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Otherkin #1
Otherkin
I thought I knew myself. Then I met Caleb...
Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed. Then she rescues a boy, Caleb, from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself. Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.
Everything is about to change—and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them are prepared for what Dez will unleash.
Dez is a good girl who does as she’s told and tries not to be noticed. Then she rescues a boy, Caleb, from a cage, and he tells her secrets about herself. Now inside her burns a darkness that will transform her.
Everything is about to change—and neither Caleb, nor the Otherkin, nor those who hunt them are prepared for what Dez will unleash.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 31, 2012
84 people are currently reading
3216 people want to read
About the author
Nina Berry
14 books313 followersThanks so much for checking out my author page and my books! I no longer check messages or friend requests here on Goodreads, so please check out my website ninaberry.com for more info or if you'd like to get in touch.
____________________________________
YA writer, redhead, bodysurfer, Nina is the author of THE NOTORIOUS PAGAN JONES, CITY OF SPIES and the OTHERKIN series. Born in Honolulu, she now writes for teens from her secret lair in Hollywood.
Learn more at ninaberry.com, or you can find her on twitter @Ninaberry and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writerninaberry.
Nina is represented by Tamar Rydzinksi at Laura Dail Literary Agency.
____________________________________
YA writer, redhead, bodysurfer, Nina is the author of THE NOTORIOUS PAGAN JONES, CITY OF SPIES and the OTHERKIN series. Born in Honolulu, she now writes for teens from her secret lair in Hollywood.
Learn more at ninaberry.com, or you can find her on twitter @Ninaberry and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/writerninaberry.
Nina is represented by Tamar Rydzinksi at Laura Dail Literary Agency.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 220 reviews
January 27, 2012
This book started with a hot boy in a cage ... and it just kept getting better from there.
December 4, 2013
THAT WAS AMAZING!! Nina Berry....welcome to my fav author list! :D
UPDATE!!!!
I am honestly kicking myself for not picking up Otherkin the day it was released. Truth be told, I was expecting the same shifter story with your everyday run of the mill werewolves, but this book proved to be something else entirely. I was hooked from the first page and I didn’t put it down until the very end. It was a definite page-turner. Full of action, adventure, thrill, mystery, romance and a whole lot of unique - Otherkin was definitely one of those books that will have you coming back for a re-read!
Otherkin had a very unique take on shifters and the shifter world. You don’t just get werewolves, you get rats, bears, eagles and tigers. Yep, big, beautiful, lithe cats, as is our heroine in the book. But the whole added concept of the Othersphere, which is a world to which the otherkin are connected when in shifter form, made it all the more interesting. Also shadow callers, people who can manipulate shadow from the Othersphere into taking form on Earth, was an intriguing idea, not to mention a badass super power to have! :D It was all very original, and I found this different take on shifters very enjoyable!
As far as being able to shift into animals goes, readers find that it’s not all that easy to do. All the characters in the book had their own fair share of insecurities about shifting plus having the Tribunal, a secret organization that wants to destroy all the otherkin, after them all the time, made their life more difficult. Dez is an average girl who also happens to be the only tiger shifter left in the world. At first she doesn’t understand what or who she is and fears herself. That is until she meets Caleb. Now, she knows she’s otherkin and that the reason she was a late bloomer is because her “tiger shadow” was suppressed by magic when she was a baby. Then Dez meets others like her - more shifters and begins to learn more about herself and her heritage. All making for a fantastically written story.
Dez was one kickass heroine, I had no trouble falling in love with. She goes from having a back brace to learning she can shift into a tiger and a whole other world existing alongside Earth, but despite all that, she still manages to keep headstrong and face her problems. She is a character that is easy to sympathize for. Her frustrations, anger, hurt were my own and I easily found myself cheering for her to figure out herself and the secrets of her past and finally be happy. Then we have her relationship with Caleb. Caleb was such a fun and mysterious character. I loved guessing at all his secrets and hidden powers and melted at the feelings he has for Dez. He is charming, sexy and holy clowns on crack those deep onyx eyes of his make my heart race. I loved their relationship because not only was it sweet but they gave each other support and comfort through rough times and they always had each others’ backs no matter what. It was admiring. And, Caleb’s witty humor and protective instincts when it came to Dez were easy to fall in love with, and I was rooting for them, from beginning to end, to have their happy ever after.
Otherkin turned out to be one of my favourite reads of 2012 and I didn’t want to put it down, knowing I would have to wait a long while for the next book. The plot is action-packed and will have you at the edge of your seat just waiting in anticipation for the next turn of events. And the secondary characters will draw you in with their unique personalities. They balanced out the story very nicely. Making, Otherkin a wonderful start to a new series!
Overall, Otherkin was a fabulous read and I recommend this for everyone who enjoys YA paranormal, fantasy, mystery, action, adventure and romance. This book has it all and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. In fact, you just might go crazy waiting for the next book, Othermoon, to come out! *wink*
This Review is also posted at my blog: Literary Love Affair
UPDATE!!!!
I am honestly kicking myself for not picking up Otherkin the day it was released. Truth be told, I was expecting the same shifter story with your everyday run of the mill werewolves, but this book proved to be something else entirely. I was hooked from the first page and I didn’t put it down until the very end. It was a definite page-turner. Full of action, adventure, thrill, mystery, romance and a whole lot of unique - Otherkin was definitely one of those books that will have you coming back for a re-read!
Otherkin had a very unique take on shifters and the shifter world. You don’t just get werewolves, you get rats, bears, eagles and tigers. Yep, big, beautiful, lithe cats, as is our heroine in the book. But the whole added concept of the Othersphere, which is a world to which the otherkin are connected when in shifter form, made it all the more interesting. Also shadow callers, people who can manipulate shadow from the Othersphere into taking form on Earth, was an intriguing idea, not to mention a badass super power to have! :D It was all very original, and I found this different take on shifters very enjoyable!
As far as being able to shift into animals goes, readers find that it’s not all that easy to do. All the characters in the book had their own fair share of insecurities about shifting plus having the Tribunal, a secret organization that wants to destroy all the otherkin, after them all the time, made their life more difficult. Dez is an average girl who also happens to be the only tiger shifter left in the world. At first she doesn’t understand what or who she is and fears herself. That is until she meets Caleb. Now, she knows she’s otherkin and that the reason she was a late bloomer is because her “tiger shadow” was suppressed by magic when she was a baby. Then Dez meets others like her - more shifters and begins to learn more about herself and her heritage. All making for a fantastically written story.
Dez was one kickass heroine, I had no trouble falling in love with. She goes from having a back brace to learning she can shift into a tiger and a whole other world existing alongside Earth, but despite all that, she still manages to keep headstrong and face her problems. She is a character that is easy to sympathize for. Her frustrations, anger, hurt were my own and I easily found myself cheering for her to figure out herself and the secrets of her past and finally be happy. Then we have her relationship with Caleb. Caleb was such a fun and mysterious character. I loved guessing at all his secrets and hidden powers and melted at the feelings he has for Dez. He is charming, sexy and holy clowns on crack those deep onyx eyes of his make my heart race. I loved their relationship because not only was it sweet but they gave each other support and comfort through rough times and they always had each others’ backs no matter what. It was admiring. And, Caleb’s witty humor and protective instincts when it came to Dez were easy to fall in love with, and I was rooting for them, from beginning to end, to have their happy ever after.
Otherkin turned out to be one of my favourite reads of 2012 and I didn’t want to put it down, knowing I would have to wait a long while for the next book. The plot is action-packed and will have you at the edge of your seat just waiting in anticipation for the next turn of events. And the secondary characters will draw you in with their unique personalities. They balanced out the story very nicely. Making, Otherkin a wonderful start to a new series!
Overall, Otherkin was a fabulous read and I recommend this for everyone who enjoys YA paranormal, fantasy, mystery, action, adventure and romance. This book has it all and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. In fact, you just might go crazy waiting for the next book, Othermoon, to come out! *wink*
This Review is also posted at my blog: Literary Love Affair
July 28, 2012
This book starts with a bang.
Dez gets asked out on her first date, finds out she can shift into a tiger, gets kidnapped, shifts for the second time and manages to escape her abductors with the boy from the cage alongside in tow. All in the first couple of pages.
And the fast paced story just continues along at breakneck speed.
The action and suspense create a very exciting story where at times it seems as if you blink and you would miss a lot of important stuff that happens. For me it was a bit too much action and not enough explanation. I would have loved to have a bit more detail into a lot of the events and perhaps a but more forethought into the consequences. It’s fantastic that the characters are so spontaneous but there were times when I couldn’t quite work out why they were doing the things they were doing – and I’m not entirely sure that the characters understood it either.
I didn’t like how the romance unfolded in this novel. As with everything else, it just happened too quickly with no explanation why or any growth. It was only as I reached the end of the novel that I really started to feel that either Dez or Caleb even really knew who the other person was and it just wasn’t happening for the sake of having a romance sub-plot.
This book was an interesting and enjoyable read but I just felt that I would have enjoyed it more had the pace been slowed down a little and instead of all the action scenes there was a bit more discussion. About the characters, the concept of the Shadows, and about the relationships between the characters – not just that of Dez and Caleb but also those between Dez and the minor characters, and between the minor characters themselves.
