Bibliophilia, Please: Blog Tour (Review & Giveaway): Otherkin by Nina Berry

Title: Otherkin (Otherkin #1)
Author: Nina Berry
Publisher: KTeen (Kensington)
Blog Tour Organizer: Book Nerd Tours
Release Date: July 31, 2012
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 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.

My Review

In Otherkin by Nina Berry, I have come across a protagonist that related too far more quickly than normal and who is entirely realistic. You know, despite being a shapeshifter. There is also lots of action from the beginning, that is well-paced. The handling of the paranormal is also of a completely different breed.

Desdemona "Dez" Grey has a condition that I myself was diagnosed with in my younger days (though not nearly as extreme of a case) that I've rarely - if ever seen in literature: scoliosis. One of my very good friends did, in fact, have as extreme of a case as Dez and had to wear a back brace also. Believe me when I tell you that Dez's reaction to her crush touching her brace was spot on, and the way she felt about it, in general, is portrayed perfectly aligned with how teenagers I know felt.

"Oh." He relaxed, easing his hands on the wheel. "You assumed he’d reject you, so you pulled away first."
"What else would he do? I mean, look!" I made a fist and knocked on my stomach the way you rap on a door. "Boys don’t want to literally knock first before you let them in."

I'll admit that Otherkin would be just an "okay" book, but the realness of the characters, not just Dez, made me invest in the story.

I am not one for infodumps, but the world of Otherkin is shown to readers in a way that is not obnoxious at all. Dez was raised in the dark of her "otherkin" heritage, so we get to learn everything right along with her. It's an utterly fascinating place (our world, different rules) where magic is basically from shadows cast by a world that is leaned against our own. (I don't think it's parallel except in a geometrical sense.) The handling and history of shifters is unique, as well. I can't wait to read more about the tribes as I read further into the series.

The pace of Otherkin was one of the best things about the novel. As I said before, the action began almost immediately, and there was always something going on. The transition from scene to scene was never choppy and moved along quickly enough that the tension that frustrates me so much never had time to build. (This is a good thing, trust me.) The story never stagnated because it moved so fast, but I wasn't left confused much. There were a few twsity bits, but nothing that I didn't see coming (for the most part).

Otherkin is a great read for the young adult audience and fans of urban fantasy alike. I can't wait to make time to read Othermoon, and I'll definitely be sharing this with my ladies at the library.

Buy Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Other Books in the Series

Othermoon (Otherkin #2)
by Nina Berry
January 29, 2013
Don't be afraid of the dark side...

Everyone has secrets. I had no idea mine would lead me into shadow.

Dez has found the place where she belongs. With the otherkin. With Caleb. Or so she thought.

As the barriers between our world and Othersphere fall, a wall rises between Dez and Caleb, leaving her fiercest enemy her only friend.

And maybe something more.

Now Dez must make a devastating choice: keep the love of her life, or save the otherkin from annihilation.

Othersphere (Otherkin #3)
by Nina Berry
December 31, 2013
Dez thought she knew who her mother was, who she was. Thought she had friends, a boy who loved her, and a school where she finally fit in.

But across the veil linking our world and the next lurks a monster which can annihilate. . .or liberate her. Now she must confront it there with help from one boy who loves her and one who can't stand the sight of her.

Dez thought she understood her tiger form, her deepest self. But in this treacherous place, she'll have to choose between the two halves of her soul--and determine which world survives.

Othersphere is the third and final installment in Nina Berry's acclaimed young adult Otherkin series, which blends romance, fantasy, and action in a powerful story of friendship and self-acceptance.

About the Author

Nina Berry is the author of the acclaimed YA paranormal OTHERKIN series from KTeen and the upcoming historical thriller PAGAN JONES series from Harlequin Teen. She grew up bodysurfing in Hawaii, learned to throw snowballs at the University of Chicago, and now lives and works in Hollywood, pretending to lead the glamorous life.

When she’s not traveling, reading or tweeting links to save the tiger, she writes all kinds of things, some of which might surprise you.

Nina blogs at ninaberry.com, and you can follow her on Twitter @Ninaberry or hang out with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/writerninaberry.

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