| Title | : | Omega for the Pack (The Stars of the Pack, #1) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Kindle Edition |
| Number of Pages | : | 107 |
| Publication | : | First published September 16, 2016 |
Ray's a werewolf, but other than running during the full moon and a taste for raw meat, he's a regular guy. But then Ray presents as an omega instead of an alpha and his life changes forever. As a male omega, he's expected to mate with a select group of alphas and start a pack of his own.
Group sex, mating instincts, knotting, biting, breeding, and a healthy dose of angst (includes male pregnancy and graphic description of intercourse between adult males under the influence of their hormones). M/M/M/M/M gay shifter erotica.
Omega for the Pack (The Stars of the Pack, #1) Reviews
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This was really good, and totally not what I expected. This is no normal shifter fluff + mpreg with bonus KNOTTING. This wasn't fluff at all. I especially liked how it skirted the same ol' tropes and delved into darker emotions. I really felt for Ray and the guys. Imagine growing up thinking you know who you are and seeing such a bright future ahead only to have it all come crashing down in an instant. And your new life, the one you're destined for, is repugnant to you.
Lots of feels in this one. The ending made me reach for book two instantly.
Recommend. -
3.4 Stars
I admit, I picked this up for the "warnings." (Seriously, those are more likely to entice me than warn me off.) That said: How the fuck do I keep ending up with feelz in my porn? I wanted orgiastic werewolf knotting & mating...and got an emotional read that really made me think.
I mean, it's not ground-breaking (I've read others that go into more depth and detail on the Omegas' second-class status and supposed lot in life) but still, really interesting because this one was less a statement on their society's expectations and more on ONE Man's feelings. Ray's dislike for the position he's forced into due to biology, his fear of the changes in his body, the irritating way he wasn't consulted (much) on who would be his FIVE (5!) alpha mates, his mental detachment from what his body/wolf wants, the confusion and despair at developing into an Omega rather than the Alpha he's grown to expect (and having to abandon all his personal goals/wants), his withdrawal from his birth-family and previous friendships...and the almost heart-breaking way he really can't connect to the babies (almost like PPD, but he was severely depressed before giving birth).
What I'd really like is to see more from the Alphas' POV. They are all trying so very hard to make the best of a bad situation. They want so desperately to show they love him, try so hard to be what he wants and give him the space he asks for. They're also constrained by biology, needing to mate with him regularly and you can tell it's just torture for them since Ray just basically checks out to let it happen...especially Josh (his best friend).
Definitely gonna pick up the next one because it looks like more people are joining the new pack and that means at least one more alpha to service (as well as having 5 infants to take care of). Can't wait to see how well that turns out.
(I do hope that something positive happens to make it less depressing because my body is so confused by all the horny + sadz.) -
2.5 sad stars
This is the first and last time with this author. I was looking for Ray to finally stop being an ass because he presented as Omega instead of the Beta they thought he was.
This wasn't a dark romance. Their wasn't any love that I read in the whole story. He mated with five Alphas, one was his best friend and one of the others was his cousin. I continued to read this dumb story thinking that Ray would come around to getting use to the idea of his new role as pack Omega but he was a whiny self asshole who didn't realize that ALL the Alphas wanted was to protect, cherish and love him, even if one was his cousin.
Sorry this first go around with N.J. Lysk didn't make me a fan -
4.5 stars
The more I read stories with alpha's and omega's the more I love them.
This one included.
Ray...always thought he would be an alpha.....but no.... he is not... he is an omega.
Now has to gain his own pack. In line there are five alpha's and he just don't want them. He is confused and angry. He only can resist them for a while.
After they have all their turn on Ray they just are sweet as sugar trying to make it as comfortable as possible for a pregnant omega. Ray still resist them hard.... until he can't anymore....
Great written story. I love the concept of Ray against himself and his alpha's.
Ray felt a bit as an ass, you almost could dislike him.... not really :) He has is difficult
The alpha's were just... whooop I loved them.... a m/m/m/m/m/m !!
I enjoyed this one very much... the writing was captivating and entertaining!
