Five out of Five Cents
Wow. Every Other Day was something I definitely never expected. It was hit straight over the fence. Barnes (and can I just take a moment to say how much I love her last name) hit the ball right out of the park with this one.
Book Snippet—Goodreads version:
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.
Okay, so after reading that, the first thing that came to mind was typical paranormal. It would be hyped up on romance, filled with more Mary Sues than anyone could ever tolerate, and resolved unrealistically through too many deus ex machinas. Much to my surprise, it wasn’t. Not even close.
To start off with, there was very little romance and the little there was, was subdued. At first I thought there was going to be a killer love triangle but I was relieved to find out there wasn’t. No one tried to steal someone else’s boyfriend or girlfriend; it actually surprised me to think of how rarely that occurs in this genre so needless to say that was refreshing.
Then there were the characters. Yet another surprise, I feel in love with them too. Kali, Zev, Beth, Skylar, and her cast of brothers. For once, it was nice to actually like all of the characters I am supposed to have liked for once. Kali fought for the people who mattered to her no matter how little time she had known them. She was guarded though too which was nice to see for once—albeit frustrating at times. Too many heroines spill their deepest secrets at the drop of a hat to complete strangers. Kali definitely was not that sort of heroine.
Zev was mysterious yet endearing in his own way. In all honesty, I know very little about his character though I am intrigued by the idea of learning more. Elliot was a total A$$HAT but for some reason I still loved him and it was probably because like Kali, he did whatever he had to in order to protect the people he cares about. There are few hotter qualities in a book crush but it wasn’t like that with Elliot; I’ll admit he reminded me too much of my own older brother for me to like him like that. Plus he is a bit of a tool. What is it they say, if the shoe fits? Well, the tool shoe fits him perfect. A tool used to protect those he loves sure but a tool is still a tool. Reid and Vaughn were cool too the little bit I saw of them just wasn’t enough.
Then there was Bethany. What a surprise she turned out to be! I can’t go into too much detail as to why I liked her but suffice to say, she was strong. Stronger than anyone gave her credit for and she still held her head up high. I can respect that.
Skylar was a bit of a wild card, I’ll admit, still I liked her too. I bet you guys are sick of hearing that but really, I liked all of the characters. She was quirky and strong too, albeit in her own unique way. Like Elliot and Kali, she wasn’t afraid to make sacrifices to protect the ones she cared about. Barnes’ characters were inspiring.
Then there was the plot. Talk about moving at a fast pace. At first, I was a bit lost with the concept of Darwin discovering all things supernatural but then the creativity of the idea struck me hard enough to knock me on my a$$. I don’t want to elaborate too much on the plot but I can say that don’t start the book with any plans on stopping halfway through. I did. I was just going to read a few chapters and then stop but I ended up getting lost in between the lines. Demon hunter you think, cheesy or cliché, right? Wrong. It was so fresh that my mama could have slapped me.
There were twist, there were turns and that ending left me wanting more than I would have ever imagined. I want a sequel. I crave a sequel but I am going to have to do some digging to see if this Every Other Day is a stand-alone or a part of a series. Though I really hope for the latter, this book could still stand alone. All the important questions are answered (at least that I can think of asking) but there is still room to go on. I would like that last one very much. Have I already mentioned how much I want a sequel?
I digress. Like I said in the beginning: Every Other Day was something I definitely never expected. It was hit straight over the fence. Barnes hit the ball right out of the park with this one. There’s no other way to describe it. I loved this book. I happily give this book Five out of Five cents and send a prayer for a sequel to the publishing gods in their infinite wisdom (well, maybe not infinite. I do have a few complaints I would like to hash out with them when I pass in to the Beyond but as a mere mortal, perhaps now is not the best time to anger the gods). Again, I have digressed but have no fear, my rating still stands. If you have an afternoon free, open Every Other Day. It is well worth the read!
FYI: I was in no way compensated for my review but I don't think that even if I was, I could be even more enthralled with Barnes work.
Thanks Netgalley and EgmontUSA for permission to view this ARC.
Original Review on my Goodreads:
