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Alpha
How many lives will be lost for the sake of a non-existent war?
How many people will be sacrificed in the name of genetic enhancement?
When the lights go out at his father's investor soiree, Caleb finds himself thrown into a new world of horrific truths. Together with his old friend, Argo, he begins to uncover the sinister underpinnings of Dr. John Murilo's work.
Caught up in his father's sick experiment, Caleb will have to learn to cooperate with unlikely allies if he has any chance of surviving.
If Animorphs were spliced with Orphan Black and The Hunger Games, you would get ALPHA.
How many people will be sacrificed in the name of genetic enhancement?
When the lights go out at his father's investor soiree, Caleb finds himself thrown into a new world of horrific truths. Together with his old friend, Argo, he begins to uncover the sinister underpinnings of Dr. John Murilo's work.
Caught up in his father's sick experiment, Caleb will have to learn to cooperate with unlikely allies if he has any chance of surviving.
If Animorphs were spliced with Orphan Black and The Hunger Games, you would get ALPHA.
378 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 20, 2025
2 people are currently reading
23 people want to read
About the author
K.D. Marchesi
1 book88 followersKris can often be found with his nose in a book, or talking someone's ear off about a book, or watching copious hours of booktube. He just really likes books. When he isn't reading, writing you'll catch him walking the dogs, hanging out with his lovely wife Rachel or recording a podcast for Genre Blender with his mate Rian.
Residing in North Perth and exploring his creativity in various ways, Kris is certainly almost, always, up for a discussion on your favourite read.
Residing in North Perth and exploring his creativity in various ways, Kris is certainly almost, always, up for a discussion on your favourite read.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
November 20, 2025
This review was originally published on Grimdark Magazine
Pitched as ‘if Animorphs were spliced with Orphan Black and The Hunger Games’, ALPHA by K.D. Marchesi is a brutal survival sci-fi thriller with dangerously sharp teeth but a surprisingly warm, human heart. I mean, it’s got lots of genetic fuckery and scary shape-shifting horrors, but then it also offers some of the most heartwarming found family vibes and profound emotional journeys, and I absolutely love it for that.
ALPHA is one of those books that just sinks its teeth into you from the very first page and refuses to let go. We are thrown into the life of Caleb Murilo, a slightly spoiled but good-hearted young guy who wakes up on an isolated island in a body that feels increasingly monstrous to him and then has to learn how to survive amidst a group of unlikely allies who are all victims of his dad’s sick and dangerously ambitious experiment. And if that isn’t a strong hook, then I don’t know what is.
There are many, many things I love about ALPHA, but the thing I appreciate most about it is the fact that it’s so much more than just the thrilling survival adventure that it appears to be at first glance. Even without having read the raw, vulnerable author’s note in which Marchesi shares so bravely about how his personal transition journey is woven into the DNA of this book, you can tell that this story just comes straight from the heart. It’s queer down to its very bones without ever being overt in its themes and messages, and I think that only makes this story all the more powerful.
Like, you can totally come to ALPHA for the thrilling action, the gripping mysteries or the brutal body horrors, but I personally think those aspects only feel so gripping because the character work is so strong. Despite the fast pacing, Marchesi manages to get you deeply invested in these characters’ harrowing journeys by masterfully interweaving the internal and external conflicts, and I just had the best time seeing Caleb being an utter chaotic mess while trying to deal with all his inner turmoil as he attempts to figure out the mysteries of the island, its untrustworthy inhabitants, and his wildly changing body.
He is one of those main characters with a very strong voice and an even stronger will, which gets his impulsive, stubborn ass into some difficult yet undeniably amusing situations. And sure, at times he might come off a bit immature for his early 20s or the dialogue might feel a bit simple, but I think it fits with the new adult thriller vibe of the story. Also, I just can’t deny that I found Caleb to be effortlessly endearing, and it’s no surprise to me that he won the hearts of so many people on the island, even if they were reluctant to admit it at first.
The unexpected found family vibes are just so strong, with my favourite relationships being the precious lone (but not really lone) wolf/cub dynamic with Ethan, the touching mom-feels with my sapphic queens Ava & Aiel, the head-butting with Delia, and the simmering tension and teasing banter between Caleb and my snarky babe Argo (like, am I the only one who wants them to just kiss already?!?!). Especially when we start to peel back the layers of Caleb’s tragic family situation, childhood trauma, and daddy issues (who easily wins worst dad of the year award, no competition), it only becomes more touching to see him finding his own pack to support and comfort him in ways he never knew he needed.
