Cry Wolf

by Patricia Briggs

Paperback, 2008

Status

Available

Call number

Fic SF Briggs

Publication

Ace (2008), Paperback, 320 pages

Description

Fantasy. Fiction. Romance. HTML:#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Briggs presents the first Alpha and Omega novel�??the start of an extraordinary series set in Mercy Thompson�??s world, but with rules of its own... Anna never knew werewolves existed until the night she survived a violent attack�?�and became one herself. After three years at the bottom of the pack, she�??d learned to keep her head down and never, ever trust dominant males. But Anna is that rarest kind of werewolf: an Omega. And one of the most powerful werewolves in the country is about to recognize her value as a pack member�??a

User reviews

LibraryThing member pandawnmonium

A new look at Mercy's world, through Anna and Charles (Samuel's brother, another Alpha, and his Omega.)

This one was a little harder to get into, mainly because you grow attached to Mercy's point of view. Anna (after months of abuse) is hardly the strength and humor that Mercy carried. It is still

readable and enjoyable, it just takes a little longer to warm up to it.

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LibraryThing member surreality

Plot: Standard "go investigate mystery, find tricky situation, need heroine to rescue hero" romance plot. The more mystic side elements of the plot don't work out, mostly because the foundations are lacking. Good pacing, but a little thin for a full novel. There was more plot in the novella.

Characters: Can we please, please, get a little more characterisation? Especially motives that go beyond "well, I have to do it". The characters from the Mercy Thompson books are rounded, mostly due to them having had a lot of room to pick up the occasional bit of characterisation. The new ones, especially the heroine, remail flat. The villain is never really threatening.

Style: The prose is boring and completely lacks the irony of the Mercy Thompson books. It does the job, but not well. Descriptions are nothing to get excited about. What is a major issue is that this is a sequel to an earlier novella - if Alpha and Omega had been the first two chapters of this book, it would have improved considerably and given a far more complete picture.

Plus: Some of the darker sides of the werewolf society in the universe get more attention.

Minus: The story completely lacks spirit. It's like a rice crisp - no particular taste, but you get to munch something you don't particularly remember afterwards.

Summary: It's a fairly pointless story. Only recommended if you're already into the Mercy Thompson series and if you've read the novella that precedes this.

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LibraryThing member C.Ibarra

Cry Wolf is the first book in the Alpha & Omega series and a spinoff of the Mercy Thompson series. This book features Anna and Charles. Charles is the son of Bran the Marrok and was initially introduced in Moon Called (Mercedes Thompson #1). I loved this book but highly recommend you read the

novella in On the Prowl first. It’s a prequel to Cry Wolf and shows how Charles and Anna came to be together. Diving straight into Cry Wolf first might leave the reader a little confused.

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LibraryThing member Akaria

What a fantastic ride this book was! I really love Anna and Charles together. The world of werewolves that Briggs sets up is intricate and believable. Anna is the perfect combination of a strong yet vulernable heroine. Turned against her will and abused by her old pack Anna is a survivor. She's

still haunted by the abuse but she doesn't let it rule her. Charles has always been a loner. As his father's hitman his job is to hunt down rogue werewolves and kill them. He doesn't let anyone get close to him. Until Anna. His inner wolf accepted her immediately and now the man struggles to catch up.

In the middle of Anna and Charles getting to know and trust each other there's a rogue wolf running around attacking humans and a crazy power hungry witch up to no good. The beginning and end were really good, but the story kind of lagged in the middle. I really enjoyed the strong romantic element without the drama of how the couple gets together. We know Anna and Charles are together and nothing can change that. The focus was more on how they learn to work together and trust each other and love each other. It's an interesting dynamic and I can't wait for more of these two. They are absolutely perfect together.

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LibraryThing member susiesharp

This was the start of a new series in The World of the Marrok featuring Charles & Anna well actually the start is in the book of short stories On the Prowl. Charles is Bran’s (The Marrok’s) son and enforcer/hitman who in the 2 centuries he’s lived has never been mated, until he meets Anna

–in the short story The Alpha & Omega. Anna is an Omega wolf who was attacked and changes then abused by the Chicago pack that Charles rescued her from.
Cry Wolf starts out with Charles & Anna going back to Montana and getting to know each other because their wolves have already decided they are mated. But trouble is brewing in the mountains surrounding the pack’s home and Bran has no choice but to send Charles to investigate
I love Patricia Briggs writing she has created a wonderful world in the World of the Marrok that started for me in Moon Called a Mercy Thompson story. This one is different because our heroine in this is Anna who is deeply damaged by the events in Chicago after she was forcibly changed.
I am looking forward to more of Charles & Anna’s story and how they deal with the past and future. I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be reading the next book in this series.

