Alphas: Origins

Having read all Ilona Andrews' other books and enjoyed them, I found myself putting this book down and picking it and still could not get into it. I read 48% of the book and still didn't like it. I gave up reading the remainder.

I really enjoyed reading this because it was well written. While it is different from many of their other characters and series, different doesn't mean bad. I didn't immediately love the protagonist, but I felt like the choices she made were consistent with her character.

Not for the weak of heart. Stark brutality and violence made most of the story confusing and difficult to relate to until nearly the end of the book. I will probably read the next in the series just to see how the heroine adjusts to her new status.

Being a huge fan of Ilona Andrews, I was quite excited to read this story. Being a new one for me, I felt quite eager to begin. Sad to say, by the end I felt frustrated and very disappointed by this piece. Very rushed, so much left unexplained, too much information thrown into way too short of a story.......I could go on and on.

Would I recommend this to anyone else, no I wouldn't. If you want to discover this writing team for the first time, start with Kate Daniels series. This doesn't do them justice or show how dynamic their writing truly is.

I loved this book. It's darker than some of the author 's other work, but the writing and world building are still fantastic.
The Kate Daniels series are hands down one of my favorites, but I can appreciate an author who can write something so different.
If you don't currently read this author...start now!!!

Once again, Ilona and Gordon Andrews have built a unique and interesting world, populated by unique and interesting characters. I really hope this turns into a new series, since there's so much fodder for more stories.

Fast paced. Engaging. Her characters are multidimensional. The setting is believable. And that's dying something because this is a sci-fi fantasy romance. I only wish it was longer. I can't wait for the next installment. I want more. Ilona Andrews need to write more books and she needs to produce them faster.

I love Ilona Andrews books so I was really excited to receive this book. Unfortunately it didn't live up to my expectations. Normally regardless of the reality in which the books are set an excellent job is done of establishing the rules of the road so to speak. Why is there magic or mutations - how do they operate and so forth. While this information is scattered throughout the book it is not easy to decipher and to me at least left a lot of gaps. Plus I can't say I am in love with the idea of imperiling very young children right off the bat and continuing to use a 6 year old as a bargaining chip. It makes the bonding between the main characters seem a lot more like Stockholm syndrome than anything occurring out of attraction or genuine emotion. I also found the ending abrupt, so much so I double checked my download to make sure I wasn't missing something.
All that being said the characters are interesting and multi faceted so as with all their other books they are worth a second look and I am curious to see if the series develops more fully.

I love Ilona Andrews, so preordering this book was a no-brainer. Then I started reading it... I really didn't like the beginning of this book. I didn't like it so much that I couldn't really find much redeemable about it. Being a completist, I kept going. I'm glad I did. Around 40% through things got better, and once the answers about what was going on started to show, I was intrigued. I can't say I enjoyed the story completely -- and at the end, when the story ended when my Kindle said it was at 81% (the rest of the book being an excerpt), I was disappointed again -- but the background of the world is very interesting. I'll probably pick up the next book, simply because I really have enjoyed all of the Ilona Andrews books I've read immensely and I want to see where the series is going, but this was not a great read in my mind.

Once again I like her books ...this book is laying done the foundation for a really good series. It is a little confusing and once you get it figured out its almost over. Will I be buying the next book absolutely.

I'm not sure exactly what I expected, but it was delivered. As always, Ilona Andrews created a world where magic and science are blended so close you can't tell where one starts and the other ends. I love the details of the new world and new species. That being said, the plot and character development is rushed. If the story was a full length novel with time to get to know the characters I would have rated this 4 stars, and if it was that long I think the plot would be better explained, earning 5 stars. Overall , I am sure I will read it again. It is enjoyable, especially for those who enjoy science fiction and urban fantasy. It has some undercurrents that may be a tad bit mature for young readers, but its not explicit.

It was a brief story but had intriguing characters and plotline. I am really looking forward to reading more about these characters. I wish could comment in more detail but I am afraid of revealing too much of the story.

I have to say it. The husband and wife team that is Illona Andrews just does not know how to write a bad story. It's impossible for them! This story was original, not a washed down version of the same old tale. Humans think they are the top of the food chain, but there exists other subspecies with paranormal powers that protects human society without its knowledge. Fast paced, action packed, and an emotional roller coaster ride you never want to get off! I highly recommend this book!

