Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

(Paranormalcy #1)

Hardcover, US, 335 pages

Published August 2010 by HarperTeen

Rating:

Summary:

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

My Thoughts:

I honestly had really high hopes for this book. Really high. And I suppose that was the problem, because Paranormalcy was just okay. Evie seems to have it great at first. An action packed life filled with adventure and danger. But as you learn more about her and the career she's fulfilling, things get darker and we learn that all isn't as it appears. Then there's Reth who I thought was fine until you realise very early on that he's out of the question. Finally, there's Lend, her love interest who never looks the same and is constantly changing - literally.

I wouldn't say that there was anything completely wrong with it. I just didn't think the writing was superb, the character's weren't all that they could have, and the flow was out of sync for me.

What I Liked:

The Story. It was really interesting and unique, and quite frankly I would kill for her job.
Lend. Her love interest in the story who seems to changes into one hot guy after another.
The Conflict. The antagonist can either be seen as a multitude of people and Evie and Lend's fight to overcome and survive makes the story really exciting.
The Creatures. What would I give for my best friend to be a mermaid.

What I Didn't Like:

The Shows. I didn't understand why she had to be completely obsessed with her teen high school drama.
Tasey. That's right, she names her pink taser 'Tasey'.
Relationships. It seemed almost too easy for Lend and Evie to get together.
Evie. I didn't hate her, but if she went to my school I would know for a fact that we wouldn't get along. Plus she seemed like a total Mary Sue.

Should You Read It?

If you like reading about interesting creatures, cute romances, vampires, mermaids, teenage angst, and a bucket load of pink (was it me or was there a lot of it?) then by all means. Everyone else seems to enjoy it.

Cover: