Stray by Rachel Vincent

Faythe Sanders craves independence and freedom. As a female werecat, she is rare and valuable but also expected to compliantly produce litters to further her species, a role she can’t bear to think of as her own. That’s why she’s run away from home so many times and is content to attend summer classes in college, to escape however temporarily from her father, an Alpha, and his Pride. When Faythe is unexpectedly attacked by a Stray, a werecat not born into a Pride, she is once again forced to come home—for her protection. The situation is much worse than Faythe anticipated, especially when two of her fellow tabbies are kidnapped. But Faythe has never been meek or submissive, and she won’t back down from any challenge no matter what past demons are dragged up or what present dangers threaten her.

Suspenseful and satisfying, Stray contains both a high action plot and believable characters. The story is fast paced and exciting at all times with no shortage of danger or anticipation. The plot in itself is enough to get any reader interested, but this novel is made even better by its complex characters. Spunky and passionate, Faythe is a strong and snarky heroine that readers will continually root for, whether in gaining her much desired independence or worming her way out of her latest plight. The more minor characters even have distinct identities as well and are enjoyable to read about even if I can’t distinguish some of the many werecats at times. Vincent did a fantastic job in creating Faythe’s world, from the werecats’ governing structures to their customs to the struggle between feline instincts and human emotions. I truly love how well structured Stray is with its dual importance of Faythe’s relationships with others and the actual outcome of the main conflict, and I’m pleased to suspect there’s a lot more to the werecats’ world and struggles that hasn’t been revealed just yet.

Stray is the perfect choice for even the pickiest reader. Fans of the paranormal and those who prefer weres over vampires will enjoy Stray, particularly those who also liked Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith and Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. I for one can’t wait to finish the next installments in this series.

Rating: 4.75

Review copy from personal collection