I didn't realize I already read this in an anthology. I believed the publication date on this page which implied it's brand new. That feels like a lie and a cheat by the publisher and the store. Otherwise, I would have given this 2 stars because it's not as good as their other work. This is a bit differentand has potential but in need of much more fleshing out. Their other work I generally think of as 3 to 4 stars as it's entertaining, engaging and few holes in the plot.

I don't usually write reviews, but I read the one review before I downloaded the book and think we read totally different books. I've read everything from Illona Andrews and while this is different, it is a great read! The story introduces aliens, other planets and dimensions. The language may have been crude in places, but it was story appropriate. A normal mom is thrust into a harrowing situation during a short stop during her daughter's field trip. She is a strong character and is evaluating her situation not surrendering and crying about the twist of fate . I can't wait to read the next installment.

Karina is an average woman neither young or old. It's only her and her young daughter Emily that she has close as family.
Its not a hard life but its hers. Then one day things just toss her little family into the sewer.

In the space of minutes she is no longer a working mother but a slave. Everything that she knew to be true in her life is tossed out as valueless. If she wants to see her daughter and raise her she has to get with the program.
The program is Anarchy.
Interesting build up...definitely a cliffhanger.

Excellent story: fast paced, fully realized main characters, highly entertaining yet also thought-provoking. The male protagonist says "being a nice guy is a modern concept" and this short story oozes with tension between modernity and ancient archetypes like Monster and Warrior, Victim and Hero. I saw the negative reviews first and was thus prepared to dislike it, but similar to the Inkeeper Chronicles by the same author this story has many layers and is well worth reading for anyone with even a passing interest in speculative fiction.

I have NO idea what happened to some of my favorite authors but this was pure drek! Do not pay for what seems like little more then a very unrealized idea for a future story. Still in the very rough draft phase and should never have been published. I hope it was just a mortgage payment kind of thing because it is unreadable as it stands.

I enjoyed this opening book to a new Ilona Andrews series, but found it a little dark for my taste. The talents of the altered humans were all vicious or too strong. None of them had positive strengths, so they were all basically working with a doomsday mentality. The authors did try to bring in their softer side occasionally, but not enough to make me want to follow the series.

All other ilona Andrews books I've read have been fabulous. I was quite surprised at the non-interest I felt for this one. Lust. That's about it for the half I read. It was about how hot HE was and how she was going to wrest control and how he had all the rules and the daughter was a pawn.... Just too much lust, sex, for me. Maybe it gets better. I put it aside after reading the first part, picked it up later, read another 20%, and now it sits unfinished at about half...

Not really entirely sure about this one. Usually I am a big fan of Ilona Andrew's writing, her characters are wry, likeable and complex, living in well-conceived worlds and presented with plausible dilemmas. For some reason, This story is not doing it for me. The setting is not that clear to me, the heroine is, frankly, a bit wet. Her hero is thuggish and unattractive. I don't really care what happens to either of them. Think I will pass on any follow-up.

SPOILER:

Got to 32% when the woman becomes turned on by her violent kidnapper looking at her like he wants to rape her. No. Just no. Rape and fear are not sexy. Not ever. You guys can do better than this.

Anything by them is going to be great, and they have never let me down.
This is a tale of a young mother who discovers catastrophically that the world is not at all what she thought it was. Not only that nor is she quite what she thought she was, and how she deals with that. Highly recommended.

the most impressive thing about this book was the excerpts at the end for the other books. It's like this book was not even written by the dynamic duo...didn't make any sense and couldn't tie it in to "Alphas:Origins" title. Language was awful.

I love Ilona Andrews. I devour the Kate Daniels books, pre-order everything by Andrews, and have alerts set to let me know something has been released in case I missed the pre-order. This one, however, just didn't do anything for me. I didn't love the characters, didn't love the plot, didn't love the writing.

This is not their best book. I have read and enjoyed the Kate Daniels series, the inn books and the Edge novels. This is a different world and the world building is not complete. Also, I did not find the male lead to be sympathetic.