Dez gets asked out on her first date, finds out she can shift into a tiger, gets kidnapped, shifts for the second time and manages to escape her abductors with the boy from the cage alongside in tow. All in the first couple of pages.
And the fast paced story just continues along at breakneck speed.
The action and suspense create a very exciting story where at times it seems as if you blink and you would miss a lot of important stuff that happens. For me it was a bit too much action and not enough explanation. I would have loved to have a bit more detail into a lot of the events and perhaps a but more forethought into the consequences. It’s fantastic that the characters are so spontaneous but there were times when I couldn’t quite work out why they were doing the things they were doing – and I’m not entirely sure that the characters understood it either.
I didn’t like how the romance unfolded in this novel. As with everything else, it just happened too quickly with no explanation why or any growth. It was only as I reached the end of the novel that I really started to feel that either Dez or Caleb even really knew who the other person was and it just wasn’t happening for the sake of having a romance sub-plot.
This book was an interesting and enjoyable read but I just felt that I would have enjoyed it more had the pace been slowed down a little and instead of all the action scenes there was a bit more discussion. About the characters, the concept of the Shadows, and about the relationships between the characters – not just that of Dez and Caleb but also those between Dez and the minor characters, and between the minor characters themselves.
October 16, 2012
Actual rating 4.5. This review originally appeared HERE on My Life is a Notebook.
I’m going to be perfectly honest: I did not go into this book with high expectations. The first book I ever requested from NetGalley was a shifter book so bad I couldn’t finish it. I haven’t read anything about shifters regularly since … the Animorphs when I was about 12. BUT, this story has an awesome cover with a tiger on the front so how COULDN’T I request it?
And I’m so happy I did.
Just the first chapter is literally explosive. You instantly get a feel for Dez, how she feels about herself AND get a bunch of action–action that, by the way, rarely ever stops for a good while. The perimeters of the novel are pretty quickly established, but you aren’t hit over the head with exposition which is fantastic. In fact, the amount of info-learning but not info-dumping was excellent throughout the novel, even though the mythology was very unique and slightly confusing in places. I understood the gist of it and was never bogged down in trying to understand, which is a big plus for me, Ms. Short Attention Span.
However, about a fourth of the way book, the plotline twisted in such a way that I deflated and moaned like I was a hot air balloon stabbed through the heart. Caleb tells Dez that there is a place they can be safe, and guess where it is?
A school. A shifter school. A freaking school.
Schools feel like such a cliché these days that I CANNOT stand them when they happened. This is also how that first shifter novel I read really rolled over and died. I had to stop reading because I was so worried this book was also going to dip into horribleness.
But it DIDN’T.
I kept reading and almost couldn’t believe it. Berry managed to make it readable, the characters not too much of clichés and really make it feel REAL. The tension and then camaraderie between the classmates came right out of the pages. It really set up the ending well, and–most importantly–it was READABLE. I can be nasty when a book drops into clichés I hate, so I fully expected to start hating everything. But instead, i loved it. I was shocked!
The end brought back that rolling action I loved in the beginning. The cooperation between all the shifters and the descriptions were absolutely fantastic. The end of the end seemed to almost be anticlimactic and flat after all that action, though it did make sense. The pacing of the book, for the most part, however, was fast, which I love. There were never many points where I felt I could put the book down.
But about that docked star: A little bit of it is the ending, but not a lot of it. Most of it came from Dez and Caleb’s relationship. I hate insta-love. I will forever and always dock stars for insta-love. The only reason it wasn’t a full star was because Dez and Caleb weren’t–shockingly and fantastically–the center point of the novel. It was more about action and information than their romance. However, when you’ve only known each other for less than a month and have kissed only once, there is no way multiple conversations about seeing Dez naked don’t come off as creepy. Caleb’s kind of buzzed-all-the-time attitude didn’t help matters. Given that I loved Dez as a character, I kept screaming ABORT, ABANDON SHIP! But of course she didn’t. They’ve found eternal insta-love.
All in all, however, this book turned into a favorite for me. I loved the descriptions, the history, and the pacing. The action was fantastic, and I was ridiculously impressed at how Berry wrote in a school setting that I didn’t hate the guts of and in fact really enjoyed. For once, there was romance for the main character that wasn’t the driving force of the story, so I even forgave the insta-love a little bit. If you love shifter books, GET THIS NOW. Even if you don’t love shifter books and are looking for something new–like I was–I RECOMMEND IT. July 31st, folks, preorder now!
I’m going to be perfectly honest: I did not go into this book with high expectations. The first book I ever requested from NetGalley was a shifter book so bad I couldn’t finish it. I haven’t read anything about shifters regularly since … the Animorphs when I was about 12. BUT, this story has an awesome cover with a tiger on the front so how COULDN’T I request it?
And I’m so happy I did.
Just the first chapter is literally explosive. You instantly get a feel for Dez, how she feels about herself AND get a bunch of action–action that, by the way, rarely ever stops for a good while. The perimeters of the novel are pretty quickly established, but you aren’t hit over the head with exposition which is fantastic. In fact, the amount of info-learning but not info-dumping was excellent throughout the novel, even though the mythology was very unique and slightly confusing in places. I understood the gist of it and was never bogged down in trying to understand, which is a big plus for me, Ms. Short Attention Span.
However, about a fourth of the way book, the plotline twisted in such a way that I deflated and moaned like I was a hot air balloon stabbed through the heart. Caleb tells Dez that there is a place they can be safe, and guess where it is?
A school. A shifter school. A freaking school.
Schools feel like such a cliché these days that I CANNOT stand them when they happened. This is also how that first shifter novel I read really rolled over and died. I had to stop reading because I was so worried this book was also going to dip into horribleness.
But it DIDN’T.
I kept reading and almost couldn’t believe it. Berry managed to make it readable, the characters not too much of clichés and really make it feel REAL. The tension and then camaraderie between the classmates came right out of the pages. It really set up the ending well, and–most importantly–it was READABLE. I can be nasty when a book drops into clichés I hate, so I fully expected to start hating everything. But instead, i loved it. I was shocked!
The end brought back that rolling action I loved in the beginning. The cooperation between all the shifters and the descriptions were absolutely fantastic. The end of the end seemed to almost be anticlimactic and flat after all that action, though it did make sense. The pacing of the book, for the most part, however, was fast, which I love. There were never many points where I felt I could put the book down.
But about that docked star: A little bit of it is the ending, but not a lot of it. Most of it came from Dez and Caleb’s relationship. I hate insta-love. I will forever and always dock stars for insta-love. The only reason it wasn’t a full star was because Dez and Caleb weren’t–shockingly and fantastically–the center point of the novel. It was more about action and information than their romance. However, when you’ve only known each other for less than a month and have kissed only once, there is no way multiple conversations about seeing Dez naked don’t come off as creepy. Caleb’s kind of buzzed-all-the-time attitude didn’t help matters. Given that I loved Dez as a character, I kept screaming ABORT, ABANDON SHIP! But of course she didn’t. They’ve found eternal insta-love.
All in all, however, this book turned into a favorite for me. I loved the descriptions, the history, and the pacing. The action was fantastic, and I was ridiculously impressed at how Berry wrote in a school setting that I didn’t hate the guts of and in fact really enjoyed. For once, there was romance for the main character that wasn’t the driving force of the story, so I even forgave the insta-love a little bit. If you love shifter books, GET THIS NOW. Even if you don’t love shifter books and are looking for something new–like I was–I RECOMMEND IT. July 31st, folks, preorder now!
October 2, 2015
I immensely enjoyed this first book in Nina Berry's Otherkin series. The author's writing style makes for an easy and fast read and the story is interesting and the relationships within the story are complex and intriguing. Desdemona Gray is a tiger shifter who has lived her entire life believing she is a normal girl- even if normal includes having scoliosis which forces her to have to wear a back brace the majority of the time in order to prevent more damage to her spine. Imagine her surprise the first time she shifts and is then immediately tranquilizered by strangers and hauled off to a secret lab...I know!!! Scary, right? Well, luckily Dez is stronger than most people suspect. Once she wakes up to find herself in a cage, she fights back and gains her freedom...and also the freedom of a boy named Caleb who seems to have some other type of magic running through him. From this point the story takes off.
Dez's whole outlook on how the world works is changed after that night. She finds new friends in the form of other shifters that include a bear, an eagle, a rat, and a wolf. Of course the different shifter tribes normally never work together and just keep to themselves, but somehow these 5 teenagers find a way to bridge the gaps that have plagued the others in their tribes for thousands of years. This may end up being the one thing that will help them be triumphant against the force of the Tribunal-a scary and powerful organization with a main purpose of wiping out the shifters of the world. I hope ALL the shifters can overcome their differences so that their chances of survival will be greater.
I loved this book and the love story developing between Dez and Caleb...those 2 are just adorable together. I can't wait to read book 2!
