Release Date: 1st March, 2011Publisher: Scholastic Point
Pages: 242pgs
The Story
Don't Close Your Eyes.
Except When The Truth Is Too Dark To Bear.
Clarity "Clare" Fern see things. Things no one else can see. 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 gift 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 the most.
The Review
Clarity has visions when she touches an object. To her family she's normal. To her town she'll always be known as 'The Freak'. But when a murder is committed within the town, Clare's ability is about to come in handy after all. While people doubt her family and her own supernatural abilities, she is more than determined to prove them wrong. But when her brother becomes a prime suspect of the murder, it's bound to complicate things for Clare's unusual life as she'll need her ability more than ever before. The question here is: Will it work for her?
Before I get into anything, I just have to say I love any books that have something to do with psychics because 1) I find it absolutely fascinating and 2) because I'm a sucker when it comes to psychics solving Nancy-Drew-like mysteries (a huge ND nerd right here). While there's plenty of books out there in the young adult market, dealing with this sort of genre, CLARITY was definitely a likeable read. Personally it was hard to get into at first - had a slow beginning and sometimes was predictable in terms of who the killer was etc. - but ultimately it was a pretty good read for a 242 paged book. Not a lot of short YA books do the mysteries justice.
Like the story, the main character Clare was quite likeable too. She might be a little naive at times and perhaps a little childish, however when it comes to her ability . . . she started to grow into her own and become a heroine you came to admire. But that doesn't mean she's flawless. She develops a crush on the new boy in town - the detective's son mind you - Gabriel and while she 'might' like him, she still loves her ex-cheating-boyfriend, Justin. I admit, I didn't really like Gabriel. He didn't believe in Clare as much as I wanted him too (maybe because he's a skeptic) but I don't know . . . I just didn't believe in his story and how he starts to like Clare as well. I truly want him out of the picture. As for Clare's ex-cheating-boyfriend, Justin, while he's a cheating jerk and I'm sure there's plenty of cheating jerks out there in the real world that never should be forgiven . . . but unfortunately I had a soft spot for him. While Gabriel was hesitant to trust in Clare's ability to sense things, Justin always believed in her. Plus, he's pretty cute in my imagination. Whether these two guys get the girl in the end . . . I guess we'll find out in CLARITY's sequel. Go Justin I say!
While CLARITY isn't my favourite of all favourites of psychic books, but it's a great debut novel for those who are looking for a quick book fix. It's fast-paced, has a little bit of action, a great deal of suspense, a faint romance that most will enjoy, and an ending that leaves you wanting more for its sequel. If you love the likes of Nancy Drew and Laurie Stolarz's Touch series (my favourite psychic series by the way), then CLARITY is definitely your type of read! But be warned: it'll leave you with lot's of questions!
The Rating
3 1/2 / 5 stars
I felt pretty much the same as you about this book.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like Gabriel at all. He ran so hot & cold, and his "skepticism" was actually pretty harsh at times and made him look like a jerk. If I had been in Clare's shoes, I would have found his behavior insulting and a complete turn off.
Anyways, great review.
Yeah Gabriel was definitely a hot/cold guy and I agree . . . he acted like a jerk when it came to his skepticism. Anyway, thanks for commenting and stopping by!
ReplyDeleteGreat review! Sucks it doesn't totally live up to expectations, but sounds like an enjoyable enough read. I like the whole psychic element, I haven't read enough of those type of books! Although I'm questioning when to actually read this, if it leaves me with more questions I'm tempted to wait until the sequel is closer!
ReplyDeleteLOL. Thanks. Yeah there's not too many questions . . . but it's annoying that the romance isn't solved at the end. Damn the bloody romance. haha.
ReplyDelete