Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Stray
    Unavailable
    Stray
    Unavailable
    Stray
    Ebook482 pages7 hours

    Stray

    By Rachel Vincent

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    From Scribd: About the Book

    In her paranormal shifter fantasy, Rachel Vincent offers readers a look at a fascinating world, a mysterious disappearance, and a thrilling romance in this urban fantasy, Stray.

    Faythe may look like an all-American grad student. But she is a werecat, a shape-shifter, and she lives in two worlds. And she had been warned about Strays — werecats without a Pride — and knew that they were constantly on the lookout for someone like her: attractive, female, and fertile.

    After narrowly escaping an attack by a Stray, Faythe, a shape-shifting young werecat and rebellious member of a Pride, discovers that two of her fellow female werecats have disappeared and launches a personal campaign to find her missing friends and stop the kidnappers before it is too late.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarlequin MIRA
    Release dateApr 1, 2010
    ISBN9781426853951
    Unavailable
    Stray
    Author

    Rachel Vincent

    Rachel Vincent is the New York Times bestselling author of several pulse-pounding series for teens and adults. A former English teacher and a champion of the serial comma, Rachel has written more than twenty novels and remains convinced that writing about the things that scare her is the cheapest form of therapy. Rachel shares her home in Oklahoma with two cats, two teenagers, and her husband, who’s been her number one fan from the start. You can find her online at rachelvincent.com and on Twitter @rachelkvincent.

    Read more from Rachel Vincent

    Related to Stray

    Related ebooks

    Fantasy For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      'Dread Nation' Is A Rollicking 'Gone With The Wind + Zombies' Adventure

      Apr 20, 2018

      But don't underestimate the latest YA novel by activist Justina Ireland – it's also a biting commentary on contemporary race relations in America.

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Bone Shard Daughter

      Sep 9, 2020

      RELEASED 10 SEPTEMBER 448 pages | Hardback/ebook/audiobook Author Andrea Stewart Publisher Orbit Books Epic fantasy has long had a thing for One True Kings. You know the drill: a dreadful tyrant is murdering people for fun and generally imperilling t

      1 min read

    • Article

      Dark Blade

      Jul 17, 2019

      Dark Blade
      1 min read

    • Article

      Book The Good Sister

      Oct 29, 2020

      Laced with her usual quirky humour, sass and darkly charming tone, Australian author Sally Hepworth brings her latest tome – tipped to be her breakout – to shelves. Delivering a knockout novel about the lies that bind two sisters, Hepworth tells the

      1 min read

    • Article

      Also Out

      Jul 15, 2020

      Words have mystical power in Jay Posey’s space opera EVERY SKY A GRAVE (out now, Harper Voyager). Set in a future where mankind has mastered the Deep Language of the universe, it centres on an adept sent to a world that’s become corrupted. The world

      1 min read

    • Article

      Three Poems

      Nov 1, 2022

      I recall loneliness is cousinto privacy when I turn the glossypages in a monograph. Long-deadmakers and their quiet study capture the intangible of a personstanding in a field or looking out a windowalways interior in the exterior.Are all paintings l

      3 min read

    • Article

      A Letter to My Sons

      Sep 25, 2019

      A Letter to My Sons
      7 min read

    • Article

      Lingering EFFECTS

      Jun 2, 2022

      Lingering EFFECTS
      7 min read

    • Article

      How Postcards From My Mother Helped Me Survive Childhood

      Mar 3, 2017

      For years, my mother wrote to me every day. I’d been sent away to boarding school and for the first weeks was forbidden to call home­. I was eleven. This was just before mobile phones came beeping and clicking into the lives of everyday people. I di

      4 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Mar 1, 2024

      I was trying to look a little less like myselfand more like other humans, humans who belonged, so I put on a skort.Purchased in another life, when I had a husband and wrote thank-you notes and held dinner parties,the skort even had its own little poc

      6 min read

    • Article

      Five Poems

      May 1, 2022

      If I call myself unlovable, I am, practically; if I say itenough times: unlovable. Then, like practical magic, I’m hollow as old garlic; I’m distance-skinned.I’m a long, mean package, a terror-dyke, a nag, a squinting, slut-spun hag—it’s easy, really

