Paranormalcy

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was sweet and funny, and I had a good chuckle or two while reading it. I wouldn't say it is ground breaking, but I did enjoy it for what it was...that is a paranormal fantasy with a lot of humor. And of course there is some good kissing, and I always like a good kiss.

I especially appreciate Evie because she doesn't seem to take herself all that seriously, and she has a pulse and a personality. I think lately that when I've read YA fiction with a fantasy/paranormal bent, I've been disappointed because the novel took itself too seriously, or the characters weren't likable. That's not a problem here.

I would have liked to see more development in the plot and less focus on trips to the mall. I think that's what kept me from giving this four stars. I wanted more back story for Evie. We get the bare bones of her history, and I felt a little shortchanged. I want to know more about her and the other main players...like Raquel, Lend and Lend's family, the faeries and other creatures.

I think it's a hard balance to strike, on the other hand, and sometimes you read something and feel like all the author is doing is explaining back stories and histories and that can be dull. But in this case, I think a little bit more would have helped me connect more to the story.

I also wanted more action/longer action sequences. Evie is a paranormal hunter. She goes out and finds werewolves, vampires, hags, etc., to "bag and tag" them. And I wanted to see more of her doing that. It seems like the scenes where she's capturing a paranormal pass by too quickly, and I wanted to see her really in the throws of the challenges one would face in such a situation. It's a development thing, I suppose. I just wanted more development.

I did really enjoy that Evie was a normal teenager and was excited about normal teenage things, like pink boots and prom dresses and getting excited about just being her age. Too many stories focus on kids growing up too fast, and Evie wants to be her age and do the things that kids her age do.

I am pretty sure if I had read this when I was a young adult, I would have wanted to be Evie. That's not a bad thing. She's a good character, in a good, clean story that is entirely appropriate for its intended audience.


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