Dez's whole outlook on how the world works is changed after that night. She finds new friends in the form of other shifters that include a bear, an eagle, a rat, and a wolf. Of course the different shifter tribes normally never work together and just keep to themselves, but somehow these 5 teenagers find a way to bridge the gaps that have plagued the others in their tribes for thousands of years. This may end up being the one thing that will help them be triumphant against the force of the Tribunal-a scary and powerful organization with a main purpose of wiping out the shifters of the world. I hope ALL the shifters can overcome their differences so that their chances of survival will be greater.
I loved this book and the love story developing between Dez and Caleb...those 2 are just adorable together. I can't wait to read book 2!
Read
July 26, 2022good first book, cant wait to read the 2nd one
July 14, 2012
*Genre* YA Paranormal
*Rating* 3.0
**Review**
As we meet 17-year old Desdemona (Dez) Grey, she is forced to wear a back brace 23 hours a day because she has a severe case of idiopathic scoliosis (curvature of the spine). The back brace is supposed to protect her spine from curving any further while she continues to grow.
Dez is rather tall for a girl and is painfully shy around boys. She also doesn’t have that many friends that she hangs around with. When someone touches her, she totally freaks out which leads to a fit of rage over the fact that she feels like a freak of nature. Upon taking off her brace, she shifts into a tiger and is immediately captured by a group known as the Tribunal who truly believes that shifters are the devils’ work.
When she wakes up in a steel cage, she finds a boy named Caleb who is not what he seems. It appears he is able to call out Dez’s shadow and allow her to shift into a tiger. After helping him escape captivity, Dez and Caleb eventually ends up at Morfael’s school for shifters where Dez learns more about her abilities and how to shift on call. Dez is also different from the other kids at the school in that she’s the only one of her kind left in existence.
Nina Berry introduces readers to a new sort of Shifters which includes wolves (Laurentia), large cats (Dez), bears (Siku), and birds of prey (Arnaldo). Oh, yes, there is even a cute little rat shifter by the name of November. The rest of the so called shifters, including Dez’s own parents, have been slowly eliminated by the Tribunal. The shifters are also their own worst enemy because they refuse to band together to fight back against the Tribunal.
Dez is an interesting enough character that I think readers will like and not want to toss rotten tomatoes at her. She is active in the fight against the Tribunal and not just a passive participant. She’s not a Mary Sue character that cries at the drop of a hat. She leads by example and jumps in with 4 paws. When the Tribunal comes after the shifter school, she helps band the rest of the kids together in an effort to fight them off.
Dez’s own past is neatly unwrapped up and exposed over the course of the story. Dez is fully aware of the fact that she is adopted yet she fully embraces and loves her adoptive mother Caroline Grey. Caroline is also a fixture in this story and not just a tertiary character like other YA novels where there parents are non-existent, or unaware of what goes on in their daughters life.
As for our boy Caleb, he is a bit of a mystery. He has a mysterious power that he is able to call shadows from behind the veil. He hasn’t exactly had a great time of it either with him losing his mother and finding out that his father is the devil himself disguised as one of the leaders of the Tribunal.
I am a hater of instant love attractions, thus the reason why I took off so many stars from my review. I think that relationships need to be built on trust, respect, and of course, love for the right reasons not just because it seems like the right thing to do at the time.
Otherkin is a cross blend of mystery, suspense and a thriller. Otherkin is set for release July 31, 2012 with Othermoon releasing February 2013.
Otherkin was kindly provided to me by Kensington Books in lieu of an honest opinion and review.
*Rating* 3.0
**Review**
As we meet 17-year old Desdemona (Dez) Grey, she is forced to wear a back brace 23 hours a day because she has a severe case of idiopathic scoliosis (curvature of the spine). The back brace is supposed to protect her spine from curving any further while she continues to grow.
Dez is rather tall for a girl and is painfully shy around boys. She also doesn’t have that many friends that she hangs around with. When someone touches her, she totally freaks out which leads to a fit of rage over the fact that she feels like a freak of nature. Upon taking off her brace, she shifts into a tiger and is immediately captured by a group known as the Tribunal who truly believes that shifters are the devils’ work.
When she wakes up in a steel cage, she finds a boy named Caleb who is not what he seems. It appears he is able to call out Dez’s shadow and allow her to shift into a tiger. After helping him escape captivity, Dez and Caleb eventually ends up at Morfael’s school for shifters where Dez learns more about her abilities and how to shift on call. Dez is also different from the other kids at the school in that she’s the only one of her kind left in existence.
Nina Berry introduces readers to a new sort of Shifters which includes wolves (Laurentia), large cats (Dez), bears (Siku), and birds of prey (Arnaldo). Oh, yes, there is even a cute little rat shifter by the name of November. The rest of the so called shifters, including Dez’s own parents, have been slowly eliminated by the Tribunal. The shifters are also their own worst enemy because they refuse to band together to fight back against the Tribunal.
Dez is an interesting enough character that I think readers will like and not want to toss rotten tomatoes at her. She is active in the fight against the Tribunal and not just a passive participant. She’s not a Mary Sue character that cries at the drop of a hat. She leads by example and jumps in with 4 paws. When the Tribunal comes after the shifter school, she helps band the rest of the kids together in an effort to fight them off.
Dez’s own past is neatly unwrapped up and exposed over the course of the story. Dez is fully aware of the fact that she is adopted yet she fully embraces and loves her adoptive mother Caroline Grey. Caroline is also a fixture in this story and not just a tertiary character like other YA novels where there parents are non-existent, or unaware of what goes on in their daughters life.
As for our boy Caleb, he is a bit of a mystery. He has a mysterious power that he is able to call shadows from behind the veil. He hasn’t exactly had a great time of it either with him losing his mother and finding out that his father is the devil himself disguised as one of the leaders of the Tribunal.
I am a hater of instant love attractions, thus the reason why I took off so many stars from my review. I think that relationships need to be built on trust, respect, and of course, love for the right reasons not just because it seems like the right thing to do at the time.
Otherkin is a cross blend of mystery, suspense and a thriller. Otherkin is set for release July 31, 2012 with Othermoon releasing February 2013.
Otherkin was kindly provided to me by Kensington Books in lieu of an honest opinion and review.
July 5, 2012
Dez has always thought she was a normal teenager - apart from the back brace she has to wear 23 hours per day thanks to her scoliosis - so the day she gets angry and transforms into a tiger comes as quite a shock! The next thing she knows someone is shooting through her bedroom window and she wakes up trapped in a cage. She manages to escape captivity with fellow prisoner Caleb and finds herself on the run from a group of people she never knew existed. Learning she is one of the Otherkin is a lot to take in and she has little choice but to trust Caleb when he tells her about a school where she can learn about her powers and be kept safe from the members of the Tribunal who want to kill her.
As soon as I saw the cover for Otherkin I had to read it - just take one look at that image and tell me it doesn't make you want to pick up the book! I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but I do it time and time again and luckily in this case my instincts were right. Nina Berry has created an interesting world with different kinds of shapeshifters, a world where two realities are layered on top of each other and the Otherkin are able to access the layer that most people can't see and use the shadow they find there to effect our world. I do still have some questions about exactly how the Othersphere works but I'm looking forward to learning more as the series continues.
The different shifters come from five different families - cats, wolves, bears, birds of prey and rats. All of the other species have died out and there are all sorts of conflicts between the remaining clans. Each group has very specific characteristics that don't always allow them to live in harmony together. It was believed that there were no tiger shifters left so when Dez turns up she comes as quite a surprise to the others and they aren't sure what to make of her. She was adopted as a baby and has no knowledge of her family history so this whole world is very new to her and there is a lot to understand. I did think that she accepted her very first transformation a little too easily but it was interesting to see her thrown in at the deep end and having to cope in an extremely high stress situation. She proves herself to be both strong and brave, especially when she refuses to leave without rescuing Caleb first.
I enjoyed meeting the different characters who were studying at the school and learning about the powers they all have. Along with the different kinds of shifters you also have Callers who have the ability to make things using the shadows from the Othersphere. There is distrust amongst the different shifters species but none of them trust the callers so this makes it easier for the Tribunal to pick them off one at a time. It is up to Dez to try and get the others to work together against a common enemy but that isn't going to be easy.
Otherkin is a great start to a new series and has left me excited to find out what happens next - I'll definitely be picking up a copy of Othermoon when it is published early next year. If you're looking for a YA urban fantasy with action, intrigue, a few surprising twists and the beginnings of a promising romance then look no further - Otherkin is just what you need.
As soon as I saw the cover for Otherkin I had to read it - just take one look at that image and tell me it doesn't make you want to pick up the book! I know you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but I do it time and time again and luckily in this case my instincts were right. Nina Berry has created an interesting world with different kinds of shapeshifters, a world where two realities are layered on top of each other and the Otherkin are able to access the layer that most people can't see and use the shadow they find there to effect our world. I do still have some questions about exactly how the Othersphere works but I'm looking forward to learning more as the series continues.
The different shifters come from five different families - cats, wolves, bears, birds of prey and rats. All of the other species have died out and there are all sorts of conflicts between the remaining clans. Each group has very specific characteristics that don't always allow them to live in harmony together. It was believed that there were no tiger shifters left so when Dez turns up she comes as quite a surprise to the others and they aren't sure what to make of her. She was adopted as a baby and has no knowledge of her family history so this whole world is very new to her and there is a lot to understand. I did think that she accepted her very first transformation a little too easily but it was interesting to see her thrown in at the deep end and having to cope in an extremely high stress situation. She proves herself to be both strong and brave, especially when she refuses to leave without rescuing Caleb first.