      5 min read

    • Article

      Nothing To Fear

      Jan 26, 2021

      Nothing To Fear
      8 min read

    • Article

      Nick Laird

      Dec 15, 2017

      I was trying to write like an adult.I had children.I was at the end of something. As I waited at my table by the window for the coffee,I saw that the sirocco had depositeda scrim of dust on the sill overnight,and it was the dark red of powdered blood

      3 min read

    • Article

      Now Is the Time

      Nov 24, 2020

      Now Is the Time
      5 min read

    • Article

      Ghost Girl, Banana

      Aug 21, 2023

      By the time I was 25, there were only two things I remembered about Mumma. The first was that she smelled of watermelons, the second was that we were happy. We’d taken our father’s name of course, but a name is only half a story. The other half exist

      6 min read

    • Article

      Longer on Moon

      Sep 22, 2022

      Longer on Moon
      19 min read

    Reviews for Stray

    4/5

    110 ratings59 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      I first read this about 5 years ago but i think i enjoyed it more this time round. I quite disliked Faythe for a good portion of this book. To me she seemed quite selfish with her antics with everyone thing else that was going on. That being said though, she got more likeable towards the end of the book and I found the pace in the second half of the book much better than the first half.

      The story itself was engaging and I liked that some threads were left loose which i am sure we will be revisiting in further books but without leaving a cliff hanger type finish. I liked this enough that I will be picking up book 2 to read very shortly.

    • 2/5
      Meh. Sadly.
    • 4/5
      A good story! Well-rounded first-person perspective of a girl trying to be independent after growing up 'overprotected.' She matures through the book while staying true to her principles. Definitely recommended for the supernatural-loving crowd :)
    • 1/5
      I really didn't like Fythe. I mean, really did not like her and because of her I simply couldn't get into anything that happened in this book.
    • 5/5
      What a fantastic book! I don't want to spoil it for anyone ...
    • 3/5
      I really liked the premise to this book - werecats. And I liked how Vincent portrayed them during their shift. What I didn't like was the characters. I liked the main girl in the beginning. She was strong, and could take care of herself. Except it turns out she's mostly just stupid. I wanted her to be strong mentally and be able to back it up. But she didn't. She annoyed me mostly, saying things and then totally contradicting it with her actions. And Marc annoyed me too. The secondary characters were better than these two main ones. Which is too bad, cause it could have been a great book. I most likely will not pick the next book up since I read a few reviews and they say that the girl doesn't get any better.
    • 5/5
      I absolutely LOVED this book! Rachel Vincent has yet to disappoint me with her writing.

      The fact that Faythe attends my alma mater is beyond awesome. It's always refreshing knowing the areas Vincent talks about. :D I also found myself trying to figure out what route was being taken when Faythe was taken back home.

      Anyway, back to the point. Faythe is a kick-ass werecat. She's strong and independent. She does have a tendency to throw fits when she doesn't get her freedom. But what's a girl to do when she wants something else. ;) I love the fact that she stands up for herself in a male dominated world. F

      Faythe isn't happen when she's forced to go back home under her father's order. She's even less thrilled when she realizes her escort is Marc. There's definitely history between these two.

      The story is fast paced, and full of warring emotions. Faythe is trying to deal with her loss of freedom, feelings toward Marc and Jace, the disappearance of the tabbies, and the boyfriend she left at UNT. This girl has a lot on her plate, and seems to handle it well considering the circumstances.

      I did find myself comparing these characters with those in the Soul Screamers Series. I know this is an adult book, but I see similarities in characteristics. If you've read both and done the same, let me know who you think matches up. Here's mine.

