Every Other Day

I came into Every Other Day expecting an angsty teen paranormal with dramatic love scenes and gloomy prose. Instead, I got a breezy urban fantasy with upbeat narration and a shameless case of instalove. That certainly wasn’t what I was expecting, but I’ll take it.

This book started off fairly strong, and I was immediately hooked into the narrative by Kali’s cheeky tone of voice. As far as narrating protagonists go, I thought Kali was down to earth, had an engaging personality, and interacted realistically with her peers. I wouldn’t say she was particularly well-rounded, though. In general, I think the characters Jennifer Lynn Barnes portrayed in this book lacked depth.

The setting presented in Every Other Day was interesting and unique, though I think maybe it lacked a bit of explanation. Similarly to Gail Carriger’s Parasol Protectorate series, humans and paranormal creatures live side by side under a somewhat uneasy truce with specific government involvement. Beyond that, though, Barnes left more questions unanswered than I would have liked.

But on to the meat of the story, which can be described in a single sentence: Kali has a chupacabra inside her named Zev.
If that isn’t an attention-grabbing (and sketchy) conflict, I don’t know what is.

So, because of Kali’s every-other-day condition, she’s on a bit of a time crunch to get said chupacabra out of her body before it kills her. Together with a some newly-acquired friends from school, Kali goes off to save her own life, encounters quite a few paranormal creatures, and uncovers a group of scientists with suspicious motives.

But then it turns out that Kali and Zev are soulmates, they’re destined to be together, they have a unique connection, yadda yadda. Nine times out of ten, soulmate status is really just code for “BOOM, instalove.” I mean, if two characters have some sort of supernatural bond, who cares about forming a lasting relationship or getting to know each other? Trivial stuff, really. Quite pointless.

Other than the regrettable instalove, I did enjoy the ending. Barnes left Every Other Day open-ended and subject to interpretation. Those are always my favorite kind of final scenes, especially in a standalone that has no sequels planned. That way it’s like I’m merely experiencing a slice of the characters’ lives; I personally think it keeps things interesting.
Though Every Other Day was far from being perfect, I found it to be a fun, fast-paced urban fantasy. Jennifer Lynn Barnes probably could have fixed a lot of the issues I found here, but as is, I think this is still a good book.

Every Other Day is an amazing paranormal book that I definitely recommend. It tells the story of Kali. Every other day, she's a normal teenage human girl (stress on the human). But all those days in between... she's not human. She is a hunter. She hunts paranormal creatures. Zombies, hellhounds. You name it, she's probably killed it.

She lives in our world, but a long time into the future. It is 200 years after someone discovered that paranormal creatures existed. Ever since then, they have been an unstoppable force, preying on humans. Well, unstoppable to everyone except Kali. No one knows why they didn't attack when people didn't know about them.

On those days when she's not human, she has an undeniable instinct to hunt, trap and kill supernatural creatures. But one day, she sees a mark on the lower back of a classmate. This mark means that a chupacabra has burrowed under her skin and will soon consume her. Kali wants to help, but there just one tiny problem. It's the wrong day. She is human, and powerless.

Kali is a great protagonist. She is a kick-butt heroine, and she can take care of herself. She doesn't need anyone.

There was no obsessive romance through this book. There was only like a tiny kiss at the very end, and then the guy disappeared for eighteen months.

I was a little confused to why Skylar (a perky optimistic seer) and her brothers knew so much about the supernatural side of the world. I understood Kali, because she killed these things, and Bethany, because her father involved himself in it, but Skylar?

This is a really great book that I recommend to paranormalcy fans who want a break from the obsessive romance that seems to be a given in so many of those books. And, even though it may seem like a girl book, I also recommend it to boys, as long as they have no problem with reading from a girls' perspective. Don't worry about it being too slow. There is a lot of action scenes and killing things.

