CLARITY by Kim Harrington

Clarity by Kim Harrington was (and wasn't) what I was expecting.

The cover is really eye-catching--though I'm pretty sure Clare is supposed to be a redheadJ--and the premise is a good one: A teenage girl sees memories, emotions, and secrets when she touches objects.  This is one of those paranormal powers that could carry an entire book series.  I mean, really, you could do so much with that, and I thought putting it in a YA setting was pretty smart.

When there's a murder in Eastport, not only does it put the family business at risk.  Most tourists are intrigued by the Ferns and their freakish abilities, but they're more interested in staying alive.  The girl's homicide brings suspicion onto Clare's brother Perry.  He was the last to see her alive and has a love-'em-and-leave-'em reputation.  But that doesn't make him a murderer.  As Clare delves further and further into the investigation, working alongside her ex, Justin, and the new detective's son, Gabriel, both her life--and her heart--are at risk.  Her brother Perry's acting guilty, the new psychic down the street is stealing what's left of their dwindling clients, and the killer's watching Clare's every move, waiting for her to slip up…waiting to take out the girl who could ruin everything.

I admired a lot about this book.  The idea went exactly how you'd want it to go.  I've read in different places where it was compared to different TV shows.  I'll throw my own in there, and say it was very much like the short-lived, yet entertaining series, The Dead Zone (ran on USA a few seasons, starring that kid from all the John Hughes films).  I enjoyed it just about as much, and there's always room in the YA genre for this type of story.  A teen sleuth with a supernatural ability she uses to solve mysteries?  Never gets old imo J

My biggest problem with the book was also what I liked best: It went exactly how you'd expect it to go.  I love it when someone delivers exactly what I'm looking for, but I love to be surprised by something I didn't know I was looking for in the first place.  Hope that made sense o_O.  Anyway, if I had one bad thing to say, it'd just be that I wanted more.  More of Clare touching objects and seeing things (maybe things that weren't even relevant, but juicy/entertaining/horrifying in some way), more romance, more angst, more depth, more pages, just more.

The book was a quick read, and the end provided a little bit of set-up for the next book, Perception, which will be out in 2012.  Actually, the summary for Perception is what made me pick up the first book, so I'll definitely be getting that one when it comes out.  I'd recommend Clarity to younger teens and fans of this premise.  And for the adult readers out there, I'd also rec Charlaine Harris's Harper Connelly series (a definite favorite J) for a read with more grit.

Whoop! My 20th review!! Would love to hear what you guys thought :)

Happy reading,

Ninja Girl