This book is unrelated to the alpha/omega series, not even about werewolves. The characters act illogically. Getting bitten by so eons will change you into a different random creature? Willingly submitting her child into slavery? Too dark and too weird,

I didn't think Ilona Andrews could write a book I disliked as much as this one. But they did! Part of the problem (and the reason the book gets two stars instead of one) is that I really liked the heroine. She's very relatable and up until the end I liked how she handled herself. And even though I didn't agree with her decision at the end, I understood it. Which is why this is a two star review instead of three.

What I hate about the novella is that it romanticized Stockholm Syndrome. The poor woman and her daughter are kidnapped. The woman is required to enter into a blood sucking quasi sexual relationship with a complete stranger. Both the woman and her "mate" are mentally and emotionally abused by the rest of the family but its "okay" because "they can't help it".

Meanwhile the daughter is kept separate from her mother for her own safety and to ensure the woman's good behavior.

Then when she finally gets the chance to escape she decides to stay because she feels sorry for her captor.

Like I said: Romanticized Stockholm Syndrome.

Sorry but it is all a bit sick.

Awful . Really . The story, the people. A mother sacrifice should be the title. For me no happy ending. I really like Ilona Andrews books but really strongly dislike this one. Should never have preordered it. The treatment of the woman and her child, the relationships. Reminding me why I stop reading Christine Feehan!

I love Ilona Andrews writing and have raved over every book, novella, and short story except for this one. This has so many marks of laziness. Their hallmark weaving of character development and plot arc is notably absent. The main character is two dimensional. Hyper masculinity, entitlement, and poor self control are the mainstays of the broody rapey male characters. Feh. I needed a shower to wash off the yuck when this dragged to a halt.

Originally published as part of a collection with other authors called, "Angels of Darkness." The andrews team has been publishing short stories and novellas previously published in collections as stand alones for the last year or two. Kind of hit and miss they can be very good or just so so. This is the latter. Karina is side tracked while driving a group of kids home from a field trip including her own daughter. She enters a world of people with unusal powers fighting an ancient war. Lacks real development in terms of world and characters. It is a celebration of a mother's sacrifice for her daughter. Predictable and thin. Not Andrews best work.

I have read every Ilona Andrews book and am normally a big fan, but ... this was horrific, sexually violent/repulsive, epically stupid, dark, uninteresting and represented incomplete world-building. Does anyone disagree?

FORMAT/INFO: Alphas: Origins is 123 pages long divided over eight chapters. Narration is third person omniscient via Karina Tucker & Lucas. Alphas: Origins has a self-contained plot and is possibly the start of a new gritty SF series. It was previously published on October 4, 2011 as a part of the Angels of Darkness collection.

ANALYSIS: Alphas: Origins first came to my attention when a snippet was posted on Ilona Andrews’ blog under the title ALPHAS or Alpha Menz. The snippet gave a brief look at a violent world where a woman encounters monsters and then becomes a prisoner of one side of a war to help against the other. At the same time, this preview caused a stir among Ilona Andrews’ fans with readers either complaining about the darkness of the snippet compared to the authors’ other work, or loving the preview and wanting more. I was in the latter camp.

Originally, the snippet was supposed to have been part of the first book in a new series called Alphas. However, those plans were scrapped, and instead, the snippet was molded into a novella which will serve as a launchpad for the series. Alphas:Origins begins with Karina Tucker, a recent widower driving a school bus full of children for their field trip. Along the way, Karina will have to deal with headaches like children fighting, complaints about hunger and toilet issues, but nothing out of the ordinary. That is, until Karina and the children are accosted by a pair of strangers, setting them on a path where their nightmares and darkest imaginations are brought to life. From here, Karina is forced to do things which may endanger her sanity in order to save their lives, thus setting the stage for Alphas: Origins...

Because Alphas: Origins is a novella rather than a long form novel, the pacing is relentless with little time wasted on introducing the lead character and setting up the story & backdrop, while action sequences are nonstop and thrilling, highlighted by an exciting climax and twist. Personally, this was a major plus point for me as I was constantly flipping the pages to see what happenened next. Prose meanwhile, is good as it manages to project the protagonist’s sense of helplessness at her impossible situation, as well as capture the viciousness of the others.

