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2.14.2011

Stray by Rachel Vincent - Review



Genre: Adult, Urban Fantasy
Series: Shifter Series, Book 1
Paranormal Element: Shifters
Order Online:  Amazon.com | BookDepository.com
Stalk the Author:  Web | Blog | Twitter
Audio book review from audible.com

PJVs QUICKIE POV:
A sucker for Rachel Vincent, many of you are probably surprised that I haven’t partaken of the Shifter series yet. But, my goodness I have not had enough time! So, who comes to my rescue, but the wonderfulness that is audible.com and their First of Series sale. Yeah! Now, like the sale intended, I’m am now undeniably hooked into another series. Hello, Faythe. You freakin’ rock.

REVIEW:
Faythe is definitely one of a kind. One of eight remaining breeding females of her kind she is something that her pride would love to cherish, lock away and keep safe. Too bad, Faythe is not having that. Stifled by the over-bearing nature of her male werecat counterparts, Faythe has tried over and over again to run away from her life on the ranch, until finally her father relents and lets her attend college away from home. Into her first year of grad school a run in with a stray has her daddy’s boys swooping in and yanking her back home, somewhere she doesn’t want to be, especially since she will have to face the music of her last quick departure. Combined with the stress everyone is under from the stray that seems to be targeting young female werecats, Faythe’s life has suddenly become very complicated.

Reason why I idolize Faythe:

"I'd take a slashed throat over a broken neck any day. At least I'd bleed all over his shoes. One final fuck you before I die." - Faythe, Stray

Packed full of mystery, violence, sexual tension and a kickass freakin’ heroine, STRAY is everything I like in an Urban Fantasy. I loved Faythe’s sense of humor and her rebellious nature. Her transition was excellently played and I could understand her growth perfectly. The bad guys were certifiably insane and well executed. Even though I found the final confrontational scene a little two over-the-top on whacked out behavior, I did enjoy their diabolical behavior. Where I found the novel a bit on the lacking side was in Mark’s character. I wasn’t really that impressed, he was a bit over-bearing and their love was “pre-established” so I didn’t get the transition. I actually liked the character of Jace much better, and found his transition kind of a cop-out, but I’m sure he might come into play in later books. These silly little problems were only slight though and did not detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. A definite must read for Urban Fantasy fans.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
Adults only, this book contains strong scenes with violence, hints at rape and sexual encounters. Recommended for fans of the Mercy Thompson series.


















3/20 books



12 comments:

Smash Attack Ash said...

Faythe is an incredible heroine. She really is the full package, and I love her faults that make her so human. Jace is one of my ultimate book boys. You will fall in love with him! This series is at the top of my list. ENJOY!

Raimy from Readaraptor Hatchling said...

Haha.
The quote you posted is the reason this book is going onto my wish list!

Mariya said...

I am probally the only one not crazy about this series. I gave it 3 stars. I had things I liked and things I didn't like.

Carissa said...

I've had my eye on this one for a while. After reading this, it's definitely going on the TBR list! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

Preternatural Primer

Catt said...

I have been meaning to read this series also. I'm always on the look out for it at my library or bookstore, where I get my used books. Yet I've had no luck in finding it. They never even have it new when I go, but I was lucky to find a couple in the series used one day, so I grabbed em knowing it was rare to even find em.

I even requested the library to buy the book and they replied back to me saying they will consider my request. So keeping my fingers crossed! (They even have 3-6, but not 1 & 2...which is just not fair)

But still really want to read this series, maybe I'll cave and buy 1 and 2, since I have 3 and four.

Tasha said...

I keep meaning to get started on this series. Thanks for reminding me lol.

Stormi said...

I have this book but I haven't read it yet. Maybe I will put it up a little closer on the TBR pile. :)

Anonymous said...

First, thank you for a substantial review! A lot of folks who love or hate this book basically say "It's awesome!" or "It sucks!" and there's not enough information to make a decision on whether it might be a good fit or not.

Mariya's not the only commenter who wasn't crazy about this book/series. I began reading with an open mind (in spite of negative reviews, I thought "I honestly think I'll enjoy this."). I tried three books (in order) of this series and I hated/loathed every single one.

I see here that the majority of commenters like the book and think Faythe is a good urban fantasy lead. To me, she came across as phony (the first book opens with her as a college student talking about strong women and how she herself is a strong woman/can take care of herself; in the three books I read, she has a bad attitude and needs rescuing by her man/her brothers/her parents). Also, "Strong, independent woman" should not mean "Bad attitude" and "Breaks rules just because she can".

In spite of my disappointing experience with the first book, I still had an open mind. I thought "Well hey, it's the first book in the author's first published series, maybe the second will be better." After reading the second book, I thought "Faythe isn't showing much growth as a character. I'm not sure this series is going to work." A week or so later, having listened to an interview with the author, I thought "This lady has some good ideas for worldbuilding and writing in general; why not give the third book a try as well just for that?" When the third book was released, I came to the conclusion that, "Okay, this REALLY isn't for me."

Patti (@TheLoveJunkee) said...

This is one of my favorite series - you're so lucky all the books are out and you can read straight through!!

~Sara @ Just Another Story said...

Ohhhh interesting, I haven't head of this series. But I think I'll look into it. Thanks for the review.

Billy Burgess said...

Great review!

samantha.1020 said...

I really like this series and just reread this book before I continue on with the rest of the books. I found that I disliked Faythe a little more than I expected because of a few of the choices that she made but I still really love this series. I'm looking forward to rereading the 2nd book and seeing what I think about it.

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