathed Leah for so long, not only in this series but in Mercy’s. I wanted Bran to fall in love with someone else. Now, you give me this heartbreaking backstory and everything changes. Now I feel bad for ever having a bad thought about her. She’s strong and loyal and protective and goddam it, she deserves to be happy, she deserves Bran’s love.
“He considered that woman now in the light of his da’s revelations—a survivor. A victim. Not a jealous woman, perhaps, so much as a broken one. He could see it. No wonder his da had been so protective of her; guilt could drive a person harder than love.”
I could definitely liken this book to a tale of Greek mythology. It centered around them going from one clue to a person to another clue and so on. Great discoveries made along the way. They were tested with lies until the climax was all encompassing.
Well shit! I literally told a handful of people that I don’t mind waiting two years for these books because there’s never any cliffhangers. Wtf Patricia Briggs was up with that?
I always found the story about Roanoke interesting. How could you not be intrigued by a whole town of people just disappearing. So for PB to give it her own spin makes it fun to jump down another one of her twisty rabbit holes.
I love Bran so much! His character is such a delightful conundrum.
“Anna had heard Charles’s foster sister, Mercy, say Bran looked more like a pizza delivery boy than the Wolf Who Rules. She hadn’t quite understood it until just that minute.”
I have loathed Leah for so long, not only in this series but in Mercy’s. I wanted Bran to fall in love with someone else. Now, you give me this heartbreaking backstory and everything changes. Now I feel bad for ever having a bad thought about her. She’s strong and loyal and protective and goddam it, she deserves to be happy, she deserves Bran’s love.
“He considered that woman now in the light of his da’s revelations—a survivor. A victim. Not a jealous woman, perhaps, so much as a broken one. He could see it. No wonder his da had been so protective of her; guilt could drive a person harder than love.”
I could definitely liken this book to a tale of Greek mythology. It centered around them going from one clue to a person to another clue and so on. Great discoveries made along the way. They were tested with lies until the climax was all encompassing.
Well shit! I literally told a handful of people that I don’t mind waiting two years for these books because there’s never any cliffhangers. Wtf Patricia Briggs was up with that?
May 21, 2021
4.25 stars
I always get excited when there is a new Anna and Charles book! It feels like we had to wait extra long for this one… to be fair, 3 years is a long time, and after the way she ended it, I might cry if we have to wait 3 more!
Anna and Charles, along with fellow werewolf, Tag, are on a mission. After the FBI knocks on their door asking for help with a small town’s disappearance. The town happens to be located on land that was owned by Leah, Bran’s mate. The three head to ‘Wild Sign’ to see what they can find.
They find much more than they’ve bargained for here. Mainly, witches. This one took some twists and turns I didn’t see coming. There are a few moments that had me wondering how Charles and Anna would get out of this. Also, we got more Bran and Leah which was nice. Until the last book I never cared for Leah, but now after reading more I’m so intrigued. I hope as the series goes on we get more about these two.
Now let's talk about that bomb dropped at the very end. I was screaming! I can’t wait to see how all that turns out. I only hope Briggs has mercy (hehe) on us and gives us the next one sooner rather than later!
I always get excited when there is a new Anna and Charles book! It feels like we had to wait extra long for this one… to be fair, 3 years is a long time, and after the way she ended it, I might cry if we have to wait 3 more!
“With Anna he had no shield—Charles belonged to Anna with all his complicated soul and uncomplicated heart.”
Anna and Charles, along with fellow werewolf, Tag, are on a mission. After the FBI knocks on their door asking for help with a small town’s disappearance. The town happens to be located on land that was owned by Leah, Bran’s mate. The three head to ‘Wild Sign’ to see what they can find.
They find much more than they’ve bargained for here. Mainly, witches. This one took some twists and turns I didn’t see coming. There are a few moments that had me wondering how Charles and Anna would get out of this. Also, we got more Bran and Leah which was nice. Until the last book I never cared for Leah, but now after reading more I’m so intrigued. I hope as the series goes on we get more about these two.
Now let's talk about that bomb dropped at the very end. I was screaming! I can’t wait to see how all that turns out. I only hope Briggs has mercy (hehe) on us and gives us the next one sooner rather than later!
