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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
Honestly this is one of the worst books I've ever read. It's basically a poorer and toxic version of Lola Rock's "Pack Darling". It seems Lola inspired a lot of authors with that book but unfortunatly I haven't read another "version of that story" that comes close to the original. Understandibly, as writing a good polyamorous bully and grovel story is defintely a hard thing to do. There is a thin line between acting like a jerk and acting like a toxic piece of garbage. The first can be forgiven as long as there is a good background story to understand why the person acted like they did - after all we are all just human and hurting others while being caught in ones own problems is (unfortunately) not that uncommon. However, I fear in "The Beta" that line was crossed so often in a very extrem way that there is actually no coming back... That is not the only issue with the story though.
I cannot recommend this book for the following reasons:
1) Flat characters with no real human emotions portrayed. Basically all the characters had no depth and were rather unnatural and unrealistic. Worst of all the female lead (FL). She is introduced as a "tough asshole" which is basically not believable throughout the story. She is a perfect Mary Sue - pretty and competent when it comes to domestic chores as well as in the martial arts. However, that competency is basically optional during the story development and gets "forgotten" when is suits the situation. Moreover, the FL has been raped and abused (more than once) but seems to be completely unaffected by it. I can only assume what a slap in the face this must be to readers who actually experienced something like this. There is no way someone can experience something like that and just be fine. The FL is not the only character that acts like a robot during the story. The FL's mother and fathers are basically strangers to normal emotions as well. Same goes for the male leads (ML). I guess the male Omega is the most normal of the main characters but even he is not acting naturally at all times: If the person you love is in the hospital then nothing in the world should stop you from visiting them and just wait it out at home! Moreover, the characters are partially so flat that you cannot distinguish them from each other. Two of the male leads (MLs) are basically interchangeable and have no real individual characteristical properties. I basically had the go back to the start of a chapter a few times to remind myself whose point of view I was reading about since they are all so similiar in their thoughts and actions.
2) A lot of description but no concrete proof or action. For example the male Omega is supposed to be an awesome fighter but there is not proof to that. Only the other MLs' thoughts about how great he is but we don't really experience any of that so it just feels like empty words.
3) No character development and no real relationship building. Apart from the FL and the male Omega there is basically no progress when it comes to the relationships between the characters. The other MLs are showing no interest in the FL apart from seeing her as some kind of sex toy or as a means to make their Omega happy. A few instances it seemed like there could be some real interest but it was basically forgotten or disproved a few paces later. There is no growth character wise - no improvement.
4) Boring story with little surprises. Even the "big surprise" of the story is basically foreseeable and not very original.
5) Toxic behavior is seen as normal. That is basically the worst of all. Nearly all the main characters and also side characters are portraying toxic behavior, like gaslighting etc. The mother of the FL is so focussed on Omega designation that it is disgusting. So you only care about your child's suffering in the context to their designation? Basically, if your daughter is a Beta then her being raped and abused is okay. If she is an Omega then of course she would deserve to be cared and loved for by her pack though. What is wrong with being a Beta? I really hate omegaverse stories where Beta are treated like worthless second class people. The fathers are basically supporting the mother so they are human trash as well. Worst of all are the Alpha MLs though. None of them are showing real compassion or at least a minimum of kindness towards the FL. Any traces of those are basically forgotten again and in some way everything is kind of twisted again so that it always seems to come back to their own feelings and needs or their male Omega's. They are so enamoured with their Omega that is is really ridiculous and even unattractive. They are more like fangirls than real mates - there is no equal partnership. Devon is the worst of all and basically a piece of toxic human excrement. He is constantly gaslighting the FL and shows absolutely no compassion when he comes to know of her past abuse. Instead he only cares about how that could affect his Omega. When the FL sacrifices herself for Devon's Omega (which is kind of a dumb move by the way) he doesn't even care whether she is alive or dead. He is not searching for her until much later and when he finds her (only because the villains are leaving her on his doorstep and not because he actually put in some effort to find her) he just dumps her at the hospital and leaves her by herself since she is too "broken" to be any good to his Omega now. WTF?! What kind of person does that? Even if he doesn't like her that is not normal. Any normal person would feel at least guilty and responsible for that. He is basically a sociopathic monster at this point - how in the world could he ever redeem himself after that? I assume the author was trying to go for a ML who is blindly devoted to his Omega and thought it would be an attractive characteristical trait. Unfortunately, that is not the case if he basically treats everyone else worse than trash and is cruel towards innocent people. Basically I'm really scared that some readers seem to think that is okay... How low is the bar? No one deserves to be treated like that!
