This book was a Goodreads giveaway win

“Otherkin” by, Nina Berry

Desdemona Grey is an average teenage girl with a couple not so average issues. Dez’s first issue is that she has to wear a backbrace to keep her spine from curving as she grows. (Sucks especially for a teenage girl) Dez’s second issue is that she can shift into a huge tiger. (This would be an issue for anyone) The backbrace is something that Dez has lived with for years but the tiger shifting comes as quite a shock to her. After an embarrassing moment with a boy at a school dance, Dez runs home very upset. She is in her room and is doing her best to tear apart her brace when out of nowhere she starts to shift. If that wasn’t bad enough, in the middle of her shift she is tranquilized and kidnapped from her home. Dez wakes to find herself locked in a small cage and she’s not alone. In a cage next to her sits a boy about her age named Caleb. With a little luck, Dez is able to escape with Caleb and find her way to a special school for shifters. (That’s where the real adventure begins)

I found “Otherkin” to be a quick read that kept my interest easily enough. The action starts very early in the story which is good especially for a teen read, but I was bothered by a few things.

 I found it a little hard to believe that any teenager would deal with the reality that they are a shifter as well as Dez did. I also felt that the relationship between Dez and Caleb moved way too fast from strangers to “Love”. That being said, I do allow for the fact that the circumstances are extraordinary and feelings are magnified when in life or death situations.

I really enjoyed the other shifters that are introduced in this book. We have London the wolf shifter, November the rat shifter, Siku the bear shifter, and Arnaldo the eagle shifter. I thought the personalities were fun and all the characters have lots of room for growth. Even though the romance between Dez and Caleb moved fast I did enjoy the sweet moments and hope to see the relationship deepen in the next book.

I found the magic element in this book interesting and I like the idea of the Othersphere. With the evil Tribunal, the shifters, the callers, and the shadows hidden in everyday objects “Otherkin” is a fun start to a new teen series. I will happily pick up the next book “Othermoon” coming out February 2013.

Nina Berry's Site