ARC Book Review: Perception

Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Series: Clarity #2
Release Date: March 1, 2012
Pages: 288
Read it in: 2 days

Summary: When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past. Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

LC's Take:

I really can't explain how freaking awesome Kim Harrington's books are. Clarity was such an amazing surprise-- I had no idea how awesome the story would be-- and Perception was another brilliant mix of suspense, hilarity and endearing characters that was just impossible to put down. Yes, I am totally sold on this series!

Clare "Clarity" Fern has just had one crazy summer. After being at the center of solving a murder case involving a serial killer and her own brother as the prime suspect, she's ready to start a normal school year. But this year Clare is no longer the outcast at school who everybody used to call a freak because of her supernatural abilities-- after solving the case, she's now a celebrity, and everyone's vying to be her new best friend. However, things start getting weird when Clare starts getting letters and gifts from a creepy secret admirer. Then a girl in Clare's Cap Cod town turns up missing. Clare has no idea who she can and can't trust-- or if she'll be next on the list.

Perception was a bit different from Clarity, in that the plot centered more on Clare's relationships with Justin and Gabriel and less on her supernatural abilities. Also, there seemed to be more focus on school drama than on the murder case-- even though there is a murder mystery with a missing girl, just like in the last one. I really loved this book just as much as the first one though, because even if it wasn't quite as involved with the crime, it was just as fun, fast-paced and action-packed. And seriously guys, Kim Harrington is the master of cliff-hangers-- every chapter ended in such a way that I HAD to read the next!

Clare is definitely one of my biggest reasons for loving this series-- she's got major personality, she makes me laugh with her snarky thoughts and comments, but at the same time she's also a very genuine and sincere person. After solving the murder case from the first book, Clare is seriously starting to re-think the reasons she has supernatural powers and how she could use them to save others. Her brother Perry jokes that she's gone into Spider-Man mode, spouting about how "With great power comes great responsibility." But I love this about her character-- while she can be funny and clever, she has a deep-down desire to use her abilities to help others.

Perception is filled with crazy twists and turns, and honestly, I had no idea who the killer was until *almost* the very end. And as far as the romance goes-- well, personally I was rooting for Gabriel the whole time, I'm not really a big Justin fan, but I'll let you read it to see who Clare ends up choosing! Bottom line, this is a deliciously addicting series and I absolutely love Kim Harrington's writing. If you are a sucker for a good story with lots of suspense and humor sprinkled in, I would highly recommend starting these books!

~Cover Talk~

I really love the cover of Perception-- and that is saying something for the design, because I typically do not like white book covers, or at least I'm not drawn/attracted to them. That's actually why I had never planned on reading Clarity, because I wasn't a fan of the cover (although side note: Have you seen the NEW Clarity cover? It's such an improvement!) But anyways, I could be a little biased nonetheless due to the fact that there is a redhead and I love covers with redheads (Go figure, I am one haha). I also love the lighting on the girl's face, the birds in the background, the way the colors fade from the bright gold-red to green-- it's just all around a very beautiful book cover in my opinion! Which do you like better? The first or second?

LC's Rating:

This sequel to Clarity was another amazing murder-mystery story that I could NOT put down! Kim Harrington will keep you guessing till the very end, and you'll still be laughing the entire time. I love this series!!

Book Review: Clarity

Author: Kim Harrington
Publisher: Scholastic Point
Series: Clarity #1
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Pages: 242
Read it in: 1 day

Summary: When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

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?

LC's Take:

Holy Moly, I absolutely adored this book! In fact, it is one of those rare books that I finished in one day, which for me is a milestone because I am a super slllloooowwww reader. If you are looking for something totally irresistible, filled with tons of snarky humor that'll have you laughing out loud and a murder mystery plot that you can't put down, well then this is SO the book for you!

Clare "Clarity" Fern lives with her mom and older brother Perri in a small tourist town in Cape Cod. Summer is turning out to be just as boring as usual until a girl turns up murdered in a local hotel room. Before she knows it, Clare is being sucked into the murder investigation thanks to her supernatural ability to see memories and flashbacks of other people just by holding objects that they once touched.

To make things even more complicated, Clare is working on the case with two guys-- her cheating ex-boyfriend Justin and the mysterious (and hott) new guy in town, Gabriel, who Clair isn't sure whether to be attracted to or suspect.

OK guys, so Clare? AWESOME character, I absolutely LOVED her! She had so much personality she practically jumped off the pages. The story is told from her very lively perspective and seriously I was laughing throughout the entire book due to her witty sarcasm and snarky humor. Clare definitely became one of the best female protags I have read about in a long time-- she just made the story so gosh-darned entertaining!