There are probably some other points I could mention but I think you'll get the point. The main problem with the book is not poor writing per se but the portrayal of horrible behaviour as being "normal". To me that is a dealbreaker and it is not like I have triggers or something. I just can't accept that this is supposed to okay...
I cannot recommend this book for the following reasons:
1) Flat characters with no real human emotions portrayed. Basically all the characters had no depth and were rather unnatural and unrealistic. Worst of all the female lead (FL). She is introduced as a "tough asshole" which is basically not believable throughout the story. She is a perfect Mary Sue - pretty and competent when it comes to domestic chores as well as in the martial arts. However, that competency is basically optional during the story development and gets "forgotten" when is suits the situation. Moreover, the FL has been raped and abused (more than once) but seems to be completely unaffected by it. I can only assume what a slap in the face this must be to readers who actually experienced something like this. There is no way someone can experience something like that and just be fine. The FL is not the only character that acts like a robot during the story. The FL's mother and fathers are basically strangers to normal emotions as well. Same goes for the male leads (ML). I guess the male Omega is the most normal of the main characters but even he is not acting naturally at all times: If the person you love is in the hospital then nothing in the world should stop you from visiting them and just wait it out at home! Moreover, the characters are partially so flat that you cannot distinguish them from each other. Two of the male leads (MLs) are basically interchangeable and have no real individual characteristical properties. I basically had the go back to the start of a chapter a few times to remind myself whose point of view I was reading about since they are all so similiar in their thoughts and actions.
2) A lot of description but no concrete proof or action. For example the male Omega is supposed to be an awesome fighter but there is not proof to that. Only the other MLs' thoughts about how great he is but we don't really experience any of that so it just feels like empty words.
3) No character development and no real relationship building. Apart from the FL and the male Omega there is basically no progress when it comes to the relationships between the characters. The other MLs are showing no interest in the FL apart from seeing her as some kind of sex toy or as a means to make their Omega happy. A few instances it seemed like there could be some real interest but it was basically forgotten or disproved a few paces later. There is no growth character wise - no improvement.
4) Boring story with little surprises. Even the "big surprise" of the story is basically foreseeable and not very original.
5) Toxic behavior is seen as normal. That is basically the worst of all. Nearly all the main characters and also side characters are portraying toxic behavior, like gaslighting etc. The mother of the FL is so focussed on Omega designation that it is disgusting. So you only care about your child's suffering in the context to their designation? Basically, if your daughter is a Beta then her being raped and abused is okay. If she is an Omega then of course she would deserve to be cared and loved for by her pack though. What is wrong with being a Beta? I really hate omegaverse stories where Beta are treated like worthless second class people. The fathers are basically supporting the mother so they are human trash as well. Worst of all are the Alpha MLs though. None of them are showing real compassion or at least a minimum of kindness towards the FL. Any traces of those are basically forgotten again and in some way everything is kind of twisted again so that it always seems to come back to their own feelings and needs or their male Omega's. They are so enamoured with their Omega that is is really ridiculous and even unattractive. They are more like fangirls than real mates - there is no equal partnership. Devon is the worst of all and basically a piece of toxic human excrement. He is constantly gaslighting the FL and shows absolutely no compassion when he comes to know of her past abuse. Instead he only cares about how that could affect his Omega. When the FL sacrifices herself for Devon's Omega (which is kind of a dumb move by the way) he doesn't even care whether she is alive or dead. He is not searching for her until much later and when he finds her (only because the villains are leaving her on his doorstep and not because he actually put in some effort to find her) he just dumps her at the hospital and leaves her by herself since she is too "broken" to be any good to his Omega now. WTF?! What kind of person does that? Even if he doesn't like her that is not normal. Any normal person would feel at least guilty and responsible for that. He is basically a sociopathic monster at this point - how in the world could he ever redeem himself after that? I assume the author was trying to go for a ML who is blindly devoted to his Omega and thought it would be an attractive characteristical trait. Unfortunately, that is not the case if he basically treats everyone else worse than trash and is cruel towards innocent people. Basically I'm really scared that some readers seem to think that is okay... How low is the bar? No one deserves to be treated like that!