      Faythe --> Kaylee
      Marc --> Nash
      Jace --> Tod
      Abby --> Emma

      Ok, so um, I guess that's it. Go read this book now! Rachel's writing is amazing and I can't wait to see who's ass Faythe kicks next!
    • 4/5
      It is not as strong as Armstrong's wolf series, but... it is a decent story, for a were book published by a romance line.What I didn't like about it is the misogynistic bent of 3/4 of the story. I assume this is to appeal to the "romance" readers who have been conditioned to think of women as weak, and ready and willing to be saved by the knight in shining armour. Perhaps Vincent was trying to make a point with this: such as how silly it is to treat women this way, but... there was so much time spent covering the same material on how the men in her life controlled Faythe that it became obnoxious to read.For example, every time a male character came into a scene, he tried (sometimes successfully, sometimes not so much) to control her. It was like not a single male could think of her as a real person, and not a possession.The sad thing is that she WAS written as a strong character, and was fully capable and competent. She just wasn't allowed to be so. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if there was less focus on "look how controlling men are" and more focus on how Faythe solved the problems all by her little self.But, other than that, I quite liked the storyline, and the main character. I will read more in the series.
    • 3/5
      A nice read. I really liked the concept and got pulled into the story despite myself. I have high hopes that the rest of the series will get even better. It did take me a little while to get through it but I enjoyed it in the end. I feel compelled to start the next book right away because I picked up on the notes of foreshadowing for the next book that the heroine did not yet connect.
    • 5/5
      I really liked it! The first half of the book is just getting to know the characters but the second half really takes off. Faythe is such a kick ass shifter and cant wait to read the next one.
    • 5/5
      I've read this series from the beginning, and this one's still my favorite. I think it's because I like a good beginning.
    • 5/5
      Loved it!!!!!!! Everything about this book kept me locked till the end: the characters, the dialogues, the plot (duh!) and I absolutely loved the pack dynamics (different species -cats v wolves- but same interests)! I think that the reason I liked it so much is due to the fact that it gives you the whole package; in the book, in fact, you can find in equal measure humor, mystery, romance & action!
    • 5/5
      I loved this book and once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down till the very end
    • 5/5
      Let's play a game.Here are some facts about a book:-A young woman can Shift (change from human to animal--and it's not dependent on the moon)-Women have a hard time Shifting. Thus:-Women are RARE among her kind (and she's highly valued for breeding)-She is trying to escape her group of fellow-shifters and have a "normal" life by living away from them and dating a Human-She's hiding her true identity from the Human-She has a former lover back amongst her peers-Her former lover was not born a shifter; he was changed by one of her kind and eventually accepted in with her peers-He's a super hot, super-manly (ha) hunk-She's forced back into living with her peers-...Where she and former flame rehash things...-In one of her books, she gets abducted-In another of her books, she must deal with others who can change into the same animal as her but are not part of her group; they're causing problems, killing people and such-She's a stubborn, ass-kickerWhat book do you think I'm talking about?Yes, it sounds like Kelley Armstrong's Bitten, doesn't it?But, no, my friends, it's:Stray by Rachel VincentNow, I am not saying that it's a bad thing the two are so alike or that anyone copied anyone else, but I just couldn't believe the number of similarities between them!The major difference, though?Kelley Armstrong's gal, Elena, turns into a wolf, whereas Katherine Faythe Sanders turns into a cat (think giant black panther). I read Bitten first and ADORED it, so upon stumbling across mention of Stray, I took one glance and knew there was pretty much no way I wouldn't enjoy it. There are only eight breeding female werecats left . . .And I'm one of themI 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 . . . Indeed, I loved it quite as much as I thought I would. It was a little bit longer than Bitten, which was good because I wanted to take my time enjoying it, but the section right before the middle dragged a bit. She gets pulled home, kicking and screaming...and...and...and...messes with someone's emotions (a number of 'someones', actually)...is a bit immature for someone in grad school...and...ok...FINALLY gets abducted!No spoiler there; it was bound to happen.Yes, I was a little perturbed with her immaturity and the way she leads on some of these guys, but I did understand it. It was annoying and yet interesting; I would never, ever be in her situation so reading about her life (fictional as it may be) is a fabulous, new experience.Not to keep comparing the book to Bitten, but it was also different in that Faythe and her parents have to come to an understanding about her need for independence. Yes, Elena in Bitten has to deal with her pack as a whole, but Vincent put an interesting familial spin on things in her book. Still, having it be so similar to Armstrong's book means another thing: I know whether or not I'll like the sequel. With Bitten, I thoroughly enjoyed some of the tension that made it, but that was resolved (of course) and the new conflict(s) in the sequel(s) was/were good, but not AS good. As Stray's sequel (which just came out, Rogue) doesn't have much choice but to take the same path as Stolen (Armstrong's number two), I feel that the same thing will happen--I'll like it, but won't love it like its predecessor. Will that stop me from reading Rogue, though? Of course not. It's just a matter of when a library around here orders the damn thing for me...(Because we all know that if I borrowed the first, I HAVE to borrow the second. If I bought the first, however, I will dutifully buy its sequel. It's a terrible, obsessive-compulsive cycle)Anywho, I avidly recommended Bitten, so it simply stands to reason that I urge everyone to pick up Stray--I really couldn't put it down :)...And since I have to wait around a bit for Rogue, perhaps I'll go grab a copy of Bitten and do some re-reading...This review is also a post on my blog.
    • 1/5
      OK. I have a lot of problems with this book. The writing style is almost irrelevant, Vincent weaves a supernatural drama and it's mediocre.

