A review by foxclouds
Otherworldly by F.T. Lukens

adventurous emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

"Otherworldly" is a stand-alone young adult romantic urban fantasy novel full of diverse and likeable characters. It made me wish we had a bit more time in that world.

I have received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. Thank you so much, Simon & Schuster, for sending this copy. I was unsure if I would get it when I requested it, so I was overjoyed to receive it in the mail!

Since "Otherworldly" is F.T. Lukens's fourth book, I must say I can clearly see how they have grown as authors. In previous novels, I could see some moments when the plot felt a bit rushed, but here, the author has achieved a perfect balance of character and plot development. 

Like all of the author's previous works, "Otherworldly" is a stand-alone novel, even though it shares similar fairy-tale like elements with previous novels. Once again, we have a supernatural being, just like in their debut novel, "In Deep Waters," who is extremely fascinated with the human world but is forced to go back to their own world. A chance encounter gets Knox and Ellery tied to each other not only by the budding attraction but also by the desire to escape from the shadow demons. Knox's bucket list was one of my favourite things in the story. And I totally think that the TV show that they were watching was a nod to all of the Buffy fans. 

Another reference that I noticed was, of course, Bram, who acts just like the messenger from "The Raven" poem by Edgar Allan Poe. 

Even though Knox and Ellery are the main characters in the story, Charley and Zada have a special place in my heart. If it were not for them, a lot of things would not have worked out for Ellery and I can not stress enough how much I love reading about chosen families. 

F.T. Lukens always creates very welcoming and safe worlds for their characters, that makes me wish we had the same easy acceptance and inclusion in our real lives.