Book Review: Every Other Day, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

While I enjoyed the premise and the plot of Every Other Day, there were details that were missing or confusing that hindered the experience.

Kali spends every other day as a human, and the odd days as "something else." On these odd days, she hunts preternatural creatures, such as hellhounds, and saves people from the terrors these creatures cause. She is almost invincible, and any injuries she receives are quickly healed overnight.

So she gets this chupacabra inside of her, because she saves a human (Brittany) from certain demise. She thinks by taking the chupacabra herself, she can defeat it when she changes into her non-human form. Because of this act, she forms an unnatural friendship with Brittany and Skylar (who is "a little bit psychic.") I really enjoyed these three characters. They are so different, and circumstances have thrown them together, and it is interesting to see them grow and change as they become more accepting of each other.

The chupacabra speaks to Kali in her head. It makes her very sick while she is human, but once she transforms, it makes her stronger and Kali realizes that another being (Zev) is the one talking to her. He has another chupacabra in him, and he is being held against his will somewhere.

I really had a problem with the lore. We were told how Kali was stronger, hungrier, and healed faster with this creature in her, but since we really didn't know her before the chupacabra, it really didn't mean anything. There wasn't enough back story about Kali's past. The part about Zev was confusing to me. I didn't get why all of a sudden Kali was hell-bent to save Zev. I didn't understand the difference between the chupacabra and Zev.

Skylar seemed to have a brother for any situation. A vet, an FBI agent, and some others that I don't remember. They seemed to come and go as needed, but didn't really add much as characters, just provided expertise.

Barnes keeps the story moving, and there was a nice buildup of tension and some heart-stopping action at the end of the book. There was a nice resolution, which made this seem like a stand-alone, but I'm sure Kali could return for other adventures. This was an interesting adventure story, I just didn't always understand the "why" behind the action.

This one is appropriate for all teens. The main characters are female, but I see no reason boys wouldn't enjoy this kick-ass heroine as well.

Published by EgmontUSA, December 27, 2011
eBook review copy obtained from NetGalley
336 pages

Rating: 2.5/5

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