Compared to the authors’ other books, there is hardly any humor in Alphas: Origins. Then again, the story doesn’t call for much. Instead, Alphas: Origins is supposed to be a dark and gritty tale, which was an absolute thrill for me to read in regards to the authors’ interpretation of the theme in Angels of Darkness. Plus, as a fan of Ilona Andrews’ previous work, it’s good to see the authors not resting on their laurels, while striving to give readers something different. Speaking of different, the setting in Alphas: Origins has more of a science fiction feel than urban fantasy—think slight overtones of Battlestar Gallactica—which allowed the authors to utilize their world-building skills in a different manner.

Negatively, the way the story ends is a bit abrupt, but considering the demands of the novella structure, it’s not a major issue. Then there’s the relationship between Karina and Lucas which might be a little difficult to digest for some, but that, along with the overall darkness and grittiness of Alphas: Origins, will largely depend on the reader’s personal tastes.

CONCLUSION: Alphas: Origins offers readers a glimpse at something different from Ilona Andrews. Something darker and more violent. A story that may turn off fans of the authors’ previous work, but will reward those who give the novella a chance. I for one was absolutely enthralled by Alphas: Origins and will be waiting with bated breath for the series to properly start so I can learn more about the world, its denizens and their war...

Well....this was not enjoyable. Very rape-y weird. Like no actual rape happens (thank goodness cause it's 2016 and no one needs to be perpetuating the myth that rape is entertainment) but every second scene was the characters thinking about how either he could just "have his way" with her or she could be "taken" ick. Gag me.
There was no charm. I usually find Ilona Andrews stories charming, even at their most violent or weird there's a thread of charm and mystery that ties it all together.

Anyways I just found this book sad. Woman is basically tortured, abused, kidnapped, held against her will, her daughter's life reduced to being psychically drugged and being unconscious most of the time. I mean...what the hell? Maybe some people are in to this but...ew.

If you are a fan of ANY of Ilona Andrews' other works then do yourself a favor and pass this by.

The Andrews is my favorite author, hands down. I usually give their books a solid 4-5 stars. Not this one. First, I was disappointed in the length. I was disappointed in Lucas' sudden change from crazed shifter style character to protective softie. I was extremely disappointed in the very, very convoluted backstory that took far too long to explain and I had to reread it several times to understand. For a novella of this length, the explanation should have been shorter and less complicated... or expand the story to fit such a long, convoluted and very complicated back story. Then, the h turns very suddenly from cowed slave into something else (trying not to give spoilers) with very little transition time for either the character or the reader. And the 'insta-love' isn't, and has never been a favorite of mine. I'm not even sure it was 'love'. It was more like...choice? It didn't feel like Love, or romance. I'm not sure what it was.

This story deserved More than it was given. More length, more explanation, more time for adjustment, more romance (or none at all), more character development. Just....More.

JMHO, this whole story line needs to be scrapped and left on the "OK, we had a bad day, it didn't work out, lets move on from it" pile. But knowing me, if another one comes out I'll buy it anyway (lol) so there's that.

Much like in a Twilight Zone episode, Karina Tucker, who sees herself as a very ordinary single mother with a six-year-old daughter, is driving a van of children home from her child's field trip when she makes an unplanned detour to a seemingly ordinary motel for a brief rest stop. Unfortunately, while there, she encounters terrifying monsters she was never meant to see, and the man who appears as her salvation offers a shocking trade-off: in order to prevent the barbarous massacre of herself and her daughter, she must agree to be his captive permanently and live out a horrifying fate that, in many ways, makes a quick death at the claws of the monsters seem preferable. Only preserving her helpless, fragile daughter could have driven her to make such an appalling choice.

I won't grade down a really well written story due to my own idiosyncratic preferences, but as a huge fan of Ilona Andrews, I have read everything this husband-and-wife writing team has ever published, and I have to admit that this was my least favorite Andrews story. I normally really like the Andrews team's urban fantasy, and I especially enjoy their paranormal romances, but this particular paranormal romance I found excruciatingly dark and depressing. I've never been a fan of captor/captive romances in general, and this one is rather gruesome. The only way this heroine could believably fall in love with a hero like this one is to develop a major case of Stockholm Syndrome, which isn't exactly a guaranteed prescription for readers to find her (or him) sympathetic. Yes, the ending of this novella does qualify as an "uplifting" type of HEA ("happily ever after"), that is an essential part of any paranormal romance, but getting there requires a certain type of taste in romance plots that I myself don't share. For my particular preferences, the plot goes too far in the direction of horror, and it felt more frightening than sexy to me.