I enjoyed meeting the different characters who were studying at the school and learning about the powers they all have. Along with the different kinds of shifters you also have Callers who have the ability to make things using the shadows from the Othersphere. There is distrust amongst the different shifters species but none of them trust the callers so this makes it easier for the Tribunal to pick them off one at a time. It is up to Dez to try and get the others to work together against a common enemy but that isn't going to be easy.
Otherkin is a great start to a new series and has left me excited to find out what happens next - I'll definitely be picking up a copy of Othermoon when it is published early next year. If you're looking for a YA urban fantasy with action, intrigue, a few surprising twists and the beginnings of a promising romance then look no further - Otherkin is just what you need.
December 4, 2013
Otherkin starts out with Desdemona (Dez) feeling frustrated about herself. Being diagnosed with scoliosis, she has no choice but to wear a back brace twenty-three hours every day. At 16, she feels really awkward. As an adopted child, she feels she has to act in a self-controlled manner. She feels she has to show her respect when she’s around her mom. Because of her physical condition, She feels shy and self-conscious when she is around boys. She is afraid that boys would pity her or even reject her when they learn about her diagnosis. She doesn’t dare to get close to anyone. She doesn’t know how to embrace all of who she is. In her own way, she believes she is a freak even though she has always been a good girl. When a dance turns into an awkward moment of stiffness and embarrassment, Dez rushes back home, feeling agonized and defeated. She is angry at her physical awkwardness. She feels really fed up. With rage blazing through her, she roars and when she drops her hands to the ground, she notices she’s been transformed into a big, furry tiger. Bewildered, she hears a weird sound and then something stabs her, making her feel lethargic and weak. She becomes unconscious. When she wakes up, she finds herself inside a cage…
I don’t know about you, but I’m totally enthralled by the beginning of this story!
Even though Dez is a shape-shifter, she is an easily relatable character. I can understand why she has such a negative image about herself. I can understand her self-directed anger. I can understand her sense of insecurity. I can understand her wanting to find a place that she can truly feel she belongs. I can relate to her self-loathing. I can relate to her fantasy about boys. I can relate to her compassion, her wanting to be liked and loved. While she has to endure pain, agony, hardship and challenges, I love that she still believes in good. She still cares for the wellness of others. She still looks for ways to help not just herself, but those whom she cares.
I love Dez’s journey of self-exploration and discovery. Channeling desperation and anger can be self-destructive, but recognizing anger, fright, self-hatred and at the same time, making the option to connect with love and acceptance is definitely not an easy choice. And yet Dez gradually learns to let go of her negative emotions and embraces self-acceptance, and because of that, she frees herself from the ill-fated agony of her old self.
Otherkin is so much more than an entertaining story of a newbie shifter finding her path to master her skills as a shape-shifter. To me, this is a survival manual showing me what to do when conflicts arisen. This is a handy guide helping me to learn to embrace acceptance without running away or putting on a façade of aloofness and indifference. It is a beautifully-crafted illustration of how to build true friendship and honor diversity in a modern world that is technology-obsessed and terrorist-haunted.
I must say I’m totally amazed and blown away by the depth of insights being offered.
Thank you, Nina Berry! You are truly a masterful storyteller.
--
This review was originally posted on my blog.
I don’t know about you, but I’m totally enthralled by the beginning of this story!
Even though Dez is a shape-shifter, she is an easily relatable character. I can understand why she has such a negative image about herself. I can understand her self-directed anger. I can understand her sense of insecurity. I can understand her wanting to find a place that she can truly feel she belongs. I can relate to her self-loathing. I can relate to her fantasy about boys. I can relate to her compassion, her wanting to be liked and loved. While she has to endure pain, agony, hardship and challenges, I love that she still believes in good. She still cares for the wellness of others. She still looks for ways to help not just herself, but those whom she cares.
I love Dez’s journey of self-exploration and discovery. Channeling desperation and anger can be self-destructive, but recognizing anger, fright, self-hatred and at the same time, making the option to connect with love and acceptance is definitely not an easy choice. And yet Dez gradually learns to let go of her negative emotions and embraces self-acceptance, and because of that, she frees herself from the ill-fated agony of her old self.
Otherkin is so much more than an entertaining story of a newbie shifter finding her path to master her skills as a shape-shifter. To me, this is a survival manual showing me what to do when conflicts arisen. This is a handy guide helping me to learn to embrace acceptance without running away or putting on a façade of aloofness and indifference. It is a beautifully-crafted illustration of how to build true friendship and honor diversity in a modern world that is technology-obsessed and terrorist-haunted.
I must say I’m totally amazed and blown away by the depth of insights being offered.
Thank you, Nina Berry! You are truly a masterful storyteller.
--
This review was originally posted on my blog.
July 1, 2012
Real ratinf 3.5
For this review and more visit my blog
The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for review.
Let me just start by saying Otherkin is completely unrealistic, it is not believable at all…but not in that irritating, bang your head against brick wall kinda way. Otherkin is unbelievable in the comic book, action movie kind of way. It simply doesn’t matter that things like this would just never happen in real life because this book owns its unrealistic-ness and instead of annoying is just wildly entertaining. This book is not to be taken seriously, if you are looking for realistic fiction then run far away from here because you will be disappointed. It does not set out to be a life changer, it is meant to be fun and that is exactly what it is.
From beginning to the end Otherkin is non-stop action. It rarely dawdles or slows down so it managed to keep my interest all the way through. The characters were great especially Dez and Celeb. Right at the beginning of this book Dez comes across as dislikeable. DO NOT BE ALARMED, it lasts a few pages and then she is just awesome. She is cool, witty and funny. She is a fighter and has more sass then you can shake a stick at. In short she is the kind of female character I like.
Caleb is just really hot. He is the stand out character in this book (not just because in my head he happened to be drop dead gorgeous) he is funny, he gets all the best lines, he is charming, mysterious and did I mention that he is hot? He is also (in YA terms) fairly naughty and is in possession of an extremely dirty mind.
The interaction between Caleb and Dez is one of the books strong points. The banter between them is funny and witty, and the tension between them surges off the page. These kids are not just falling in love with one another; they are also falling in lust.
Some of the writing in this book is nice. What I loved was hearing Dez’s voice when she was in animal form. The descriptions of what it is like to be on four legs instead of two were well executed and not overdone.
This book does have its problems, like I said before it is unrealistic, it can also be a little bit to predictable and sometimes the scenes without Caleb dragged ever so slightly. For the most part I was able to ignore these things.
Otherkin is fast paced and action packed. It is fun and entertaining and doesn’t take itself seriously. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others.
For this review and more visit my blog
The publisher provided me with a free copy of this book in exchange for review.
Let me just start by saying Otherkin is completely unrealistic, it is not believable at all…but not in that irritating, bang your head against brick wall kinda way. Otherkin is unbelievable in the comic book, action movie kind of way. It simply doesn’t matter that things like this would just never happen in real life because this book owns its unrealistic-ness and instead of annoying is just wildly entertaining. This book is not to be taken seriously, if you are looking for realistic fiction then run far away from here because you will be disappointed. It does not set out to be a life changer, it is meant to be fun and that is exactly what it is.
From beginning to the end Otherkin is non-stop action. It rarely dawdles or slows down so it managed to keep my interest all the way through. The characters were great especially Dez and Celeb. Right at the beginning of this book Dez comes across as dislikeable. DO NOT BE ALARMED, it lasts a few pages and then she is just awesome. She is cool, witty and funny. She is a fighter and has more sass then you can shake a stick at. In short she is the kind of female character I like.
Caleb is just really hot. He is the stand out character in this book (not just because in my head he happened to be drop dead gorgeous) he is funny, he gets all the best lines, he is charming, mysterious and did I mention that he is hot? He is also (in YA terms) fairly naughty and is in possession of an extremely dirty mind.
The interaction between Caleb and Dez is one of the books strong points. The banter between them is funny and witty, and the tension between them surges off the page. These kids are not just falling in love with one another; they are also falling in lust.
Some of the writing in this book is nice. What I loved was hearing Dez’s voice when she was in animal form. The descriptions of what it is like to be on four legs instead of two were well executed and not overdone.
This book does have its problems, like I said before it is unrealistic, it can also be a little bit to predictable and sometimes the scenes without Caleb dragged ever so slightly. For the most part I was able to ignore these things.
Otherkin is fast paced and action packed. It is fun and entertaining and doesn’t take itself seriously. I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others.
December 6, 2019
Right off the bat, I felt something was off. The beginning was chock full of blatant exposition dumping from a character who was more of a device for the story than a person. The way the story progressed felt contrived and rushed, like with how the characters coincidentally being able to escape like it's nothing, making the enemy look utterly incompetent. I just can't take the Tribunal seriously when they are so easily outmaneuvered, the unnamed members are so pointless their deaths apparently aren't setbacks to the organisation. Seriously, these Tribunal people are just the enemy for the sake of being the enemy in the plot! Then the character interactions. Sometimes they're passable, but other times they are horrible. Examples include the whole ridiculous argument between the 5 tribe leaders or whatever, the conversations between the oh so evil leader of the Tribunal and our good guys. This whole read was full of cliches, mediocrity, and ridiculousness. Perhaps reading this immediately after finishing the Pagan Jones books has skewed my perception, still Otherkin is a terrible disappointment and a huge drop in quality from the amazing characters, setting and story in Pagan Jones.
September 4, 2012
3.5 stars I liked a lot of things about this one. Review to come.
April 20, 2020
Not one of my favorites but I want to see where the story goes.
July 1, 2014
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: This novel has potential but with a storyline that hops all over the place and characters that I couldn’t quite connect with just made this novel a “meh” read.
Opening Sentence: “Freak.”
The Review:
Otherkin is the set up to a new series by Nina Berry that involves full moons, parallel worlds, Shadow magic, warring animal-shifter groups and a girl with terrible scoliosis. Desdemona has just had the worst day of all for a teenager. The hottest guy in school asked her out but then he touched her back brace. Now that he knows that Dez is a freak he surely won’t want to date Dez now. Dez takes all her anger and frustration out on her back brace and in the process transforms into a huge tiger. But before she can process her new situation she is tranquilized. Dez comes to in a lab and finds that she isn’t alone. A boy named Caleb is also locked in a cage.
Caleb knows that Dez is a tiger and together they break out of the lab. Dez wants answers and she is immediately told about the magical world around her and the terrible people that hunt her kind down. Dez tries to go back to a normal life but when her family is attacked she must leave to learn more about herself and to save her family.
Caleb takes Dez out to the desert to a hidden school for shifters. The school houses one shifter of each tribe, hawk, bear, cat, wolf, and rat. Except this school has no cats and Dez is the last of the tigers, long since thought to have died out. The school doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms. The tribunal’s first vote is to kill her but ultimately killing Dez is voted against.
Dez is of the “can’t we all just get along” mind but the other shifters have fought for so long that they don’t want to listen to her advice. The other students begin to gravitate towards Dez and they do begin to team up and work together but for how long?
Otherkin does read like a TV show. I did see that the writer has written for some well-known TV shows, so each chapter could almost be their own little episodes in a series. Although, because of this I really wasn’t sure where this story was going. I did feel that the storyline was all over the place and even a little predictable.
I really hope the next book in this series explains the magic/Shadow system in more depth. I had a hard time figuring out the magic system and parallel worlds.
Dez is a special girl who never knew about her heritage. She was adopted at a young age from Russia. She comes off as this meek and mild girl but she has no problem voicing her opinion. She is obviously going to be some kind of savior for the animal races and the worlds, bringing everything and everyone together. She is even more special than just turning into a tiger.
Otherkin was an okay read for me. I couldn’t totally get into Dez. She was an okay character that still kind of seemed like a mystery. Caleb was another problem. I really enjoyed him when he first showed up. I loved his description but then his mysteriousness didn’t intrigue me, it was more of what kind of skeevy thing is he hiding.
Overall, this series has some potential. I liked parts of it and was kind of wishy-washy about other parts. I really want to know more about the magical world. I think if Dez, Caleb and the magic hadn’t still been left with quite a bit of mystery, I may have enjoyed this novel more.
Notable Scene:
Caleb winced, and the pitch of his call wavered. The eagle cried out again, a blood-freezing scream so strong i could almost see it slicing into Caleb’s resonance, like a knife through a smothering blanket.
The hum ceased. Caleb staggered back, his skin ashen. His eyes widened, glowing with gold shot through the black irises. His face went blank as he stared right at me with a look I didn’t recognize. His legs buckled beneath him.
I was on my feet, moving toward him. As if in slow motion, he fell. All my anger at him fled as I got my arms around him in time to keep the back of his head from striking a rock.
His black eyes were spiraled with gold. It almost made me dizzy to look into them.
“The lost one,” he said, staring at me in awed horror.
“Is her okay?” November was at my side. London approached hesitantly, and Arnoldo flew in to land heavily beside her.
Caleb stared around at all of us, as if he’d never seen us before. “Vermin. Lupine. Raptor,” he said, his voice raw. “Beware. She is not one of you.”
FTC Advisory: Kensington provided me with a copy of Otherkin. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: This novel has potential but with a storyline that hops all over the place and characters that I couldn’t quite connect with just made this novel a “meh” read.
Opening Sentence: “Freak.”
The Review:
Otherkin is the set up to a new series by Nina Berry that involves full moons, parallel worlds, Shadow magic, warring animal-shifter groups and a girl with terrible scoliosis. Desdemona has just had the worst day of all for a teenager. The hottest guy in school asked her out but then he touched her back brace. Now that he knows that Dez is a freak he surely won’t want to date Dez now. Dez takes all her anger and frustration out on her back brace and in the process transforms into a huge tiger. But before she can process her new situation she is tranquilized. Dez comes to in a lab and finds that she isn’t alone. A boy named Caleb is also locked in a cage.
Caleb knows that Dez is a tiger and together they break out of the lab. Dez wants answers and she is immediately told about the magical world around her and the terrible people that hunt her kind down. Dez tries to go back to a normal life but when her family is attacked she must leave to learn more about herself and to save her family.
Caleb takes Dez out to the desert to a hidden school for shifters. The school houses one shifter of each tribe, hawk, bear, cat, wolf, and rat. Except this school has no cats and Dez is the last of the tigers, long since thought to have died out. The school doesn’t exactly welcome her with open arms. The tribunal’s first vote is to kill her but ultimately killing Dez is voted against.
Dez is of the “can’t we all just get along” mind but the other shifters have fought for so long that they don’t want to listen to her advice. The other students begin to gravitate towards Dez and they do begin to team up and work together but for how long?
Otherkin does read like a TV show. I did see that the writer has written for some well-known TV shows, so each chapter could almost be their own little episodes in a series. Although, because of this I really wasn’t sure where this story was going. I did feel that the storyline was all over the place and even a little predictable.
I really hope the next book in this series explains the magic/Shadow system in more depth. I had a hard time figuring out the magic system and parallel worlds.
Dez is a special girl who never knew about her heritage. She was adopted at a young age from Russia. She comes off as this meek and mild girl but she has no problem voicing her opinion. She is obviously going to be some kind of savior for the animal races and the worlds, bringing everything and everyone together. She is even more special than just turning into a tiger.
Otherkin was an okay read for me. I couldn’t totally get into Dez. She was an okay character that still kind of seemed like a mystery. Caleb was another problem. I really enjoyed him when he first showed up. I loved his description but then his mysteriousness didn’t intrigue me, it was more of what kind of skeevy thing is he hiding.
Overall, this series has some potential. I liked parts of it and was kind of wishy-washy about other parts. I really want to know more about the magical world. I think if Dez, Caleb and the magic hadn’t still been left with quite a bit of mystery, I may have enjoyed this novel more.
Notable Scene:
Caleb winced, and the pitch of his call wavered. The eagle cried out again, a blood-freezing scream so strong i could almost see it slicing into Caleb’s resonance, like a knife through a smothering blanket.
The hum ceased. Caleb staggered back, his skin ashen. His eyes widened, glowing with gold shot through the black irises. His face went blank as he stared right at me with a look I didn’t recognize. His legs buckled beneath him.
I was on my feet, moving toward him. As if in slow motion, he fell. All my anger at him fled as I got my arms around him in time to keep the back of his head from striking a rock.
His black eyes were spiraled with gold. It almost made me dizzy to look into them.
“The lost one,” he said, staring at me in awed horror.
“Is her okay?” November was at my side. London approached hesitantly, and Arnoldo flew in to land heavily beside her.
Caleb stared around at all of us, as if he’d never seen us before. “Vermin. Lupine. Raptor,” he said, his voice raw. “Beware. She is not one of you.”
FTC Advisory: Kensington provided me with a copy of Otherkin. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
July 20, 2012
Full Review at: www.readtomyhearts.blogspot.com
Okay so everyone knows I love covers and if they are very special I just have to comment on them. And this cover is pretty darn amazing, huh?
I love the tiger in the background, as it seems that the tiger is a part of the girl, patiently awaiting for her. The girl herself looks like a tiger with the red hair, hidden in the grass, getting ready to pounce. I love this cover!
But with that being said, this cover is more provocative than what I think a young adult novel would be. This cover is definitely pushing the limits on this one for just being a young adult novel.
This story just jumps into the action. We find Dez, our heroine, very upset because a boy she likes touched her back brace. She becomes extremely angry, ripping off the brace, and then she suddenly shifts into a tiger.
Could you imagine what Dez was going through? She never knew she was any different than the other kids but she just bam! shifts into a tiger! The action really picks up from there and Dez is kidnapped by a religious order intent on the destruction of shifters.
We get just enough of the background to have some idea of what is going on, but we are kept in the dark just as Dez is. This is interesting because we find out things the same as Dez does which makes you feel like you are going through this roller coaster ride with her. That endeared her to me.
Another thing I loved about Dez is she isn't perfect. She has to wear a back brace to keep her spine straight and this makes her so much more likable. It made her more real to me.
