Otherkin

Otherkin by Nina Berry
ARC received by Kensington Teen via LibraryThing Early Reviewers
ON SHELVES NOW
Reviewed by: Middle Sis Jenn
The Sisters Say: A tantalizing world full of danger and desire

Thank you to Kensington Teen and Library Thing Early Reviewers for this ARC!
When I was getting ready to read this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. Most of the books that I’ve read about shifters were okay—not bad enough to put aside but not good enough to elicit a memory in my mental “Read” shelf. BUT, Otherkin caught my attention from Chapter 1.

I loved that this book started with a bang. I didn’t have to go through chapter after chapter of character building before getting to the good stuff. Instead, the character building was done alongside the action—the best kind of plot in my opinion. In the first few pages, Desdemona shifts into a tiger and is drugged and kidnapped by The Tribunal, a secret society bent on eliminating all shifters from this world.

You like how I say “this” world—not our world? That was one of my favorite parts of the book. Once Dez wakes up, she finds herself in a cage. In the cage next to her is a boy—Caleb. After escaping and rescuing Caleb, Dez is introduced to the “one world that lies closest to our own.” (Pg. 25) Caleb explains that there are many worlds—each lying right next to the other. I really enjoyed how Nina explained this part—how each world affects the other.
It was intriguing and opened up my sense of wonder about what really lies in our universe. The world next to ours, the Othersphere, is made of shadow—a shadow full of power that can be transferred to our world. And that is when things get really good! Nina continues to build each of these worlds as the story continues, and they each become more and more fascinating as new things are revealed.

So…let’s get to the character you are all wondering about! Caleb…resident hottie and caller of shadow (the other world). He’s full of power and charm, and he will automatically catch your attention. But you can tell that he is also full of secrets. I really love books where you just don’t know who you can trust—and this is one of those books. Your loyalty to Caleb will waver, but you still won’t be able to help but fall for him. And just wait until his secret is uncovered…

Nina was not afraid to shy away from sexual tension. This book was full of it—and there are a couple scenes of nakedness. Yes, I said nakedness. However, I do wish there would have been more instances of Nina and Caleb seizing that sexual tension in an all out passion-filled kiss. But, the book was short on that type of yummy romance. Hopefully, there will be more in the next one.

Overall, I found this book captivating, and I will definitely be looking forward to the sequel. There were some times when the action slowed down, but it was not so slow to lose my interest. Nina built these worlds very well, and I can’t wait to see more of the shadow world—and Caleb, of course.

So, I will leave you with my favorite quote from the book (this is Caleb talking to Dez):
“Did you know that once you save somebody’s life, their yours forever?”

With shifters and shadow callers, Otherkin is set in a fantastic hidden world. With the shadow world touching the normal one, certain people pull power from it. It was great to see such an awesome world.