Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White
HarperTeen, 2010
335 pages
YA; Paranormal
4.5/5 stars
First in Trilogy

Source: Bought

Thoughts: After seeing almost universal acclaim for this book around the blogosphere, I knew I wanted to read this.  I was not disappointed because I mostly loved this book and I am super excited for the sequels.  I figured I would like it because I really enjoy her blog and I recommend that you follow it.

For me, the most outstanding part was the humor.  Most paranormal books I've seen are not intentionally humorous although there may be cheesy elements that make the ironic among us laugh.  This book is meant to make us laugh and is very successful.  Furthermore it combines a wide variety of magical creatures: werewolves, vampires, hags, faeries, mermaids, etc who live under the aegis of IPCA, a unique organization made possible mostly by the discovery of one little girl.

That girl is Evelyn or Evie.  When she was eight, it was discovered that she could see paranormal creatures despite the mask they might wear.  Since then she's lived in an IPCA center and helped them tag and track various paranormal creatures.   While she longs for a "normal" life like that depicted on her favorite teen soap drama, she is mostly happy with her life except for her fears of the faeries.  They can technically be controlled if their true name is known but they are exceptionally good at working around that especially Reth, a sort of one-time boyfriend of Evie's who is still obsessed with her and who frightens her.

Early on in the book, a mysterious teen named Lend is captured within the IPCA building.  He is a shape-shifter who treats Evie like just another teen, giving Evie her first real taste of human friendship and starts her questioning the role of IPCA as benevolent or malicious entity.  These thoughts are accelerated by a mysterious paranormal force who looks suspiciously like Evie.  She must find the courage to question all that she has ever known, look for love, and believe in herself.

I really liked Evie and Lend, separately and together.  She acts like a total girly-girl with her love of pink and sparkles but can take down a vampire pretty easily.  Lend shifts his appearance but she can see beneath his glamor to what he really looks like.  They challenge and complement each other very well.

Overall: Bleeping awesome-highly recommended!

Cover: What a pretty dress-can you tell that Evie has gray eyes? That's important.