Age: 15
Title: Other
Author: Karen Kincy
Publisher: Flux
Pub Date: 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teens’ Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I submit official proof that YA literature has officially run out of monsters. Gwen is a pooka, which is a Welsh shapeshifter, living in a small town. Other is a refreshing twist on the modern fantasy formula in that the muggles of Gwen's world are fully aware of magic. Other realistically portrays a world where everyone knows about magic, even if they themselves are normal. I always thought it was a little weird that most people in fantasy novels have absolutely no idea that magic exists. In Harry Potter, this is justified with use of memory charms and an active effort to keep magic secret, but in most books, it's just never addressed. Magic is fully-integrated in the book, with the struggle for the rights of magical people, or "Others" (hey, title drop!) replacing civil rights or gay rights. I especially enjoyed the various politically correct terms for Others. Made me giggle.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: Enough general rambling. Others in Gwen's small town have started turning up dead. When a close friend of Gwen's is found murdered, Gwen and another friend decide to start looking for the killer.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I liked this book. I like fantasies, and I like mysteries, so I liked reading a book that was both. As I said before, I enjoyed seeing the interaction of magic and the modern world, but some stuff was never fully explained. It seemed odd to me that there were so many Others in Gwen's small town. In most small towns, pretty much everyone is the same race and religion with only a tiny percentage as anything else. Either the town in the book is larger than it seems, or something funny is going on. It got to the point where any non-Other character introduced was pretty much there to hurl anti-magic slurs at Gwen and be a suspect. I also wanted to see how the presence of Others affected a larger portion of the world. Are racism, homophobia, and sexism still issues? Or to paraphrase Terry Pratchett, have black and white teamed up on green? Here's hoping that the sequel takes Gwen & company to the big city to explore more of this unique and fascinating world!
Cover: I don't like this cover. I think it's supposed to be like the cover of Carrie Jones' Need. This means the cover designer is a copycat, and I don't truck with that. Boo for copycats!
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 4Q Better than most
Popularity: 4P Broad general teen appeal
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