Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Review/Clarity by Kim Harrington

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

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?


Kim Harrington’s debut novel Clarity has been highly anticipated since the first peek of the book's beautiful cover made its rounds on the blogs. Like everyone else, I was excited about reading the book, and I am happy to say that not only was I not at all disappointed, but I  hope that Harrington has plans to write more about Clarity and her family.

Clare (Clarity) Fern is one terrific character. She lives in a small coastal town on Cape Cod with her mother, and brother. The family earns their living as psychics, which makes Clarity a freak in the eyes of most of her (townie peers). What I loved about Clarity was her ability to ignore or stand up to those who ridiculed her about her ability, and her unerring strength. Unlike many YA characters whose decision often stem from their emotions, most of Clarity’s decisions are well thought out.  I also loved the strong family unit and Clarity’s loyalty especially to her brother. Finally, I applaud Clarity’s wherewithal to stand her ground with her ex-boyfriend, who cheated on her with the town skank, even though he did seem extremely sincere about his feelings for Clarity.

Aside from the great characterization, I was also very impressed with Harrington’s plot, which revolves around the murder of a teenage girl. Clarity is asked to help her ex-boyfriend whose father is the mayor of Eastport by using her psychic abilities in an unofficial capacity. She is teamed up with Gabriel, the son of Eastport’s new detective, who is less than thrilled to be working with a psychic. Sparks fly, both romantically and otherwise as Clarity and Gabriel investigate the murder. There are political implications thrown in for good measure, and the fact that Clarity’s brother, who is a bit of a player, spent part of the evening with the dead girl only adds to the suspense. While I tried to figure out whodunit, Harrington successfully threw in enough red herrings that the ending was not as predictable as I thought.

In the end, I found Clarity to be a fast-paced engaging read with a satisfying ending. I also am quite sure that there is much more to learn about Clarity and her family, and will be looking forward to Harrington’s next book.

Source: Receive ARC copy from Publisher


As part of my 21 Day Blogoversary & Birthday Bash you can enter to win your own ARC copy of Clarity here.

26 comments:

Demitria said...

Can't wait to read this one!

demitrialunetta.blogspot.com

Melissa (i swim for oceans) said...

I am absolutely DYING to read this one! It just sounds so so so so good! Great review, Jan! :)

Lisa_sps said...

Thanks for the review! I love book with a strong character!!!! I've to find a copy!
Happy Readings

DJ D. said...

I have an ARC of this and cannot wait to get to it. I'm so glad you liked it and I do believe Kim plans on writing more books in a series. :-)

Carrie at In the Hammock Blog said...

this one is on my to read list! thank you for the review!

Christina Lee said...

YAY KIM *jazz hands*!!!!!

Pisinat said...

It sounds really good! I'm so eager to read it!

Lisa_Gibson said...

Wow, sounds like a great read. One I'm looking forward to checking out. Thanks for the great review.
Lisa ~ YA Literature Lover

Brent Taylor said...

I'm so excited for this one!!

Kari said...

Ooh, this sounds excellent!! Thank you so much for hosting the giveaway, too :)

Katie said...

I am soooo excited to read this one! It looks like it will be a fav for me! I live mysteries!! Great review!

Staci said...

I love it when a book really delivers! Sounds like a winner!

Lyla Ibrahim said...

I've read other reviews about this book...
sounds like a very good read...
I don't read much mysteries...
but I think I'm gonna love this one...
huhu...

Mrs. DeRaps said...

I love a good YA mystery every now and again. Thanks for the review--I have spent some time on the Cape and am sure that I'll be able to visualize this setting!

Nomes said...

this sounds fantastic. i love it when sparks fly!

x

A Canadian Girl said...

I've been hoping you would post a review for Clarity after I found out you were giving an ARC of it away. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

Irena @ This Miss Loves to Read said...

What a great review! This seems to be a gripping read and a good mystery. The cover is so beautiful, too.

Unknown said...

I can't wait for this one!

Ana Lucía said...

I want to read this so badly!!

Small Review said...

This one sounds so good. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for your review!

Vicky said...

This book seemed to me similar to the body finder, but now that I've read more about it sounds awesome!

Anonymous said...

I want to read this realllly badly so thanks for hosting this.

Momo (Books Over Boys) said...

I just recently heard about this one and now I realllly want to read it! Thanks for the giveaway!

Julie said...

Awesome review! Can't wait to read this one next year! Thanks for the giveaway :)

Tammy (The Book Fairy's Haven) said...

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that this book has lived up to your expectations. I was looking forward to reading this before, but even more so now! And Clarity sounds like a fantastic character, so I can't wait to meet her!

Kira said...

What a beautiful cover! Looking forward to reading this one!

 
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