Shapeshifter. That is what this book is about.Dez is a girl with scoliosis. She wears a brace to prevent her spine from moving to a worse curvature. But that isn't the point of this lovely tale. The shape-shifting concept in the leading plot of Otherkin. The shapeshifters, the Otherkin (I don't mean the book title; I mean the people), are able to shift into a certain creature. Dez's special form is a tiger, along with a house cat (which is really cute). Other Otherkins are able to shift into eagles, rat, bear, and yes, wolves. (Just don't call the wolves werewolves. They will hate you for that).Otherkin is a book with unusual concepts and a familiar plot. Another world, like a shadow world, exists side by side with this world (our world). That is somewhat unusual. But shapeshifters? Now that is a very familiar story. Shall I name a few? Kelly (with two 'e's? I can't remember) Armstrong and her books are certainly a good example. Sophie Jordan, Cassandra Clare (although her book displays shapeshifters as secondary characters), and a few other ones. Anyway, Otherkin is a good book, but it isn't unique (a book that really stands out among others, I mean).I'm going to continue on, deeper into this story.The plot goes by fairly quickly. We jump right into the first shift and land into a cage with Dez. Unsurprisingly, Dez has no idea of what is truly at works. Then we somehow go from one place to another. Thankfully, it is really easy to follow along.Are there any ugly parts? Of course, there are some.Caleb, for one example, is pretty ugly. Yes, he's handsome, but that isn't what I mean. He is sort of ugh...in a way that you can't help but despise him. I don't know what he did, but there is something about him that turns everything off instead of on. Maybe it is his personality and his refusal to tell the truth. That can really turn things off, right?Last words: None.Rating: Three out of Five (Caleb)-ofpaperandwords.blogspot.com 'Otherkin' is a fantastic start to what promises to be an amazing YA fantasy/paranormal series. I haven't read any shifter books in quite awhile, so I was really interested when I picked these up for review. Let me tell you - I was NOT disappointed! This book went far beyond any hopes or expectations I may have had for it. The characters were well formed with distinct personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. I loved the main character of Dez. She's down to earth, smart, and a girl who doesn't get into trouble - she's realistic. We definitely get to see her character grow throughout the book as she begins to change into her "real" self and as she learns who - and what - she really is. I absolutely loved the background and history of the Otherkin. I wanted to know as much about them as I could, and I'm really hoping the author shares more of it in the next book. The plot was intriguing with a solid backstory and tons of action, adventure, fantasy and even some romance mixed in. There's something for every genre fan in this book, which really makes it appeal to a wide audience. The writing was incredible with a natural but fast pace and vivid details that made me feel like I was experiencing everything right alongside Dez. Definitely highly recommended for fans of the genre as well as those who want something fresh and different.Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