ALPHA might be a brutal and heavy story, but it never feels emotionally draining because of the heart, (dark) humour, and hope that lie at its core. It does everything a good start to a new series should do, and I can’t wait to see what Marchesi has in store in the rest of The Alpha Cycle. It’s a wildly unique tale of self-discovery, of transition, of queerness, of community, of found family, of exploitation, and of rebellion, and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who likes the sound of a fast-paced survival sci-fi that is as monstrous as it is human.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Pitched as ‘if Animorphs were spliced with Orphan Black and The Hunger Games’, ALPHA by K.D. Marchesi is a brutal survival sci-fi thriller with dangerously sharp teeth but a surprisingly warm, human heart. I mean, it’s got lots of genetic fuckery and scary shape-shifting horrors, but then it also offers some of the most heartwarming found family vibes and profound emotional journeys, and I absolutely love it for that.
ALPHA is one of those books that just sinks its teeth into you from the very first page and refuses to let go. We are thrown into the life of Caleb Murilo, a slightly spoiled but good-hearted young guy who wakes up on an isolated island in a body that feels increasingly monstrous to him and then has to learn how to survive amidst a group of unlikely allies who are all victims of his dad’s sick and dangerously ambitious experiment. And if that isn’t a strong hook, then I don’t know what is.
There are many, many things I love about ALPHA, but the thing I appreciate most about it is the fact that it’s so much more than just the thrilling survival adventure that it appears to be at first glance. Even without having read the raw, vulnerable author’s note in which Marchesi shares so bravely about how his personal transition journey is woven into the DNA of this book, you can tell that this story just comes straight from the heart. It’s queer down to its very bones without ever being overt in its themes and messages, and I think that only makes this story all the more powerful.
Like, you can totally come to ALPHA for the thrilling action, the gripping mysteries or the brutal body horrors, but I personally think those aspects only feel so gripping because the character work is so strong. Despite the fast pacing, Marchesi manages to get you deeply invested in these characters’ harrowing journeys by masterfully interweaving the internal and external conflicts, and I just had the best time seeing Caleb being an utter chaotic mess while trying to deal with all his inner turmoil as he attempts to figure out the mysteries of the island, its untrustworthy inhabitants, and his wildly changing body.
He is one of those main characters with a very strong voice and an even stronger will, which gets his impulsive, stubborn ass into some difficult yet undeniably amusing situations. And sure, at times he might come off a bit immature for his early 20s or the dialogue might feel a bit simple, but I think it fits with the new adult thriller vibe of the story. Also, I just can’t deny that I found Caleb to be effortlessly endearing, and it’s no surprise to me that he won the hearts of so many people on the island, even if they were reluctant to admit it at first.
The unexpected found family vibes are just so strong, with my favourite relationships being the precious lone (but not really lone) wolf/cub dynamic with Ethan, the touching mom-feels with my sapphic queens Ava & Aiel, the head-butting with Delia, and the simmering tension and teasing banter between Caleb and my snarky babe Argo (like, am I the only one who wants them to just kiss already?!?!). Especially when we start to peel back the layers of Caleb’s tragic family situation, childhood trauma, and daddy issues (who easily wins worst dad of the year award, no competition), it only becomes more touching to see him finding his own pack to support and comfort him in ways he never knew he needed.
ALPHA might be a brutal and heavy story, but it never feels emotionally draining because of the heart, (dark) humour, and hope that lie at its core. It does everything a good start to a new series should do, and I can’t wait to see what Marchesi has in store in the rest of The Alpha Cycle. It’s a wildly unique tale of self-discovery, of transition, of queerness, of community, of found family, of exploitation, and of rebellion, and I can’t recommend it highly enough to anyone who likes the sound of a fast-paced survival sci-fi that is as monstrous as it is human.
Thank you to the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
December 4, 2025
A solid debut.
(RTC)
(RTC)
December 1, 2025
Alpha is a fantastic debut from K.D. Marchesi. It is a story of change, found family, and brutal action that simply wouldn’t let go. Read my full review on FanFiAddict.
November 20, 2025
Stayed up so late last night (this morning?) finishing and what an ending!! RTC, and happy release day!
November 19, 2025
Kris is someone I have interacted with a number of times over on Booktube thanks to their promoting of Indie books and authors, so when he announced that he had his own Sci-Fi tale coming out I jumped at the chance to request an ARC, and as debut novels go, this is pretty good start.
