Very interesting, and pretty funny. The story is completely orignal and kept me reading for hours straight. ( )

want more!! ( )

Vampire book on a level for younger readers. Lots of action and family drama. ( )

THE OTHERWORLDLIES has all the qualities that I look for in a good paranormal, or a good YA book: it's well written, it's got unique and intriguing worldbuilding, a sympathetic heroine, and while the good guys and the bad guys are initially divided neatly into enemy camps, by the end we know that the reality is much more complicated: Fern's worst enemy may be wearing a white hat and calling himself a Good Guy.

Fern has always been eccentric. Odd looks, odd clothes, odd habits - for Fern, that's just normal. But teleporting? Controlling the forces of nature? Hearing faraway conversations? That's not eccentric...that's supernatural. And in the modern world, where strange events attract newscasters toting powerful cameras and parents expect believable explanations when the truth is anything but, Fern must get her abilities under control fast or watch her life collapse around her like a house of cards.

I liked that Kogler keeps the book grounded in the everyday: Fern's not just coming to grips with her supernatural abilities, she's trying to keep her mother's trust, deal with her brother's jealousy, and improve her position in the middle-school pecking order. I liked that Fern is twelve, and acts like it. I liked the authentic southern California setting, a patchwork of orange groves, suburban homes, and beaches, all wrapped around the much-beloved San Juan Capistrano mission.

Really, THE OTHERWORLDLIES is a good, solid YA paranormal. I have no doubt that this is the beginning of a series, and I look forward to reading the next installment. But it's ultimately no more than the sum of its parts - the writing is solid but not transcendant, the characters are well-drawn but they didn't grab my heart and run away with it, the plotting is a lot of fun but never had my heart racing. It's the kind of book you hope comes out a few weeks before a book you are really impatient to read hits the stores - something to tide you over, not an goal in and of itself. ( )

This is a great book for those who love the supernatural world. Meet Fern, always the outcast whose only real friend is her twin brother, Sam. She's different than those around her in that she is able to predict the weather, she blisters from the sun and has awful stomachaches, but could these things all be related to something bigger than herself? Fern is a strong character who has to learn how strong she can be by figuring out who she is and what she is capable for. ( )