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LibraryThing member MisfitRhi

Turned against her will and abused by her pack back in Chicago, Anna was saved by Charles Cornick. Son of the Marrok, the leader of all North American werewolves, Charles is an enforcer and killer for his father. When his inner wolf chose Anna as his mate he brought her back to Montana with him.

But the honeymoon isn't over... it hasn't even begun.

There's trouble stirring in the winter-kissed woods of north-western Montana. People are being attacked by what must be a werewolf and Bran, the Marrok, wants to know for sure. It's possible the attacks may be an attempt to scare Bran because he has been talking about revealing the existence of werewolves to the rest of the world. Who better to send than his enforcer and his Omega? When Anna and Charles set off into the mountains to uncover the truth they end up meeting up with something even scarier than another werewolf. If they can't defeat this new evil every werewolf in North America is in danger.

While some reviewers will disagree, having read Cry Wolf, I feel that it is essential that the short-story "Alpha and Omega" from On the Prowl be read before reading this book. Even having read the short-story I was a little lost trying to understand the dynamic of the Omega wolf. Maybe I'm a bit thick but even now that I've finished Cry Wolf I find myself with questions and confusion. Doh!

I wanted to love this book. I'm a huge fan of the Mercy Thompson series, which is also set in this world, and living in Montana I was hoping that Briggs would give the same loving care to it she has to the Tri-Cities in Mercy's series. But I just didn't feel it. The story felt almost... drawn from a hat. I loved Asil, Sage, Tag and Walter, it had great supporting characters. Anna is alright, but I felt like she was closed off from me as a reader, as if we really didn't get to see too much into who she is. Charles was much the same but having read of him in Mercy's series I've never liked him and found him dull as a hero. I'll give the series another shot certainly, but this opener just didn't win my heart as I had hoped.

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LibraryThing member SunnySD

Anna's been a Chicago werewolf for three years. Three long, depressing, suicide-inducing years during which her pack leader ordered her repeatedly beaten, raped, and tortured by her fellow pack members. What she didn't know, and is only slowly learning, is that she is an Omega - a werewolf outside

the pack structure of submissives and dominants. As such, Anna can bring the pack security and stability - if she can hold herself together.

Rescued from her abusive life by Charles, the Merroc's enforcer, she returns to Montana with him, only to be immediately faced with a pack full of troubled wolves, a rogue slaughtering innocent park-goers, and a centuries-old, psychotic black witch bent on domination.

Doesn't that sound like fun? I was braced for Anna to be weak and wimpy, but, although she's perhaps not as strong a character as Mercy (the shapeshifting coyote witch in Briggs' Mercy Thompson series), she's still intriguing. It will be interesting to see where Briggs takes Charles and Anna next.

Note: Cry Wolf takes place in the same world/pack setting and along the same timeline as Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and shares many of the same characters. While the book stands alone, having read the series does provide a lot of helpful background detail.

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LibraryThing member Berly

I love the world Patricia Briggs has created, but I love the Alpha and Omego series a little bit less than the Mercy Thompson one. Anna, as an Omega werewolf, is supposed to provide a calming presence to those around her and that's exactly why it didn't quite measure up. I missed the spicy

feistiness of Mercy Thompson. But, it is still filled with some of my other favorite wolves and a great plot. A great light read.

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LibraryThing member 5aweek

Alpha and Omega #1: Cry Wolf, by Patricia Briggs

"Cry Wolf" is the first in a new series by Patricia Briggs, one that's a spinoff from her Mercy Thompson novels. In this novel the author introduces us more thoroughly to werewolves, including the Marrok, Charles, and a brand new wolf, Anna. Anna is a

new wolf in more ways than one, she's what's called an Omega, a wolf that isn't focused on pack structure. She doesn't have the urge to be dominant or submissive that most wolves do - instead she's a sea of calm. Being an Omega provides her with unique abilities, but also unique challenges.

Charles Cornick is the Marrok's son, his enforcer, his assassin. He's over two hundred years old, but has never had a mate, and doesn't really have friends in the pack. Instead he's more of a loner, and prefers it that way - it's easier to kill someone you don't have an attachment to. But that all changes when he meets Anna, formerly of the Chicago pack. Charles' wolf immediately picks Anna to be their mate. He rescues her from her abusive pack and takes her to Montana with him.

