Rating: 3.5/5 Stars Genre: Mystery
Release Date: 3/1/2011
About the Book: Clarity "Clare" Fern has a special gift-she's a psychic and see visions about people's pasts. When a teenage girl is found murdered in her quiet Cape Cod tourist town, Clare's cheating ex-boyfriend enlists Clare's special talent to help solve the case. Clare is still mad about the fact that he broke her heart. But when the top suspect in the cast becomes Clare's brother, she knows she has to help. Clare joins up with Gabriel, the hot son of the town's new detective to bring the murderer to justice. But will Clare's gift fail her just when she needs it most?
GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Clarity is a supernatural mystery that is an easy and addicting read that I think will appeal to fans of Meg Cabot. The writing and mystery reminded me a bit of Cabot's books and the banter is fun. The book is a fast read and Clare is an engaging character. She has a quirky family and she's easy to like and root for.
The mystery is a bit simplistic and I would have liked things to be a bit fleshed out more. Clare stumbles upon clues fairly easily and I wanted a bit of a more complicated mystery and puzzle to figure out. There's also a large cast of characters which means a lot of people to keep track of. Clare also has a lot of potential love interests for Clare, which I found a bit annoying, since she mentions many times that she's a loner and viewed as a freak at school because of her gifts. Sure, we have our love triangle, but I kind of hoped that her brother's best friend would become a possible love interest as well! It's also a bit convenient how the teens end up working on the case, but that can be overlooked fairly easily.
Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy Clarity and I think it sets up what could be a great new mystery series. I really hope we see more of Clare. While it doesn't end on a cliffhanger and the mystery is resolved, the book does leave a few things open and I would love to know what happens next. It's easy to get pulled into the story and finish it quickly. I liked that while Clare has a psychic power, that's not the focus of the book, the focus is the mystery and her power aides in solving that. I also liked her relationship with her mom and her brother-I love great family dynamics in YA! I just hope that the future volumes in the series give us a more complex mystery.
Book Pairings: The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting, Echoes by Melinda Metz, The Mediator Series by Meg Cabot, 1-800-Where R You Series by Meg Cabot, Touch Series by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Full Disclosure: Reviewed from copy sent by publisher for review
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ReplyDeleteNice review! I really like the Mediator series by Meg Cabot, and comparing this to that has moved Clarity list of priorities quite a bit. Also, thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteWow, not sure why my last comment posted 3 times. o.O
ReplyDeleteLoved this book!
ReplyDeleteI love -- LOVE -- this cover. I was a little dubious of the story, just because it's another in a long line, you know? But I have yet to read a bad review of it, so I think I have to cave and put it on the wishlist.
ReplyDeleteAlready added to the list! With so many love interests, it doesn't sounds like she's a loner. mmm. A bit weird. Great review.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book and I am totally with you that I hoped Perry's friend would become a love interest...I wondered if I was alone in that. They seemed to have a really easy rapport.
ReplyDeleteThats a great cover on the book.
ReplyDeleteMy only complaint with YA books are that they are sometimes a bit 'thin' for adults. That said, it probably works in favour of the younger reader.
I've heard so many things about this book - I'm looking forward to reaing it. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is the first review I've read that wasn't 5 stars. I'm still looking forward to it though. Thanks for the chance to win a copy :D
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read my copy.
ReplyDeleteI love mysteries, and humor's a plus.
I read this one recently too (liked it a lot- review is on my blog), and I SO agree about the brother's best friend- I thought he would turn out to be a potential love interest! I really liked him. Maybe in a future book?
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed this one. Agreed that it was a bit tame in the mystery department but it was just what I needed when I read it!
ReplyDeleteCLARITY is a action packed debut and has landed Harrington's upcoming novels, including the sequel, PERCEPTION, on my list of must reads. Don't miss this action packed first installment to what could easily shape up to be a new paranormal series favorite for many YA readers.
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