Clarity

by Kim Harrington

[inlibrisveritas]

Allow me to start off by saying that this is the perfect light read, even better if you are planning on doing some beach reading. I can't say I ever got what a "beach read" was, but now I do. It has a perfect blend of teen angst, budding romance, and mystery to make this a quick and friendly read.

The main character Clarity is pretty relate-able (despite her gift) and I actually get her, as opposed to all the generic cookie-cutter girls in YA books. She's pretty quirky and fairly confident in herself, and most importantly doesn't go numb in the head when it comes to guys. She has enough sense to get away when it's not good for her and will stand her ground for what she knows is right instead of immediately going with her feelings. Their is a sense of character development with her and the others but it's fairly gradual since the time line of the book is actually fairly short. The relationships and reactions are pretty spot on with reality, which as we all know can be seriously lacking in this genre.

The mystery itself was actually really good and I was pretty much hooked once the investigation started. I think I found it so enjoyable because it actually left me stumped for majority of the book (up until like two chapters before it was said), which for me is definitely a feat. I typically can guess most major plot points in YA books and while I did guess some aspects of this, I didn't guess the finally outcome until late. So it gets points with me for that. The way the investigation was handle with Claire is fairly believable but I'd say go into this not expecting full accuracy on the police investigation part, because then parts of it will bug you as there are clearly some instances that would most like not occur.

I'd definitely recommend this to most YA readers. It's easy, quick, light, and I found it to be fun. I'll definitely read the second one when it comes out.