The two, barely acquainted with each other, must immediately set off into the wilds of a Montana winter, to search for a rogue werewolf in the mountains. The trip gives them a chance to bond as they run into a threat greater than imagined.

I love Briggs' Mercy Thompson novels; I didn't think I could've found anything better in the paranormal genre. But I found that better novel in "Cry Wolf." Briggs is in her element when writing about werewolves - even though werewolves are fantasy creatures, when I read her descriptions and actions I feel as if they are real. She's complete down to the last detail, from how the change from human to wolf is agonizing, to the playfulness the wolves feel when they're on a hunt. The little itch behind a left ear. A dominant wolf scolding a submissive wolf by biting him gently on the nose. It's clear Briggs has spent some time researching wolf behavior and she weaves it into a fantasy concept to create something believable.

As always with Briggs, the plot is excellent, full of twists and action. We're introduced to black witches and the evil they happily engage in. Briggs fleshes out a character mentioned peripherally in the Mercy Thompson novels, Charles, and he shines in a novel of his own. The only naturally born werewolf, Charles has a unique relationship with his wolf - they are two spirits sharing one body. Anna, the Omega, is also intriguing. Briggs hints at abuse, and slowly reveals the details over the course of the book.

This is my second time reading "Cry Wolf," and I enjoyed it more than I did the first time. Briggs' werewolves aren't to be missed; if you like paranormal fantasy, I think you'll enjoy this series.

5/5.

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LibraryThing member saltypepper

I have yet to read a Patricia Briggs novel I didn't like.

Having said that, I do think the beginning of this novel would have been somewhat abrupt and confusing if I had not read the anthology On The Prowl which contains a story about the two days prior to the events of this novel. The other stories

in the anthology are not as strong as Briggs', so I'd recommend getting it from the library or a book swapping site.

I like that this book interlinks with the Mercy Thomson books and yet is strong enough to stand on its own. There are a lot of secondary characters in these books who could easily carry their own novels (Bran/Leah, Tag) , and I am hoping that Briggs continues expanding the world these stories are set in, if she can do it without sacrificing the quality of her writing.

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LibraryThing member jjmachshev

Happy dance commencing. I should start out by saying I'm a fan of Patricia Briggs' books since "Moon Called", the first Mercedes Thompson book. So I was anxious to get my hands on "Cry Wolf" which is set in Mercy's world, but isn't about Mercy per se.

I really like the fact that the heroine in this

book is Anna. In the last Mercedes book, Anna was introduced as the horribly brutalized, forcibly turned Omega. In "Cry Wolf" Anna is finding her strength, both by herself and with the help of her mate, Charles. She's also finding out about all the things her old Alpha didn't tell her; such as her abilities as an Omega and exactly what the heck an Omega is!! As a victim of a sex crime myself, I'm always proud when I see heroines who overcome in the face of the horrible memories and PTSD that almost always accompany victims of these crimes. Anna is great. Watching her rebuild her self-esteem and find the bravery she lost is very satisfying.

Charles is a hottie too! Although he's a powerful Alpha himself and the enforcer for the Marrok (head of the U.S. werewolves), he forces himself to temper his possessiveness and find the gentleness he thought he'd lost in order to help Anna with her issues.

I enjoyed the plot. I enjoyed the dynamics between these two, and I'll be looking for another book about Anna and her Charles to see how much stronger these two will be together.

Be aware that I would classify this and Briggs' other books as Urban Fantasy vice romance. There is a bit of sex, but it's not a large part of the story.

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LibraryThing member lewispike

This is the first novel of what promises to be a series running in parallel to the Mercy Thompson books. It also picks up from a short story in "On The Prowl."

The premise is a twist on the modern werewolf story. Most of the common features are still there, and well worked as you'd expect if you're

used to her other books, but Anna is an Omega. Omegas are not the ultimately submissive wolf, rather they stand outside the structure of the two because they can absorb the power and control of the dominants without it affecting them, letting them say no, calm them when they're enraged and the like. However, they have the same protective instincts as the dominants do towards the pack. That's one twist.

In another, Anna was turned against her will (not entirely unknown in the genre) but despite having been part of a pack for three years she was also kept almost completely in the dark about what her rights, responsibilities, powers and strengths are (again not entirely unheard of) and was rather tortured, abused and brutalised systematically (which is very rare in the werewolf genre).

The push and pull as she tries to get used to the fact that her wolf and Charles' wolf are destined for each other (which she feels and knows) whilst she is only recently rescued from a long-term abusive relationship in which she was raped amongst other things is very powerful.