Can't wait to read the next one....
Kindly received a copy from the author -
Let me start off by stating that this series is unique. I’ve never read a book where the main character had five lovers, or mates in this case. The story gives a solid reason for this, which is the need to start a new pack and a shortage of (male) omegas. So far, so good. I’m cheating a little here, by the way, because I’ve already read the three books available in this series (Alpha for the Pack and Protectors for the Pack) and will say something about the other two books as well in this review.
Ray, the omega and the main character, turned out to be my biggest issue. With six people in a relationship, distinguishing one person from the other is usually hard. The writer made the smart choice here to tell the story strictly from Ray’s POV, allowing us to get to know the other through his eyes. It made it relatively easy to get to know the other five men, but…having Ray as the only voice also turned out to be the weakness in this book.
I get that him presenting as an omega was a huge disappointment for him. I also understood that having five mates shoved down your throat was less than ideal. However, when the main character remains whiny and bitchy, it makes the story a hell of a lot less enjoyable than it could have been.
In book two, this is still going on strong. Book three was a surprise, since it focuses on two of the five characters mainly, who develop their own romance within the bigger relationship (pack) of the six men. While this made the concept of the six men together more bearable, it also raised some questions about earlier statements of one of these men with regards to his feelings for Ray. However, that wasn’t a biggie, and I liked where the author was going with this.
Going back to the first two books, there’s some dubcon and some definitive noncon sex in there. If that’s not your thing, you may want to stay away from this series. There’s also a pregnancy, lots of wolf babies, and all the complications that brings.
As for the writing, it’s decent but there are tons of spelling mistakes and typos. The books really could have benefitted from a solid round of editing and proofreading.
All in all, I have mixed feelings about this series. The premise was intriguing, but Ray didn’t really grow on me, and some stuff in book two (keeping it vague here to avoid spoilers) felt unnecessary to me. I like where the story is heading towards the end of book three, however. I’m guessing there will be more books, and I’ll probably read them since they’re on KU, but so far, I’m not a huge fan. -
Even though I was intrigued by the story line, the constant forced matings with the depressed omega that my heart went out for..., just made me sick to my stomach. I think the problem for me was that the matings were so animalistic. None of the alphas really thought of wooing the omega, it was all just about needs-mostly their needs for mating (only once did one of the alphas even give the omega a blow job, and even then it wasn't for the omegas benefit, really.) That would work if these were just wolves. but they have a human side and I rarely felt/saw that side from the alphas (I mean they barely ever talked). I don't know, this is one of those stories where I don't really know what to feel.
But even so, I found the story well written, there were a few grammar problems here and there but nothing major. -
Audio 5 Stars
Story 3.5 Reluctant Omega Stars -
This was a pretty good read. Ray grew up thinking he would be an alpha but when he presents as an omega instead his whole world his turned upside down. Male omegas are rare so instead of one mate he is given 5 to start a new pack. I had a love hate relationship with Ray he took it out on his mates Josh was his friend they grew up together and he had feelings for him. Alec who is a doctor Gabriel who was a distant cousin Iesu and Sergi are all his alphas and they all tried there best not to hurt him, but Ray was in denial of his situation. Ray didn't know a lot about omegas he thought that he had to be submissive and he wasn't he thought they would force sex on him. When they all mated him he tried to put it out of his mind when he knew he was pregnant and Alec tried to talk to him about it he wasn't opened to hearing what he had to say and I wanted to shake him because he wouldn't listen to what anyone had to say. The sex scenes were hot. This book was not as dark as I thought it would be. This was my first time reading this author and this is a new series to me. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
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3.5 stars
This was a quick read with an interesting premise. It was also just a sad read all the way through. Ray unexpectedly presents as a rare male omega and it is decided by his alpha Uncle that he will take 5 alpha mates to start a new pack. Ray is not dealing well with the situation that he is forced into, especially since one of the alphas is an older cousin and another, his best friend.
