Customer Reviews

The Otherworldlies

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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

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.

Fern is an amazing character and this book was a really fun ride watching her learn to use and control her "otherworldly" powers and abilities. You see, Fern lived her whole life not knowing that she had special abilities because she was a vampire. This book does a really cool job tying together mythologies from all over the planet to make a rich, well researched world where amazing things can happen all the time. This book is a great summer read, and I would recommend it to everyone.

From the moment I read the eerie opening line, I was plunged into the weird yet very recognizable world of The Otherworldlies. Although this novel is very different from Kogler's first, the thread connecting both is Kogler's unique gift for making readers feel like they too are inhabiting the the out-of-the-ordinary worlds she describes. In both novels, Kogler makes the strange into something familiar, and the familiar into something strange. Despite her character's bizarre circumstances, whether seedy Las Vegas casinos or underground vampire civilizations, the issues they struggle with are those that confront us everyday, particularly in that in-between state between child and adult. The Otherworldlies' Fern, like Ruby of Ruby Tuesday, and like almost every adolescent girl, feels helpless to control or even to understand the events unfolding around her, and the decisions she makes speak to the uncertainty and unknowabilty of the worlds she finds herself thrust into. Fern's journey is not only about deciding who she is, vampire or human, but also about what world she wants to belong to, and how it might be possible to straddle multiple worlds. In the process she learns how belonging can mean not just losing parts of herself, the way it might seem at her catty middle school, but also finding them.

I had more fun reading this book than I can ever remember having! I wished I was related to Fern and Sam the entire time I was reading it. The author creates such a rich and detailed world that you feel like you are living inside this magical book! The world of the Otherworldlies is filled with fantastic and amazing creatures. The plot is very surprising and also very familiar. The characters are very realistic, even though they have special powers! I can't believe the author did such a great job of making the fantastic seem so real!!! I can't wait to read the next installment. This is shaping up to be one of the best series ever.

Strange things keep happening to 12 year old Fern McAllister. For one thing a rash of dead swallows in her town San Juan Capistrano, plaguing Fern and her twin brother, Sam. For another thing the voices that Fern constantly hears won't shut up, and they keep whispering of the appearance of a man named Vlad. There is also, of course, the typical weird things that Fern can do; like speak to the family dog, Byron, predict the weather accurately for months at a time, and how simply being out in the sun will cause her skin to blister unmercifully. Suffice it to say, Fern is a very "unusual" girl.

Things at school don't help to negate this complex for Fern. She is constantly picked on by the in crowd who have labeled her "Freaky Fern" for her attitudes and dark appearance, especially in contrast with her handsome, charismatic (and golden) twin. Fern continues to perpetuate the fact that she is odd by acting what is most normal to her, whether it's reading a book in a tree with Byron at her side, or constantly going to the nurses office for painful stomach cramps. Fern is an outcast, plain and simple... the worst crime possible for a 12 year old at a parochial school... But is there more to Fern's behavior then meets the eyes?

Things get even weirder when an incident at school culminates in Fern's disappearance. And by disappearance I mean literally that... one minute she is sitting in her desk at school and the next she is at the beach that her family frequently spends time at talking to some random beach bum who convinces her to go into the cave nearby where she sees two things that she has never noticed before... initials carved into the rock and an inscription in ancient Greek, which Fern cannot read. This incident begins to open up Fern's eyes to a whole new world, a world where she is even more "unusual" than she once thought... a world that she never knew existed until it fell into her proverbial lap.

As a debut novel in a series this is a really good effort on Kogler's part. I liked it to a point. There were a few minutes in the story when I checked out either from annoyance (or potentially from outside interference) and I had to reread the bits I got distracted in. The whole time spent in New Tartarus I found to be a touch.... Meh... overall just not well developed. She could have sharpened a few moments in that particular story arc. However, I was attracted to the overall story at large and definitely checked back in just in time to see what happened with Fern and Sam once they were no longer in New Tartarus. I think with some cleaning up the writing style, and with some tweaking of details, Kogler has the makings of a good series of books... Especially considering that Vampires are the new black right now when it comes to young adult science fiction writing. Structurally, it reminds me a tad of the format of the Harry Potter books, but only slightly, as it is really nothing like the books. I also enjoyed the inclusion of Greek Mythology merged with the mythology of Vampires. I think this is a really bold and inventive choice on Kogler's part and I was thrilled that the book highlighted so many interesting points in Greek mythology (especially considering she is building her mythos base on them).

Overall, I liked it. Enough to sell it where I work. Enough to read further books by Kogler about these characters. I think it's a fine start, and I hope to see her develop this idea further.

I haven't read Jennifer Anne Kogler's first book, Ruby Tuesday, but after getting my hands on The Otherworldlies I'm going to make sure I don't miss another book by her. The Otherworldlies is filled with such imagination its fun and easy to read. This book creates a new look on vampires today, if they exsisted.

THE OTHERWORLDLIES
JENNIFER ANNE KOGLER
MG fantasy

Rating: 3.5 Enchantments

Twelve-year-old twins Fern and Sam McAllister can't be any different. Sam is popular at St. Gregory, the school they both attend. Fern is 'different' with her super sensitivity to light, ability to communicate with her dog, and being able to predict the weather. She doesn't know just how different until one day when she closes her eyes in class and is transported to the beach. More weird things happen around her like dead birds appearing outside her window.

With the help of Sam, she searches to find out more about her ability to transport. When Vlad, a vampire, shows interest in Fern, it's up to her to find out the truth. Who is she? And why the sudden interest in her abilities?

This story has an interesting twist on the whole vampire theme. I liked how Kogler tied in Greek mythology with the origins of vampires. Fern's confusion on who she is will resonate with readers. I liked how Fern worked together with her brother Sam on finding out the truth of her abilities.

Though the storyline was intriguing I found myself drifting on some parts of the story and felt the ending was abrupt. But this can be solved by a sequel.

The Otherworldlies is sure to appeal to younger readers who'd like a vampire tale without the gory bite of similar older books.

Jennifer Anne Kogler is also the author of Ruby Tuesday, which started as her senior thesis at Princeton University. She currently attends Standford Law School. Readers can find out more on her website at www.jenniferannekogler.com

Kim
Enchanting Reviews
July 2008

This book is captivating from the first page to the last. I thought the characters were very orginal and creative. Fern McAllister is described as "the oddball, the outside, the nonconformist." She can communicate with her dog, correctly predict the weather, blisters in the sun, and has abnormally sharp hearing. One day she was daydreaming in class and found herself sudden at the beach all alone in the middle of the day. No one could explain her odd disappearance, not even Fern herself. Both Fern and her twin brother Sam set out to find answers and find more than they expect.