And Dez does grow as a character, even though I think she has a pretty good head on her shoulder to start with, realizing and coming to term with what she is.
Caleb is different. I liked him but I didn't fall in love with him. But he is loyal to those who deserve it.
We meet a lot of characters in this story and I have to admit I really did like the teen shifters. I really liked November, London and Arnaldo. I think you will too but I don't want to give away their animal forms.
Another thing I liked about this book was how we got a look into their actions and minds while they were in their animal forms. These teens at the camp have to shift a lot to get used to it and do obstacle courses while in form. I just really liked how they communicated without human voices with each other.
Overall, Otherkin is a shifter story that has a little bit of romance in it but doesn't over do it with too much lovey dovey stuff. I liked the plot, but I would have liked a little more understanding on more of what the shadows were and how they reacted. I am hoping we get more of this in book 2.
Okay so everyone knows I love covers and if they are very special I just have to comment on them. And this cover is pretty darn amazing, huh?
I love the tiger in the background, as it seems that the tiger is a part of the girl, patiently awaiting for her. The girl herself looks like a tiger with the red hair, hidden in the grass, getting ready to pounce. I love this cover!
But with that being said, this cover is more provocative than what I think a young adult novel would be. This cover is definitely pushing the limits on this one for just being a young adult novel.
This story just jumps into the action. We find Dez, our heroine, very upset because a boy she likes touched her back brace. She becomes extremely angry, ripping off the brace, and then she suddenly shifts into a tiger.
Could you imagine what Dez was going through? She never knew she was any different than the other kids but she just bam! shifts into a tiger! The action really picks up from there and Dez is kidnapped by a religious order intent on the destruction of shifters.
We get just enough of the background to have some idea of what is going on, but we are kept in the dark just as Dez is. This is interesting because we find out things the same as Dez does which makes you feel like you are going through this roller coaster ride with her. That endeared her to me.
Another thing I loved about Dez is she isn't perfect. She has to wear a back brace to keep her spine straight and this makes her so much more likable. It made her more real to me.
And Dez does grow as a character, even though I think she has a pretty good head on her shoulder to start with, realizing and coming to term with what she is.
Caleb is different. I liked him but I didn't fall in love with him. But he is loyal to those who deserve it.
We meet a lot of characters in this story and I have to admit I really did like the teen shifters. I really liked November, London and Arnaldo. I think you will too but I don't want to give away their animal forms.
Another thing I liked about this book was how we got a look into their actions and minds while they were in their animal forms. These teens at the camp have to shift a lot to get used to it and do obstacle courses while in form. I just really liked how they communicated without human voices with each other.
Overall, Otherkin is a shifter story that has a little bit of romance in it but doesn't over do it with too much lovey dovey stuff. I liked the plot, but I would have liked a little more understanding on more of what the shadows were and how they reacted. I am hoping we get more of this in book 2.
August 30, 2012
Otherkin is about a teenage girl, Dez, who is kidnapped at the beginning of the story by a group called The Tribunal. The tribunal are the catalyst for Dez discovering she is a shifter. I was pleased she turned into a tiger as wolves are getting a bit boring. There is a wolf shifter, London [actually named Laurentia instead of the usual Lauren, but she’s still got the Lauren chip on her shoulder. Are there any books with nice girls named Lauren someone could recommend me? Do those exist?]
Dez’ never shifted before she was kidnapped but lived a normal life with her adopted mother and a scoliosis problem. She had a nice little back-story [haha scoliosis was her back-story] that involved her being adopted from Siberia to Moscow. Dez' as a tiger was gorgeous.
The tribunal plan is to rid the world of shifters by sending them back to the other world. The mythology in this novel was interesting. The tribunal, the callers [Caleb her love interest is a caller] and the shifters all have part of another world in them. The tribunal leader’s daughter is a healer. This was by far the most intriguing part of the novel. They have a theory that when a healer cures a person their other version gets sick instead. The shifters share with animals so there wouldn’t be an Evil!AgentCooper laughing about how Annie is [Twin Peaks] but the normal people cured might have other people on that side of the world? I hope that more on is covered on dopplegangers in the next book. I’d like to see an evil doppelganger of Dez’ mother.
The whole concept of shadows is intriguing or how it enables the Tribunal to use it to force people against their will.
I did not get invested in the burgeoning love between Caleb and Dez. It felt a little been there done that but, it did not detract from the book either.
This book had a lot going for it despite the ending being a bit over-stuffed in some areas and rushed in other aspects.
I couldn’t stop quoting the Hangover since Dez is a tiger.
“There’s a jungle cat in the bathroom!”
“Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon.”
I got this from the librarything Early Reviewers program.
Dez’ never shifted before she was kidnapped but lived a normal life with her adopted mother and a scoliosis problem. She had a nice little back-story [haha scoliosis was her back-story] that involved her being adopted from Siberia to Moscow. Dez' as a tiger was gorgeous.
The tribunal plan is to rid the world of shifters by sending them back to the other world. The mythology in this novel was interesting. The tribunal, the callers [Caleb her love interest is a caller] and the shifters all have part of another world in them. The tribunal leader’s daughter is a healer. This was by far the most intriguing part of the novel. They have a theory that when a healer cures a person their other version gets sick instead. The shifters share with animals so there wouldn’t be an Evil!AgentCooper laughing about how Annie is [Twin Peaks] but the normal people cured might have other people on that side of the world? I hope that more on is covered on dopplegangers in the next book. I’d like to see an evil doppelganger of Dez’ mother.
The whole concept of shadows is intriguing or how it enables the Tribunal to use it to force people against their will.
I did not get invested in the burgeoning love between Caleb and Dez. It felt a little been there done that but, it did not detract from the book either.
This book had a lot going for it despite the ending being a bit over-stuffed in some areas and rushed in other aspects.
I couldn’t stop quoting the Hangover since Dez is a tiger.
“There’s a jungle cat in the bathroom!”
“Tigers love pepper. They hate cinnamon.”
I got this from the librarything Early Reviewers program.
September 4, 2015
When secrets lie just beyond a veil of shadow magic and shifters exist alongside the callers of shadows, it is guaranteed that I will be hooked. And I was. There is never a dull moment in this fascinatingly fresh and a whirlwind of a book called Otherkin.
Dez's life is defined by her back brace so she adjusts to it despite the frustration it brings. But it's been two years and Dez is bound to snap and boy, snap she did! Before Dez knew what was happening, she was looking at a tiger in her bedroom mirror who winced when she did. It unfortunately gave a green signal for her to get drugged, shot and then caged.
There she meets Caleb in the neighbouring cage and they both end up escaping the wrath of the Tribunal. But it's really just the beginning because the Tribunal's sole purpose is to eliminate the remaining otherkin: bears, cats, birds of prey, rats and wolves. Hell be damned if these five shifters tribes ever unite to fight the Tribunal!
But Dez knows that the life as she has known is over when the Tribunal attacks again. Her last option is to go to a shifter school in a secret location with Caleb. With a family on the run, Dez has no choice but to at least learn how to shift into her animal form and back at will.
Through it all, Dez remains a strong and independent character who seems to be always battling with her body; first with the back brace then as a shifter. It really emphasizes her human and the animal form and gives her the courage she needs. I admire her will. Caleb is a pretty mysterious character but he is also charming and have the etiquettes of a gentleman. Their chemistry is hot!
The secondary characters from Ximon, the Tribunal head to Morfael, the mysterious teacher to the other shifters: November, London, Arnaldo, and Siku blends well in the world of shifters. The shifter school turns out to be an adventure for Dez and with Caleb becoming distant, Dez really has no way to gain confidence than to embrace what she is. What is Caleb hiding and why is Morfael becoming more secretive every day?
The concept of otherkin is so thrilling, it's like a whole new world. Just like the tagline says, "On the edge of our world lies the shadow of another..." Some of the description in the book took me by surprise with such vivid detail especially that of Morfael's cabin that I was awestruck. Nina Berry has written a fantastic debut that I ended up wanting more; it's that good!
Dez's life is defined by her back brace so she adjusts to it despite the frustration it brings. But it's been two years and Dez is bound to snap and boy, snap she did! Before Dez knew what was happening, she was looking at a tiger in her bedroom mirror who winced when she did. It unfortunately gave a green signal for her to get drugged, shot and then caged.
There she meets Caleb in the neighbouring cage and they both end up escaping the wrath of the Tribunal. But it's really just the beginning because the Tribunal's sole purpose is to eliminate the remaining otherkin: bears, cats, birds of prey, rats and wolves. Hell be damned if these five shifters tribes ever unite to fight the Tribunal!
But Dez knows that the life as she has known is over when the Tribunal attacks again. Her last option is to go to a shifter school in a secret location with Caleb. With a family on the run, Dez has no choice but to at least learn how to shift into her animal form and back at will.
Through it all, Dez remains a strong and independent character who seems to be always battling with her body; first with the back brace then as a shifter. It really emphasizes her human and the animal form and gives her the courage she needs. I admire her will. Caleb is a pretty mysterious character but he is also charming and have the etiquettes of a gentleman. Their chemistry is hot!