I wouldn't say this is a romance. Ray is not handling his new situation well and there is the constant struggle between his wolf biology/instincts and his human life which was suddenly taken out of his control. He is depressed and hurting throughout the book as he sees his situation go from bad to worse. We only have Ray's POV, and we are aware he doesn't want any of the matings to happen, but he doesn't communicate at all with any of the men around him and they don't ask him much about things either. It is clear that the alphas are not there to use him, but truly care for his well being and are doing what they can to make things easy for him, even though they are all subject to the biology and instincts of their wolf nature. Everyone seems to be somewhat clueless in how to handle things and Ray can't see anything through the depression.
The book doesn't resolve anything and Ray is still in bad shape at the end, but I am still intrigued by the premise of the story and will move onto part 2 in the hopes things will get better for him. The book could definitely use some tightening up with an editor as there are spelling issues and some sentences that just didn't make sense, but not enough to really pull me out of the story. -
Another dark, forced omega breeding story
My true reaction: I hated it (hence the one star).
Omegaverse stories usually focus on the sexy fetish (knotting, mpreg) and/or an erotic romance (often a strong Alpha rescuing an oppressed Omega), instead of darker or horrorific themes. Readers who want to delve into the more oppressive (and less romantic) truth of forced relationships and breedings may appreciate this author’s more realistic approach to the realities of non-consensual activities logical in an Omegerverse setting. This story provides a different, interesting, and perhaps "realistic" take on the position of a non-consenting/oppressed Omega. While I find this idea to be very intriguing, the author's exploration is just too non-consensual and depressing for me to enjoy.
On the one hand, this is a distinct, novel (and very non-romantic), and much more realistic result than usually seen in most non- and dubiously-consensual tropes in all types of "romantic erotica" stories. However, for me it's just plainly too dark and bitter from all sides (protagonist and "allies") for my tastes. In this forced breeding story, the pheromones and hormones rule the day. While a few characters may feel uncomfortable about how society and biology forces them into controlling/non-consensual roles, no one is really dedicated/wise/strong enough to address the problem. Other readers may find these personal struggles to be intriguing, and they do represent a more realistic and oppressive side of the Alpha/Beta/Omega dynamics (paralleling historic arranged marriages) found in many Omegaverse settings.
For me, a deep exploration into the depressed mind of one resisting the worst type of sexual slavery and oppression, wallowing in bitterness and unable to truly accept comfort/assistance provided, is basically horrific (and I am *not* a fan of horror). It's another story about one who has to accept their lot in life and is basically (and understandably) extremely bitter, while those who need to support him are relatively helpless to ameliorate anything beyond the highest level of coercion. All are thralls to their own mating drives and pretty clueless how to really provide any significant comfort to an extraordinarily wounded person fighting against the sexual enslavement of being a breeding omega.
Recommended for: those wanting an exploration of the dark-side of forced/arranged/non-consensual aspects of romantic erotica tropes (in this case, Omegaverse Alpha/Omeage breeding) -
This was much more angsty and sad than I had expected. Ray's feelings and unhappiness are very understandable, considering he was forced to take five alphas after unexpectedly becoming an omega, and you cannot help but feel for him.
I'm not sure I would necessarily classify this as a romance - perhaps it becomes one in the future books? Only three of the alphas were really differentiated enough to stand out in my mind: Josh, Gabriel, and Alec. Sergi and Iesu were forgettable for the most part. I love Josh, who is Ray's best friend. Gabriel gets on my nerves as he seems a bit selfish. Alec is shy and pretty timid around Ray, but nice.
I've seen some mild spoilers for how the series evolves, some of which made me question if I want to finish it. However, I think I'll try at least the next book. -
3.5 stars - such a sad and dark omegaverse. A pack of wolves and a very sad omega who is theirs. Lots of emotions and parallels to normal society.
Casually sobbing over here. Check all the cws. -
Congratulations to the author. This was the worst book I've read the entire year. It was so goddamn awful I don't even know where to begin.
First of all I would have refunded this book if it wasn't for free. I rarely do that but this book puh. The first book is free and the others in the series are 3 bucks each. Nice marketing strategy. I don't like it.