Every Other Day is about Kali. She is a normal teenage girl on some days, but something else on every other day. She is a hunter, lethal to the teeth with weapons and powers. She is the hunter who hunts the hunters. The deadly, the endangered and the poisonous. But then she spots a deadly marking on one of her fellow students, something she can do about on every other day, but its the wrong day.

I must say I was confused about how everyone knew about the monsters like the zombies and the marking on Bethany. I understand about how Bethany knows because her father works for the company that deals with this sort of thing, but how did Skylar and her brothers know about the monsters? Skyar's brothers knew a lot about the creatures that run around the streets, and I was confused on how that was so. Also, did the rest of the world know about the creatures? This issue was never really solved through the book.

I must say this was a good book because it contained no obsessive romance between the main characters. Kali only exchanged a tiny kiss with this one guy who then disappeared for eighteen months. Most paranormal books ALWAYS have romance, that sometimes go a bit to far, because the characters are still very young, like the Mortal Instruments and such.

I recommend Every Other Day to anyone who loves a good female hero who doesn't heavily rely on their male counterpart. This book is for readers who want a break from paranormal romance but still want the paranormal theme inside there still.

Go read this book. Seriously, you don't know what your missing. My whole perspective on the world of supernaturals has changed now. Before, most of the books in this genre were all about romance! This one is different. Sure, it has a little, but it's mostly about Kali discovering things about herself that she needed to discover.

ISBN: 9781606842676
Publisher: Egmont
Pages: 336

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .She's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

I received Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes from Egmont for review via Netgalley, which I thoroughly enjoyed reading! My favourite characters were Kali and Skylar. I instantly warmed to Skylar because of her optimism. Kali was one of my favourite characters because of her determination and independence throughout all that she faced. Every Other Day was a mixture of X-Men, Jana Oliver’s Demon Trappers series and Kelley Armstrong’s Stolen. I loved reading about the supernatural creatures, especially the zombies! I really like the cover of Every Other Day! It’s rich, dark colours coupled with the egg timer, portray the mood of the book perfectly.

And here we have yet another badass heroine, Kali, plus a whole new action-packed (Why do publishers and people always use "action-packed" to describe a book?) story that doesn't slow down. It's straight-forward, and doesn't stop to let you catch your breath. It was good; pulling readers through the entire book but letting us wind down a bit definitely would've helped.

A major problem I have with Every Other Day was the fact that there wasn't enough information that built around the story. I'd love to know more about Kali's other hunting ventures, or even her life before puberty/the-change-that-made-her-want-to-hunt-down-and-kill-things. Besides, we know next to nothing about Zev and his life. Yes, the ending implied that they ended up together but not together at the same time. Like they're together but not official. But nothing's worse than dating a stranger.

Dear Jennifer Lynn Barnes,
So according to Kali Zev is absolutely yummy and is somewhat nice for giving her advice and stuff, but for him to really appeal to the general female population, a bit more info about him would do good.

I wouldn't describe the characters as flat, but they didn't make me want to sympathize for them because they weren't real to me. The emotions in the characters were a bit forced. The only character I bonded with wasn't even Kali. It was Sydney. Sydney was bold, with her own brand of humour. She could be easily described as eccentric, but I think she's the only one in the story who seemed natural and down-to-earth. Kali was strong - I thought she was a good protagonist - but very very detached without much of a reason.

I loved the different supernatural creatures. Don't get me wrong, I'm alright with the clichés (vamps, werewolves), if not for the bodily-fluid-slurping and changing-into-wolf thing, but griffins and kelpies deserve to be recognized, too. Yes, it's much easier to write about clichés because they can be recognized as somewhat human, whereas it's very difficult to write from a winged-lion's point of view simply because they're animals. But even sticking them into the story, taking them out from the attic would be like a burst of fresh air.

I have to admit that it'd make me like the story much more if a bit more time spent on the details would be amazing, I think that Jennifer Lynn Barnes did a wonderful job on Every Other Day, with Kali's odd power among other things. I'd recommend it as a casual read.

An interesting premise with a strong heroine combine for a fast-paced, entertaining read. But blunt dialogue and choppy paragraphs create an unwelcome distraction that takes away from an otherwise enjoyable read.