The story also has a supernatural plot outside the drama of the love-fear-desire-hate flip-flops that make this different. That is rather hard to detail without spoilers, so let me just say I find it the weaker element of the plot, although still good it is a bit too far in the territory of breaking the "rules" of their supernatural community (what powers witches have and so on) as is pointed out quite often to sit comfortably. A quick reference to the origin of the Grendel myth doesn't quite work for me either which is why it doesn't quite get the full five stars.

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LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey

Much better than Mercy - this one is romance accomplished, now deal with the people involved. It is closely linked to the Mercy books - actually, this one references events that I think happened in Iron Kissed which I haven't read yet. Not necessary for understanding but probably would be helpful -

except I am so sick of Mercy being chased by every male around...
Anna is a lot better (less annoying) - if only because she's been severely abused and is just beginning to trust that Charles and the others around her now are not going to repeat that. She's also flowering into her Omega abilities, and surprising everyone, especially herself. The crisis that this book is about, although major in a lot of ways, strikes me largely as a frame for Anna and Charles and their growing relationship. Anna and Charles are a lot more interesting to me than Mercy and Samuel/Adam/Stephen/whoever - but I must admit (which you already know if you've read this far) I do think of them largely in the context of Mercy's story.
Good book, not wonderful. It doesn't have the zing that hooked me on Patricia Briggs in the first place - but neither do her other urban fantasies. I wish she'd go back to writing about Hurog or the Hob.

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LibraryThing member teharhynn

This book was great from start to finish. It was a light read that I really enjoyed. I hope that she doesn't take too long to write the next book.

LibraryThing member nessreader

pilot for a series, establishing the characters and getting them moving at top speed; this felt unresolved at the end, but I want to read the next one, which is a win from the author's point of view. Love the jacket art.
Have enjoyed other books by Briggs in the past.

LibraryThing member spunnsugarz

Before you read Cry Wolf, you should read the anthology, On The Prowl. There is a short story in there of Anna and Charles, and its basically the background for their beginning in Cry Wolf. A big fan of Brigg's Mercy series, I dove into this new series with high hopes. While its good, its not

great. I never could find that relation to the heroine or hero. I felt like I watched them from a distance, never feeling for them. Brigg's writing style keeps the action flowing smoothly, and there are a few characters I came to really enjoy. I will be reading the next in the series, hopefully I can find that link between myself and the main characters.

For Mercy Thompson fans, there's also a little blurb at the end of this edition for the next Mercy book, Bone Crossed, which addresses some of the issues some people had with the ending of Iron Kissed. Really looking forward to more of Mercy and Adam!

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LibraryThing member BookWhisperer

I enjoyed this book, I will continue to follow this series. Anna and Charles are very strong main characters. I found this I was a little disappointed by the solutions of problems. Such as I expected Anna coming into her Omega gifts would be more direct and trained, not just something that she

realized or ran into. I would recommend this book hands down, and this is actually a first for me and Patricia Briggs. I had trouble getting into her previous series.

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LibraryThing member EowynA

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs. Recommended. We first meet our heroine, Anna, three years after she was turned into a werewolf. She has been rescued from an abusive pack by her hero and soon to be mate, Charles. The book starts right after the rescue, so her history is filled in elliptically, with

occasional references. But the real story is her new life, if she wants it, with a more respectful pack based in the wilds of Montana. Her rescuer's father Bran is Alpha among Alphas, creating a haven for some werewolves who need a stronger hand to stay safe. One of them, Asil, makes a pass at her. And from there, the story winds through her story getting to know Charles, Charles healing from the injuries incurred rescuing her, Asil's history, Bran's history, a trek through the wilderness, and an old woodsman with demons of his own. I started reading at lunch, and could barely set it down when I got home. A good read.

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LibraryThing member kayceel

I LOVE Briggs' Mercy Thompson series, and as this new series is based in the same world - in fact, right in the middle of the pack in which Mercy was raised. Anna Latham is an Omega wolf - a wolf outside the rules of dominant and submissive wolves - but despite having been a werewolf for three

years, she's only just now discovered it. Her previous Pack's Alpha spent those years abusing her, and Anna spent that time as the lowest wolf of the Pack, enduring physical and sexual abuse until Bran, the North American Marrok (Alpha of all Alphas) hears of the abuse. And when he visits, bringing with him his half-Native American shaman werewolf son, Charles, things get incredibly complicated when Charles declares Anna his mate.