      It's the rampant justification of misogyny that gets me. The main character, Faythe, may pay lip service to ideals that give women some more agency--but the plot undermines her at every turn.

      No one seems concerned with the way that Faythe is treated, both physically and verbally by the men in her life. She is blamed and even punished for the behavior of men who are interested in her. Even Faythe herself seems to feel that this punishment may be rightly deserved, like her existence inspired un-checked man-rage, and therefore she feels some weird sense of responsibility for it? What the hell? No one even seems concerned or surprised that Faythe's father is having her followed, goes on to blackmail her, and once locked her in a literal cage for two weeks.

      While Faythe bemoans the state of her life, and claims to be a badass independent bitch who disdains werecat society gender norms she also has moments of reflection where she assumes responsibility for her love interest's behavior. Which, like, ok I get it: literally everyone in this book is telling her it's her fault--I get that the internalized stereotypes are like Sisyphus and his rock, but oh my GOD. This was ridiculous! At one point her ex boyfriend Marc nearly beat a fellow werecat and (supposed) friend to death because the guy presumed to be interested in Faythe.
      Marc barely gets in trouble for this. People are like, damn it Faythe stop toying with men's emotions! Even the werecat Marc nearly murdered just lets this whole thing go. It's completely glossed over. Marc tried to kill him, had to be physically hauled from his person, one of his toes will never be the same-- but they're still bros! What references there are to this incident are to remind Faith that she stepped out of line by daring to show interest in someone else even though Marc was literally her EX at the time and she was not cheating. All this because Faythe kissed a man she was attracted to and borrowed this man's car. Jesus.

      Faythe's Dad and the plot's villain share a concerning amount of methodology. Stalking, putting women in cages to get their way, providing a can to pee in whilst in aforementioned cage. These disturbing parallels don't stop the author from portraying Faythe's father as a man whose decisions are wise and justified, and who Faythe loves and respects. Cages are cool, but only for family blackmail?

      Which brings me to the yucky victim blaming flavored moments toward the end of this book. **Big trigger warning for sexual assault if you plan to read this book **
      Faythe is like, I'd die before I let anyone rape me. This is just not a cute look on a woman who claims to be about female empowerment. Someone close to her has suffered assault, and Faythe is dragging out these tired old man lines about how she would fight to the death instead of living through it and surviving trauma. The plot mirrors this, showing Faythe as uniquely ferocious and able to fight vs. the other woman in need of saving.

      In racist news, this book depicts the North American/United States werecat societies as having a governing Council and clear hierarchy. They are violent but just, and functional. Meanwhile, Vincent describes Central and South American werecats as primal, slaves to violent instinct. The Southern cats are lawless, unregulated, and they have a "spicy" scent...Naturally the villain & his brother are from Brazil, to really drive home the point. Vincent has sadly propped up the racist trope where in Latin American brown men are violent, lust driven, and somehow uncivilized. She tells us that the villain is Brazilian, and his primary language is Portuguese, but then has him muttering and cursing in Spanish that sadly isn't even grammatically correct.

