Thursday, September 23, 2010

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie's always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, 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 still. Normal.
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.
So much for normal.

Since its release, I’ve been hearing much praise around this book. Actually, I started hearing it even before it was released. But I never picked it up because I was kind of tired of this genre. Then, my husband and I had some extra time to kill before a movie, so we stopped at a bookstore. Paranormalcy was on the shelf, so I picked it up and read the first five pages.

I was laughing out loud after the first paragraph. In the bookstore! And I kept laughing through the entire first scene. When I reached page five, I was already convinced of Evie’s awesomeness, so I snapped the book closed and bought it. I finished it the next day, and the middle and end were just as good as the beginning.

The author has a fantastically clever wit that I love. Even though Evie’s tastes weren’t at all like mine, I still found many ways to connect with her. And can I just say that I love the combination of the girly-girl who can also kick butt? Awesome! Also, the romance aspect to the story was realistic and healthy, and unfolds slowly rather than them throwing themselves at each other. Very refreshing.

The paranormal aspect is incredibly unique and interesting. The author has invented a new form of paranormal beings, and it’s still not clear of what their place in the world is. But the story’s resolution was satisfying, and I’m content to wait until the next book to find out more about these beings.

Well written, great characters, unique story, what’s not to love? Go get yourself a copy! You’ll be glad you did.

8 comments:

Bish Denham said...

Oh, nice to know there's some humor in this genre! Sound like something I'd like to read.

Tere Kirkland said...

I'm in the middle of this right now, and really enjoying the voice and the plot, so I'm trying to savor it. Glad to hear so many people recommending it!

Thanks for your review.

Tabitha said...

Bish - this book has fantastic humor! It's hard to make me laugh out loud, but I did it several times. :)

Tere - same here. It's a great book! And I completely agree about the voice and plot. Very strong.

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Oh, Tabitha, I absolutely LOVED this book - love, love, love!!!! :-)

Unknown said...

I'm writing for the book to wend its way through my trading circle. Your review makes me wish they were reading faster.

Tabitha said...

Shannon - it's fabulous, isn't it??

Kay - once it gets to you, it'll be worth the wait. :)

Vicki Rocho said...

Great review! I loved it too!

Natalie Aguirre said...

I loved this book too. I had to go buy it when it came out. Great review.