Audio book source: Libby (library borrow)
Story Rating: 4.25 stars
Narrator: Holter Graham
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Length: 11 hours and 23 minutes
July 20, 2024
I have wanted to get Leah and Bran’s backstory since the beginning of the series, so I was extremely excited when I saw in the blurb that this would revisit Leah’s past. Leah has not always been a likeable character, but on the other hand, neither has Bran. Their mating is strange, and raises a lot of questions, to say the least. And I like interesting characters.
Anna and Charles are asked by the FBI to investigate when a group of off-the-gridders go missing in California. The plot of land they’d been living on is registered to the pack—specifically to Leah. Bran and Leah fear that something ancient in the land may have been awakened. This book was another of Briggs’s finest, with masterful storytelling and urban fantasy worldbuilding (loved the Bigfoot characters) combined with character development fans of the series have been itching for for years. We got to see bits of history of Charles and Bran, Bran and Leah, of Anna (can we kill her other pack all over again, please?), and even if there was a bit of retconning in places, the story was really good and I can live with that in a long-running series. Some haven’t been a fan of Leah over the course of the series and certainly she’s done plenty to justify that. I like that she’s interesting, feel sympathy for her as a survivor much as I do for Anna, and think she and Bran have room to grow. I like that we saw their relationship thaw towards the end here. And EEK, that epilogue!!! Bring me the next book!
Anna and Charles are asked by the FBI to investigate when a group of off-the-gridders go missing in California. The plot of land they’d been living on is registered to the pack—specifically to Leah. Bran and Leah fear that something ancient in the land may have been awakened. This book was another of Briggs’s finest, with masterful storytelling and urban fantasy worldbuilding (loved the Bigfoot characters) combined with character development fans of the series have been itching for for years. We got to see bits of history of Charles and Bran, Bran and Leah, of Anna (can we kill her other pack all over again, please?), and even if there was a bit of retconning in places, the story was really good and I can live with that in a long-running series. Some haven’t been a fan of Leah over the course of the series and certainly she’s done plenty to justify that. I like that she’s interesting, feel sympathy for her as a survivor much as I do for Anna, and think she and Bran have room to grow. I like that we saw their relationship thaw towards the end here. And EEK, that epilogue!!! Bring me the next book!
March 3, 2022
2022 Re-Read
Yesterday I picked up my own paperback copy of Wild Sign and I couldn't resist it this morning. It's a dark tale of magic and witchcraft, with an evil creature once again focusing on Anna. That poor woman! Because she's small, seems delicate, and is an Omega wolf, everyone/everything thinks she's a pushover. Anna’s appearance is deceptive.
The tale begins with two FBI agents appearing in Aspen Creek, a place they shouldn't know about. I expect to see more about this in the next book. (And I loved their assumption that Anna ruled all the werewolves—I mean she does, because she makes the Marrock listen to her.) We also meet Sasquatches, who are delightful. As I pleaded in my first review, “Please, Ms. Briggs, can we have some more?” But there are also many more black witches and since Charles and Anna have claimed some property that they probably covet, I'm sure we'll hear more from them too.
So many possibilities! Especially when I got to the epilogue. I had completely forgotten those details and the ramifications for the Cornicks are enormous. I can hardly wait for the next book!
Original Review
I really enjoyed this latest installment featuring Anna and Charles. It reminded me strongly of the Mercy Thompson book River Marked, probably because of the watery opponents in both books. Not to mention the appearance of Coyote.
There were fun details: the fleeting appearance of a Sasquatch or two and a nod to the Lovecraft renaissance & renovation that seems to be happening right now. Please Ms. Briggs, can we have more Sasquatches? They are charming and have such potential.
I also appreciated getting more details of the Bran-and-Leah relationship, something that I have never really understood. I can't say that Leah has been totally redeemed, but I certainly had more sympathy for her by book's end. Briggs has been very skillfully filling us in on Bran's life and choices and perhaps making him less sympathetic over the last several books. It makes sense that the Wolf Who Rules would be ruthless and a bit of a bastard, but in the Mercy books, he is mostly portrayed as a caring father and foster-father, fond of manipulation, maybe, and of the Socratic method of achieving compliance. But we are coming to realize that he cares very little for anyone who isn't a werewolf, an attitude that is antithetical to Anna and Charles (and to Mercy too, for that matter, who has built a network of supernatural allies).
I don't have any doubts that there will be more books, as there are many devoted readers of both the Anna and Mercy series. But if I had any doubts, the last couple of paragraphs clinched it! What a note to leave us on! Well done, Ms. Briggs.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
Yesterday I picked up my own paperback copy of Wild Sign and I couldn't resist it this morning. It's a dark tale of magic and witchcraft, with an evil creature once again focusing on Anna. That poor woman! Because she's small, seems delicate, and is an Omega wolf, everyone/everything thinks she's a pushover. Anna’s appearance is deceptive.
The tale begins with two FBI agents appearing in Aspen Creek, a place they shouldn't know about. I expect to see more about this in the next book. (And I loved their assumption that Anna ruled all the werewolves—I mean she does, because she makes the Marrock listen to her.) We also meet Sasquatches, who are delightful. As I pleaded in my first review, “Please, Ms. Briggs, can we have some more?” But there are also many more black witches and since Charles and Anna have claimed some property that they probably covet, I'm sure we'll hear more from them too.
So many possibilities! Especially when I got to the epilogue. I had completely forgotten those details and the ramifications for the Cornicks are enormous. I can hardly wait for the next book!
Original Review
I really enjoyed this latest installment featuring Anna and Charles. It reminded me strongly of the Mercy Thompson book River Marked, probably because of the watery opponents in both books. Not to mention the appearance of Coyote.
There were fun details: the fleeting appearance of a Sasquatch or two and a nod to the Lovecraft renaissance & renovation that seems to be happening right now. Please Ms. Briggs, can we have more Sasquatches? They are charming and have such potential.
I also appreciated getting more details of the Bran-and-Leah relationship, something that I have never really understood. I can't say that Leah has been totally redeemed, but I certainly had more sympathy for her by book's end. Briggs has been very skillfully filling us in on Bran's life and choices and perhaps making him less sympathetic over the last several books. It makes sense that the Wolf Who Rules would be ruthless and a bit of a bastard, but in the Mercy books, he is mostly portrayed as a caring father and foster-father, fond of manipulation, maybe, and of the Socratic method of achieving compliance. But we are coming to realize that he cares very little for anyone who isn't a werewolf, an attitude that is antithetical to Anna and Charles (and to Mercy too, for that matter, who has built a network of supernatural allies).
I don't have any doubts that there will be more books, as there are many devoted readers of both the Anna and Mercy series. But if I had any doubts, the last couple of paragraphs clinched it! What a note to leave us on! Well done, Ms. Briggs.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
June 18, 2021
I’m definitely loving the Alpha and Omega series even more than Mercy Thompson. There is just something about Anna finding her inner strength and power along with getting to be inside multiple characters heads that just lets me be more connected to all the characters in this series.
There is something evil in the woods, something from Leah’s past come back to haunt her. A village of off grid individuals is discovered with everyone in it missing. The FBI sense something is possibly witchy about the situation and calls on Anna and Charles to assist them with the investigation. Anna and Charles head off with Tag to check everything out and see if they can discover what would make an entire town of people vanish like the tales of Roanoke.
Anna and Charles have really come into their own as a couple and are on steadier ground. I like how they know and complement each other so well. Tag, the berserker, was a bit of an unknown quantity to me before this book. He is one of the strongest wolves in Bran’s pack and has a natural defense against magic. He adds some great comic relief and fun play with the locals. Plus he seems to be in there with the Sasquatch community, who knew.
There is definitely an ick factor to some of this book. The big bad is pretty nasty and it’s minions, well not good people really. I was really happy a few things happened off page and we didn’t get a blow by blow, we just heard the sounds of some pretty icky sex something happening in the other room. The only thing I have to say about that was at least it was consensual.
Wild Sign is another book with a very captivating plot that kept me engaged the entire time. I was also so worried about a few of the characters as the danger felt very real the entire time. Anna and Charles working together as a team are hard to get past though.
This is another book that gives insight into Leah’s past, how and why she ended up as Bran’s mate and why their relationship is so strained in some ways. I honestly am starting to really feel for Leah seeing some events from her perspective. She is a more complicated character than just the vengeful bitch she was portrayed to be in the Mercy Thompson books. Knowing what her early years were like before she became a werewolf really makes me empathize with her so much more and understand why she couldn’t really be there for Charles and Samuel as children.