      What agency Faythe has, mostly goes wrong. At times Faythe's thoughts seem like she's making personal progress, but then her actions are not reflective of the kind of female agency the author hints at. The author might give Faythe big ideas about being a badass-chick, but then the plot thwarts this premise by undermining Faythe's legitimacy as a coherent thinker, independent woman, person capable of decision making at every turn. One of the main themes is basically: none of this bad stuff would have happened if only Faythe had followed her Dad's orders instead of (God forbid!) trying to make a life for herself outside if this nightmare of male control.

      I picked this book because I love fantasy worlds. I wanted to like this, right up until the end I was waiting for a redemption arc. Instead I got three hundred-something pages justifying misogynist werecat society.

      It sneaks up on you, because Faythe's stream of thoughts is so "I am woman, hear me roar" but then suddenly it's like:
      Dad is blackmailing her, she hates her mom for practicing femininity, her ex is a violent toxic control freak, and her brother is blaming her for the ex-boyfriend's anger management issues with distinct slut shaming undertones.

      I think the author had good intentions with some kind of empowered female character, she just made the mistake of constructing a deeply toxic masculine world instead of putting the female cats in charge like in a lion pride. Honestly, I wish this had been a story of matriarchy, but alas.

      Out of curiosity, I looked at the next in this series just to read the synopsis. Naturally, a different ex boyfriend is now a murdering lunatic and Faythe blames herself for this in the literal book description. Don't even have to open the book to see that this blame-Faythe-for-horrible-men thing is an enduring theme:
      "But not all my mistakes are behind me [...] the dead are connected to a rash of missing human women and that they can all be laid at my feet." She's like I dated this man casually for 4 months in college, and now that he's a murderous psychopath there's no one to blame but me. This is the kind of logic that pervades this book, and apparently the sequel.
    • 5/5
      Um, can someone say 'fan fiction'? I felt like I was just reading 'Bitten' by Kelley Armstrong again (which really isn't a bad thing). Because this book was not original -at all- I wanted to give it four stars, but... Well... I loved it. I couldn't put it down and I bought the sequels.
    • 1/5
      If only I could give 1 1/2 stars...for most of the book, I really didn't like it. Absolutely couldn't stand Faythe. She was selfish, self-absorbed, and TSTL. How on earth she thought she'd be immune to the strays that were praying on the female were-cats is beyond me--TWICE before she is captured, people she knows and likes are able to take her by surprise (and without even trying besides) and all she thinks to herself is, huh, I guess I need to work on being more aware of my surroundings when she should be thinking, hey, maybe I'm not all that and a bag of chips and when my father says I should stay at the ranch and be protected it really is for my own protection? And every single time she called her father "Daddy" (and she NEVER referred to him as anything else, not once)--I'm sorry, there's just something so wrong with a twenty-something calling her father Daddy--I had to grit my teeth. I had absolutely no sympathy for her whatsoever. She wanted independence and to be treated like an adult, yet she never acted like an adult. She somehow went more than twenty years of her life not knowing or understanding her mother at all--and that totally annoyed me too--I know it's hard to really "know" your parent until you're an adult, but how could she not have had even a clue that her mother had been on the council? Or that her parents had a loving, trusting, partnership? Oh, right, I forget--totally self-absorbed. Silly me.