Here is the premise: Ray thinks he will be an alpha but becomes an omega instead. So far so good. In this universe the omega is treated like a breeding machine. Ok. I can live with that under certain conditions. So 5 alphas from the pack were chosen to be with Ray. They are mates now. Hmmm okay.
So now it gets awful and I will hide the next part as spoiler.
So in conclusion. I hated this book. Would never recommend. -
So Omega for the Pack is exactly what it implies.
Ray a whiny little bitch presents as an Omega and his Uncle the Alpha to his pack decides to grant the start of a new pack. Ray is to be presented to five Alphas for the purpose of breeding and forming a new pack. While at the presentation he learns one of his soon be Alphas is his life long best friend Josh. Ray shifts and runs away. Josh is sent to find and bring him back. After returning he finds out his worldly cousin Gabriel is to be his main Alpha. What he doesn't know is that Gabriel has loved him since he was a child. Alex the third Alpha is a doctor and then there's Sergi and Iesu. Ray can't believe his Uncle is doing this to him although he had heard other Alphas talk about how it was a waste for an Omega to be allow to breed a single Alpha when a new pack could easily form around them. Ray had wondered if he could have done something differently while he was growing up that would have had him present as Alpha or even a Beta. Looking back at his youth he remembered always taking care of his younger siblings. Always nurturing them as an Omega would have done. His Uncle gets distracted by his behavior and forgets to send Betas with Ray and his Alphas to their new territory to help Ray with the pups when they arrive. I'll leave off here as not to give away any of the story. Wonderful book. Great short read.
SIDE NOTE: Being an Omega myself I can not see why he would be so distraught. I mean having the opportunity to satisfy five Alphas and having the pleasure of giving birth to their pups as well as forming a new pack from your body would seem to me the greatest accomplishment that one could achieve. To show ones true worth. -
Non/dub con can be hot as it feeds the not-so-uncommon rape fantasies many (including myself) seek in darker books. This book is only told from the Omega, Ray’s POV, and we’re immersed in his absolute despair and intense anger. Unlike many other omegaverse books, the five alphas here are decent and caring, trying so hard to be as understanding and compassionate as they can towards their omega.
But Ray never seeks comfort or acceptance in or for his situation. He does not attempt to look at it objectively or from a rational standpoint. Instead he broods, blames, avoids, and deflects.
While I completely sympathized with Ray’s plight and felt for him, I needed some sort of reprieve from his bitterness and anger which never came. While Ray’s alphas maintained an impressive level of patience with him, I did not. Ray’s lot in life can never be changed and running away would cause him to go insane or literally die. There’s no one to blame and no undoing what life made of them all.
Rather than find a way to move forward and persevere, Ray instead stews in his bitterness, making everyone around him unsure and unhappy as well. If he wants to be an asshole in life and hate the world, that’s his choice. But making everyone around him just as miserable is no longer okay and my empathy turned to disappointment and sadness. -
spoiler alert for this review
this was rather entertaining. i liked the setup and i enjoyed the characters. sometimes i can understand noncon/dubcon, and i was kinda expecting it with the whole 'unexpected omega presentation' and 'undesired alphas' part, but this book took it a little bit far. felt too much like the mc, ray, was under duress the whole time and didn't have a choice in his mating. he then spent most of this book and the rest of the series so far moping and hating his life and it's just a little... meh
if he had grown into loving his alphas quicker, maybe i would have liked it more, but as we stand, i'm several books in and he's still hating life.
still, i was intrigued by the story enough that i kept reading the series. i'm still interested to figure out what happens with ray. -
Recensione a cura di Raksha per Feel the Book
Ray pensava, crescendo, di diventare un Alpha, di non avere nulla di diverso rispetto a tutti gli altri lupi che vivono nel suo grande branco. Quando invece la sua natura di Omega viene alla luce, la batosta emotiva è tremenda.
Per chi legge il genere, è ben chiaro cosa sia un Omega; per chi avesse dei dubbi, invece, chiariamo che è un lupo molto prezioso che, per istinto, si accoppia con uno o più partner, viene ingravidato (sia esso uomo o donna) e si dedica alla continuazione della specie.
