Review: EVERY OTHER DAY by Jennifer Lynn Barnes(to be released on 27th Dec, 2011)

Courtesy of NetGalley(Egmont USA) program

Seventeen-year-old Kali D’Angelo is not quite human, yet not quite monster, as she couldn’t sense pain, fear or adrenaline. Every 24 hours that is. Since she was 12, for 24 hours she is a dauntless warrior, hunting and killing hellhounds; and for the next 24 hours she is a vulnerable teenage girl, and she spends every minute of her human girl life anticipating for the arrival of the next cycle. Three weeks in her new school, Kali meets self proclaimed school slut and ultra perky blonde, Skylar Hayden. On the same day, Kali spots an ouroboros on Bethany  Davis, her father’s boss’ daughter -a sure sign of an infection of chupacabra, a life draining and memory sucking monster- she lures the creature into her fragile human body, expecting the creature to last long enough to be killed off when her body switches to hunter mode at dawn. However, her expectation fails, as the chupacabra seems to suck her life out at a faster rate than normal, so she fainted. When she wakes up, Skylar urges her and Bethany to flee from school, as her instincts tells her that something bad is happening. And it is. A woman and man knows about the chupacabra that was in Bethany’s body, and it sounds like it’s an intentional injection, and they’ll stop at nothing to retrieve the creature, even murder. Now, Kali has to flee for her life, and protect her two new found friends, all the while keeping the chupacabra at bay. Can she do it, or will she die at the attempt?

     Near perfect, Every Other Day is a breath of fresh air in my long line of YA reads. Fast paced, action-packed and supernatural-packed, this tale hooked me from the start, though lacking on the romance front. More centered on the friendship part and trust, you’ll find yourself a little surprised by the twists of events. The language is realistic and flowing, narrated by Kali and will sometimes making you laugh and shake your head at her.

     Kali, the main character is a witty, smart, loyal person, not so different from Rosemary Hathway in Vampire Academy(my review here). Barnes made her strong, and also vulnerable. Breakable. The loss of motherly -and fatherly- love at a tender age left Kali afraid of intimate relationships. It also made Kali who she is today. Family and trust issues are the factors leading to the ending of the story, and what makes Every Other Day relatable to most people. It doesn’t hurt that Kali is pretty good in kicking hellhound’s asses. Pardon my French.

     Skylar, the supporting character is a sunny fluffy blonde, sweet and endearing, kinda like your best friend. Her psychic power rocks too, even when she has a not so favorable end. Bethany though, is a complete opposite off Kali and skylark. She is what you called a pampered bitch, though there is more to her than what meets the eye.

     The love interest –I’m giving you a treat here- Zev is one of the paranormal –another treat- is the centre of event (kind of). Though he appears for quite a while in the novel,  his presence is not strong, merely enough to get the plot going. Sorry romance fans, no hot steamy scenes in this novel.

     Now that I’m writing this review, I realize that I don’t like the way the relationship between Kali and Zev develop. There’s not much interaction between the two and somehow they fall in love. That’s my only grudge.

     In Every Other day, you’ll find yourself reading about the strong bond between friends, the tug-of-war between family members and the cruelty of humans and paranormal creatures alike. Perhaps YA fans will find Barnes as a new favourite.

     The book cover was decent, although not my fave. Maybe that's just my obsession with dark, moody covers. 

Ratings: 4.5 stars

To be released on 27th December, 2011


For more info about the book or author, please click here

* check back on 5 Nov for a review of Bleeding Violet by Dia Reeves