Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Book Title: Paranormalcy

Author: Kiersten White

Publisher: HarperTeen

Original publication date: August 31 2010

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Format/pages: Hardcover 352 Pages

Format read: Kindle edition

Date read: October 23 2010

Rating: 4 Stars

Book description from the publisher:

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.

My take:

Fresh and witty, Paranormalcy is an entertaining and fast paced paranormal debut from author Kiersten White. Paranormalcy is well written and action packed with intriguing characters and an original voice.

Paranormalcy stands out from many of the other YA paranormal books on the shelf. The protagonist, Evie, is likeable and spunky, a girly and believable 16 year old. She also has a special talent that makes her valuable to the International Paranormal Containment Agency (IPCA) and keeps her from leading a typical teenage life.

This book does not focus on just one type of paranormal – there are several supernatural types to keep your interest. Werewolves, vampires, fairies, mermaids and more inhabit the Paranormalcy world. Fairies, in particular have an interesting role. One of the fairies, Reth, takes a particular creepy interest in Evie. I liked that good and evil is not black and white and there is a lot of depth to the characters.

There is a compelling mystery to solve at IPCA, which is where a lot of the action takes place. There is danger all around and it’s hard to tell who to trust. A shape shifter, Lend, presents the idea to Evie that all is not what it seems at IPCA. It was endearing to see how excited Evie would get hearing about Lend’s high school experiences, or even the thought of attending high school and having a locker.

The ending is very exciting and suspenseful and opens up a lot of possibilities for the sequel. Paranormalcy kept my interest, with it’s blend of humor, action and romance, and I’m looking forward to reading the sequel Supernaturally, due out September 2011.

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