{Review} Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity
by Kim Harrington
Series: Clarity #1
Pages: 256
Release Date: February 1, 2012 (paperback edition)
by Point (an imprint of Scholastic)

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Don't close your eyes. Except when the truth is too dark to bear. 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?

*A copy was provided by Scholastic for review purposes*

Excitement?  In Eastport? Nay!

For a relatively small book, I must say that this was one of the most interesting I’ve read in a while.  I loved how Harrington explained the setting of the novel and introduced the characters and the idea smoothly, and how she moved forward with the story line right away.  It was a very intriguing mystery, and I didn’t have a guess at who was the murderer.  Sometimes I find in murder mysteries the staging is a little too obvious, or the motive isn’t a very good one, but this book didn’t suffer from either of those flaws.  The staging and story line was very good, and I liked how Harrington had the idea to make Clarity a physic.  Also, the motive was a completely believable one.  I really loved the humor in this book as well.  It added a fun aspect to an already pretty dark book.  The ending was thrilling and interesting, and there was still a lot left to be answered.

Really the only thing that I found wrong with this book was the romance.  I don’t understand why Clarity would be attracted to Gabriel.  To me, Gabriel was a jerk.  Even after he explained his issues I didn’t like him.  He insulted Clarity, tried to tear her down, ha no respect for her, and was just an all-around jerk.  Sometimes it’s good to have those kinds of people in books, but as bad guys, not boyfriends.  Even though he messed up, I was rooting for Jason, Clarity’s cheating boyfriend.  Now, I realize that I really shouldn’t be rooting for him, but it’s explained in the book, and compared to Gabriel, Jason isn’t a bad guy.  Clarity’s attraction to Gabriel was the only thing I found wrong with her.  To me she was a very strong, spirited character, and I loved her confidence, spunk, and the fact that she didn’t care what people thought.

This book was a simple, fun mystery, full of plot twist and excellent writing and staging, along with a spunky main character.  There are a ton of unanswered questions concerning the romance, so I can’t wait to read the next book.

4 pink flowers

Favorite Quote:

He had a matching bandage on his head.  We looked like two idiots who’d decided to have a head-butting competition

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