It took me a few chapters to get used to Barnes' writing style. The dialogue is very blunt and straight-forward, as if each character says exactly what they're thinking without any type of filter. Though refreshing, it created quite a jarring experience to have a character say exactly what they mean, without then commenting on how what they said wasn't the whole truth, or having the rest of their thoughts to sort through. It's direct and gets straight to the point, without much filler. This made it hard for me to connect to any of the characters, as emotionally, they came across quite flat. So while I enjoyed watching Kali struggle with what she is, what it would mean to care about someone and what her future had in store, I never truly cared if she found the answers she was looking for.

That being said, Kali is a great heroine to read about. She's physically tough as nails (on the days she's not human) but she's also emotionally strong. Having just uncovered the horrifyingly disturbing secrets to her past, Kali takes a minute to digest the information, and moves on with her plans - she comments on wanting to curl up into a ball of hurt, but she's stronger then that and she doesn't let it leave her a sobbing mess on the floor. She has a bit of a heroine complex, and feels the need to save everyone - even if it might mean sacrificing herself. I couldn't understand her relationship with her father - he was just too oblivious (convenient absentee parent syndrome?) - and I wish we had seen more of her relationship with her mother; it would have better explained some things that happened near the end.

I adored Skylar in all of her eccentricities. She was quirky and super observant (though her special ability might have played a hand in that!) and her obnoxiousness was endearing. Luckily I half-guessed about her role in the plot, otherwise I would have been devastated. Her back-and-forth banter with Bethany was hilarious, and she gave off the annoyingly-adorable younger sister vibe. Bethany is a character I'm still on the fence about. She came off as a selfish popular girl at first, but quickly showed that it was all an act. From her backstory I got some understanding about the walls she puts up to keep others at arms length, but I never really understood her (or her motivations) as I had a hard time connecting to her. And lastly, Zev. I'm still not sure what Zev is to Kali, but I get the feeling that he's going to be a possible love interest. His presence throughout the book is scattered and random, and his connection to Kali is one I still don't understand. Other then what he is, I couldn't tell you a thing about Zev, and I haven't decided if his mysteriousness is intriguing or annoying. I do know that all the conversations he had with Kali should have been to better prepare her or to provide her with information, rather then to warn her against doing something dangerous - it got to be quite tedious to have him show up only to warn her against something she already had her mind made up about.

The world building was interesting, but poorly done. I'm so confused about how the preternaturals came into being, why humans would ever let them roam free in the middle of a populated area, and why a society that can believe in hellhounds or basilisks can't believe in psychics or vampires. And it might just be me, but I almost got the feeling that everyone was happy to live in ignorance of these preternaturals' and the threat they imposed on the general public's safety. It didn't help that most of the explanation for preternaturals came from an info-dump towards the end of the book. That being said, I did enjoy the scientific approach to the paranormal, citing Darwin as the person responsible for their discovery, and the amount of preternaturals that Kali came into contact with were as numerous as they were varied.

While I found Every Other Day to be a refreshing and entertaining spin on the slightly over-done world of the paranormal, it wasn't without its flaws. The fluff-less dialogue, emotionally-flat characters and poor world building left me with too many unanswered questions in a world I couldn't envision, with characters I (mostly) didn't care about.

What a fun paranormal romp this was! Paranormal has been a bit overdone recently, although, to be honest, I still love it (when it's done creatively). Barnes has taken the paranormal craze and given it an alternative history twist, which I think is pretty fantastic. In this world, Darwin discovered a hydra when he went sailing on the Beagle, which let the paranormal cat out of the proverbial bag. All of this is humorously similar to the beginning of the divergence in Leviathan.

Kali is awesome. For one thing, she's one tough chick. Despite being rather closed off, she's not a total jerk to everyone either. She has a sense of humor and does the best she knows how to with the cards she's been dealt. Plus, she's part Indian. It's nice having heroines that come from different cultures.