All of the above happens in the first chapter (and much "off-screen"). The reader is quickly dropped into Bran's Pack, much like Anna, and looking to other characters for clues as to what will happen next. Anna is given little time to adjust to her new Pack, new mate and new status before she and Charles must go into the wilderness to track a possible rogue werewolf.

While I love this world and totally dig the werewolves, this felt too rushed to me. Clearly this will be a continuing series, so we'll learn more about Anna and Charles, but there was too much in this one, I think. Added to the Anna-as-Omega, Charles-as-new-mate, Anna-adjusting-to-life-after-abuse, and the rogue werewolf storyline is a very old wolf in Bran's Pack who fears him long-ago murdered mate might still be alive - along with the witch who murdered her.

Whew. This is fast-paced, with plenty of werewolf action and a bit of sexy time, but I hope for less confusion and more depth in the next one.

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LibraryThing member MonicaLynn

I truly enjoyed this first book in the new series. I can't wait to read the next one. It has a little romance and action.

LibraryThing member pacey1927

First off, I must adamently state I love Patricia Brigg's novels. The Mercy books are near and dear to my heart. What I love most about the Mercy books are the fabulous and intricate characters. "Cry Wolf" met that criteria. This story of Anna, the Omega werewolf and her new mate Charles has a

firmly placed foundation based on the characterization and complexities of these characters, along with Bran, the Marrock and Charles' father. Two other chracters were also strongly drawn and immediate dear to me, and I felt strongly about their possible adventures and fates. Brigg's writing, per usual, is delicate and beautiful. She creates some of the best narrative in the genre. I feel like this is going to be another 'must buy the minute it hits shelves' series. So why the three star review? (Which by the way, it did pain me to give). First, what so many others have already said...the back story being in an anthology which I didn't read hurt. It took me awhile to piece together what happened with Anna prior to the start of this novel. Secondly, "Cry Wolf" took a long time to get going. I can reasonably agree that its because Briggs was so exhaustive in detailing out our characters...but it did hurt the story that the adventures and excitement really didn't start until the 7th or 8th chapter. Another point is that when the adventure did begin, I felt a little confused by what was going on. The witch and the whole explanation of what the witch's guard was and wasn't left me slightly bewildered. I had to re-read parts to get a good idea of what she was. I see the mega potential these character's have and the power this story has to lead to an amazing series...but I felt that this book didn't make the most of what potential was there.

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LibraryThing member G.Fern

Read the short story - its very cute and a good introduction to these characters.

LibraryThing member hagelrat

It's a solid start to another series by a brilliant urban fantasy writer. She neatly acknowledged the other series while not drawing attention away from the exciting story playing out in Cry Wolf. It felt a little as though it ought to be the second book as Anna's backstory is referred to in a way

that suggests there is more to it, however followers of Briggs' stories will already be familiar with the world and will slip right in. Saying that, newcomers should find this easy enough to follow too.

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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL

Although Anna and Charles' inner wolves have mated, their human selves seem to be having some awkwardness with their courtship. Not to mention the fact that Anna is still trying to understand why she is an Omega and why it is such a powerful identity. As Charles and Anna struggle to learn about

each other, a series of attacks threaten the safety of the pack and Charles is sent to deal with a suspected rouge werewolf that could be deadlier than they ever imagined.

Although I've really enjoyed the Mercy Thompson series set in this same universe, for some reason this first book of the branch off series didn't really grab my attention. I can't say that it was Anna and Charles because I did like their characters and the pace of their relationship, it just seemed that the story in general seemed to drag a bit. It may also have to do with the fact that I'm sick of winter and the majority of the story is told while the characters are wading around in waist deep snow. I think if I read the next in this series I'll have to make sure it is in the middle of summer when the snowy setting can be off-set by full sun and warm air!

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LibraryThing member littleflwers

The book is about Anna who is a werewolf. She is abused by her pack leader and really has no self respect left in her by the time he is done abusing her. Along comes Charles who discovers her and also discovers that she is a rare Omega wolf. He takes her away from her current pack leader and takes

her back with him. He feels she is his mate and he is bound and determined to get her to trust him and love him. While they are getting to know each other, a rogue werewolf goes on the hunt killing people and Charles who is the enforcer of his pack goes out to find and kill the rogue. The story overall was a good one, I did find the character of Anna a bit way to weak for my liking. Yes she is abused but she seemed to not have much of a personality for being one of the main characters in the book. Charles was ok, but I felt that we should have seen more about him then we did.

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