Alphas #1

By: Lisi Harrison

Narrated by: Adriana Stimola

Length: 6 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Eccentric billionaire Shira Brazille founded the super-exclusive Alpha Academy on exotic Alpha Island to nurture the next generation of exceptional dancers, writers, musicians, and inventors. It's a dream come true for 100 lucky girls, but those not measuring up can be sent home at any time for any reason. The one left standing will win worldwide fame. Who will it be?

Skye Hamilton has scored an invitation to the ultra-exclusive Alphas-only boarding school where beta is spelled LBR . What happens when the country's best, brightest, and hawtest begin clawing and scratching their way to the top?

©2010 Lisi Harrison (P)2010 Hachette

Fun Listen

I really enjoyed the story. The pop culture references were over the top and became irksome pretty quickly. The narrator wasn't bad overall, but the accents could've used some work.

Looking forward to Audible bringing Part 2

What did you love best about Alphas #1?

Over the top fiction that left you wanting to know what happened to the characters- searching for Part #2

Juvenile and Superficial.

Alphas is definitely aimed at a pre-teen audience but as with anyone that tries too hard to be cool, Lissi Harrison’s cheesy jokes and dated pop-culture references are simply cringe worthy. Though she has clearly made a career targeting tweens, Harrison woefully misses the mark on ‘relatable modern teens’.

Really, how much credibility can a book name-checking Kevin Federline as ‘huggable’ in the first chapter have? Alphas was publish three years AFTER Brit dumped him and he faded (well, swelled) into obscurity so talk about out of touch!

Saying Harrison was attempting satire would be giving her too much credit. You can’t bite the hand that feeds so if she really went after the vapid, insecure, boy-dependent girls she writes about, there’d be no one to buy the books.

So we’re left with a story idolising vapid, insecure, boy-dependent girls…and that’s about it as far as plot goes. The author tries, I think, to make some statements about girl power, what well-educated women can accomplish and the value of friendship. But when the characters only discernible goals are to hook up with the few boys on Alphas Island, they’re all moot points.

The premise, characters and settings are all completely over the top. The bizarrely technologically advanced Alphas Island is a fun vision but would be more suited to a sci-fi city then an all-girl boarding school. Still the lush, imaginative scenery is the books only high-point.

Alphas finally ends with a cliff-hanger. Sure, there was no discernible plot but the dropping of a last-page bombshell and leaving a story ‘to be continued’ is a cheap trick.

I have no desire to continue with the series but anyone who thinks they may should be aware Audible doesn’t have the next three books.

Did not like the ending

I enjoyed the story but it ended abruptly with no real wrap up. It was disappointing

Audible, please indicate YA!

As a mature reader, I couldn't abide this book. I can usually tell when a book is for children or teenagers, but I do wish there were some indicator warning adults of this.

Perhaps 13year old girls would enjoy it - boys, ballet, silliness and dreams of becoming.

The narrator's efforts at British and Australian accents are abominable. I rather wish she hadn't tried.

My advice would be: Dont waste your time or money on this one.

Horrible

Stereotypes abound in this book. The boys are weird and the girls are standard. The idea of the book was what attracted me, but the author failed to deliver on every level. Very disappointing.