P.S. That epilogue…WOW.
There is something evil in the woods, something from Leah’s past come back to haunt her. A village of off grid individuals is discovered with everyone in it missing. The FBI sense something is possibly witchy about the situation and calls on Anna and Charles to assist them with the investigation. Anna and Charles head off with Tag to check everything out and see if they can discover what would make an entire town of people vanish like the tales of Roanoke.
Anna and Charles have really come into their own as a couple and are on steadier ground. I like how they know and complement each other so well. Tag, the berserker, was a bit of an unknown quantity to me before this book. He is one of the strongest wolves in Bran’s pack and has a natural defense against magic. He adds some great comic relief and fun play with the locals. Plus he seems to be in there with the Sasquatch community, who knew.
There is definitely an ick factor to some of this book. The big bad is pretty nasty and it’s minions, well not good people really. I was really happy a few things happened off page and we didn’t get a blow by blow, we just heard the sounds of some pretty icky sex something happening in the other room. The only thing I have to say about that was at least it was consensual.
Wild Sign is another book with a very captivating plot that kept me engaged the entire time. I was also so worried about a few of the characters as the danger felt very real the entire time. Anna and Charles working together as a team are hard to get past though.
This is another book that gives insight into Leah’s past, how and why she ended up as Bran’s mate and why their relationship is so strained in some ways. I honestly am starting to really feel for Leah seeing some events from her perspective. She is a more complicated character than just the vengeful bitch she was portrayed to be in the Mercy Thompson books. Knowing what her early years were like before she became a werewolf really makes me empathize with her so much more and understand why she couldn’t really be there for Charles and Samuel as children.
P.S. That epilogue…WOW.
March 18, 2021
I hate you, Ms Briggs.
So many loose ends. So many! And damn that epilogue. How could you do that?
Needless to say, I enjoy the hell out of this. I love the atmospheric vibes (it was so creepy), I love Tag as our third wheel in this, I love the mystery. It was a really good addition to the series. You can tell now, the world between Mercy Thompson series and this series is starting to truly wrapped around each other (much more than before due to the new development).
I can't wait for the next book in Mercy series since I hope it would clear out the stuffs in the epilogue.
Oh and Leah man, fucking Leah. I might've like her too much in this. She really got her redemption arc and I am no longer complaining about her.
So many loose ends. So many! And damn that epilogue. How could you do that?
Needless to say, I enjoy the hell out of this. I love the atmospheric vibes (it was so creepy), I love Tag as our third wheel in this, I love the mystery. It was a really good addition to the series. You can tell now, the world between Mercy Thompson series and this series is starting to truly wrapped around each other (much more than before due to the new development).
I can't wait for the next book in Mercy series since I hope it would clear out the stuffs in the epilogue.
Oh and Leah man, fucking Leah. I might've like her too much in this. She really got her redemption arc and I am no longer complaining about her.
March 3, 2021
Reading a Briggs book always feels like a warm hug.
This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. And it’s one of the rare few that I don’t complain about the story being dragged out too long. Each novel (both Mercy and Alpha & Omega) adds just a little more depth to the series. The new supernatural beings introduced in each book are always fun to read about, but the real draw is any new information we learn about the Marrok and his pack. There are so many great characters to expand on, it’s easy to see how this series has been able to sustain itself for so long.
In Wild Sign we got to explore the past of Leah, a character who has been a complete enigma up to this point. Her backstory was fascinating and I love that I can go forward knowing a little more about what makes her tick. By extension, we also learned more about Bran in this novel which is a huge bonus. It’s actually kind of funny that I’m so exited about the revelations for these two characters considering they weren’t even the stars of the show.
I heard Patricia Briggs talk about how she comes up with stories at an author signing (which, by the way, was the single best author interaction I’ve ever had. If you have a chance to make one of her events, go! She’s so kind). She starts by giving the characters a problem, then stays in tune with them as she writes to see how they’re going to solve it. In this case the problem was something making the residents of Wild Sign disappear… I’ll leave it at that. I always love the mystery element in her stories. It makes for an engaging, page-turning experience as the characters reason things out and make discoveries. And something about the settings lately have been giving me a modern-day western vibe, which is fun.