      It got slightly better in the second half, but only slightly. There's an outside chance that I might have liked this book more if it hadn't been Faythe's first-person narration telling it and therefore there wouldn't have been as much self-congratulation and whining, but I honestly can't say for sure. What I can say is, I won't be continuing in the series. Ugh.
    • 5/5
      This was a fantastic read. It had non stop action all the through.
      I couldn't put it down, definitely a page turner & highly recommended to everyone.
      This is an excellent series because it is so efferent. Cats! Wow. The detailing about their transformation & instinct was amazing. I hope Rachel didn't have to camp out with the big cats!!
      Faythe certainly gets herself into a lot of trouble. I can't wait to see what's in store for her in the next one. Will she have kittens??
    • 1/5
      Faythe happens to be a werecat living in an East Texas pride for which female members are rare, protected, and pretty much cloistered. She has a number of problems with this life, not least of which is the understandable frustration with how the choices available to her are numbered due to the value placed on her existence and baby-making potential. In the midst of her struggle for modern-day female equality in the pride and her own juvenile rebellion/hormonal urges, however, forces outside her control cause her family to limit her choices still further as the female members of the surrounding prides are abducted and even human women are in danger from a band of rogue werecats. Unfortunately, though I was mildly interested in the plot, the characters and their choices were a chore, with the "no one understands me or is on my side" tantrum being thrown way too often for entertainment by a girl whose actions and way of dealing with disappointment frankly annoy me. Perhaps adolescents who feel like the demands of family make them unable to act for themselves will enjoy the Twilight-esque melodrama; I prefer heroines who actually do something other than mope, whine, or put themselves in situations that they know they are better than.
    • 4/5
      I fell in love with Rachel Vincent's writing style with the Soul Screamers series, so I decided to try the Shifters series and am FAR from disappointed. I don't love it as much as Soul Screamers, but I do love it. I devoured Stray in a day. Normally, during the day, I don't sit around and read, but I did with Stray. I wanted to know what was going to happen next.I have to say, however, that I'm not Faythe's biggest fan. I think she's a snotty little brat. I think that she needs to grow up and become the adult she's supposed to be, not the spoiled child she acts like. I have hope for her, since toward the end she was starting to act more like an adult.
    • 5/5
      This book is over 500 pages and I read it in three days. It's the best shifter book I've ever read! With just the right amount of comedy, drama, sex, and fighting it will keep you interested to the last page! It's a little graphic for 13yr- but great for adults who want a little spice in their reading! The main character is spunky and fun, I highly suggest reading this book!
    • 3/5
      When I started this book it took me quite a while to really get into it. A lot of that had to do with the main character, Faythe Sanders. Faythe is a grad student in a Texas college with no desire to deal with her werecat family. Tired of familial obligations and lack of privacy, she does everything she can think of to put off the inevitable issues having such a background entails. But in trying to do so she can be really immature, spoiled, and in many scenes downright unlikeable. I found Faythe's attitude to be a turnoff in the beginning but other characters (like her brothers and extended family) kept me fascinated. I also didn't want to stop reading because so many people have sworn this series gets so much better as it goes on. Once I got toward the end of this book I started to believe them too. I began to really enjoy the journey and understand the trials Faythe endures, and how they change her. There's some good action, interesting plot twists, and a romantic lead that really grabbed my interest enough to make me want to continue the series and grab book 2. ***update: After reading book 2, Ive become hooked! really enjoying the series now!! I'd say definitely give series a chance with book 2***
    • 3/5
      Bought for myselfOverall Rating 3.25Story Rating 3.75Lead Character Rating 2.75(will explain in review)Audio Only Rating 4.00NOTE: I really wish I could review this book in 2 parts because I think the 2nd half of the book was very strong and made me look forward to the rest of the series. However, I do highly recommend the audio version of Stray. I think Jennifer Van Dyck did an excellent job with the narration.What I Loved: Kudos to Rachel Vincent to writing a strong family unit. I absolutely adored the fact that there was a mother, father, brothers, and extended family involved in the story. They are, in fact, the moments that I loved most. The whole second half of the story (not going to include spoilers) the way they pulled together was uplifting and fantastic to read. The world that Rachel has created is very well done also. I like how she divided down the packs, territory, and the explanations of the strays. It reminded me a lot of Old England and their hierarchies. I really loved the strong mother figure in the story and how it was her role that really reminds everyone to look deeper than the surface. Everyone has layers, makes choices, and has their reasons for