Everything about this screams blockbuster, and I mean that in the movie sense of the word, from the amazing cover which wouldn't be out of place on a cinema wall advertising an upcoming film,to the way the narrative feels structured and paced, and the style of writing that makes in really easy to imagine this taking part on screen as much as in the book, something that is aided by the focus on Caleb as our POV and with how central they are to the plot.
Onto Caleb, and an extension of the a-typical structure is the decision to pretty much drop Caleb into the main plot immediately, with little time to get to know his character before his world is turned upside down and instead deliver it with as a series of memories of introspections on previous events, which in fairness is a smart choice because right at the start he came across like a character I was set up to strongly dislike,especially compared to Arlo, and would have made the character shift he goes through in such a short space of time less believable to me at least.
This central style also helps Alpha to sidestep some off the common issues that often plague the first book in a series, namely info dumping and heavy exposition. That's not to say we don't get any, this is still a book One, and it still has to set the world and characters up, but Kris does a great job of delivering this through dialog and through Caleb's interactions with the world, which the single point narrative really helps as we are learning things at the same time as Caleb does.
The trade off for this is that while the side characters are engaging, we don't get as much time as I would like to really get into the bones of them, while they each have their own personality, a lot of the depth that gets revealed is plot specific or is to create a quick attachment to help generate tension for certain points, rather than general bits to fill the characters out with less plot relevance,however this does take part over a fairly short timeframe and Caleb does not exactly help himself with this.Plus it is worth mentioning that this is often a book one issue in series in general so I fully expect this to change as we see more of the ensemble cast.
Overall this is a strong debut, with an interesting premise, characters I want to know more about told in a style that remains consistent in all its aspects, and more importantly each of those aspects mesh really well together, that clips along at a fair pace. Add in a clear 'to be continued' ending, and I am genuinely curious and invested in how this continues in the furture.
Everything about this screams blockbuster, and I mean that in the movie sense of the word, from the amazing cover which wouldn't be out of place on a cinema wall advertising an upcoming film,to the way the narrative feels structured and paced, and the style of writing that makes in really easy to imagine this taking part on screen as much as in the book, something that is aided by the focus on Caleb as our POV and with how central they are to the plot.
Onto Caleb, and an extension of the a-typical structure is the decision to pretty much drop Caleb into the main plot immediately, with little time to get to know his character before his world is turned upside down and instead deliver it with as a series of memories of introspections on previous events, which in fairness is a smart choice because right at the start he came across like a character I was set up to strongly dislike,especially compared to Arlo, and would have made the character shift he goes through in such a short space of time less believable to me at least.
This central style also helps Alpha to sidestep some off the common issues that often plague the first book in a series, namely info dumping and heavy exposition. That's not to say we don't get any, this is still a book One, and it still has to set the world and characters up, but Kris does a great job of delivering this through dialog and through Caleb's interactions with the world, which the single point narrative really helps as we are learning things at the same time as Caleb does.
The trade off for this is that while the side characters are engaging, we don't get as much time as I would like to really get into the bones of them, while they each have their own personality, a lot of the depth that gets revealed is plot specific or is to create a quick attachment to help generate tension for certain points, rather than general bits to fill the characters out with less plot relevance,however this does take part over a fairly short timeframe and Caleb does not exactly help himself with this.Plus it is worth mentioning that this is often a book one issue in series in general so I fully expect this to change as we see more of the ensemble cast.
Overall this is a strong debut, with an interesting premise, characters I want to know more about told in a style that remains consistent in all its aspects, and more importantly each of those aspects mesh really well together, that clips along at a fair pace. Add in a clear 'to be continued' ending, and I am genuinely curious and invested in how this continues in the furture.
November 16, 2025
Take a measure of human / animal genetic splicing experimentation, mix it with a little bit of tv-reality Survivor, and add a huge dollop of the found family trope, and you will end up with something like K D Marchesi's debut novel Alpha.
There is a lot of character work here. While we start off with Caleb being the only character (aside from the opening chapter or two), we soon end up with a large cast. Each addition is handled deftly; they're generally given a little time to allow the reader to become familiar with them before the next is added. Most of the additional primary cast also have a backstory which makes them much rounder than you might expect.
At times though, Caleb does seem exceptionally naive for a 25 year old and it feels like he is written more as a person in their late teens. There is a certain charm in that naivety however, and it does allow a little more leeway in how the underlying genetic enhancement plot is revealed.
