Othermoon

January 15, 2013
Readers who've been desperate to learn what happens next to teen shape-shifter Desdemona Grey and her band of Otherkin (2012) will find plenty to enjoy in the action-packed sequel. Fans of the series and new readers alike will find themselves anxiously turning pages as Dez risks everything to prevent a crazed cult leader from carrying out a plan to annihilate shifters once and for all. An unlikely ally emerges to help but in so doing drives a wedge between Dez and the other shifters and pushes her relationship with Caleb to the brink. As if facing extinction and a broken heart weren't bad enough, Dez is also forced to confront new information about her past. Though she is more confident than ever in her feline form, questions about who she truly is and where she belongs shake her to the core and threaten someone she loves dearly. On the surface, this appears to be a novel meant to satisfy ravenous paranormal-fantasy fans looking for an exciting read with a hearty order of romance on the side. While it certainly fills the bill, there's depth here that shouldn't be overlooked. Dez wrestles with real-life issues about identity and belonging, about trust and loyalty, and about friendship and love that will resonate with teen readers across genres. More substantial and satisfying than it looks. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

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June 1, 2013

Gr 9 Up-This sequel to Otherkin (Kensington, 2012) opens with Desdemona living with her family in their new home near Las Vegas. The pace quickly picks up as tiger shape-shifter Dez and her fellow shifters meet up to rescue one of their classmates from his abusive father. Simultaneously, Dez is being pursued by her boyfriend's evil brother, who wants her help with escaping from and rebelling against the Tribunal. The teens all head back to school for more training, undergoing team-building exercises, all while Dez hides the truth from her friends. Trust issues come to the surface and friendships are tested when the students are faced with their biggest challenge yet-they discover that the Tribunal is building a particle accelerator that can ultimately take away their shifting powers. It will be even more difficult for Dez to face the Tribunal when she and Caleb break up. Readers might become annoyed with the constant focus on Dez, who is always the leader and the one with secret powers to solve the situation, making all the other characters seem flat. The esoteric vocabulary of the world Berry has created, combined with the random, futuristic science-experiment plot and the unnatural dialogue, might lose readers as well. That said, fans of the first book will be clamoring for this title and will be eager to get their paws on the final book in the trilogy. Plus, tiger fans will enjoy going "beyond the story" at the end of the novel and learning some facts and proverbs about the great cat.-Lindsay Klemas, JM Rapport School for Career Development, Bronx, NY

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