This particular book had some cool revelation, but it didn’t advance the plot of the overall series to any significant degree. It did, however, provide some good foreshadowing of what’s to come, for which I’m excited.
Recommendations: this is one of my favorite urban fantasy series for a reason. They’re fun, engaging books with great characters, good mysteries, and decent action, adding more depth with each book. I’d strongly recommend reading Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega in tandem by publication date, as the overall arc of the series progresses in both series.
I’d like to thank Berkley Publishing Group, Patricia Briggs, and Netgalley for the review copy of Wild Sign!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
This is one of my favorite urban fantasy series. And it’s one of the rare few that I don’t complain about the story being dragged out too long. Each novel (both Mercy and Alpha & Omega) adds just a little more depth to the series. The new supernatural beings introduced in each book are always fun to read about, but the real draw is any new information we learn about the Marrok and his pack. There are so many great characters to expand on, it’s easy to see how this series has been able to sustain itself for so long.
In Wild Sign we got to explore the past of Leah, a character who has been a complete enigma up to this point. Her backstory was fascinating and I love that I can go forward knowing a little more about what makes her tick. By extension, we also learned more about Bran in this novel which is a huge bonus. It’s actually kind of funny that I’m so exited about the revelations for these two characters considering they weren’t even the stars of the show.
I heard Patricia Briggs talk about how she comes up with stories at an author signing (which, by the way, was the single best author interaction I’ve ever had. If you have a chance to make one of her events, go! She’s so kind). She starts by giving the characters a problem, then stays in tune with them as she writes to see how they’re going to solve it. In this case the problem was something making the residents of Wild Sign disappear… I’ll leave it at that. I always love the mystery element in her stories. It makes for an engaging, page-turning experience as the characters reason things out and make discoveries. And something about the settings lately have been giving me a modern-day western vibe, which is fun.
This particular book had some cool revelation, but it didn’t advance the plot of the overall series to any significant degree. It did, however, provide some good foreshadowing of what’s to come, for which I’m excited.
Recommendations: this is one of my favorite urban fantasy series for a reason. They’re fun, engaging books with great characters, good mysteries, and decent action, adding more depth with each book. I’d strongly recommend reading Mercy Thompson and Alpha & Omega in tandem by publication date, as the overall arc of the series progresses in both series.
I’d like to thank Berkley Publishing Group, Patricia Briggs, and Netgalley for the review copy of Wild Sign!
Via The Obsessive Bookseller at www.NikiHawkes.com
Other books you might like:
March 16, 2021
**ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review**
"Charles belonged to Anna with all his complicated soul and uncomplicated heart."
I have been on a journey with Anna and Charles for almost a decade, and I don't see myself leaving them anytime soon. Wild Sign is another amazing addition to the Alpha & Omega series, I honestly just can't get enough of the complex and intriguing characters in the Marrok's pack. I especially love the bond Anna has with everyone, she is a very important pack member and has made life easier for many wolves. Her bond with Charles is beautiful and I love seeing the developments in their relationship. Anna has grown so much, she turned from a meek scared woman into a strong and fearless warrior. Wild Sign is one of my favorite reads of the year, and I hope I'll be adding books from this series to that list for a very long time.
"But she wasn’t that woman anymore. It was Charles, with his darkness, his violence and contrasting gentleness, who she wanted to take to her bed, to share her life with."
In Wild Sign Anna, Charles and Tag are assigned to figure out what happened to a group of people who had been living off the grid but disappeared into thin air. This book was very mysterious and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened to these people. The atmosphere the author creates always gets me in the mood and keeps me intrigued until the end. It gets very dark sometimes, but there are also lots of sweet and fun moments. Wild Sign had the perfect balance of mystery, action, romance and humor. I loved that we were able to get to know a couple of characters better in this book, I especially was intrigued about Bran's mate Leah's backstory. I always hate getting to the end because I know I'll have to wait a couple of years for the next book. The ending has me very anxious to get my hands on book #7. I'll just have to reread this series until then.
"Charles belonged to Anna with all his complicated soul and uncomplicated heart."
