 |
|
Title: Stray (Werecats, Book 1)
ISBN: 0778324214
Author:
Rachel Vincent
Publicate Date: 2007-06-01
Publish: 2007-06-01
List Price: $6.99
Average Customer Rating: 4.0
Format: Mass Market Paperback
 |
|
|
|
|
Amazon Lowest New Price: $3.48
Amazon Lowest Used Price: $3.45
Amazon Merchant Price: $6.99
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Customer Review: |
|
1: A Disappointment
I initially grabbed this book because it sounded a lot like Kelley Armstrong's Bitten, which is one of my favorite books. I really like the aspect of having a family among weres, so I thought this might be another great story that I could enjoy. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a near carbon copy of Armstrong's book, but with writing that was far worse, unbelievable characters, and a plot line that couldn't keep my interest.
Faythe seems at first to be a typical rebellious teen, headed off to college to escape her family with seemingly understandable motives. She doesn't like that eventually she'll be expected to marry and have a lot of kids in order to further her family, so instead she makes a deal with her father and heads off to school. While there, she begins a typical college life complete with roommate and boyfriend and seems quite content and reluctant to leave. When trouble arises in the form of several kidnapped were females she is forced to return home.
Until this point, the story still had potential. Faythe seemed like a real person, forced to make a decision she didn't want for the good of the greater, and you almost feel you can empathize with her. I lost all connection to the character, however, when she neglects to call her school boyfriend at all once she gets home and almost immediately starts toying with the hearts of her friends, with seemingly complete disregard for anyone but herself. The characters are rather flat, and Faythe herself is a character you grow to dislike.
This book was a real disappointment. If you're looking for a quasi-family oriented book with strong, interesting characters, I highly recommend you try Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Underworld series instead and leave Rachel Vincent's on the shelf.
|
2: With a little patience, this becomes an excellent book
Rachel Vincent meticulously creates an alternate history drawing on black panther folklore. The speed and complexity gradually increased until I found myself not only wanting to know what would happen but also caring what would happen. She builds a complex character in Faythe who is both the somewhat spoiled and pampered daughter with a strong independent streak and her tough Alpha-father's daughter in every way. Faythe is realistically torn between her rebellion and her loyalties. Her dilemna is understandable to any woman that hasn't fit into the traditional mold of their society. Those who naturally accepted their roles might have a hard time understanding Faythe and her real life counterparts.
Vincent's depictions of the realities of a kidnapping are chilling because of their emotional and physical details. To her credit, she doesn't hold up one way of surviving as better or worse than another. She succeeds in making both the kidnappers' wholly self centered nature and their actions morally unredeemable.
The book is a bit longer than usual so I would start it before a day off so you don't end up going to work bleary eyed.
|
3: A Good Beginning...
After reading a few reviews by others on this book, I decided to take a chance and give it a try. Some reviews were a little too harsh and I think that the author did a good job. I was annoyed at times with Faythe, but overall I found the book an excellent read.
|
4: Will the Females Ever Take Charge?
Premise: werecats exist among us. The heroine, who is supposed to be at home having babies because she's a female "tabby", instead is at college because she worked out a deal with her dad, the head of a regional werecat clan, to bend the rules for her. When somebody starts kidnapping the females she has to go home, even though she kicks up a fuss the whole time about how her life isn't fair. She threatens to leave even though there are psychopaths killing werecat women.
Love interests included a boyfriend at college (whom we presume is a human) who disappears in a suspicious fashion, her ex werecat boyfriend who wanted to marry her and head up the werecat clan, and her childhood friend who is a "Casanova" type.
The werecat culture is strong and well-drawn but sometimes I do get tired, in these paranormal romance or urban fantasy worlds, of always seeing the females put in a weaker position. I see this frequently in paranormal romance, especially shapeshifter romance, though this novel does take on that stereotype by having the heroine be somewhat of an exception to the rule, along with some information at the end about what her father intends for her. But some of the tropes do get tiresome. Super alpha males etc.
The worldbuilding otherwise was interesting and complex, with some degree of infodumping but mostly the information was worked in through story action. This was not strictly a paranormal romance for those of you who prefer one woman/one man/concrete ending but was the beginning of an urban fantasy series, albeit with a satisfactory enough conclusion that this novel felt like a complete unit. I thought it was enjoyable, and though the heroine wasn't that likeable and it dragged in the middle, the beginning and end had a good pace. You don't always have to like or admire a character to like their story.
|
5: Werecats? I think so!
Nice take on the usual werewolf shapeshifter stories. Not your normal run of the mill story either. I like the heroine - she is feisty, strong-willed and independent which keeps her in trouble with the group, but makes for great adventures. Highly recommend this.
|
|
|
|
|
