Review: Every Other Day by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Title:  Every Other Day
Author:  Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Series:  n/a (yet!)
Publisher:  EgmontUSA
Publication Date:  December 27, 2011
Links:  Amazon | Goodreads
Rating: 

From Goodreads:

Every other day, Kali D'Angelo is a normal sixteen-year-old girl. She goes to public high school. She attends pep rallies. She's human.

And then every day in between . . .she's something else entirely.

Though she still looks like herself, every twenty-four hours predatory instincts take over and Kali becomes a feared demon-hunter with the undeniable urge to hunt, trap, and kill zombies, hellhounds, and other supernatural creatures. Kali has no idea why she is the way she is, but she gives in to instinct anyway. Even though the government considers it environmental terrorism.

When Kali notices a mark on the lower back of a popular girl at school, she knows instantly that the girl is marked for death by one of these creatures. Kali has twenty-four hours to save her and, unfortunately, she'll have to do it as a human. With the help of a few new friends, Kali takes a risk that her human body might not survive. . .and learns the secrets of her mysterious condition in the process.

Review:

I hadn’t read anything else by this author prior to reading Every Other Day, but I’ve been told that her Raised by Wolves series is definitely one to pick up. Needless to say, I really enjoyed this book and will be adding all of her other works to my TBR list momentarily.

This story was far from predictable, and that’s one of the best compliments I can give a novel. I consider myself a pretty perceptive reader, and it’s usually pretty difficult to catch me off guard. But this story succeeds where many others have failed. The entire time I was reading, I kept wondering what was going to happen next, and I kept finding myself surprised.

The characters in this story were a lot of fun, too. Some of them are absolute mysteries and others ground the story and make it relatable. Kali is the protagonist you yearn for. She’s not whiny and pathetic and waiting for things to happen. In fact, she’s the complete opposite. Kali is in your face, taking charge and kicking butt…crazy, scary demon butt, but that’s even better, right? And then there’s Bethany, the cheerleader that Kali risks her own life for. She proves to be more than meets the eye, as well. But I can’t forget to mention Zev. He’s the biggest mystery of them all, and for most of the book, he’s just this detached voice in Kali’s head.

Every Other Day was everything I expected and more. It kept me entertained, and I found myself reading far past my bedtime just to see where Kali’s story would take me. There was no insane cliffhanger at the end, which I really appreciate, but the author left the story open-ended, so I’m very much hoping there will be a follow-up to this amazing story.

I received a copy of this book for review from Netgalley.