I have been on a journey with Anna and Charles for almost a decade, and I don't see myself leaving them anytime soon. Wild Sign is another amazing addition to the Alpha & Omega series, I honestly just can't get enough of the complex and intriguing characters in the Marrok's pack. I especially love the bond Anna has with everyone, she is a very important pack member and has made life easier for many wolves. Her bond with Charles is beautiful and I love seeing the developments in their relationship. Anna has grown so much, she turned from a meek scared woman into a strong and fearless warrior. Wild Sign is one of my favorite reads of the year, and I hope I'll be adding books from this series to that list for a very long time.
"But she wasn’t that woman anymore. It was Charles, with his darkness, his violence and contrasting gentleness, who she wanted to take to her bed, to share her life with."
In Wild Sign Anna, Charles and Tag are assigned to figure out what happened to a group of people who had been living off the grid but disappeared into thin air. This book was very mysterious and I was on the edge of my seat trying to figure out what happened to these people. The atmosphere the author creates always gets me in the mood and keeps me intrigued until the end. It gets very dark sometimes, but there are also lots of sweet and fun moments. Wild Sign had the perfect balance of mystery, action, romance and humor. I loved that we were able to get to know a couple of characters better in this book, I especially was intrigued about Bran's mate Leah's backstory. I always hate getting to the end because I know I'll have to wait a couple of years for the next book. The ending has me very anxious to get my hands on book #7. I'll just have to reread this series until then.
April 12, 2021
Somehow, I always end up in a reading drought before the latest Alpha & Omega installment releases. I’ll have picked up and put down a number of novels that didn’t hold my attention, but the moment I start reading Patty’s work, I’m completely enthralled. Wild Sign is another thrilling mystery for Charles and Anna to resolve and I enjoyed every word. There were many revelations, a number of characters take big leaps forward or find resolutions to situations from their pasts.
With Patty’s writing, I especially love how empowered the women are, within themselves and by their partners, and how naturally that’s conveyed. I can’t wait until the next story releases!
With Patty’s writing, I especially love how empowered the women are, within themselves and by their partners, and how naturally that’s conveyed. I can’t wait until the next story releases!
Want to read
September 20, 202027/7/20
March 16, 2021
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
Oh, how I loved this book! I feel almost giddy when I get the chance to read a new Patricia Briggs book because I know that it is going to be something special. This book was as good as I had hoped it would be and my expectations were extremely high. I was completely entertained from the very first page and the excitement never lessened. I had a fantastic time with this story.
All of the residents of a small town in the California mountains go missing and the FBI brings the issue to the Marrok since the land is owned by the pack. Charles and Anna, along with Tag head out to investigate. They find the town of Wild Sign empty and it appears the residents had magic but something in the woods has even more. Things get very complicated quickly as the trio tries to discover what has happened.
I love these characters! Charles and Brother Wolf are the perfect mate for Anna. I love the two distinct personalities that makeup Charles and his wolf and how they are always watching out for Anna. Anna had some challenges in this book but she never quit fighting and I loved how resilient she is time and time again. Tag was a great addition to the team and I loved the bond that he had with Anna. Leah played a larger role in this story and I was thrilled to get to learn a bit more about her history and see a different side of her character.
There was plenty of action and excitement in this story to keep things moving along. There were a few times that I was worried about how things might work out so I was glued to the pages. The mystery behind the lost residents of Wild Sign kept me guessing until the very end. It was great to see Charles, Anna, and the rest of the characters in action. I would highly recommend this series to others and cannot wait to read more from this talented author in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
So good! All the stars!
Oh, how I loved this book! I feel almost giddy when I get the chance to read a new Patricia Briggs book because I know that it is going to be something special. This book was as good as I had hoped it would be and my expectations were extremely high. I was completely entertained from the very first page and the excitement never lessened. I had a fantastic time with this story.
All of the residents of a small town in the California mountains go missing and the FBI brings the issue to the Marrok since the land is owned by the pack. Charles and Anna, along with Tag head out to investigate. They find the town of Wild Sign empty and it appears the residents had magic but something in the woods has even more. Things get very complicated quickly as the trio tries to discover what has happened.
