Picture drawn by Maggie Stiefvater, 2009. Header made by S.F. Robertson, 2010.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Fresh New Voice of YA- Paranormalcy by Kiersten White


Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
"Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through paranormals’ glamours.

But Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal."- summary from Amazon

This has become one of my most favorite books ever. It's funny, original, and has a sweet romance AND ends without a huge cliffhanger. Let's take this on step-by-step:

1) Funny- Kiersten White knows funny (I mean, really, just read her blog) and she incorporates it so well into the storyline. Evie is a wonderful, fairly sarcastic character and I laughed out loud several times at what she said or thought. Funny paranormal stories are sorely lacking- we need more!! I'm glad this is a trilogy so we can expect more funny paranormal from White.

2) Original- Now, maybe I haven't read enough paranormal books, but I thought this idea of a Paranormal Containment Agency was pretty original. Not only that, but I loved the inclusion of so many paranormals; those are my favorite kind of stories- ones that incorporate more than just one creature. It makes for a more interesting story. White did a great job with the Agency's backstory and everything; I really got a good sense of the place and how it all started and how it operates.

3) Romance- I don't know what Aprilynne Pike is talking about in her blurb on the book because there is only one romantic interest and that is Lend. Reth hardly counts and he is certainly not sexy. I didn't like him at all. Lend on the other hand was pure sexiness and I loved the scenes between him and Evie- they are so cute together!!! It's all awkwardness, blushing, and hand holding and it's just adorable. I loved it. I want a Lend of my own (Kiersten, get working on that!)!

4) Non-cliffhanger ending- This is a trilogy and I am eager to read the sequel, however White did something I wish more authors would do. At least with this one, there's a definite ending and I feel satisfied with what I read, but there's enough loose ends and overall arc to keep me reading. But the main adventure in this book was completed. It feels more episodic in a sense. Some series feel more like one huge book broken up into 3 or more books and so therefore just kinda end abruptly and with a huge cliffhanger. Not so with this one, at least for me. That is a HUGE plus.

So pretty much what I'm saying is GO BUY THIS BOOK ON AUGUST 31!! I promise you won't regret it. White is a fantastic new voice and I can't wait to read more from her, even past this trilogy.

FTC: Received ARC from publisher. Link above is Amazon Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.

2 comments:

  1. I agree, James! Such a fun book, with great world-building and wonderful characters. The sense of humor reminds me of HEX HALL ... maybe more paranormals will start including humor.

    Lisa

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  2. I had been waiting to read this book for so long and when I finally got my hands on it I was thrilled, it was so great! I agree with you James that the ending was different and not what I'm used to but I loved it all the same, great review!

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