Title: Clarity Author: Kim Harrington Series: Clarity #1 Cover Art: Ingrid Baars Genre: Paranormal YA Excerpt: Yes Source: Publisher & blog buddy Reviewed by: Abigail Reading level: Young Adult Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Point (March 1, 2011) ISBN-10: 0545230500 ISBN-13: 978-0545230506   Sexual Content: Kissing. References to sex. My Rating: Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now & pre-order the sequel.

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Description

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

 

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

 

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

 

And a curse.

 

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Review

Did you happen to watch a little TV show back in 2007 called Veronica Mars (you can watch the entire series on Netflix Instant Watch)?  It was a very cool teen noir series that revolved around a high school girl in a small town who used the skills she learned from working with her P.I. father to investigate crimes (everything from identity theft to cold case murders) and ruffle feathers of the affluent and influential in her city. Like most great shows, it was canceled too soon.  I’ve looked unsuccessfully for something similar for years until I read CLARITY.  I knew by the first chapter that this was the spiritual successor of Veronica Mars.

 

Clare is going to be my new standard for YA heroines.  She doesn’t have herculean strength or the ability to summon formidable magical powers.  She’s pretty normal except for the psychic ability she inherited.  Her mother is telepathic, her brother can communicate with ghosts (sometimes), and Clare has the gift of retrocognative psychometry (the ability to sense the history—sometimes—of an object by touching it).  Being labeled as ‘freaks’ in her small town has given her a pretty thick skin, a razor sharp wit, and a lethal sarcasm.   She’s smart and resourceful and doesn’t make apologies to herself or anyone else for doing what needs to be done.

 

The character of Clare would have been enough to win me over, but I also loved how understated the supernatural elements were in CLARITY.  Clare uses her intellect more than her psychometry to investigate the murder that lies at the center of the plot.  She schmoozes some witnesses,  outright deceives others, and even flirts with a few when the ends justify it.  There is room for the paranormal aspects of this story to expand as the series progresses, and judging by some of the hints dropped in this story, I’m expecting they will. 

 

Overall, if you loved the TV show Veronica Mars, you will revel in this book.  Clare and Veronica are clearly cut from the same cloth.  If you’ve never watched the show, CLARITY delivers small town scandal, big time intrigue, and an intrepid teen protagonist caught in the crosshairs of a murderer.   It’s a refreshing mix of mystery, romance, and subtle supernatural secrets.  The second book in the Clarity series is called PERCEPTION and will be released in March 2012.  That’s a depressingly long time to wait for when the first book was so head over heels amazing.

Previous Books in Series	Also Reviewed By:
N/A	A Good Addiction Eve's Fan Garden EATING Y.A. BOOKS

Giveaway courtesy of Scholastic & Big Honcho Media

Two (2) winners will each receive a copy of CLARITY

 

Giveaway Guidelines

1. Open to US only

2. Leave a comment & a way to contact you if you win

3. Entries must be received by Midnight MST on March 17th.

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