Book 106: "Stray" by Rachel Vincent

Title: Stray (Shifters Series #1)
Author: Rachel Vincent
Read In: Nook ePub
Genre: Urban Fantasy, Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin

Surprisingly, I enjoyed this book. I did not expect to really like it. In fact, I expected it to be one of those books that I would pick apart with how poorly it was written. It surprised me. Was it the best book ever? No. But it was a fast, easy, enjoyable read. The book was well written, very few errors or gaping plot holes. The biggest downfall is that the plot was simple and easily predicted. In fact, there wasn't a twist that I didn't see coming long before it happened; too predictable, for me anyway. So, why did I like it so much? I really enjoy the main character. FINALLY, we have a female protagonist that is not only smart, but perfectly capable of taking care of herself and she does.

Faythe is a werecat. She is the only daughter of the most powerful pride in the United States. However, she does not want pride life; she wants independence. This, of course, is changed throughout the book as she realizes the importance of the pride (who didn't see THAT coming). Anyway, what I love about Faythe is that she knows that she can be independent and take care of herself. She isn't bluffing, when it comes down to action, she does. Here, we have a slight spoiler alert, so if you don't want to know what happens, I suggest you stop reading.

Faythe gets captured (as the protagonist usually does in these types of books) and for the first time in my reading experience does not even ponder waiting for her rescue party to save her. She is going to get herself and her cousin out. She refuses to simply survive and wait for rescue. She fights and schemes and ultimately defends herself and frees herself and her cousin from her captors. Her "rescue team" does nothing but come to take her home and clean up her mess. She is strong and firey and I like her. Ultimately, she is the saving grace of this book.

If you want a predictable, but entertaining read that is definitely geared toward female readers.... I suggest Stray. There are quite a few books in the Shifter's Series, I'm not sure if I'll read all of them, but I'll most likely read the second.