doing it.What I Liked: I have to say that the male pack members were all very enjoyable to read. Their personalities ran the gamete from fun/playful to serious/contemplating. Personally, it was great to see a little bit of every kind of "person" reflected in this world. There were some unfinished things that I think will play out over the series and I can't wait to see what happens!Complaints: Seriously did not like Faythe for 3/4 of the story. I thought she was childish, spoiled, self-involved, and a little to "I deserve this" for my taste. Towards the end though it appeared she did some growing up. I just hope it sticks!Why I gave it a 3.25: This is one of those stories I wish I could grade in parts: Faythe (2.75), Story 1rst Part (3.5), Story 2nd Part (4.0), and Character (4.0). Unfortunately, Faythe really did pull some of the enjoyment out of reading the first part of the story for me. However, I am really looking forward to the rest of the series and can't wait to see where some of these characters go. Also looking forward to Faythe acting more like the grownup she claims to be :)
    • 4/5
      Well, if you keep track of things on Goodreads, you might have noticed that I plowed through this series in just a few days. I got really caught up in Faythe and the shifter world that Vincent created. However - that doesn't mean I thought the books were perfect, because I had a lot of issues with them (although those pop up mostly in later books). First of all (and, honestly, the reason I hadn't read the books sooner): the name Faythe. I thought that was dumb. I can't stand the way it is spelled! Literally through all six books, I would cringe every single time I read her name. I know it's weird I'm so fixated on it...but really. Bugged the life out of me.Moving on. I loved Faythe as a character for the simple fact that she often got on my very last nerve. She has a lot of growing up to do, and often made bad decisions (or just really annoying ones) over the course of this book. If I'm making that sound like a bad thing...let me correct that now. I loved it! Finally we have a heroine who isn't perfect. This is a series people, which means the MC needs to somehow grow over the course of the books instead of popping out of the womb without a flaw. And all those annoying flaws I'm talking about did not keep me from appreciating and enjoying her - she is still a great character. In fact, you can't really blame her for being so annoying/"fight the establishment," seeing as how the world she lives in doesn't think much of females beyond their breeding capabilities. She stands up for herself and what she wants for her life, and even though it made the book drag on in some parts, I respect that.(Speaking of the book dragging on...it did sometimes. It was long. Too long. But if you can muster the patience to deal with it I think the payoff is worth it.)Next, the world that Vincent created and the system of the shifter community - awesome. I loved the Pride vs. Strays set-up...and even the Pride set-up. I really like reading books with organized supernatural systems, and Vincent definitely delivers 100% on that front. Also cool that they're werecats vs. werewolves...adds another layer of originality (even though the only real difference is that now I picture Bagheera in my head instead of Fang after swallowing a large dose of Skele-gro).I also loved Marc, the love interest/BAMF. He has a lot to do with F's (don't make me say her full name please) contradictory emotions as far as "I love my family" but "I don't want to be trapped" goes. Like I said, I totally understand her need to stand up for herself - but sigh, Marc ends up with the short end of the stick and you can't help but feel sorry for the guy. The plot between Marc and F will probably remind you a lot of Kelley Armstrong's first Women of the Otherworld book, Bitten, if you're familiar with it.The plot in this book, ignoring the slow draggy parts, was awesome. Lots of suspense and tense moments (both sexual and otherwise)...plus, not everything is wrapped up with a neat little bow for every character you're rooting for. Make the story much more realistic.Anyway, overall I liked this book a lot! If you're an adult paranormal romance/urban fantasy fan...I definitely recommend reading these.
    • 4/5
      STRAY, by Rachel Vincent, is the fantastic beginning to her Shifter's series. This adult series provides immense action, romance, and girl-power that will knock your socks off. As a fan of Vincent's Soul Screamers series, I just had to read more of her work. This series started off on a very positive note for me. I loved Faythe as an overall character. Although at times I could not sympathize with her wanting to be on her own (with all those men looking for attention, I would have stuck around! :) ), but she was very honest in her beliefs and fought tooth and nail for them. The love triangle between Faythe, Jace, and Marc was wicked steamy. I had it figured from the beginning who she was going to end up with, but I patiently read through the hot (hot!) situations until Faythe realized it for herself. I enjoyed getting to experience a different type of shifter. I have never read about Werecats before and I liked getting to read the creativity that Vincent put into her history and culture of these creatures. The villians in this book were absolutely dispicable. Some villians are "bad" but Vincent truly created some nasty, sick men. The things that these guys did to women brought out strong emotions of hate and anger out of me, and I think that truly reflects the talent that Vincent possesses. The scenes between the villians and victims were very graphic and I felt strong pity for these girls, but they were very real and I appreciated that because it made the victories a cause for celebration. I am excited to continue this series, and it is one that I do recommend!