Ci sono caratteristiche di questo genere di storia che vanno accettate senza fare domande, che vanno date per certe. Sono narrati momenti, come rapporti sessuali, gravidanze, allattamento, che sono diversi eppure simili a quelli umani e, vissuti da un uomo, appaiono talvolta “strani”.
Per Ray, accettare di essere un Omega vuol dire accettare di abbandonare ogni libertà, di dedicarsi solamente ai suoi Alpha, di dover sottostare alle loro richieste fisiche e ai loro ordini verbali. Ray è un ragazzo cocciuto, sicuro di sé e allo stesso tempo molto fragile. Fin da subito non riesce a trovare un equilibrio tra ciò che il suo corpo pretende e ciò che la sua mente desidera. Ray cede il suo corpo ma, allo stesso tempo, resiste con la mente, non abbandona di un passo il suo cuore nel quale si è segregato, non lascia entrare nessuno degli uomini che ora vivono per lui in un modo molto diverso da quello che ci si aspetta all’inizio. Per loro Ray non è altro che un tesoro da proteggere.
Josh. Iesu. Gabriel. Alec. Sergi.
Ogni Alpha che entra a far parte della vita di Ray è diverso. Ognuno di questi uomini, a suo modo, gli vuole bene, vuole dare un contributo e trovare un equilibrio per creare questa nuova piccola famiglia.
Lo ammetto, il mio preferito resta sempre Josh perché è quello che conosce meglio Ray, che si sobbarca dei suoi rifiuti, delle sue insicurezze, di tutte le sue paure. Gli altri danno un contributo materiale, ma è Josh che va sempre ad affrontare Ray quando sta per crollare, quando la situazione sembra troppo disperata per poter essere superata.
Durante la storia ogni Alpha trova un piccolo spazio per mostrare qualcosa di sé al lettore, ma quasi tutta la narrazione è concentrata sullo stato emotivo e fisico di Ray, sui suoi cambiamenti e i suoi sentimenti.
Le premesse erano tutte presenti, tanti dettagli erano lì pronti per essere ripresi e ampliati, ma le pagine sono volate via troppo velocemente e le parole erano troppo poche per spiegare tutto. L’autrice ha lanciato molti sassolini ma ha ritirato troppo velocemente la mano.
Cinque Alpha hanno un ruolo fondamentale in questo racconto, ma di loro si sa poco o nulla. Si alternano, comparendo in qualche dialogo o nelle descrizioni dei rapporti sessuali, ma chi sono veramente questi cinque lupi? Non è solo la vita di Ray a essere messa in gioco, non è solo il suo cuore. Di Ray sappiamo tutto ciò che pensa, tutto ciò che fa e perché agisce in un certo modo, conosciamo molto bene il tormento che lo divora. E gli uomini che si stanno mettendo in gioco per lui? Certo sono Alpha, dovrebbero essere grandi, grossi e senza paura, ma hanno anch’essi dei sentimenti, dei pensieri, dei caratteri da scoprire.
Questo aspetto non sviluppato mi ha lasciato un sapore amaro in bocca che spero sparirà con i prossimi romanzi della serie.
La narrazione è scorrevole e anche gli aspetti più inusuali vengono raccontati con delicatezza. La capacità dell’autrice di mescolare alla perfezione gli aspetti animali dei lupi con quelli umani ha reso anche i momenti più difficili molto fluidi e facili da accettare.
La storia è bella ma, ampliata nei momenti giusti, poteva essere perfetta. Manca qualcosa che soddisfi a pieno la curiosità del lettore: dei semplici gesti, una parola, qualche pensiero.
Attendo con ansia i prossimi volumi.
Editing a cura di Cleo per Feel the Book -
This is very existential erotic horror, right on brand for what I expected from a Lysk book. Especially when it's coupled with gender and gender roles in a society and not being in control of your own person.
