Stray by Rachel Vincent

STRAY
Shifters #1
Author: Rachel Vincent
Source: Personal Purchase

Mass Market Paperback: 624 pages
Publisher: Mira (June 1, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0778324214
ISBN-13: 978-0778324218

SUMMARY:

There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . .

And I'm one of them.

I look like an all-American grad student. But I am a werecat, a shape-shifter, and I live in two worlds.
Despite reservations from my family and my Pride, I escaped the pressure to continue my species and carved out a normal life for myself. Until the night a Stray attacked.

I'd been warned about Strays -- werecats without a Pride, constantly on the lookout for someone like me: attractive, female, and fertile. I fought him off, but then learned two of my fellow tabbies had disappeared.

This brush with danger was all my Pride needed to summon me back . . . for my own protection. Yeah, right. But I'm no meek kitty. I'll take on whatever -- and whoever -- I have to in order to find my friends. Watch out, Strays -- 'cause I got claws, and I'm not afraid to use them . . .

MY THOUGHTS:

After reading the young adult Soul Screamers series by the same author,  it was recommended that I read the adult Shifter Series.   Since I really enjoyed her young adult series,  I was thrilled to start a series focused in the adult genre of books by Ms. Vincent.

I will say that this book gave me a feeling of love/hate for the series.  While Faythe was a strong heroine in the series that doesn't take any crap off of anyone,  she did tend to get on my last raw nerve with her antics and personality.  There were times I rolled my eyes at her and wanted to shake some sense into her spoiled and bratty mind.  Everything revolved around what she wanted and she didn't really think about what her actions would bring to the Pride.  She couldn't decide which guy she wanted to be with considering she was dating a human boy from school -- which is a big no-no in her world -- and then she had to string Marc and Jace both along. 

Marc was a very possessive and strong leading hero.  I loved him but at times I wanted him to curb his jealousy a little bit.  He came off a little too strong at times and he needed to step back and take a good look at Faythe and her actions.  I wanted him to actually grow a pair and tell her off several times!  I think he makes a good match for her, but he desperately needs to see through her attitude and bring her down a notch.

Jace was just as appealing as Marc, but I ended up feeling more than sorry for him for even attempting to start something with Faythe.  Not only did he not deserve her attention, but he really didn't deserve to have Marc at odds with him.  Frankly, I think they both needed to lose interest in Faythe long enough for her personality to grow up with her age. 

The side characters of the family was quite enjoyable as well.  I loved Ethan the best, but the rest of the family was just as interesting as the main characters.  I look forward to reading more about them in the future books. 

While the actual plot was not one that I found completely enjoyable, the characters involved did make the story a pleasant and fun read.  The book did start out a slower pace than I normally like, but about half way through it really starts to pick up and take off.  The big surprise was the reveal of who was helping the bad guys and how it was going to be dealt with.  I am curious to see how the author is going to redeem this person if she does decide to take that path.

While I did have some problems with the main heroine, the book itself was a great read.  I look forward to reading more of the series and will keep my fingers crossed in hoping that Faythe will grow up a little more in the books to come.

MY RATING:

Very Good! I would recommend this book! 4 STARS