78 of 82 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The wolf and the man, August 25, 2009
Imagine if the werewolves were considering coming out of the fur coat closet, and held a conference to debate it.
It's a rather boring-sounding idea. But since Patricia Briggs is a truly brilliant urban-fantasy author, she is somehow able to spin straw into gold in the second full-length novel about the Omega werewolf Anna and her Alpha mate Charles. "Hunting Ground" is a solid little bundle of subplots and warring supernaturals.
Sent to the Seattle conference, Charles and Anna encounter lycanthropes from across Europe -- Russians, Italians, the British lord Arthur, and he savage Beast of Gévaudan, Jean Chastel. Warring opinions and old grudges (plus Chastel's general savagery) cause plenty of tension between the various groups, and Charles finds that while Anna's Omeganess eases some of the conflict, she's freaked out by all the dominant males.
But Anna is attacked while shopping with her new friend Moira -- by a gang of vampires using werewolf magic and tactics. Then a couple of attendees at the conference are murdered as well, one by the vampires and the other by a person unknown. Now the fragile peace between alphas starts to unravel and fae magic starts to manipulate them -- and to save his beloved Anna, Charles must uncover who is would do all this.
The previous "Alpha and Omega" stories have been about the world of werewolves almost exclusively, and "Hunting Ground" expands its focus -- we've got the cruel fae Dana, and a cruel gang of vampires. But the focus is still mainly on werewolves -- their subculture, their leaders, and the place of the Omegas when surrounded by a bunch of grumpy Alphas.
The biggest flaw is that the book is a loosely woven affair without much central plot until the last few chapters. But Briggs smoothly juggles the various subplots that run through the book, with vivid, powerful prose ("A creek full of fat trout trickled under a thin layer of misty ice") and slightly tongue-in-cheek dialogue ("Way to kill a defenseless net"). Not to mention some unique quirks, like a werewolf who genuinely believes he is King Arthur reborn.
And she strikes a solid balance between the darkness and violence (bloody killings, werewolf hunts, and some brutal human killings) and the more quiet, soothing moments that Anna brings. One particularly lovely scene has her soothing frazzled alphas through a mellow piano performance, and Briggs' smooth writing carries the effect through to the reader.
Anna and Charles may be mates and spouses now, but they're clearly still getting used to each other. Anna is now strong enough to stand up to the Beast and recovered enough to show her love for her new hubby, but Charles is struggling with his tough-guy image and his "Brother Wolf." And there are plenty of other interesting characters -- the unassuming Angus, the bloodthirsty psychopathic Jean, a cute Austrian Omega, and the charming, loopy Arthur. There's even a pair from one of Briggs' short stories: the werewolf Tom and his blind witch mate Moira.
"Hunting Ground" has a rather loosely woven plot, but Patricia Briggs' lovely writing and vivid characters keep it from losings its way. Definitely one of the better werewolfcentic urban fantasies.
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37 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great addition to the A&O series, August 25, 2009
I am a huge fan of the Alpha and Omega Series. If you haven't already read the short story and the first book, Cry Wolf, go out immediately and get them.
We meet back with Anna & Charles just a couple weeks from where we left them in Cry Wolf. It's now almost Christmas and they are headed to Seattle to meet with the Alphas of the European packs. Anna and Charles are newly mated/married and are still adjusting to each other. While Charles is handling the negotiations for the Wolves to come out in public, Anna is dealing with all of the Alpha testosterone that's flying through the air.
Patti does not disappoint with this addition to the A&O series. As usual we find great characters in both the Seattle pack and the delegations from Europe. Great character development with Charles and Anna. We get to know Charles more in this story and how he's dealing with having a mate and still performing his duties. Anna is a delight to read. She's been hurt, brutalized really, but she's strong to her core-even if she doesn't believe it. Did I mention we get to meet Brother Wolf? It leaves me waiting and counting down the days for the next one.
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28 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great book, August 25, 2009
This review is from: Hunting Ground (Alpha and Omega) (Kindle Edition)
If you have read any of Briggs books you will love it. The relationship between Charles and Anna is fleshed out and much more believable than most romance stories. It is not just lust at first site that somehow becomes true love. Like the Mercy Thompson series the plot has something of a mystery that has to be solved to keep the ones they love safe and the resolution is not obvious. I also love that the female lead kicks as much ass as the male.
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