Review: Clarity

Title Clarity
Series: Clarity, #1
Author: Kim Harrington
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Cover Designer: Danielle Delan
Age Audience: YA
Genre: Paranormal
Summary: Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. 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 gifts 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 most?

My Review:
First of all, I don’t like the cover. It’s misleading. It specifically says in the book that Clare is a red-head, but the cover model has blonde hair. Even if not for that, I’d still say it’s quite generic.

I really liked the paranormal aspect of this book. Instead of being something not human, Clare and her family were just humans with supernatural abilities. Clare was a great character too. She was strong and sarcastic, but not rebellious. I also liked how both male love interests were 100% human—at least as far as I know—and Clare was unsure about her feeling for both of them.

The mystery was great. I’m usually very good at predicting, which is why I don’t often read mysteries. But in Clarity, the plot kept twisting and turning. You think you know who did it, then the evidence points to someone else. Although I came very close, I didn’t even predict who the murderer was!

But this book was not without its flaws. Why was Clare labeled as a “freak” and had no friends, but Perry, who had supernatural abilities too, was popular? Why did Tiffany have to be such a stereotypical mean girl? Can’t we have a unique, layered female antagonist for once? And why did Clare’s mother agree to let her teenage daughter investigate a murder? I know she wasn’t entirely your typical parent, but she seemed too sheltering to allow that.

Overall, Clarity was a quick, fun paranormal mystery. It’s not the next groundbreaker of the YA market, but I liked it. I don’t think the story needs to be continued, but since there were some questions left unanswered, I’m going to read Perception when it comes out in 2012.

★★★