Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity was my first jaunt into the world of murder/mystery paranormal. While there was some romance it was definitely more of a paranormal book with a murder/mystery twist. Here’s the description from Amazon.com:

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?

I read this book straight through. With it being my first read with a murder/mystery twist I kept trying to figure out who the murderer was and would get frustrated that I was wrong. In fact, I didn’t see the ending coming at all. Major points to the author for that. My husband kept laughing at how I would put it down all frustrated and then talk to myself to piece the puzzle together.

The writing in this story is great. Teenage phrases are overused and the dialogue really is suited to the characters and the YA genre without being overdone. I really like that the paranormal is well done and well researched. There are also definite limitations to what they can do so it is not as if they are superhuman.

Clare is a great protagonist. She is strong and yet we get to see her vulnerable side throughout the story. She is fiercely loyal to her brother and that is something that I admire in this book. The whole family is very tight and you get to see a lot of each character. I don’t like when a book only centers on one character.

The love triangle is interesting. Although I will say that I personally am on team Justin. I think he really is a good guy and love that he accepts Clare for who she is. I think that for most YA readers that are actually teenagers this is what they are looking for in a guy.

The ending was a definite twist that was not predictable. However, I feel there might be an opening for future books. There isn’t a big cliffhanger at the end and really this could be the only book with the way that it is written. I do think that it would work if it was expanded into a series though.

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be a great read. It is a little shorter than most of the books I usually read but it is a great book if you are looking for a quick read. I give it a 5/5.