The murder mystery plot was great too, very addicting, and it kept me guessing pretty much the entire way through the story. And did I mention that I could NOT put this book down to save my life because every single chapter ended with a huge cliff-hanger that just begged me to keep reading? I love it when books do that, and I flew through this one thanks to the fast pacing and the author's amazing ability to tell a completely engrossing story.

Honestly, I had not been planning on reading this book to begin with, and it was only after I picked it up randomly off the library shelf a couple weeks ago and read the synopsis that I finally decided to give it a try. I am so incredibly glad that I did! I highly recommend this book to my readers, because the humor will have you rolling on the floor laughing and the awesome storyline will keep you on the edge of your seat till the last page. Altogether, Clarity was a wonderful surprise and I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book, Perception, when it comes out this March!

~Cover Talk~

Well I have to be honest, I do like this cover, but I'm definitely not in love with it. In fact, it was because of the cover that I didn't pick this book up sooner (Ugh, I know, how superficial am I?!) I think it has something to do with the colors-- for some reason, I'm never really attracted to white book covers, and this one with the white and pale blue just seems sort of washed-out to me. So when I saw it on the shelf next to all those other irresistible rainbow-colored YA books, I just passed it by! Which is totally a shame because this book rocked! Maybe that's just me? What do you guys think of the cover for Clarity?

LC's Rating:

This book was beyond awesome and I am SO glad that I finally got around to reading it. The murder mystery plot was not only impossible to put down; it was also totally hilarious thanks to the snarky main character. I definitely recommend picking up Clarity-- trust me, you won't regret it!

ARC Book Review: Deadly Cool

Author: Gemma Halliday
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: October 11, 2011
Pages: 272
Read it in: 1 day
Source: Chelsey from Starry Sky Books

Summary: Hartley Grace Featherstone is having a very bad day. First she finds out that her boyfriend is cheating on her with the president of the Herbert Hoover High School Chastity Club. Then he's pegged as the #1 suspect in a murder. And if that weren't enough, now he's depending on Hartley to clear his name. Seriously? Not cool.

But as much as Hartley wouldn't mind seeing him squirm, she knows he's innocent, and she's the only one who can help him. Along with her best friend, Sam, and the school's resident Bad Boy, Chase, Hartley starts investigating on her own. But as the dead bodies begin to pile up, the mystery deepens, the suspects multiply, and Hartley begins to fear that she may be the killer's next victim.

LC's Take:

First of all, I have to send out a big thanks to the lovely Chelsey from Starry Sky Books for lending me her ARC copy of Deadly Cool. She is just too awesome for giving me a sneak-peek of this new release!

So I finished this book in one afternoon, and it was definitely a quick, easy read that kept me fairly entertained.  The murder mystery plot centers around Hartley, a 16-year old from Silicon Valley, California. Hartley has just found out that her boyfriend Josh has been cheating on her-- with the president of the Chastity Club. Then, she accidentally stumbles upon a dead body in Josh's closet while trying to bust him. Yeah, not a good day. It's now up to her to find out who the killer is and prove that Josh is innocent of the murder, despite his betrayal.

Even though the story line of Deadly Cool was-- in my opinion-- somewhat unoriginal, I thought that the narrative was really funny. Told from Hartley's humorous POV, it kept me reading. Along with her charming and snarky attitude, I loved all of the over-the-top, ridiculous high school drama (ex. getting dumped via Twitter!). I couldn't tell if the author was being serious or was making fun of her characters and their dysfunctional teenage lives. Anyways, whatever Gemma's intentions, I was definitely laughing throughout the whole story, wondering to my self: is this supposed to be taken seriously or treated like a high school parody? I'm going with parody!

Some people have said that the ending was too obvious, but honestly, I had no idea who the killer was until the final chapters. (But then again, I'm always horrible at guessing the endings to books and movies!) I think that for awhile the plot dragged a little, but the ending was exciting, action-filled, and all the loose ends were satisfyingly tied up. And the parts that were slow were at least made fun with Hartley's sense of humor. While I wasn't totally blown away, I think that the quirkiness of the characters made up for the lack of originality, and the pacing was quick enough that I never felt bored or like I had to put it down. Overall, this was a fun read, despite some flaws and staleness in the plot.

LC's Rating:

I can't say that this book was exactly brilliant, but it was definitely entertaining. If you're looking for a quick read with quirky characters, an unsolved mystery, and a narrative that'll make you laugh out loud, Deadly Cool is a good pick!