Again, however, that's just my personal taste. A great many semi-horror-plot type of paranormal romances, both adult and young adult, have been highly successful over the past 20 years, and many fans of the Andrews team will like this book.

I personally, selfishly, hope this isn't the beginning of a series, because it will take up valuable writing time to produce, and the world the Andrews team has created here is about endless, brutal war. I think I will be, unfortunately, too squeamish to keep reading about it.

What I'd really love to read about from the Andrews team, if I were given a vote in the matter, rather than a series centered on the couple from this story, or their savage world, is the love story of George and Lark/Sophie from the Edge series. I was very sad to hear the Andrews team declare that this series is complete after only four books, so it was a delightful surprise when, in a crossover appearance, George, his brother Jack, and Sophie all showed up together--with a tinge of romance, finally, between George and Sophie--in Sweep in Peace. In that self-published book by Ilona Andrews, second in the Innkeeper Chronicles series, George is now 29. We first met him in book 1 of the Edge series, On the Edge, when he was only a child of ten. By the way, we're told in SIP that Sophie is now about 24, but my impression in previous books was that she and George are the same age. At any rate, she and George and Jack are amazing characters.

I will continue to read anything the Andrews team writes, and I especially enjoy the audiobook versions of their books, performed by the inimitable Renee Raudman, vocal talent extraordinaire.

I rate this book as follows:
Heroine: 4 stars
Hero: 3 stars
Subcharacters: 3 stars
Worldbuilding caliber: 4 stars
Writing: 5 stars
Overall: 4 stars

Karina is driving a group of children home after a field trip. When one of them has to go to the bathroom she takes an exit to stop at a motel. Only when she's there she soon realizes that it isn't a normal hotel. There's something creepy about the place and there are monsters that won't let Karina leave. They want something from her, there's something she can give them and they want to take it without her permission. She's being poisoned and when she comes to she is in the possession of a dangerous man. Karina has to give up her freedom to save her daughter Emily.

Alphas: Origins is a fascinating story about monsters, different worlds and dangerous powers. Karina's life changes as soon as she takes the exit. She's enslaved and she has to be strong to survive. She's living in a house with three powerful men. They can easily change into monsters and even though they have good sides there's a lot of aggression as well. Karina has to be resourceful and she needs to bargain when she wants something. I loved how resilient and tough she is. She can stand her ground, even when she's afraid she doesn't back down. I was immediately intrigued by her and enjoyed reading about her adventures.

I've already read a lot of books by Ilona Andrews. The writing is amazing and I love the knowledge of combat, which makes the fighting scenes realistic and dynamic. The adrenaline rushes they always give me are fantastic. Karina's new life is interesting and I like the world building. I definitely want to read more about the creatures she's living with and about her new existence. I loved the ending of this book, it's promising and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

I really loved this story! No idea why this wasn't turned into another long running series. Great writing, great world building, strong characters, I sure don't understand the bad reviews, if this isn't your cup of tea, move on. It SURE isn't badly written, so no need to write a bad review!! I can't stand books with one boring sex scene after another, I just move on. Wish people would only write bad reviews when a book is actually badly written with horrible dialogue, no real storyline and crappy whiney characters. People need to learn the difference between a book that isn't their preference and a badly written book!!!

** Read in Angels of Darkness **

I enjoyed this short story. It’s darker then what I’m used to from the Andrews team. It was very interesting and the world is vast. I would love more, maybe a series, but at this time the Andrews team has no plans on writing more in this world/series.

The heroine, she is thrown into a difficult situation and she coupes with it rather well, maybe to well. I enjoyed all the characters introduced. I just felt we needed more. We barely scratch the surface of this new world and the characters.

Alphas: Origins is an intense, stressful, and fast-paced adventure.

Rated 3.5 Stars

This is different than all the other novels. It's a stand-alone novel girl that sort of gets kidnapped saved and then becomes slave but then gets transformed and becomes a hero and decides to stay. It's okay I'm not sure I'd want to read it again but I would like to find out what happened in the war afterwards Maybe.