The secondary characters from Ximon, the Tribunal head to Morfael, the mysterious teacher to the other shifters: November, London, Arnaldo, and Siku blends well in the world of shifters. The shifter school turns out to be an adventure for Dez and with Caleb becoming distant, Dez really has no way to gain confidence than to embrace what she is. What is Caleb hiding and why is Morfael becoming more secretive every day?
The concept of otherkin is so thrilling, it's like a whole new world. Just like the tagline says, "On the edge of our world lies the shadow of another..." Some of the description in the book took me by surprise with such vivid detail especially that of Morfael's cabin that I was awestruck. Nina Berry has written a fantastic debut that I ended up wanting more; it's that good!
August 24, 2012
I thought Otherkin was an amazing start to a new series. The idea behind the book is awesome, and the main character Dez was such a great, strong heroine.
Dez is a girl who has had to wear a back brace most of her life, and has let it hold her back from doing a lot of different things, such as liking cute boys. She lives with her adopted parents. One day, she ends up shifting into a tiger and when she wakes up, she finds herself imprisoned in a cage next to a really cute boy, Caleb. She soon finds out that she’s a part of one of five groups of shifters, or Otherkin. Along with Caleb, she manages to escape the compound and they go on the run.
The plot was also full of nonstop action. The different car chases and fights were amazingly well written and really tense. I loved all of the different things going on. When Caleb and Dez go to stay at a camp with other different shifters, it was really interesting. I really liked all the other shifters, especially Rosemary- a friend Dez ends up making.
The romance was great. I thought Otherkin had the perfect amount of romance in it, and it definitely didn’t overwhelm the rest of the plot. I loved Caleb and thought he and Dez were perfect for each other. Caleb was a really strong, kind person and I really admired who he was after all he had to go through.
Dez was a really great person. She inspired and tried to help everyone work together. She also was an overall really good person. However, she still has different insecurities. Especially with having to deal with a back brace for most of her life, she feels like it had held her back for so long. Over time, she definitely tries to come to terms with the fact that the back brace doesn’t define who she was or is. I thought the contrast of a tiger to herself, as a person, was really striking throughout the book. I loved how she developed so much as a character by the end of the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters and plot behind this book were amazing! I’d give this book four out of five flowers and I really look forward to reading the sequel to Otherkin, Othermoon. I’d highly recommend Otherkin!
Review also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com
Dez is a girl who has had to wear a back brace most of her life, and has let it hold her back from doing a lot of different things, such as liking cute boys. She lives with her adopted parents. One day, she ends up shifting into a tiger and when she wakes up, she finds herself imprisoned in a cage next to a really cute boy, Caleb. She soon finds out that she’s a part of one of five groups of shifters, or Otherkin. Along with Caleb, she manages to escape the compound and they go on the run.
The plot was also full of nonstop action. The different car chases and fights were amazingly well written and really tense. I loved all of the different things going on. When Caleb and Dez go to stay at a camp with other different shifters, it was really interesting. I really liked all the other shifters, especially Rosemary- a friend Dez ends up making.
The romance was great. I thought Otherkin had the perfect amount of romance in it, and it definitely didn’t overwhelm the rest of the plot. I loved Caleb and thought he and Dez were perfect for each other. Caleb was a really strong, kind person and I really admired who he was after all he had to go through.
Dez was a really great person. She inspired and tried to help everyone work together. She also was an overall really good person. However, she still has different insecurities. Especially with having to deal with a back brace for most of her life, she feels like it had held her back for so long. Over time, she definitely tries to come to terms with the fact that the back brace doesn’t define who she was or is. I thought the contrast of a tiger to herself, as a person, was really striking throughout the book. I loved how she developed so much as a character by the end of the book.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The characters and plot behind this book were amazing! I’d give this book four out of five flowers and I really look forward to reading the sequel to Otherkin, Othermoon. I’d highly recommend Otherkin!
Review also posted at http://www.thebookbelles.blogspot.com
February 10, 2013
Potential potential. Potential.
Otherkin is chock freaking full of it. It sounds like an awesome story, and it would be, if not for the pacing. Everything happens immediately . The H and h get to together, the other shifters who've spent centuries as enemies all become friends, ( koombaya!) and the final battle scene all come way to quickly, and maybe it was just me, but that last fight scene....it was way too easy. And seriously unbelievable...you get through the whole book, and it's like, that's it? That's the big bad battle scene? Can you say disappointing? That's pretty much how I felt through the whole book though, there's no tension, no nail biting, edge of your seat, omg wth's going to happen, next moments, because there's no time for any to develop, an issue comes p, bam, a couple pages later it's solved! And so much is left unexplained, or glossed over! There's quite a bit I wish we'd gotten insight on.
And the characters...a little too naive. I rolled my eyes a lot. I did like that the H wasn't afraid to admit the heroine was better then him at some stuff, and let her lead...but, and maybe it's because we don't ever get his point of view, altogether he was sort of a pansy. Sort of expected/ hoped for more.
Oh and there's a few things that don't make sense...like going into battle with your cohorts, and amidst the battling, taking a time out to explain the situation,
That you let said cohorts walk right into without knowing...or automatically believing the word of the bad guy even though you know he's the bad guy and has no reason not to lie to you.
So 2.5 stars, yay for the potential, but boo on the follow through. The second book just came out, but I'm still on the fence on whether or not I'll give it a go.
Otherkin is chock freaking full of it. It sounds like an awesome story, and it would be, if not for the pacing. Everything happens immediately . The H and h get to together, the other shifters who've spent centuries as enemies all become friends, ( koombaya!) and the final battle scene all come way to quickly, and maybe it was just me, but that last fight scene....it was way too easy. And seriously unbelievable...you get through the whole book, and it's like, that's it? That's the big bad battle scene? Can you say disappointing? That's pretty much how I felt through the whole book though, there's no tension, no nail biting, edge of your seat, omg wth's going to happen, next moments, because there's no time for any to develop, an issue comes p, bam, a couple pages later it's solved! And so much is left unexplained, or glossed over! There's quite a bit I wish we'd gotten insight on.
And the characters...a little too naive. I rolled my eyes a lot. I did like that the H wasn't afraid to admit the heroine was better then him at some stuff, and let her lead...but, and maybe it's because we don't ever get his point of view, altogether he was sort of a pansy. Sort of expected/ hoped for more.
Oh and there's a few things that don't make sense...like going into battle with your cohorts, and amidst the battling, taking a time out to explain the situation,
That you let said cohorts walk right into without knowing...or automatically believing the word of the bad guy even though you know he's the bad guy and has no reason not to lie to you.
So 2.5 stars, yay for the potential, but boo on the follow through. The second book just came out, but I'm still on the fence on whether or not I'll give it a go.
August 26, 2013
I wasn´t expecting to be reading this book anytime soon. I participated on the Goodreads giveaway and I had no idea that I had won a copy until I saw it on my mail box. Which was a total surprise for me! First of all, let me say that this book has an incredible cover, it looks amazing and catches you right away. I was very curious about it and I started to read it the day I got it. First, I loved the idea of human beings that can shift into animals. I always lived for animals and everything related to animals, so I was in love with the whole concept of the Otherkin people. I really wish I could shift and become an animal. I think the author explained what the Otherkin are in a very understandable way. I liked Dez, I think the author created a very strong character. Dez is insecure about her body and about boys because of her health problem. However, she is a very strong person and, through the book, she becomes more aware of that fact about herself. I enjoyed the relationship she established with Caleb (I love this name!), very tumultuous and intense. In general, I liked the story and the world created by the author. I don't give the book five stars because, at some point, I felt that the story stopped a little and that there wasn´t many story development. I congratulate the author for such a creative story and I thank her for giving me the opportunity to read it. I'll be waiting for a chance to read the next book!
September 3, 2012
(This review was originally published on helenesworldofbooks.blogspot.com)
When I requested this title on NetGalley I really thought it would be amazing. And that's always a difficult place to start, because the chance it will be disappointing is bigger. And I'm sad to say it did disappoint. I doubted how many stars I would give it for a long time, but I just can't give it more than 2.5 stars. I started with 2, so it ended up being a little better.
The idea behind the story is great. Dez discovers she's not the normal girl she always thought. She's a shapeshifter, an Otherkin, and she belongs to the rare tigers. To get herself and her adopted family safe she travels to a special school where she gets proper training. But the story just didn't live up to this idea. I'm still not sure what it is that set me off. One thing was the writing style, which wasn't very good. It didn't grab me.
Without the cliches in the story it would have been a lot better. Normal girl finds power, discovers she's even more special, loses power in critical moment and finds it back in an even more critical moment. There are so many stories that are alike, that it really needs something special to stand out. And for me that something special missed.
When I requested this title on NetGalley I really thought it would be amazing. And that's always a difficult place to start, because the chance it will be disappointing is bigger. And I'm sad to say it did disappoint. I doubted how many stars I would give it for a long time, but I just can't give it more than 2.5 stars. I started with 2, so it ended up being a little better.
