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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brava!, June 17, 2008
Fern McAllister and her twin brother, Sam, could not be more different. She has dark hair, he has blonde. He has lots of friends, she has not a single person to call her friend. But that is okay. Fern has always known she is different from everyone else. For example, Fern can talk to her dog and predict the weather. Recently Fern has had to start wearing sunglasses as she and Sam walk to their school, St. Gregory's. Sunlight has begun to hurt her eyes and skin. While sitting in class one day, Fern disappears into thin air and finds herself on the beach at Pirate's Cove. This is the beginning of the end for Fern's "normal" world.
Fern has another older brother, Eddie, and a single mother, Mary Lou. Her mom is fair, but tough. Often the siblings call their mother "The Commander", behind her back of course. It does not take long for her family to believe Fern and Sam about her newest powers. Other than teleportation, which gives her a huge headache, Fern's hearing has become extremely sharp. But even Fern has no idea about some other unique abilities she has developed. Fern is surprised when Lindsey Lin, a very popular student who is also the Student Body President for the middle grades, suddenly becomes her best friend. Lindsey has a secret life too and recognizes the changes happening to Fern. But Lindsey is not sure if Fern is a Rollin (good) or a Blout (bad).
Secret organizations come forth and explain that Fern has been under surveillance her entire life. They claim that they have only Fern's best interests at heart, but do they really? They claim that the leader of the Blouts, Vlad, is hunting Fern so he can kill her, but is Vlad really bad? It is ultimately up to Fern and Sam to figure it all out.
**** I cannot tell any more without major spoilers and I refuse to do that. This looks to be the first of a series about eleven special kids with supernatural powers. There is a whole secret race with powers living among the normal humans, but these eleven have more, according to a prophesy. I loved every minute reading this book and can hardly wait for the second in the series. Will it continue with Fern, have totally new characters, or introduce new characters along with Fern? We will have to wait and see. BRAVA!
Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Courtesy of Teens Read Too, June 20, 2008
Twelve-year-old Fern McAllister is the black sheep of her family, set apart by pale skin that blisters after moments in the sun and dark black hair in a family of blondes. Her strange sensitivity to light, and seeming ability to communicate with the family dog, are secondary concerns to the kids at her middle school who tease her for having an absent father. Despite gaining herself the nickname "freaky Fern," she leads a generally happy life, thanks to her mother's caring and her twin
brother Sam's friendship.
But one day in the middle of English, Fern simply disappears. No one can find her; no one has seen her leave the room, much less her desk. Unbeknownst to her classmates, Fern has somehow managed to teleport to Pirate Cove, her favorite part of a nearby beach. Frightened and unsure of how she got there, Fern tries to tell the truth, but her mother isn't believing it and neither is the school's headmaster. The next time she vanishes and reappears, it is to a much more dangerous location, and by then it's impossible for Fern to keep her activities under wraps. It's only after a series of dangerous accidents that Fern discovers the truth of her identity and the full extent of her powers as an "otherworldly," the politically correct term for any creature that is not entirely human.
Kogler does a wonderful job of detailing the average twelve-year-old's insecurities and the way that they are magnified in Fern, who is anything but average. She presents a compelling picture of what it's like to grow up different in a world where schoolchildren are cruel and ostracize people who don't fit in. I found Fern, Sam, and their mother to all be very sympathetic and believable characters, whose motivations were easy to accept.
I also enjoyed Kogler's conception of the titular "otherworldlies," which made this book refreshingly different from other vampire stories I have read. Her use of Greek myths as the starting point for a number of inhuman creatures and supernatural powers put a new spin on the traditional vampire myths.
Overall, THE OTHERWORLDLIES was a satisfying read, with a plot that asked more questions than it answered but still managed to come to some kind of conclusion. Kogler's left herself open for a sequel, perhaps even an entire series, about Fern's future, and I for one look forward to whatever she comes up with next.
Reviewed by: Candace Cunard
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Unique and Incredible Story, July 1, 2008
Fern is an unusual girl, and in middle school, that's just not acceptable. Every day, she has to deal with others' spite over her strange qualities and habits such as blistering from sun exposure, a knack for accurate weather prediction, hearing voices without bodies, and talking with her dog. But what she doesn't know is that she isn't normal; she's a vampire, or an Otherworldy. And among those, she's one of the most special, because her unique ability to teleport distinguishes her as one of the foretold Unusual Eleven. Fern soon finds herself in the midst of an ages-old battle between the two factions of Otherworldies that could destroy her, the people she loves, and possibly the entire world.
The Otherworldies was a fantastic and action-filled combination of vampirism, ancient mythology, and supernatural powers; it was incredible how Kogler linked the three together even though they may seem to be unrelated. The plot was very fast moving and kept me on the edge of my seat, especially as the story neared its ending. I loved how this story kept me guessing right up until the end and how some of the characters I thought were insignificant turned out to be crucial to the plot. You really have no idea what's going to happen next. Besides having a well-written plot, The Otherworldies also has creative characters. My favorite was Fern; I found her to be much more mature than her twelve years would suggest as well as witty and resourceful.
Readers looking for a suspenseful, well-written, and unique read should most definitely check out The Otherworldies. Although I believe this novel is considered in the middle grade genre, teens and adults will also enjoy this story.
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