I absolutely loved this book! The only issue have find with it is that it was short (as to be expected with a novella). I am excitedly looking forward to the next book in the series!
The know Andrews team has never failed to write a tale that is amazing.

I cannot enjoy anything in which an abuse victim falls in love with their abuser. I don't care about the circumstances, I don't care what the abuser does to "redeem" themselves. It's just a trope I find deeply unenjoyable. Since that is the main romance situation in the this novella, I did not like it.

I will say, however, that the world building was very well done.

This was an interesting novella by the Andrews and one of the few books/novellas by them that I haven’t read. I ended up really enjoying this but felt like it was way too short and abrupt. This story takes place in a new world (not one of their existing ones). It was very engaging and entertaining but would have made an even better full length book.

This book has a very urban fantasy feel to it but also has a lot of science fiction elements. Initially it seems like it’s going to be one of those urban fantasy books with monster hunters...then things get weird when Karina wakes up in a splinter realm of Earth.

There is a ton of interesting world building and I desperately wanted to spend more time in this world. The whole civil war between different species was utterly fascinating and I was disappointed it wasn’t longer.

The characters were just as fascinating with their crazy powers and needs. Karina is in an interesting situation; she was kidnapped but only because if Lucas didn’t kidnap her she was going to die. So it’s kind of this strangely noble kidnapping rescue of sorts. Both Karina and Lucas are interesting characters with a lot of depth. They have excellent chemistry together and act like mature and responsible adults despite their bizarre situation.

Many of the side characters are awesome as well. I could see this being a great series where each book focuses on a different one of the subspecies characters that live with Lucas. Or we could get more of Karina and Lucas...I would love that too.

I was impressed by how much world-building and story occurs in this relatively short novella. However, things end very abruptly and I was dying to learn more.

Overall this was a very engaging read that was a blend of urban fantasy and science fiction. There is some awesome world-building here, a complex story, and absolutely amazing characters. I really enjoyed the story. I was disappointed at how abruptly it ended and really thought this would have made a better full length novel. Hopefully we see future books set in this world.

It's a new sub Earth with human subspecies fighting for power. They have super powers and a mission to keep Earth safe. Karin stumbled into to alternate Earth and discovers secrets about her past and parents. She has to decide to stay or go back to her old life. This book is mostly laying the ground work for a series--- character development and world building. I'd like to read another one or two before passing judgment because it could go either way.

I thought the story as originally published on the authors' website was edgy, dark, scary and crazy good. This version after the editors got to it is not in the same class as the original version. I wish the original was still floating around some where, because I dearly loved it.

To this day, when I see a side road, I can't help but wonder where it would take me.

I read this book tentatively at first, but as the book continued, I was hooked. I am a big fan of Ilona Andrews. I may not have read everything they've written, but I have read most. This story is a wonderful exploration of feelings and of finding inner strength. I wish I had the words to describe the wonderful book and not give away the story. I will be waiting eagerly for the sequel.

I love how any book written by this paranormal powerhouse leaves you so much room to imagine just about anything. This book made me yearn for a series. I love that Lucas is so hard but when it comes to this one woman, he starts to change. The creativity of this book just knocks me on my ass, in the best way!

The world building is amazing as always but something isn't sitting well for me. She is threatened and then kidnapped along with her daughter but then goes through a transformation on multiple levels. The Stockholm syndrome thing just doesn't quite do it for me.

I personally really liked this book. Once I started I could barely bring myself to put it down for normal life functions such as eating I wanted to continue reading that bad. I already want to be reading the second book and I only got this book yesterday. I like the characters and the story line, there was none of those characters that you just can't get behind because they seem really narrow and one-dimensional.

This story begs to be continued and developed. A question for those who read and enjoyed it: if you also read the
Edge series by IA, Alphas are mentioned when Cerise and William take shelter in a house that belongs to the Alphas. Same Alphas possibly?

Ok I'm a big fan of Andrews writing. This was no exception. However, where's the rest?! Too short, because of this, less development than there should have been. Now I want more please! Please write a whole story, hell, series about these characters and their world!