I love these characters! Charles and Brother Wolf are the perfect mate for Anna. I love the two distinct personalities that makeup Charles and his wolf and how they are always watching out for Anna. Anna had some challenges in this book but she never quit fighting and I loved how resilient she is time and time again. Tag was a great addition to the team and I loved the bond that he had with Anna. Leah played a larger role in this story and I was thrilled to get to learn a bit more about her history and see a different side of her character.
There was plenty of action and excitement in this story to keep things moving along. There were a few times that I was worried about how things might work out so I was glued to the pages. The mystery behind the lost residents of Wild Sign kept me guessing until the very end. It was great to see Charles, Anna, and the rest of the characters in action. I would highly recommend this series to others and cannot wait to read more from this talented author in the future.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley.
Initial Thoughts
So good! All the stars!
April 5, 2021
4.5 stars
I thought this was just excellent. That said, I am a long time fan of Patricia Briggs and the Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega books, so that is definitely influencing my enjoyment of the book.
This isn't a book you should be picking up unless you are already in the series, so...here's what I liked:
I loved that we FINALLY get the whole of Leah's mysterious backstory.
Sasquatches! Just when you thought you'd met everyone...and then a bit of Lovecraft too?
Charles and Anna together - I love that their relationship continues to be strong and relatively drama-free. They tackle the dramatic events together, there isn't a bunch of manufactured angst based on people just not talking to each other. They talk, they work, they are devoted to each other, and I never get tired of them.
I thought this was just excellent. That said, I am a long time fan of Patricia Briggs and the Mercy Thompson/Alpha and Omega books, so that is definitely influencing my enjoyment of the book.
This isn't a book you should be picking up unless you are already in the series, so...here's what I liked:
I loved that we FINALLY get the whole of Leah's mysterious backstory.
Sasquatches! Just when you thought you'd met everyone...and then a bit of Lovecraft too?
Charles and Anna together - I love that their relationship continues to be strong and relatively drama-free. They tackle the dramatic events together, there isn't a bunch of manufactured angst based on people just not talking to each other. They talk, they work, they are devoted to each other, and I never get tired of them.
March 17, 2021
I was a bit confused as this one started out as the first bit was set in the past, but set the stage for events in this book. Once we got to the present and I realized that with this book we would be learning a lot about Leah I wasn't sure what to feel. For most of this series and the Mercy books, Leah is not a good person and you wonder why Bran picked her as his mate. Learning Leah's past I feel very sorry for her on so many levels, but especially for what she thought Bran was going to do to her at the end. I can't imagine living over 200 years and expecting the worst for that long, so I was happy for once that she was disappointed. I will with hold other judgement to see how she acts going forward, but I'm hoping this changes her for the better.
Charles and Anna, along with Tag did a great job tracking things down in California. Often times they would run into a brick wall, but some little nugget of info helped them figure out the next step. The big battle at the end reminded me of the battle Mercy faced with the River Otters, lots going on and mystical/magical beings abound. They managed to win, but it was close and they made some crazy decisions in a hope that things would work.
Just as the book was winding down and everyone was sort of doing a play by play of what happened and things were going back to normal in Aspen Creek, Charles and Anna got a surprise visitor that knocked them for a loop in who and what was asked of them. I actually had to go over that part a couple times to make sure that I heard it right because I was stunned and wanted to know more. It's always interesting to see what happens next in this series, but especially now!
On a side note, I loved how Bran played the FBI agents, how they could not believe what they were told and what they saw.
Charles and Anna, along with Tag did a great job tracking things down in California. Often times they would run into a brick wall, but some little nugget of info helped them figure out the next step. The big battle at the end reminded me of the battle Mercy faced with the River Otters, lots going on and mystical/magical beings abound. They managed to win, but it was close and they made some crazy decisions in a hope that things would work.
Just as the book was winding down and everyone was sort of doing a play by play of what happened and things were going back to normal in Aspen Creek, Charles and Anna got a surprise visitor that knocked them for a loop in who and what was asked of them. I actually had to go over that part a couple times to make sure that I heard it right because I was stunned and wanted to know more. It's always interesting to see what happens next in this series, but especially now!
On a side note, I loved how Bran played the FBI agents, how they could not believe what they were told and what they saw.
