Book Review: Alpha Wolf by Sarah Noffke

Alpha Wolf: A Paranormal Science Fiction Thriller (Olento Research, #1) by Sarah Noffke
Narrator: Elizabeth Klett
Series: Olento Research #1
Published by Sarah Noffke on 07-24-17
Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy
Length: 6 hrs and 16 mins
Format: Audiobook
Source: Narrator
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Olento Research wants to control the world. The Lucidite Institute wants to save it.

Twelve men went missing.

Six months later they awake from drug-induced stupors to find themselves locked in a lab.

And on the night of a new moon, eleven of those men, possessed by new--and inhuman--powers, break out of their prison and race through the streets of Los Angeles until they disappear one by one into the night.

Olento Research wants its experiments back. Its CEO, Mika Lenna, will tear every city apart until he has his werewolves imprisoned once again. He didn't undertake a huge risk just to lose his would-be assassins.

However, the Lucidite Institute's main mission is to save the world from injustices. Now, it's Adelaide's job to find these mutated men and protect them and society, and fast. Already around the nation, wolflike men are being spotted. Attacks on innocent women are happening. And then, Adelaide realizes what her next step must be: She has to find the alpha wolf first. Only once she's located him can she stop whoever is behind this experiment to create wild beasts out of human beings.

Twelve men were kidnapped by the Olento Research to experiment with them. They were transformed in werewolves and given powers only possessed by the Lucidites. These men get to escape, and the Lucidite Institute will try to find a cure for them and try to catch the men behind Olento Research.

First of all, let me clarify that having read ‘The Lucidites’ is a prerequisite for reading this book. Maybe also the ‘Ren’ series, but this is optional. The reader needs to have a previous knowledge about the Lucidites to fully understand and enjoy this book.

I am a total fan of Sarah Noffke. I have listened to ‘The Reverians’, ‘The Lucidites’, and the ‘Vagabond Circus’ series, and also the first book in the ‘Ren’ series. Sarah is able to give soul to a book and its characters, and I think this is why her books are so loved by many.

So I was looking forward to this new series, ready to have my breath taken away again. But hard as I tried, this book did not click with me. It is not a bad book, it is in fact quite good, and it has great characters and lots of action; but somehow there was something missing. I am not usually a fan of werewolves stories, but I am also not a circus fan, and I loved the ‘Vagabond Circus’ series. I think that, despite how well the characters were built, I missed a central character to whom I could connect. It seemed Adelaide was this character, but there were not enough insights that got me attached to this character. It is true that most of Sarah’s books are written in first person from and the point of view of the main character. I think the same could be achieved writing in third person, but somehow it did not work here. It is true that Adelaide was an important character but after a while it did not feel like the main one, and in some of the scenes she was not even present, so the writing in third person made perfect sense. I wish I would have cared for the characters more than I did.

For the rest it was a very enjoyable book with very vivid characters. It is clear that it is just the beginning of a series and a mere introduction to the real thing. I believe the next books will fill the void this one left me.

I was really happy to listen to another book narrated by Elizabeth Klett. One of my first audiobooks was ‘Defects’, from ‘The Reverians’, and I completely fell in love with Elizabeth’s soothing style back then. She is really good with voices and especially accents, making it seem effortless.

I received a copy of this book in audio format from the narrator in exchange for an honest review.

Story (Plot)
Narration
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