The horror of being slave to biology, being a slave to your own biology, trapped by society in a role you don't want but can't avoid...too real. The wolf thing added an interesting component of struggling within yourself, while also giving the world some framework.
This had some degree of weird romance(?not the right word) - the alphas were all trying (well except maybe Gabriel, idk about him, I am suspicious) to help Ray adjust and be happy and take care of him...but Ray is still trapped. He adjusts a little by the end, in a way thats just too oof on the nose of old timey gender roles. A little less bleak at the end since he has some biologically driven distraction even as he dislikes it.
Lysk's works sit with me for a very long time, there's something about the totally matter of fact way this is all approached in-universe that makes it extra insidious and creeping horror. So well done.
Read more reviews on my blog:
https://horsetalkreviews.blogspot.com/ -
intersting
This was a really interesting story. There were times when it was hard to read, because Ray was hurting so badly. -
2.5
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5 alpha e un omega… ecco, se vi aspettate tanta dolcezza, sesso e una certa eccitazione, avete sbagliato libro, proprio come me. Avevano cercato di avvertirmi, ma io, convinta che sarebbe stata una bella storia come Ombra di Luna, sempre della stessa autrice, mi ci sono buttata come un orso sul miele.
Essenzialmente tutto il racconto si riduce a uno stupro di gruppo nei confronti di un ragazzino che non può fare altro che subire ogni notte fino a che non resta incinto, e anche oltre. Il ragazzo, Ray, rimane imbambolato, triste, mogio, sottomesso, lasciando che gli alpha, che dovrebbero proteggerlo e amarlo, abusino di lui ogni volta, senza dedicargli molta attenzione né fisica né psicologica. Josh, il suo migliore amico e uno dei suoi amanti, cerca di rendere la situazione più facile ma con scarsi risultati. Alla fin fine tutto si limita alla schiavitù sensoriale del proprio lupo che adora farsi immolare per creare un nuovo branco: se da una parte il lupo di Ray è ben felice di farsi scopare, la parte umana non lo è affatto. Accettare il proprio destino resta la sua unica alternativa, imparando a conviverci.
Insomma, la lettura mi ha lasciata amareggiata e anche schifata, mi aspettavo qualcosa di più; anche la parte sui figli che avrebbe dovuto essere gioiosa è tremenda, con poca dolcezza buttata a caso qua e là. No, è decisamente osceno, e insensato dato che il protagonista per partorire perde il suo lupo diventando una lupa: ma che senso ha?! Tanto valeva che fosse una donna dall’inizio. Tra l’altro, uno degli amanti è il cugino che si prendeva cura del protagonista quando era bambino, facendogli quasi da padre.
In conclusione, il libro proprio non mi è piaciuto e mi ha lasciato cattive emozioni nella mente, decisamente bocciato. Ma mi rimetto alle vostre decisioni, e come sempre aspetto i vostri commenti. -
I have to admit, I was quite disappointed in this one. It's touted a little as "dark" but I didn't see it as dark. At least not what I classify as dark...
Ray really got on my nerves, to be honest. Okay so life didn't deal you the hand you expected. And then you don't even get a choice about who you will be mated with, that gets decided for you. But when did he lose his voice? And why didn't he fight back, at least a little? No he let's himself be treated the way he is, never opening his mouth, just feeling sorry for himself... sorry, but that kind of MC just annoys the crap out of me, so I think I'll be giving the rest of this series a miss. -
A few stray thoughts entered my head while I read this. Some were: "Man, this guy is depressed" or "Is this a metaphor for being a sex slave?". The main character Ray, is straight up depressed throughout the whole book. He doesn't like being an Omega and he doesn't really like his pack or his kids. He's just stuck with it because his body demands it. It's a depressing read. There are numerous sex scenes, but because he's so depressed you end up feeling weird about reading them. Or at least I did. I can't say that I enjoyed reading this.
