Review- Stray

There are a few series out there that I have yet to start, and Rachel Vincent's Shifter series was one of them.  I'm not sure if it was the book covers that deterred me, or if I was being swayed by the mixed reviews out there. But this week I decided that it was time for me to decide for myself, and I can see where all the difference of opinions are coming from.


Faythe is forced to leave college and come home after her family discovers there's a murderous stray who seems to be targeting female cats.  See, there are only 8 female werecats in the United States, so each is fiercely protected, and highly sought after.  Upon her arrival home Faythe must face everything she's been avoiding so carefully, including her place in the pride, and her ex-fiance.


Faythe's character is one-dimensional. She comes off spoiled and selfish, just like a princess should, but doesn't show any depth by being funny or snarky.  And she refers to her father as "daddy" throughout the entire book; that was slightly annoying for reasons I can't put my finger on.  I'm hoping that she's made to act this way because over the next 4 books Faythe's character grows up, in-turn gaining perspective and personality.


The first 200 pages of the story takes place in a singular location;the family home.  There are many great 1 setting stories out there -The Breakfast Club, Saw- sadly this is not one of them.  In my opinion, the choice of setting slightly staled the progress.  But, it did help the huge twist seem that much more shocking; maybe that was the point all along.  Maybe the jokes on me.  


From here the story turned incredibly suspenseful and I couldn't put it down.  The addition of some brutally mundane scenes kept the suspense dial turned high for the end of the book. I kept thinking, "there must be a reason for this scene.  Something is going to happen any second." It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat. 


Like I said, I can see where the mixed reviews are coming from, but I think the characters warrant another look.  I will definitely be reading Vincent's next book Rouge.


3 out of 5