March 8, 2021
Even though I never forget how much I love this series, I do forget how much I miss Charles and Anna until I quickly become immersed in their story once more. Oh how I love this couple! Oh how I love this whole bunch of crazy werewolves!
This (and the Mercy Series) is such an amazing series. Such amazing characters, adventures, supernaturals, mysteries and really, just amazing writing.
Briggs never ceases to pull me right back into the world she has created and feel like I'm once again back home with old friends I adore and it feels each time, like no time at all has passed since I saw them last.
This quite the adventure and there is so much I loved about it compared to the last books that it's hard to get all my feelings down. The bond Charles and Anna have is simply amazing but the bond the whole pack has as well, is equally amazing. I loved learning so much more about so many of them but especially about Tag and Bran and Leah's relationship and Leah's past.
This was definitely a wild ride filled with ups and downs and many revelations and that ending? That ending makes me eager for the next book.
This series never gets old and in fact, some how just manages to get better and better as it goes. Full of more heart aches, more love, more friendship, more danger, more tender hearted moments. Really, just more of everything I love and crave in a good well put together story.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
This (and the Mercy Series) is such an amazing series. Such amazing characters, adventures, supernaturals, mysteries and really, just amazing writing.
Briggs never ceases to pull me right back into the world she has created and feel like I'm once again back home with old friends I adore and it feels each time, like no time at all has passed since I saw them last.
This quite the adventure and there is so much I loved about it compared to the last books that it's hard to get all my feelings down. The bond Charles and Anna have is simply amazing but the bond the whole pack has as well, is equally amazing. I loved learning so much more about so many of them but especially about Tag and Bran and Leah's relationship and Leah's past.
This was definitely a wild ride filled with ups and downs and many revelations and that ending? That ending makes me eager for the next book.
This series never gets old and in fact, some how just manages to get better and better as it goes. Full of more heart aches, more love, more friendship, more danger, more tender hearted moments. Really, just more of everything I love and crave in a good well put together story.
*ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*
March 13, 2021
4.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this one; the adventure, the mysticism, and the outright weirdness. Charles and Anna are sent to investigate the sudden disappearance of a group of people living in a settlement far away from civilization; living on land that just happens to belong to Leah, Bran’s disagreeable mate. What starts out as a road trip to the great outdoors to solve a vague mystery soon turns into a harrowing ordeal full of twists and turns...and evil.
Damn fine storytelling here. Oh, and Leah’s backstory is plumbed even more deeply than it was in Burn Bright. Leah has always been painted an unlikable character; but she is being shown in a whole new light as more bits and pieces of her horrific past click into place. Bran actually comes off poorly here for the mistakes he’s made with/about Leah.
I have to say that even though the plotlines intertwine; for consistency of storylines and colorful characters, this series has the edge on the “Mercy Thompson” series, IMO...
Damn fine storytelling here. Oh, and Leah’s backstory is plumbed even more deeply than it was in Burn Bright. Leah has always been painted an unlikable character; but she is being shown in a whole new light as more bits and pieces of her horrific past click into place. Bran actually comes off poorly here for the mistakes he’s made with/about Leah.
I have to say that even though the plotlines intertwine; for consistency of storylines and colorful characters, this series has the edge on the “Mercy Thompson” series, IMO...
March 23, 2021
This is Justin Bieber's Audi R8.
It was a beautiful car but as you can see, it's now worthless. It's an automotive embarrassment. A crime against good taste.
It's a good thing ruined.
And that is a little like how I feel about Wild Sign.
It's a good idea. Has some great characters. Potential. But it doesn't follow through. And the thing that ruined it for me was so cringe worthy I just shook my head and thought, "Really? Is that where you're taking this thing?"
I can't even say what is good and what is not because I'll give away too much. But I will say the epilogue is great and I want more of that.
It was a beautiful car but as you can see, it's now worthless. It's an automotive embarrassment. A crime against good taste.
It's a good thing ruined.
And that is a little like how I feel about Wild Sign.
It's a good idea. Has some great characters. Potential. But it doesn't follow through. And the thing that ruined it for me was so cringe worthy I just shook my head and thought, "Really? Is that where you're taking this thing?"
I can't even say what is good and what is not because I'll give away too much. But I will say the epilogue is great and I want more of that.
April 2, 2021
5 stars
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