Review of Other by Karen Kincy

I received this book for free from Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Review of Other by Karen KincyOther by Karen Kincy
Published by Llewellyn Worldwide on 2010
Genres: Fantasy & Magic, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Young Adult
Pages: 326
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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three-half-stars

Gwen Williams has been hiding a strange and fantastic secret: she's a shapeshifter. Although society may tolerate vampires, centaurs, and "Others" like Gwen, there are plenty of folks in her small Washington town who don't care for her kind.

When a new werewolf pack moves into the area, tensions rise—and Others start showing up dead, including someone close to Gwen. Despite the methodical murders, the police are ignoring evidence that suggests a serial killer. In the midst of terrible loss and danger, Gwen—along with a mysterious and sexy guy who happens to be a Japanese fox spirit—risks her life to find the murderer. But Gwen is already the killer's next target . . .

Have you ever felt like you were an outsider? Or maybe, different from everyone around you? I think that we all feel like that from time to time, especially growing up. Even us adults get like that. Gwen Williams, protagonist of Other by Karen Kincy, feels this way all the time. However, she has a perfectly valid reason for this. She is an other, meaning she is not a full human, rather, she is 50% pooka.

Other by Karen Kincy is set in our world, only there are paranormal people living in public. This totally reminded me of Sookie Stackhouse, which is absolutely a good thing. I felt this reality was engrossing.I enjoyed learning about the different types of supernatural people. Also, I thought Other by Karen Kincy was a fascinating commentary on society and how we treat those who are seen as ‘others’ differently. I thought the attitudes of certain holier than thou characters totally reflect what I see all the time now. Now, that isn’t to say you need to go into Other searching for a deeper meaning, but I thought the parallel was super awesome.

There is almost a love triangle, but not quite. I will say, keep your eyes peeled for Tavian. He is awesome. Plus he’s Asian. YAY PoC love interest!!

FINALLY, there is a mystery! Someone is going around killing the others, which I guess is really the heart of this story. Well, not actually the heart, but rather the hinge, or canvas on which all the characters can develop. The real interest for me lay in how Gwen dealt with her otherness.

Overall, I thought Other by Karen Kincy was a great change of pace from vampires, werewolves, and fairies. It’s a refreshing addition to the paranormal genre. I look forward to seeing what Kincy will come up with next.

Other Reviews of Other by Karen Kincy:

The Book Cellar
Mindful Musings
Chick Loves Lit


three-half-stars
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April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.
About April (Books&Wine)

April is in her 30s and created Good Books And Good Wine. She works for a non-profit. April always has a book on hand. In her free time she can be found binge watching The Office with her husband and toddler, spending way too much time on Pinterest or exploring her neighborhood.

Comments

  1. Great review! This is on my wishlist 🙂

  2. Precious says

    Great review! I loved the paranormal characters in public thing. It's something I haven't read of before. It sounds like Kincy did a great job here. And you've made me curious about Tavian.

  3. Awesome review! This looks really good. I love the cover.