Other by Karen Kincy

Title: Other
Author: Karen Kincy
Publisher: Flux
Published: Sept 2010
ISBN: 0738719196
Author's Website http://www.karenkincy.com/
Rating: 5/5 with merits!!

The jacket on this is beautiful.  Eye catching, and descriptive without giving too much away from the artwork on it, and I love the fact artist seem to be using more redheaded people on covers...maybe we're fashionable now?!.  The story itself....wow!  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The storyline is about not fitting in, not accepting who you are, and having to live with enforced social rules, as well as having to solve mystery before it gets too personal.  I'm so pleased with the portrayal of homeschool teens in this as well, that was the icing on the cake for me personally, and was fantastic.

It's refreshing to read a book where the shapeshifter is multi-talented....I'm not going to say anymore about that....and in my enthusiasm for this, and the story line it's really hard not to give too many spoilers!  The characters are gutsy, and believable.  I liked Chloe, who offers a different slant on tree huggers!!

Overall the book is really very sweet, and has an addictive and captivating storyline.  I found it to be a fast read - and every page is convincing.  It's very sad in places, and the characters shine through with their emotions.  Most of the way through the book I was smiling, it's a deliciously delightful read with some fantastic twists, and even though I thought I was one step ahead of the plot...I found the rug pulled from under my feet and was completely wrong!  This is the first in the Other series...I hope we don't have to wait too long for the next installment...I can't wait to see what's next!

Synopsis from Author:

"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."