Inevitably, with a book centring around genetic experimentation and jungle survival, some of the cast are not going to make it. What troubles me slightly is that I didn't really feel any emotional impact when this happened. Perhaps I'd already subconsciously marked them as red-shirts; or perhaps due to the nature of the plot there wasn't time to reflect before needing to move on. There is definitely a feeling of urgency in the motivations of Caleb, and that keeps everything moving forward at a steady pace.
You could read this book and consider serious questions such as "what makes a person, a person", or like me you just want to relax and read a damn good story. Either way, this book works.
Many thanks to the author for the complimentary copy on which this review is based.
There is a lot of character work here. While we start off with Caleb being the only character (aside from the opening chapter or two), we soon end up with a large cast. Each addition is handled deftly; they're generally given a little time to allow the reader to become familiar with them before the next is added. Most of the additional primary cast also have a backstory which makes them much rounder than you might expect.
At times though, Caleb does seem exceptionally naive for a 25 year old and it feels like he is written more as a person in their late teens. There is a certain charm in that naivety however, and it does allow a little more leeway in how the underlying genetic enhancement plot is revealed.
Inevitably, with a book centring around genetic experimentation and jungle survival, some of the cast are not going to make it. What troubles me slightly is that I didn't really feel any emotional impact when this happened. Perhaps I'd already subconsciously marked them as red-shirts; or perhaps due to the nature of the plot there wasn't time to reflect before needing to move on. There is definitely a feeling of urgency in the motivations of Caleb, and that keeps everything moving forward at a steady pace.
You could read this book and consider serious questions such as "what makes a person, a person", or like me you just want to relax and read a damn good story. Either way, this book works.
Many thanks to the author for the complimentary copy on which this review is based.
November 25, 2025
This dystopian is a great debut from K.D. Marchesi, about people who are experimented on and left on an island to survive. It had some sci-fi and body horror elements in it, and the underlying mystery was compelling and gave me that ‘just one more chapter’ feeling. I will never get tired of the found family trope, and there is plenty of that found here - underdogs rallying together to fight, survive and ultimate find out what is happening to them and why.
I did have a few qualms with this book. There were a lot of characters mentioned and it felt like many of them didn’t have enough room to breathe and develop. There was also a habit of the author over-explaining things - it felt as if there wasn’t much trust given to the reader. Someone would say something, and then there would be a description about why that was said, instead of the reader being able to work that out themselves.
My final gripe was that, even though I read the ARC version and with that knew to expect some typos, there were a lot of them. I hope that they were ironed out for the official release, but they were quite distracting. Names being spelt incorrectly, wrong tenses used, incorrect punctuation. At times I felt taken out of the story because of them, and it felt like a little more time was needed to clean it up and make it the best version of the story possible.
But overall, I really enjoyed my time with ALPHA. The story was fun and exciting. It felt like it ended a little abruptly, just as some mysteries were beginning to be unravelled, which was a little frustrating but also makes me excited to read the sequel when it comes out. I know there are a lot of personal experiences in Marchesi’s life that he has referred to in ALPHA, which make this book even more compelling and special. I’m looking forward to the next book, and hope to learn more about the characters and the mystery surrounding them.
Thank you to K.D. Marchesi for providing me with an eARC of ALPHA in exchange for an honest review.
I did have a few qualms with this book. There were a lot of characters mentioned and it felt like many of them didn’t have enough room to breathe and develop. There was also a habit of the author over-explaining things - it felt as if there wasn’t much trust given to the reader. Someone would say something, and then there would be a description about why that was said, instead of the reader being able to work that out themselves.
My final gripe was that, even though I read the ARC version and with that knew to expect some typos, there were a lot of them. I hope that they were ironed out for the official release, but they were quite distracting. Names being spelt incorrectly, wrong tenses used, incorrect punctuation. At times I felt taken out of the story because of them, and it felt like a little more time was needed to clean it up and make it the best version of the story possible.
But overall, I really enjoyed my time with ALPHA. The story was fun and exciting. It felt like it ended a little abruptly, just as some mysteries were beginning to be unravelled, which was a little frustrating but also makes me excited to read the sequel when it comes out. I know there are a lot of personal experiences in Marchesi’s life that he has referred to in ALPHA, which make this book even more compelling and special. I’m looking forward to the next book, and hope to learn more about the characters and the mystery surrounding them.
Thank you to K.D. Marchesi for providing me with an eARC of ALPHA in exchange for an honest review.
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