Clarity by Kim Harrington

Release Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Pages: 242
Series: Clarity #1
Review Source: Library

Synopsis: (from Goodreads)
When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

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 Thoughts:
‘Clarity’ is exactly how I like my paranormals: where the paranormal aspect is an important part of the story, but it’s exactly that -- an aspect of the story, not the catalyst for the entire plot line. In this case, the abilities of Clarity (Clare) and her family were an important part of the story, as Clare is asked to help solve a local murder. The paranormal aspect of this story was a way of telling the story, but it wasn’t the backbone of the novel. I guess what I’m getting at is that if you removed Clare’s ability you would still have the murder story, the family relationships, the town dynamics, and the story of the boys and Clare, which in my opinion makes the whole story a lot more interesting.

This book provides a very interesting mystery to solve, because it seems like practically everyone could be a suspect at one point or another. Even though I ended up figuring out some of the whodunnit ahead of time it was all so twisty that I could never be sure if I actually was correct. With the Cape Cod backdrop I wish the story had been a little bit more dark/foggy/atmospheric. I love it when the setting becomes another character in the novel, and I didn’t quite get that feeling here, though I still liked the beachy small town feel that the book had.

One thing is for sure about Kim Harrington: she certainly knows how to write appealing boy characters. This book is full to the brim with them, and I liked how while they all fit into archetypal roles they weren’t complete cliches. I have to say that Nate was my favourite even though he wasn’t one of the main boys in this book.

I’ve been giving more paranormals a shot lately, and I’m so glad I decided to pick this one up. It had a strong and interesting plot, likable characters, and cool paranormal abilities that added to the story instead of completely taking it over.

Rating:
[4/5]

Find Clarity by Kim Harrington on Goodreads, Book Depository, & Amazon.ca