There are probably some other points I could mention but I think you'll get the point. The main problem with the book is not poor writing per se but the portrayal of horrible behaviour as being "normal". To me that is a dealbreaker and it is not like I have triggers or something. I just can't accept that this is supposed to okay...
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence
Moderate: Bullying, Torture, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Drug use, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
Good
I enjoyed the first portion of the book, but then the last 1/4 of the book it felt like all of the characters digressed into “too stupid to live” and it was a little irritating to read. I’m not happy that the alphas *spoilers* found out Talia was taken and “oh well, we tried” turned around and headed back to their house…wtf. I also want to know where Talia’s special forces training disappeared to, she didn’t even try to fight off her captors. I’m just confused. I don’t think the r@pe scenes added anything to the plot and it was pretty brutal to read through. They could have beat her up and returned her and the same message would have been delivered. Also, most of the book felt like a re-reading of Pack Darling…not sure if that was intentional or not. Ugh I don’t know what to think.
I enjoyed the first portion of the book, but then the last 1/4 of the book it felt like all of the characters digressed into “too stupid to live” and it was a little irritating to read. I’m not happy that the alphas *spoilers* found out Talia was taken and “oh well, we tried” turned around and headed back to their house…wtf. I also want to know where Talia’s special forces training disappeared to, she didn’t even try to fight off her captors. I’m just confused. I don’t think the r@pe scenes added anything to the plot and it was pretty brutal to read through. They could have beat her up and returned her and the same message would have been delivered. Also, most of the book felt like a re-reading of Pack Darling…not sure if that was intentional or not. Ugh I don’t know what to think.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
apperently there is a on page rape scene coming up and thats a no for me.
other than that i feel like this book has been a lot of saying but not showing. it doesnt have any character building. i dont even know how the alphas look. not to mention three of them seem like one person. the mfc character is TINY hot and looks like omega but shes fierce. we see her be fierce twice thats it. the omega is supposed to be fierce but dont see it at all.
the story in general is slow but also fast. time is flying but im not there to see the mfc character bonding with them. important conversation are told through inner dialogue of the characters remembering some pointers of said conversations. its just all over the place.
on top of all that i found out the other snarky about trigger warnings? please
other than that i feel like this book has been a lot of saying but not showing. it doesnt have any character building. i dont even know how the alphas look. not to mention three of them seem like one person. the mfc character is TINY hot and looks like omega but shes fierce. we see her be fierce twice thats it. the omega is supposed to be fierce but dont see it at all.
the story in general is slow but also fast. time is flying but im not there to see the mfc character bonding with them. important conversation are told through inner dialogue of the characters remembering some pointers of said conversations. its just all over the place.
on top of all that i found out the other snarky about trigger warnings? please
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I devoured this Omegaverse, that being said this is a Dark book with some fairly heavy triggers, some that come to mind are; on pg SA, mental abuse/bullying, trauma as always do your own research and take care friends.
When I tell you I dropped every current read and did not sleep until I finished this book withing 24 hours of opening it up!!! I raged throughout the entire book at the treatment of Talia but omg is she such a strong badass! the fork scene!!!! Don't even get me started on the Alphas, I love them all but Devon! I'm going to need him to get his head out of his own rear long enough to realize what he has just lost.
When I tell you I dropped every current read and did not sleep until I finished this book withing 24 hours of opening it up!!! I raged throughout the entire book at the treatment of Talia but omg is she such a strong badass! the fork scene!!!! Don't even get me started on the Alphas, I love them all but Devon! I'm going to need him to get his head out of his own rear long enough to realize what he has just lost.
This book was amazing
I kept hearing and hearing about this book so I finally decided to read it and wow! Honestly it was just so hard to out down. I'm so glad I finally opened it up.
I kept hearing and hearing about this book so I finally decided to read it and wow! Honestly it was just so hard to out down. I'm so glad I finally opened it up.