We Other by Sue Bentley - Book Tour & Review + Giveaway
We Other
Family secrets, changelings, and fairies you never want to meet on a dark night.
Jess Morgan’s life has always been chaotic.
When a startling new reality cannot be denied, it’s clear that everything she believed about herself is a lie. She is linked to a world where humans – ‘hot-bloods’ – are disposable entertainment. Life on a run-down estate – her single mum’s alcoholism and violent boyfriend – become the least of Jess’s worries.
Purchase from Amazon.com - https://www.amazon.com/We-Other-Sue-Bentley-ebook/dp/B07D19PRGL/
My Review
We Other is a strange story. Not a bad strange, just...strange. It was definitely not what I expected it to be, but that's honestly a good thing.
The story seems to be pretty normal at first, showcasing our main character, Jess, in a not so pretty light. She's poor, practically homeless, and her mother is a useless alcoholic with an abusive boyfriend. But she does seem to have a couple of lights in her life. One of them is the homeless man she visits on occasion, and the other is a girl she goes to school with. They seem to keep Jess from giving up on life completely.
Unfortunately for Jess, her life isn't quite what it seems. Neither is the homeless man she considers a friend.
Enter in a seemingly fussy old woman who is obsessed with painting, and a young man looking for more than running his father's hardware store, and you've got a very intriguing bunch of characters who eventually cross paths. And that's when things start to get weird.
What seems like more of a contemporary young adult novel slowly devolves into a dark fantasy, almost horror-esque in a way, complete with faeries who consider humans to be edible entertainment. Yes, I did say edible.
These are not your everyday garden variety fae. Oh no, they're so much more sinister than that. Well...not all of them.
Now I won't say anything more about the plot, so as not to spoil anything, but I will say once it gets going, it's kind of a doozy. And that ending... wow is all I'm gonna say.
Character-wise, I felt there was a lot of depth and growth for all of them. Jess and her mom, especially. They've had such a rough life, but by the end, things are a lot different for them. They've changed quite a bit. It's nice to see. Caleb, the young man I mentioned earlier, doesn't have as much growth, but he still comes into his own and changes from when we first meet him.
Plot-wise, the story seems to start off one way, then ends up a different way. It can be a little slow in spots, and there were times I felt a bit bogged down by how depressing everything was with Jess and her life, but once it got going, it was definitely a thrilling read.
In terms of world building, I liked how the author gave us this bleak, dreary, almost gray-ish vibe for Jess's hometown, and for the estate where Ivy, the old woman I mentioned earlier, lives. It's overgrown and dirty, very chaotic. And the world of the fae is quite different. It's more nature-oriented, with more trees and less garbage, I suppose.
The writing is very good, but I did feel the story could have been a bit shorter. Like I mentioned previously, I did get bogged down at times. I had to force myself to get through a few spots, just so I could get to the good stuff.
Overall, I'd give We Other 3.5 stars. I'd definitely like to see a sequel.
My Review
We Other is a strange story. Not a bad strange, just...strange. It was definitely not what I expected it to be, but that's honestly a good thing.
The story seems to be pretty normal at first, showcasing our main character, Jess, in a not so pretty light. She's poor, practically homeless, and her mother is a useless alcoholic with an abusive boyfriend. But she does seem to have a couple of lights in her life. One of them is the homeless man she visits on occasion, and the other is a girl she goes to school with. They seem to keep Jess from giving up on life completely.
Unfortunately for Jess, her life isn't quite what it seems. Neither is the homeless man she considers a friend.
Enter in a seemingly fussy old woman who is obsessed with painting, and a young man looking for more than running his father's hardware store, and you've got a very intriguing bunch of characters who eventually cross paths. And that's when things start to get weird.
What seems like more of a contemporary young adult novel slowly devolves into a dark fantasy, almost horror-esque in a way, complete with faeries who consider humans to be edible entertainment. Yes, I did say edible.
These are not your everyday garden variety fae. Oh no, they're so much more sinister than that. Well...not all of them.
Now I won't say anything more about the plot, so as not to spoil anything, but I will say once it gets going, it's kind of a doozy. And that ending... wow is all I'm gonna say.
Character-wise, I felt there was a lot of depth and growth for all of them. Jess and her mom, especially. They've had such a rough life, but by the end, things are a lot different for them. They've changed quite a bit. It's nice to see. Caleb, the young man I mentioned earlier, doesn't have as much growth, but he still comes into his own and changes from when we first meet him.
Plot-wise, the story seems to start off one way, then ends up a different way. It can be a little slow in spots, and there were times I felt a bit bogged down by how depressing everything was with Jess and her life, but once it got going, it was definitely a thrilling read.
In terms of world building, I liked how the author gave us this bleak, dreary, almost gray-ish vibe for Jess's hometown, and for the estate where Ivy, the old woman I mentioned earlier, lives. It's overgrown and dirty, very chaotic. And the world of the fae is quite different. It's more nature-oriented, with more trees and less garbage, I suppose.
The writing is very good, but I did feel the story could have been a bit shorter. Like I mentioned previously, I did get bogged down at times. I had to force myself to get through a few spots, just so I could get to the good stuff.
Overall, I'd give We Other 3.5 stars. I'd definitely like to see a sequel.
Author Bio – Sue Bentley discovered a love of books at an early age. She worked for Northamptonshire Libraries for many years, while teaching herself the craft of writing. She is the author of the worldwide bestselling Magic Kitten, Magic Puppy, Magic Ponies, Magic Bunny series for age 5-9 years. She also writes for children and adults under various pen names. A lover of English Folklore, her books often contain elements of the otherworld and the darkness within the everyday. Her books have been translated into around 20 languages. We Other is her first book for Young Adults.
Social Media Links – https://twitter.com/suebentleywords https://facebook.com/suebentleyauthor https://instagram.com/therealsuebentley https://www.suebentley.co.uk
Giveaway - Win a signed copy of We Other and a personal letter (open internationally)
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