    • 2/5
      Honestly, I was disappointed in this one. First of all, it's SO EFFING LONG. It doesn't look like it because the pages are super thin (damn you, marketing ploys! *shakes fist*), but it tops 600 pages. Very few authors can sustain a book that long well enough to keep me fully invested. In fact, only 1 comes readily to mind, where I didn't feel anything should have been cut, it was perfect as it was. Stray needed some serious trimming with a sharp pair of editing shears. For real. There was so much info-dumping through out, and a lot of it only marginally expanded on ground that had already been covered. I also didn't feel like there was anything in the story or world-building that I couldn't have gotten elsewhere. Hell, I didn't even find the characters all that likeable. A lot of PNR/UF runs the risk of falling into cliche territory, and sometimes flat-out biting other storylines, but there's got to be some twist or redeeming quality that makes me want to read this over that -- what does one offer that another doesn't, that makes me need to read it? I never really got that extra something from this, even though I help on for 620+ pages. I have an inkling there may be something coming that will interest me, but do I want to slog through 5 more books to get it? In the (small) plus column, I thought the story picked up when Faythe* went home to the ranch and was thrust back into the paranormal element she'd been trying to escape** and when the ball finally got rolling and the Big Bad came in, I liked it. But it was a long, sometimes torturous road getting there, and I almost set the book down many times along the way. I think I could eventually like the series, and may read more if someone assures me Rachel Vincent learns to cut the dreck and get to the goddamn point, but until then, I'm shelving them. * I'm not even going to address the ridiculous name-spelling. ** sound familiar?
    • 4/5
      Faythe's a grad student with a really big secret - she's also a tabby, a shape-shifting female cat. Her family's grudgingly allowed her five years of relative freedom in college, but now someone's stalking and murdering Pride tabbies, and Faythe may be next on the list. Can she keep her temper long enough to avoid the killer and keep her own family from locking her up? If she manages it, it'll be a miracle!A bit rough around the edges, but not a bad read.
    • 4/5
      Review courtesy of All Things Urban FantasyFaythe Sanders is a fiercely independent urban fantasy heroine, very reminiscent of Elena Michaels (the only female werewolf in Kelley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld series) in fact STRAY was in many ways similar to Elena’s first book BITTEN: The prodigal daughter, a rare female shifter, is forced to return home and reunite with her Pack and former Love while hunting down some stray shifters. But the similarities didn’t bother me in the slightest. Both BITTEN and STRAY are excellent books with enough differences to be more than worthwhile reads on their own. Faythe, in particular, was a consistent high note throughout STRAY. She was gutsy and brave, with a clear, often sarcastic, voice, that made sense since she grew up as the only girl in a house full of boys. Her unwavering insistence on independence was at times foolish, but she was quick to acknowledge her mistakes and that her stubbornness was a weakness that she constantly battled. The romance was equally good as Faythe struggled not just with her ex Marc, but also with the childhood friend Jace, whom she’d always considered as a brother until now. The heated flirtation between Faythe and Jace added to the romantic tension and realistically fueled the doubt that Faythe experienced with her emotions for two very different men. And all that romantic tension was only heightened by the dynamics of Pride life in STRAY which were fascinating in their complexity, specifically the role of females. Rachel Vincent does an admirable job of communicating all the intricacies of life as a Shifter without bogging her readers down with boring details. All in all, STRAY was an excellent start to what promises to be an excellent series. This is the perfect time to jump into this series as the sixth and final book in the series came out last year which means you can read Faye’s full story with no waiting! WARNING: This book deals heavily with the subject of rape both from the side of the victims and the rapists. Although there aren’t any rape scenes in the book, it is alluded to and attempted many times, one failed attempt in particular is somewhat graphic and disturbing. Sexual Content: A scene of mild sensuality. A semi graphic sex scene. Multiple references to rape. Several attempted rape scenes one of which is graphic.
    • 4/5
      In my opinion, the best books out there are ones that grab you right from the first page and just keep going. However, I have read some pretty good books that just took awhile to get going. This book definately fit into the latter catagory. After about 50 pages I had decided to give up on it. Fortunately, I was somewhere that I needed a book and I had to keep reading. Very soon, it got very good and I am very glad I stuck it out.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this one enough to start on the second in the series. It kept me interested, and I like the main character.