I admit that the title of this book was what attracted me when I saw it on my book group Buddy Read list. Reading the blurb/reviews, I’m afraid to say that I felt this would be a fairly lightweight read that might be good fun but nothing more. It’s fair to say that I had fairly low expectations for this novel before I began reading.
The cover evokes a real sense of mystery. It suggests foreign lands, mysterious creatures and is – if I’m being honest – totally at odds with the somewhat crass title. The image of the main character is also nothing like the image we are given in the novel – unless she is suffering from the lowest case of self-esteem I’ve ever read about!
The idea behind the novel is fairly straightforward. Allyson, our central character, has moved around a lot and is quite used to not fitting in. At her current school we are given clear reasons for her sense of alienation – she is actually part Kin, meaning she is part-mythical creature. Upon learning this fairly major detail (which nobody in her family has thought fit to mention) Allyson is caught up in events that are crazier than anything you could make up in your wildest dreams.
From the outset mysterious creatures and odd situations are thrown our way, and none of the characters in the novel bat an eyelid, which I found incredible. This was like some bizarre cartoon – nothing really made sense, events followed on from each other unbelievably quickly and you can’t help but feel that this is something people should grow out of. I’m sure this book will have its fans, but I wasn’t really one of them.