The idea behind the story is great. Dez discovers she's not the normal girl she always thought. She's a shapeshifter, an Otherkin, and she belongs to the rare tigers. To get herself and her adopted family safe she travels to a special school where she gets proper training. But the story just didn't live up to this idea. I'm still not sure what it is that set me off. One thing was the writing style, which wasn't very good. It didn't grab me.
Without the cliches in the story it would have been a lot better. Normal girl finds power, discovers she's even more special, loses power in critical moment and finds it back in an even more critical moment. There are so many stories that are alike, that it really needs something special to stand out. And for me that something special missed.
August 23, 2019
I finished this book a week ago, and overall it was pretty dry and lifeless. It was quite lacking in emotions, believability, and relativity, even for a fantasy book. Quality of writing was excellent with good descriptive writing and sentence construction. The story was pretty boring, but the characters were well developed. The writing quality was the only thing that kept me reading. I would not read it again.
Specific ratings:
Storyline/plot-- 3 stars
Characters-- 4 stars
Writing quality-- 5 stars
Re-readability-- 1 star
Specific ratings:
Storyline/plot-- 3 stars
Characters-- 4 stars
Writing quality-- 5 stars
Re-readability-- 1 star
June 17, 2022
I found this book in a small post office of a small town, so it was a lucky find.
This book kept me from dying of boredom throughout the empty parts of my holiday. Though I saw a bit more potential in the story, I was still pleased and really enjoyed the read. I don't really find this book that memorable, so I don't think I can see myself reading the rest of the series (also I can't even find the rest of the series 😣 ) but I did enjoy it :)
This book kept me from dying of boredom throughout the empty parts of my holiday. Though I saw a bit more potential in the story, I was still pleased and really enjoyed the read. I don't really find this book that memorable, so I don't think I can see myself reading the rest of the series (also I can't even find the rest of the series 😣 ) but I did enjoy it :)
April 19, 2024
Loved reading this book again, the world was so good and so were these characters and I need to reread more now!
*First Read August 24th, 2012*
Great book, unique, and really good, and can't wait to read the next book, because this one was really, really good! Can't wait to find out more about this world and where Dez came from, and those details, that'd be really, really good!
*First Read August 24th, 2012*
Great book, unique, and really good, and can't wait to read the next book, because this one was really, really good! Can't wait to find out more about this world and where Dez came from, and those details, that'd be really, really good!
October 13, 2012
This book was amazing. There was never a dull moment. There is a romance, but not the bad kind where that is the only thing that is in it.There is always something interesting happening whether it is training or even battle. I couldn't put it down.
November 21, 2017
Very different from anything I've read before. That storyline kept me reading.
Want to read
June 26, 2012NEEEEEDDDD
August 3, 2012
Fast paced, brilliant world, easy to love characters. This book was a huge hit for me!
September 4, 2017
Dez is a normal girl who is very shy and is somewhat embarrassed... because she wears a back brace and has worn it for the last 3 years. No one but her parents and best friend Ivy knows about it. But when a boy asks her to prom and tries to show her how to dance, only to accidentally touch her back brace, Dez goes home and begins to panic. Now someone knows about her brace and she will be made fun ot.
The more and more Dez thinks about this, the angrier she gets. Until she gets so angry that she turns into a tiger.
A bit extreme, right?
Dez has no idea that she is a shifter, and can shift from human to a tiger. She was adopted when she was a baby and has no information about her birth parents.
When she wakes up in a cage next to another boy in a different cage, Dez starts to get some answers about a world she never knew existed. But a world that she is thrust into the middle of it since a group of people want to kill all of the shifters.
Now Dez has to leave the only life she has ever known and learn how to be a shifter with a bunch of strangers. The more she is around the different animal shifters (bear, wolf, rat, eagle) the more she learns about the life she could have had if she had lived with her birth parents.
But the group who kidnapped her when she first shifted is still out there, and they are hunting her down. Dez needs to figure out how to control her tiger before it is too late.
I adore books about shifting into an animal. I'm not sure why, just the idea that I would be able to shift into another form and be a ferocious animal if I needed to just sounds awesome!! So when I saw all three of these books were available at the library, I had to check them out and see what it was all about.
And I really enjoyed this story. There was a lot of background story that had to be told, so it was a bit boring during those times, but for the most part I really loved the storyline and how all of the characters were so suspicious during the entire novel - which I don't blame them. And I loved the action scenes where everyone was transforming from human to animal and fighting their way to freedom.
Dez took being a tiger very well, I must admit. Even though I said I would love to change into an animal, it would definitely freak me out. But after the initial reaction, Dez was pretty chill about the whole thing, all things considered.
The romance between her and Caleb was too forced in my opinion. Plus I really hated Caleb when he was keeping all of those secrets and that made him less attractive to me. I'm hoping in the second book their might be another live interest to make Caleb realize how great Dez is and to have him fight for her, because he was definitely wishy washy with his feelings for my liking.
I love all of the other shifters - November is a chatty little rat, but very loyal. London is very serious, but she is a wolf so I can see that. Siku has such a great personality since he is a giant bear and I love the thing between him and November. And Arnaldo is a sneaky little eagle, who I will definitely be keeping my eye on.
So far I'm really liking this book and I hope more good things happen in the next book!
The more and more Dez thinks about this, the angrier she gets. Until she gets so angry that she turns into a tiger.
A bit extreme, right?
Dez has no idea that she is a shifter, and can shift from human to a tiger. She was adopted when she was a baby and has no information about her birth parents.
When she wakes up in a cage next to another boy in a different cage, Dez starts to get some answers about a world she never knew existed. But a world that she is thrust into the middle of it since a group of people want to kill all of the shifters.
Now Dez has to leave the only life she has ever known and learn how to be a shifter with a bunch of strangers. The more she is around the different animal shifters (bear, wolf, rat, eagle) the more she learns about the life she could have had if she had lived with her birth parents.
But the group who kidnapped her when she first shifted is still out there, and they are hunting her down. Dez needs to figure out how to control her tiger before it is too late.
I adore books about shifting into an animal. I'm not sure why, just the idea that I would be able to shift into another form and be a ferocious animal if I needed to just sounds awesome!! So when I saw all three of these books were available at the library, I had to check them out and see what it was all about.
And I really enjoyed this story. There was a lot of background story that had to be told, so it was a bit boring during those times, but for the most part I really loved the storyline and how all of the characters were so suspicious during the entire novel - which I don't blame them. And I loved the action scenes where everyone was transforming from human to animal and fighting their way to freedom.
Dez took being a tiger very well, I must admit. Even though I said I would love to change into an animal, it would definitely freak me out. But after the initial reaction, Dez was pretty chill about the whole thing, all things considered.
The romance between her and Caleb was too forced in my opinion. Plus I really hated Caleb when he was keeping all of those secrets and that made him less attractive to me. I'm hoping in the second book their might be another live interest to make Caleb realize how great Dez is and to have him fight for her, because he was definitely wishy washy with his feelings for my liking.
I love all of the other shifters - November is a chatty little rat, but very loyal. London is very serious, but she is a wolf so I can see that. Siku has such a great personality since he is a giant bear and I love the thing between him and November. And Arnaldo is a sneaky little eagle, who I will definitely be keeping my eye on.
So far I'm really liking this book and I hope more good things happen in the next book!
October 20, 2017
This is a wonderful story about a girl who looses her cool and transforms into a tiger. If that doesn’t catch your attention, then maybe this will: she goes to a school similar to that of the xmen only these teenagers just shift into animals, they don’t have other abilities. Each comes from families of shifters of that animal, and each has their own unique power-as well as their own unique names. We’ve got November, Saki, Morfael, and normal names like Caleb. The ultimate badguy is a man named Ximon. Simon, but with an X at the front instead of an S. Weird, but it stands out as a name.
The plot moves at a brisk pace, I loved all the characters, and everyone had interesting back stories. I really liked how the book read, though I hated the obvious cliffhanger at the end. Obvious, because while the main character manages to make it through everything okay, it still leaves things wide open for a second book.
I’m not sure I’ll continue the series. While I enjoyed this book as a means of something different, I also felt like it could’ve been so much more than it was. I can’t explain why I felt that way, only that it read similarly to other books I’ve read regarding shifters before. I do like the writing style, and the atmosphere that this book gives when reading, and it was a perfect Halloween read as well. Not spooky, but full of supernatural beings that felt realistic.
Overall, I’ll give this a three and a half out of five star rating. Good enough to check out from the library, nice enough to own a physical copy at some point, but not something that I’ll be actively searching for.
The plot moves at a brisk pace, I loved all the characters, and everyone had interesting back stories. I really liked how the book read, though I hated the obvious cliffhanger at the end. Obvious, because while the main character manages to make it through everything okay, it still leaves things wide open for a second book.
I’m not sure I’ll continue the series. While I enjoyed this book as a means of something different, I also felt like it could’ve been so much more than it was. I can’t explain why I felt that way, only that it read similarly to other books I’ve read regarding shifters before. I do like the writing style, and the atmosphere that this book gives when reading, and it was a perfect Halloween read as well. Not spooky, but full of supernatural beings that felt realistic.
Overall, I’ll give this a three and a half out of five star rating. Good enough to check out from the library, nice enough to own a physical copy at some point, but not something that I’ll be actively searching for.
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