Other Review

Other by Karen Kincy

Publisher: Flux

Release date: July 1, 2010

Source: Publisher

Seventeen-year-old Gwen hides a dangerous secret: she’s Other. Half-pooka, to be exact, thanks to the father she never met. Most Americans don’t exactly roll out the welcome mat for Others, especially not the small-town folks of Klikamuks, Washington. As if this isn’t bad enough, Gwen’s on the brink of revealing her true identity to her long-time boyfriend, Zack, but she’s scared he’ll lump her with the likes of bloodthirsty vampires and feral werewolves.

When a pack of werewolves chooses the national forest behind Gwen’s home as their new territory, the tensions in Klikamuks escalate-into murder. It soon becomes clear a serial killer is methodically slaying Others. The police turn a blind eye, leaving Gwen to find the killer before the killer finds her. As she hunts for clues, she uncovers more Others living nearby than she ever expected. Like Tavian, a sexy Japanese fox-spirit who rivals Zack and challenges her to embrace her Otherness. Gwen must struggle with her own conflicted identity, learn who she can trust, and-most importantly-stay alive.

Review:

Other was a fantastic and enthralling debut that had me glued to the pages from the start. I loved Gwen, she was a strong character and wasn't afraid to show her true emotions. The other characters; Zack, Tavian, Chloe- they all were well developed and likable. Everyone had their place in this story and seemed completely realistic and believable. The plot was fast paced and there was never a slow moment. I loved the idea of "Others" living among regular people and that there are so many different kinds. Werewolves and vampires are only the beginning.

The main character, Gwen, is half-human/half-pooka. She can shape shift into any animal at all. I love the scenes when she transforms into an animal, they are so magical and awesome, and at times her "Otherness" saves her life. Throughout the novel Gwen is dealing with a lot, not many people know she's an Other, and there are quite a few people (like her boyfriend Zack) that would turn on her if they found out. This was just one of many sub plots in the book. The main plot was the murders. Someone was slowly and brutally murdering Others and no one knew why. The police are portrayed really negatively because they are careless about trying to find the killer, since Others are not their priority. I love how Gwen and her friend Tavian take it into their own hands to solve the mystery. There is a lot of suspense and mystery throughout the book, and the killer isn't revealed until the end. Other drew a lot of emotions out of me and I was surprised to see how much time had passed when I had sat down to read for just a few minutes.

Other will draw you in right from the start and you will be cheering on Gwen as she fights for both her life and "Others" like her. Some creepy and disturbing things occur in this novel and at times I had to stop reading because I was getting so freaked out! Karen Kincy is a terrific writer and I loved every minute of Other.

There is romance where you least expect it and Karen Kincy did a terrific job of developing their relationship. With an engaging and exciting plot, romance, and terrific characters, Other is a debut I'd recommend to just about anyone. It ended in a way where a sequel isn't necessary, but I'm still very excited to read Bloodborn!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars