Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

CLARITY by Kim Harrington

Pub. Date: March 2011

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.

Format: Hardcover , 256pp

Age Range: Young Adult
Source: Publisher (ARC) 

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?

Harrington packs mystery, spunk, and supernatural talents into an impressive debut. The opening scene sets the stage and from there on, readers are thrown into a past where Clare, the resident freak has to solve a murder case. I wanted to know immediately what dark secrets she would uncover in the process and what suspects would be revealed. I was in no way disappointed that was for sure!

Meet Clare - the townies consider her a freak while the tourists consider her entertainment. I saw a girl who just wanted to be normal and loved. Clare has sass and she's not afraid to dish it when her back is against the wall. And so what if she uses her ability to spill some juicy dirt to get back at her bullies. Her snarky comments had me laughing and I grew to like her even more when she stood up to nonbelievers. I did enjoy the unique Fern family dynamics. Having a mom and brother with special abilities not so much unlike Clare's, ramped up my interest even more when they were introduced. Harrington did a great job keeping me guessing. With a host of characters and plenty of secrets and suspense to keep the pages turning, I couldn’t have asked for more.

Overall, this novel is a great start to this series. Harrington can go in so many directions with the characters' abilities. I'm looking forward to getting to know these characters even more and to find out what deeds whether good or bad, will be uncovered next.

Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

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