Alpha ★★★★★

Alpha (Shifters, #6) - Rachel Vicent ★★★★★ 472 pgs

In the final installment of the Shifters series, all the political posturing finally comes to a showdown. The prides meet in Montana to vote on who will lead the council. If their side doesn't win, there will be a war. Faythe has the evidence to blame Malone's pride for previous events, but the council may not wait to let her plead her case. If Malone gains control, Jace, Marc and her will be brought to trial for trespassing. Faythe has to work to save her boys and to keep herself from becoming a play toy for any male of Malone's choosing. More importantly, Faythe has to save her pride.

I'd like to summarize the plot a bit more, but I really don't want to risk giving anything away. This was a great end to a really good series. The final book was full of action and it shows how far Faythe has come from the whinny brat she was in the first book. (Although, I understand her reasons for acting that way.) Everything is bigger and more dramatic. It was a rather emotional ride. I cried three times, one of which was in the first few pages. Then, I shook involuntarily for a good 50 pages. My stomach was in knots almost the whole time. I would have to put the book down every 30 minutes and pace and get onto the computer to try and relax from the tension in the book. I've never had a series get under my skin like this one. and I'm sad to see it end.

Shift ★★★★

Shift (Shifters, #5) - Rachel Vincent ★★★★ 441 pgs

Faythe and her pride are preparing for war when new enemies show up on their land. They seek vengeance for the lose of one of their own and say that they have proof that one of the men in Faythe's pride was responsible. They've been framed, but these new enemies have different rules and refuse to back off unless there is absolute proof that they were not responsible. The enemies have Kaci and have given Faythe 48 hours to return with proof that Malone has lied to them. If she doesn't return then Kaci will be killed. Crunched for time, Faythe has to find a way to keep her promise that she'll keep Kaci safe, while trying to get closer to her true enemy than ever before.

Another fun, action filled book by Rachel Vincent. Even though the political maneuvering was still a large motivation behind the plot, I didn't feel the need to through my book across the room because I couldn't help Faythe. It was a nice change from the last two books. Although, maybe that means the previous two were better written to push me that far, but I needed the break. Not like Faythe got one... Faythe has to attempt to find proof in order to save both Kaci and her family. If the 48 hours ends without her task being completed, the asault on her home will continue. Plus, things are coming to head with Marc, Jace and her. She needs to deal with the boys, but her life doesn't exactly leave her enough down time to really deal with the issues at hand. Although, she'd probably be just as indecisive seeing how they are both great guys. I'm certain I know who she'll pick, but she really does need to think things through before going one way or the other. Sadly, I doubt she'll get much time for that.

Prey ★★★★

Prey (Shifters, #4) - Rachel Vincent ★★★★ 393 pgs

Faythe's world is spinning out of control. Her family has taken on two new tabbies and a new baby, someone is trying to overthrow her father, and Marc has been banished to Mississippi to live with the strays and she hasn't seen him in two months. When she finally does get to see him, their party is ambushed. Then, Marc goes missing and has left al ot of his own blood behind. Not knowing whether Marc had survived or not, Faythe gets a team together to search for him. To bad the drama doesn't stop there. Manx is up for trial on murder trial, Kaci is making herself sick by refusing to shift, and Malone's "games" are resulting in consequences that could never be forgiven. There definately won't be a happy ending.

Rachel Vincent's Shifter series is fun and action packed. I love the books, but I had to take a break after book 3. Pride managed to evoke so much emotion in me that I was too mad to actually keep reading. The book was great, but I wanted to strangle the bad guy and i hated the arogance of the man. I felt helpless when I couldn't help Faythe. It's great that Vincent was able to evoke enough emotion in me to make me want to throw the book in frustration, but it also made me antsy enough to start reading reviews of Prey to see who was going to appear in the next book. The problem is, someone posted spoilers on their review without warning the reader that they were going to give away a little too much. I went into this book knowing which characters would live and die. Despite knowing what was going to happen, I enjoyed the story. The author still evokes strong emotions from me. It would have been even greater if some mean person hadn't ruined it for me.

Over the course of the series, Faythe is growing up. It's nice to see a character who learns and grows. A lot of times authors forget that people evolve with their experiences. They don't grow quickly, but there are subtle changes. Faythe is willing to fight for what she believes is right. She's willing to stand by those who truely need her help. She's stubborn and fiesty, but she tries to use her brain. Sometimes she jumps before thinking things through, but that's part of what she's attempting to work on. Although, it's almost impossible for her to use logic when it comes to the boys in her life.