Every Other Day would probably be a good book for boys too, if you could get them to look past the fact that it sounds like a chick book. The book is primarily composed of action scenes. Many hell hounds and zombies are slaughtered within its pages. As I mentioned, Kali's hardcore.

Plus, there's not really any romance. This is the point that separates the book from the bulk of YA fare aimed at girls, especially when it's paranormal. Although there is some suggested romance, nothing happens. I appreciated that, because I don't think there was anyone who worked for her just yet. Besides, it's nice to see a book step out of the standard formula and dare to be different.

The ending totally left a sequel a possibility, although I don't know that one is intended. It would be probably have to be targeted more to adults, but I, for one, would love to get more of Kali's story. Think about it, Jennifer Lynn Barnes!

Originally posted on my book blog.

I had a hard time starting this book – for the first 100 pages, I kept picking it up and then putting it back down. You were just shown various seemingly unconnected events without any explanations whatsoever. I am SO glad I picked it back up though! Once I had slugged through the beginning, the rest was an amazing, captivating read!

Characters: I think the best part of Every Other Day was the characters. They are REALLY well-portrayed and it is impossible not to love them, especially when you learn more about their backgrounds. For most of the book, Kali is shown as a protective martyr and it is interesting to see her transformation for a hostile, loner to a more open, caring person.

Plot: There is so much mystery and suspense – about the chupacabra, Bethany’s father, her own mother, Zev and the unnatural supernatural creatures and the way it all weaves together to create a gripping story. Even if you had hated the book all that time, it is impossible to deny that the showdown in the end will make you jump and down with excitement – it’s a gigantic BAM! Fortunately, there’s no romance to spoil the fun although I have no doubt it will be added in the sequel.

Setting: It isn’t just an awesome paranormal world, it’s an awesome alternate world where Darwin discovered, not evolution, but supernatural creatures. Here, demons, vampires, zombies and dragons are common knowledge and are protected by the government as “endangered species”.

Disclaimer: I do not hold responsibility if this book makes you distraught, you crash into something jumping and down with excitement or if you miss your appointment reading this ;)

Get ready for an action and mystery-filled book.

Every Other Day centres on Kali D’Angelo, a teenage girl who grown up to be a demon hunter. Well, not exactly a demon hunter every day. For every other day, she’s just normal, and every twenty four hours, she’s an efficient, deadly demon hunter. But her life takes a turn when she saves a girl, marked for death. She races against time to save herself and her friends before she turns back into her human self… and discover some answers to her own situation.

Dang it! I can’t stop thinking about this book! It’s amazingly good, and I have been graced to read this book in advance (a special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for making this possible). It has the most important aspects of an urban-fantasy novel: kick-ass scenes, witty remarks, heartbreaking situations, and a mystery so deep you have to finish the book before you get the answer. Barnes did an excellent job on conceiving a brand new, original fantasy novel.

The characters were so cool and detailed, they were believable. Their lines were witty and funny, I so love them. I especially love Skylar, because she’s not the typical best friend you see around. Skylar is both psychic and thoughtful; she knows how to deal with her friends and how to support them. Kali was also great, though she spends her time alone for the most part of the book. Barnes expanded the definition of paranormal in this book. She cites creatures that were once popular, like the Chupacabra or the Hellhounds. Not to mention, Philippines’ own mythical monster, the Alan. Reading the book is so exciting, exhilarating, and thrilling; it’s like watching an Action/Thriller film, plus a little bit of gore. But what kept me up was the mystery. It lingers on my skin, as I dig deep on the book to find the secret to Kali’s condition.

There wasn’t a part I didn’t like, and it’s rich in details, fast-paced, and very thrilling. It has a bit of romance, though it was pushed back to pave way for more action and mystery. It’s what I really love about this book. Barnes focused on action and mystery of the book, not a common formula for bestselling books. I sure hope that readers would really find this book very amazing.

I highly recommend this to all booklovers, book bloggers, and to those who are hyped with thrilling books.