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Rating: 3 stars
I’m not sure how I feel about this book. It was a bit painful to read. Ray is just so unhappy throughout the whole thing. There is absolutely no love between Ray and his alphas. (At least on Ray’s side.) It doesn’t help that the story is very short and incomplete. I wouldn’t continue the series, but I like the characters enough that I want to see it through to hopefully a happy ending. -
I really did not enjoy this book and had to put it down from time to time just to get through it. This is not a romance book, this is a story of repetitive rape where the mc eventually gets used to it and accepts it for the sake of his pack. I am surprised that Ray was able to emotionally get through it without self harm.
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Hard pass
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Well that was uncomfortable...
And sad -
Poor Ray :(
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3,5/4
Premetto che questa lettura è stata un azzardo, perchè dalla sua presentazione trasparivano tanti elementi con cui io fatico ad empatizzare (tipo il mpreg, il mucchione indefinito, ecc.) eppure l'ho letto in una serata e non mi è dispiaciuta.
Non aspettatevi il romanzone, si tratta più che altro di un racconto lungo, per giunta non completo, in quanto è solo l'inizio di una serie (infatti sono andata a "spiare" le trame degli episodi già usciti in inglese e ho visto che poi ogni episodio approfondirà le vicende dei vari membri del nuovo branco). Come struttura, pertanto, inizia in media res, s'interrompe sul più bello con parecchie cose in sospeso e altre che potevano essere approfondite meglio (tipo il rapporto padre/cucciolotti, il parto, l'assestamento del branco).
Però si legge bene, merito anche di una traduzione fluida che scorre via. Complimenti per il lavoro fatto.
Direi che è un episodio introduttivo che ha mantenuto le promesse di essere un episodio introduttivo.
Soprattutto, e finalmente, io l'ho trovato coerente, nel suo pessimo e nel filo di tristezza che fa da sottofondo.
Altre volte mi è capitato di leggere libri di altri autori dove uno dei personaggi mutava la propria natura/si sottometteva ed era tutto un profluvio d'amore istantaneo (oh, quanto sono felice d'aver scoperto la mia natura sottomessa per sempre, oh, quanto sono felice d'essere un omega, anche se fino a ieri sognavo d'essere altro, ecc.).
Quando Ray apprende d'essere un omega è una doccia fredda per lui, una batosta che non gli passa il giorno dopo. La sua è una situazione di privilegio e allo stesso tempo di paria all'interno del branco (agli occhi stessi dei suoi parenti) e non è facile accettare all'improvviso il cambiamento.
Se non è facile per lui, tanto meno lo è per gli altri. Anche qui non avrei digerito l'istant love dei cinque alfa prescelti. Caspita, è una reazione puramente chimico-biologico-animale e ci sta che si tratti di un mero accoppiamento a fini riproduttivi. Sono mutaforma, dopo tutto.
Magari un lettore più sensibile ci starà male, non accetterà questa mancanza d'amore, però, ripeto, io ho apprezzato questo approccio più realistico/traumatizzante che non edulcorato.
Un unico appunto che mi sento di fare è che avrei voluto vedere sviluppati meglio certi concetti (come il mpreg o i cosiddetti "nodi"), perchè qui tutto viene dato assolutamente per conosciuto e scontato.
Però, se lo scopo di una lettura si vede dal chiudere l'ebook con una certa soddisfazione, ho finito ed ero soddisfatta, tanto che mi piacerebbe continuare la lettura della serie. -
Very ambivalent about Lysk. When I pick up an omegaverse story I'm hoping for some sexytimes; seductive omegas and big, cocky alphas. I admit that when an author doesn't do something interesting with the trope it gets lame fast. Tanya Chris, for example, is a favorite of mine who usually manages to balance fun with some questioning of What's Really Going on Here? And not just in the omegas-as-chattel way.
I've ditched other Lysk stories because the emphasis on the emotional suffering of an unwilling (to be one in the first place) omega is just too depressing. Maybe I need to stick it out until things get better, but this is the first of these stories that's made me want to. I think the love and the devotion of the alphas for their mate is what carried me through this one, and I'm on to the next in the series.
Update: next in series was a no-starter (the prospect of more omega suffering without any payoff in sight was just more than I could face). Am going to see what Lysk does with her non-omegaverse stories, but not optimistic.
