“3.0 out of 5.0 stars for The Otherworldies! This novel is intriguing, fun, and easy to follow but could do with a quickening of the pace so that the story matches the magic of the fantastical world Kogler introduces to her readers.”
~ No spoilers are in the following review ~
The Otherworldlies, written by Jennifer Anne Kogler, is a novel about a young girl named Fern. Fern has always been considered an outcast, what with her sensitivity to the sun, eccentric habits, and bouts of disruptive stomach aches. She has learned to keep to herself and her twin brother, Sam, in order to avoid being bullied by peers and adults alike, but when Fern disappears from class without having left the classroom, she finds that she can no longer hide who she is. Over the course of this novel, Fern discovers that her peculiarities are more than just a display of pre-teen quirks, and that she’s a particularly unique sort of girl in need of protection from those eager to abuse her powers.
As a whole, I found The Otherworldlies to be an easy and pleasant read. Kogler exposes a world hidden beneath our own, and tentatively explores the beauty and mystery of Fern’s new reality with the reader. I fell swiftly into the story and found Fern to be a likable protagonist to follow. I also found, however, that the pacing and plot lacked urgency, which proved a bit distracting towards the end.
My favorite aspect of this book is the lovely and tight-knit dynamic between Fern and her twin brother, Sam. Though the POV is 3rd person omniscient, a.k.a the invisible narrator switches between a multitude of characters within the same chapter, I journeyed through the book alongside Fern and Sam every step of the way. They are the most interesting, and most consistent, points of view available. Fern and Sam kept the flow of information steady and they worked together throughout the novel to keep each other afloat, demonstrating the importance of family, loyalty and trust during times of stress. Though most of the supporting characters are helpful to the plot, I wasn’t able to invest in them nearly as much as I did with the twins for they felt much less fleshed out than the leads.
I was also pleased with the mystic elements involved, though I wish they had been introduced much earlier into the story. Without spoiling anything, the world Kogler has built has so much potential to it. I want more! I’m excited to see how the details unfold in her sequels.
Kogler also does a wonderful job of showing Fern’s struggles and of engaging the reader in her curiosities, but I found that the pace of the novel as a whole was rather slow. Though conflict and uncertainty get in the way of Fern’s understanding of herself, a majority of the plot consists of discussions about what Fern is and about Fern’s own confusion regarding her situation. More often than not I was drawn away from the chapter I was reading because of the massive amount of contemplation that went on amongst the adults as Fern, her brother, and their companion, Lindsey, listened but received little answers to repetitive questions.
Another aspect that I struggled with was the fact that the villain hardly appeared a threat throughout the story. Kogler focused so much on unraveling Fern’s mysterious character that by the end of the book the climax felt rushed and out of nowhere. The explanation for the villain’s motives felt like it wasn’t polished or consistently incorporated throughout. I forgave this mishap due to Fern’s likability, but I hope to find in future Otherworldlie novels a physical and engaging antagonist to fear.
Even so, 3.0 out of 5.0 stars for The Otherworldies! This novel is intriguing, fun, and easy to follow but could do with a quickening of the pace so that the story matches the magic of the fantastical world Kogler introduces to her readers.
I recommend this read!
