Other by Karen Kincy Book Review by Miranda Fraser (Moses) ISBN: 978-0-7387-1919-1 I have to say this was actually my favorite book I read so far in the Halloween Book Review series. I had planned on reading it in a three day span and ended up finishing it in 24 hours. Karen Kincy did a fabulous job bringing a modern fantasy world to life. I appreciated her writing style and attempt to keep things truly modern, for instance there are IM conversations, sort of like in Beastly. There was definitely a more teenage vibe to the way they talked and the jokes they made. It fit the characters and their world and didn't bother me. Though I have seen people complain about that and the 'author's attempt to be funny and fail'. Which I thought was ridiculous and I will explain further in. Just know this book was definitely aimed at the young adult category. The story takes place in a world where people are aware of paranormal creatures, and mostly, accept them as a part of society. Of course, there are people who don't approve of it and with that plenty of reasons people "with paranormal identities" hide what they are. But that alone intrigued me! Could you imagine living in a small town in your country and KNOWING that your neighbors are fairies, vampires, etc? In our main character's case, Gwen is half human, half Pooka. POOKA! So exciting being that they're a less thought about in mythology. This means that Gwen is a shapeshifter and can transform into any animal she chooses. Though her ID even says "50% Pooka" her family still encourages her to hide her powers. Despite the progressive America she lives in there are still those who call creatures like her "gicks" a slur term for magical being. And the bigotry can be extreme... There are creatures like Gwen who are born with their abilities. And then there are Bloodborn Others (werewolves and vampires) who get their paranormality by 'disease' spread through bites or STDs. Gwen is a, slightly awkward, home schooled, red haired beauty with a passion for Others. This is why I found it annoying to see reviews that the 'author tried to be funny' they were all off handed 'jokes' made by this awkward teenager in a crazy time in her life. I did find them funny because I know I would have tried my best to make 'jokes' to get me through it too. Though life is always full of upheavals, and being a teenager makes it all worse, Gwen has a boyfriend she loves and a best friend (who is full Dryad) that make her happy. But quickly things go awry, her and her boyfriend break up over her paranormality, people are turning up dead in her town, there is a new guy that keeps trying to get Gwen's attention and a pack of werewolves have also shown up in her town. The town is FAR from okay with it, in fact there are hunters out there trying to kill them and collect their pelts. It's a hard time all around and it is more important than ever that Gwen protect her identity. As more paranormal beings turn up mysteriously dead, including someone close to Gwen, she makes it her mission to bring the killer to justice. This will lead her on an insane mission full of ups and downs, close calls, and heartbreaking discoveries. The new guy quickly becomes her best alli in the fight of their lives. And the 'who done it' moment, actually surprised me! I thought I had my answer from the very beginning, so pay close attention as you read. This was a great book and perfect for a Halloween Book Review series! There's magic, paranormal beings, mystery, and a serial killer. Who could ask for more? And best part is it's only book one so I will be on the hunt for more! Read on my fellow book worms, may we one day have Belle's library. And as always links to the author's pages can be found down below.
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