Review: Prince Of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Author: Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Translated By: Lucia Graves

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Horror, Paranormal

Pages: 218

Published: May 4th, 2010 (English version)

Publisher: Little Brown

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"A mysterious house harbors an unimaginable secret. . . .
It’s wartime, and the Carver family decides to leave the capital where they live and move to a small coastal village where they’ve recently bought a home. But from the minute they cross the threshold, strange things begin to happen. In that mysterious house there still lurks the spirit of Jacob, the previous owners’ son, who died by drowning.
With the help of their new friend Roland, Max and Alicia Carver begin to explore the suspicious circumstances of that death and discover the existence of a mysterious being called The Prince of Mist—a diabolical character who has returned from the shadows to collect on a debt from the past. Soon the three friends find themselves caught up in an adventure of sunken ships and an enchanted stone garden, which will change their lives forever."~Goodreads

You know those book you read as a kid that just drew you in and totally consumed you for hours on end?  If this book had been translated when I was that age this would have been one of those books.  What am I saying?  It is one of those books.  I picked up this little novel (the first in the Niebla Trilogy) on a whim.  I didn't feel like reading the next book on my to-be-read list yet and needed something quick to keep me entertained for a few days.  The Prince of Mist more than did the trick.  It was charming, exciting and truly scary.  It was everything a young adult horror novel should be.

LIKES:

• Beautiful writing: Zafon's writing is really beautiful.  He somehow captures the voices of his characters perfectly while at the same time allowing the reader to make their own observations about the world he creates.  The atmosphere was perfect whether that atmosphere was spooky at the time or charming and quaint.  The story moved along quickly and succinctly and kept me wrapped up in it the whole time.  
• Different take on ghosts:  I love ghost stories, they're probably my favorite kind, but there's usually some sort of formula.  Ghosts are usually dead people who hang around and scare the crap out of the living.  Not in this book though.  These ghosts are unusual.  I'm still not 100% sure how the whole thing went down but apparently they could take different forms, inhabit inanimate objects and resurrect terrifying circus statues.  
• Truly terrifying villains:  Speaking of circuses, there is a ghost clown.  I hate clowns, I find them truly horrifying at their best so when one of them is walking around all incorporeal with razor teeth I just about lose it.  Throw in some creepy haunted home movies, wardrobe monsters and a ghost ship and I will be sleeping with the light on for awhile.  A+ on the scares.

DISLIKES:

• Where are the parents:  About half way through the book something happens and the parents and youngest sister leave town.  They're gone for the rest of the book only to reappear in the epilogue.  I was disappointed in this because I really loved the family dynamic at the beginning of the story and it was sad to see them written out for most of the action.  However, I can see why this was necessary so maybe I can't really count this as a dislike.
• The ending (maybe):  I'm really not sure about the ending.  There are things I loved (the drama and sadness and hope) but I also was kind of disappointed that the story was wrapped up so completely.  It looks like Max won't be the focus of the second book and I really liked him as a character so that was a bummer, but it will be cool to see what the author does with the story from here on out.  After all, this is The Prince of Mist's story right?

I can't wait to read the rest of this series and see what type of terror The Prince of Mist will create. The second and third books involve different protagonists and different time periods which is a really unique and fun idea for a series.  It will be interesting to see what Zafon has come up with (hopefully no more clowns).  I only wish these would have been translated earlier so I could have enjoyed this amazing tale sooner.

Review: Dare You To (Pushing the Limits #2) by Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre:  Contemporary

Pages: 462

Published: May 28th, 2013

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does....
Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.
But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all..."~Goodreads

Katie McGarry has once again proven that I don't, in fact, dislike contemporaries.  Actually, when Katie is the author I tend to love them.  After waiting almost a year to get my hands on the companion to Pushing The Limits (one of my best books of 2012)  I was finally able to sink my teeth into Dare You To, the story of Noah's best friend Beth and her journey as she discovers what it means to be loved.  Once again, the author broke my heart only to piece it back together again.  

I suppose now it's time to dry my eyes and get to the review, but I have to warn you this is pretty much going to be a gush-fest.  That being said I'm not even going to do my usual bulleted format because, guess what, I CAN'T THINK OF ANY DISLIKES.  I just loved pretty much everything.  I realize this doesn't make for the most interesting review in the world but with writing like this, I don't have much to work with.  For some reason Katie McGarry is able to get into the psyche of every type of character and express what they're going through perfectly.  Maybe she's a witch, maybe she has an army of brain slugs and she spend her weekends roaming skate parks and malls so she can suck the thoughts out of angsty teens.  I don't really care how she does it.  Just as long as she keeps it up.  Also, if it's the brain slug thing, maybe don't tell anyone.

I didn't think it was possible that I would like this book better than PTL, actually I liked it even more.  Beth was so raw and damaged, it took her a long time to really let her vulnerability show and that made her so much more loveable when she did. It was easy to see why she and Ryan fell for each other regardless of their totally different situations.  Just like Echo and Noah, Beth and Ryan complete each other perfectly.  I can't imagine them not being together forever.  For me the perfection of their relationship can be summed up in three words THE POND SCENE.  Read the book, and get back to me.  This scene is one of the few times in my life where I have literally gasped with joy LOUDLY at a book.  It makes me so happy I can hardly contain myself.  It is one of those scenes that just sticks with you forever and makes you feel so many varying emotions that you just have to put the book down and take a second.

Before you take a look at the cover and decide this is just some gooey romance, think again.  Don't worry, there's plenty of romance for those of you who love it, but this book is much, much more than that.  At it's heart, this is a story of overcoming obstacles, whether those obstacles are a tragic family history, pressure to be someone you're not or learning to do what's best for you in your life.  It is a story about a girl finding the family she desperately needs and a boy who doesn't have it as good as it seems.  It is a hopeful, tragic, and downright powerful story.  Everyone should read this book.  And you don't have to read Pushing The Limits first (although you should definitely read it).  McGarry wrote these as stand-alones so you can read them separately.  Characters from PTL are prevalent in this book as well, especially Isaiah, Beth's closest friend.  In fact the only thing that concerned me about this book was that poor Isaiah is constantly left out in the cold.  But wait, remember how I said I had no problems with this book, that's because the third one, Crash Into You , is coming out at the end of this year and it will be Isaiah's book!  That's right, everyone's favorite tattooed ruffian is getting his own book.  And now I can die happy.

Oh um, 5 stars...

Review and Giveaway: Splintered by A.G. Howard

Author: A.G. Howard

Genre:  Fairytale, Fantasy

Pages: 384

Published: January 1, 2013

Publisher: Amulet

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Source:  I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

"Alyssa Gardner hears the whispers of bugs and flowers—precisely the affliction that landed her mother in a mental hospital years before. This family curse stretches back to her ancestor Alice Liddell, the real-life inspiration for Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Alyssa might be crazy, but she manages to keep it together. For now.When her mother’s mental health takes a turn for the worse, Alyssa learns that what she thought was fiction is based in terrifying reality. The real Wonderland is a place far darker and more twisted than Lewis Carroll ever let on. There, Alyssa must pass a series of tests, including draining an ocean of Alice’s tears, waking the slumbering tea party, and subduing a vicious bandersnatch, to fix Alice’s mistakes and save her family. She must also decide whom to trust: Jeb, her gorgeous best friend and secret crush, or the sexy but suspicious Morpheus, her guide through Wonderland, who may have dark motives of his own."~Goodreads

Sometimes a book comes along that grabs hold of you with every quirky, wonderful thing it has and doesn't let go.  You become completely engrossed in the author's world and when you have to come back down from your cloud  it's completely disorienting.  Splintered is that book.  Like many of you I grew up loving Alice In Wonderland.  I'll admit it gave me some pretty interesting nightmares as a kid but mostly I fell in love with curious Alice, the goofy Mad Hatter and especially that clever albeit creepy Cheshire Cat.  So, with that being said, I'm always apprehensive when a re-telling or continuation comes along.  Luckily Splintered does real justice to our Alice.  Howard pays tribute to Carroll's story while at the same time creating her own version.  The mixture of Carrollian nonsense and whimsy mixed with real emotion and depth of character make this the perfect companion to the original tale.  I think Mr. Carroll would be proud.

LIKES:

• Wonderfully dark - Howard definitely does not shy away from the unsettling and morbid.  That's part of what makes this such a cool reading experience.  Alyssa, our heroine, is an artist.  Her medium: dead bugs.  This could be considered just gross until you find out that she can speak to bugs.  Just as a little taste here's the first couple of lines of Splintered:

"I've been collecting bugs since I was ten; it's the only way I can stop their whispers. Sticking a pin through the gut of an insect shuts it up pretty quick."

          And we're off to a running start.  Wow.  Now, I admit that I have an aversion to bugs so I feel no sympathy for them.  Had this been a sentence about puppies I would have shut the book immediately.  However, bugs are fair game and this line is just so raw and full of angst and ick that it sucked me right in.  This darkness follows throughout the whole story.  One of the best parts about this book is Alyssa having to face her own darkness.  It really enhances the story and makes it a lot of fun to read.

• I actually like the (sort of) love triangle -  Okay, so I don't know if this can actually be considered a love triangle, but that's probably why I enjoyed it.  Alyssa loves Jeb.  They are obviously meant to be together.  He's sweet, trustworthy, fun and super duper hot, also human.  Then there's Mothra *cough* I mean Morpheus.  Also hot, and snarky, amazing and magical.  But her love for Morpheus seems more platonic.  They have a mutual admiration for one another and an unbreakable bond.  Even if he wants more.  Still, I loved the back and forth between the guys.  It added a lot of humor to the story.
• MORPHEUS!!! -  Three things you need to know about this guy: he is the ultimate bad boy, he has an adorable British accent, and he has an insurrection hat.  I'm sold.  The only problem was that I couldn't picture him as he was described.  I adore Once Upon a Time and all I could picture when reading this was Jefferson.  But I'm cool with that.

I mean seriously how can I not?  Good grief.

• Plenty of Wonderland for purists - One of the things I was most worried about was how Wonderland would be portrayed.  Would it be recognizable?  Gladly, Splintered is filled with allusions to the original book.  One of the most fun parts of reading this book was finding all of the little Alice Easter eggs hidden inside its pages.  Although all of the characters have been changed in some way, they are still recognizable and Howard ties the stories together brilliantly.

DISLIKES:

• Sometimes Alyssa makes me shake my head - Okay so it's not like Alyssa is stupid by any means but some of her decisions can be filed under "things that make me go 'hmm'".  A great example is when she decides to get a forged passport and fly to England by herself.  Apparently our heroine has never seen Locked Up Abroad.  
• Too much explanation of things we should be able to figure out on our own - this is probably the only thing that really bothered me about this book.  Although they were relatively few, there were several instances where the author explained too much about the plot, when it would have been more fun to figure it out on my own.  Luckily this didn't happen too often and it didn't really damage the reading experience.

Even with the couple of flaws that I found I have to give this book five stars.  I was completely captivated by Alyssa, Jeb and all of the netherlings.  Howard has managed to create a new version of Wonderland that is just as exciting, enticing and mad as the original.  I know it may only be January but I would be surprised if this one doesn't end up on my best of 2013 list.  It was just that good.  I can't wait to see what else A.G. Howard does with her writing. I'll certainly be first in line to read her next book.

And now, I have some great news for all of you!  Since I have my own finished copy, I will be giving away my ARC copy to one lucky reader.  All you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter to be entered.  Please make sure you follow the rules below.  Good luck all!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

THE RULES:

• Must be 18 or older (13 or older with parent's permission)
• Must have a US mailing address
• I am not responsible for packages that are lost or damaged in shipping.  

 

Review: A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness

Author: Patrick Ness

Genre: Paranormal, Horror

Pages: 215

Published: September 27, 2011

Publisher: Candlewick

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.
But it isn't the monster Conor's been expecting. He's been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he's had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming...
This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.
It wants the truth." ~Goodreads

 When I picked up A Monster Calls I figured it would be the perfect Halloween read.  I mean, monsters, hello!  I new that this was supposed to be a sad story as well, but I assumed (incorrectly) that it was more of a thriller than anything else.  After finishing this book, I can promise you that while it is a horror story, the horror here lies in the real life problems that the main character, Conor, is dealing with.  He is bullied at school, abandoned by his father, largely ignored by his grandmother and on top of everything else he is dealing with his mother's cancer.  That's a lot for a kid to deal with.  Then the monster starts showing up.

LIKES:

• The legacy of the book: The idea for this book was originally thought up by Siobhan Dowd.  Unfortunately she passed away from cancer before the idea could come to fruition.  Although Ness and Dowd had not known each other personally, he was a huge fan of her work.  So, when he was asked to write the book he did so with the utmost love and respect.  One of the reasons that this book is such a masterpiece is because Ness was memorializing and celebrating Dowd in its writing.  This makes the story all the more touching.
• The realism: Again, this story is less about a monster and more about Conor's internal struggle with his mother's cancer.  However, that doesn't mean that the story is sappy.  The emotions are so raw and real that it is impossible not to feel totally immersed in Conor's grief.
• The monster: The monster is such a dynamic character.  He is a terror but he is also a nuturer.  He is not only there to scare Conor, he is also there to teach him and to help him.  At the end of the day, it is the monster who makes Conor look at his true feelings and come to terms with his mother's potential fate.
• The illustrations: Jim Kay's amazing illustrations complement the story without overshadowing it.  They are both terrifying and melancholy.  While the story stands on its own, the book would not be the same without these wonderful pieces.
• All the feels: Especially during the last third of the book I just could not stop crying.  It takes a lot for a book to make me cry and this one just would not let up.  I suggest having a jumbo pack of Kleenex on stand-by if you are planning to read this one.

DISLIKES:

Absolutely nothing.  I can't think of a single thing that I didn't love about this book.  You've stumped me Patrick Ness. Well played, sir.

This book is, in a word, flawless.  If you are looking for a different kind of heartfelt read with just a little creepiness, this is your book.  If you aren't crying by the end, you may want to have your tear ducts checked out, there could be a problem.  From, idea to plot to writing and illustrations this book is incredibly well-formed.  I know it will have a place of honor on my shelf for years to come.

Review: The Duff by Kody Keplinger

Author: Kody Keplinger

Genre: contemporary

Pages: 280

Published: September 7th, 2010

Publisher: Poppy

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Seventeen-year-old Bianca Piper is cynical and loyal, and she doesn’t think she’s the prettiest of her friends by a long shot. She’s also way too smart to fall for the charms of man-slut and slimy school hottie Wesley Rush. In fact, Bianca hates him. And when he nicknames her “the Duff,” she throws her Coke in his face. 
But things aren’t so great at home right now, and Bianca is desperate for a distraction. She ends up kissing Wesley. Worse, she likes it. Eager for escape, Bianca throws herself into a closeted enemies-with-benefits relationship with him.Until it all goes horribly awry. It turns out Wesley isn’t such a bad listener, and his life is pretty screwed up, too. Suddenly Bianca realizes with absolute horror that she’s falling for the guy she thought she hated more than anyone."~Goodreads

I had put off reading this one for awhile because I was afraid that it was over-hyped.  Boy, was I wrong!  This book was fantastic.  The main character, Bianca, was funny, snarky and and just fragile enough to really have me invested in her story.  The character building in general is great in this book.    Aside from Bianca we also have the nasty, but seriously hot, Wesley,  her two best friends (who just happen to be gorgeous and popular) and her father who is a recovering alcoholic.  We watch Bianca as her parents' marriage falls apart and she has to deal with her father's grief as well as a developing "no-strings-attached" relationship with Wesley and all the consequences it comes with.  Wesley is definitely a nasty person, but we also get to see his softer side which is nice.  The best part about Wesley, though, is that we don't see his good side until Bianca does.  Next there are her friends, Casey and Jessica.  It would have been easy for Keplinger to write them as Mean Girls or bimbos, but they are true friends who have Bianca's back and really care about her.  Finally there is Bianca's dad.  He and Bianca are very close, but his downward spiral throws a serious wrench in their relationship and the author does a fabulous job of writing his character so that I felt for him, but maintained the fear and anger that Bianca feels.

The best part about this book, though, is the message.  This is a book about words, and more than that, labels.  It is a story of what happens when we put each other in boxes and how our thoughtless words can seriously damage someone else's psyche.  More importantly, though, it is a book about not letting someone else's words take your power away and being good to yourself.  I truly love this book and I think it is something everyone should read.

Review: Pushing The Limits by Katie McGarry

Author: Katie McGarry

Genre: Contemporary, Romance

Pages: 384

Published: July 31st, 2012

Publisher: Harlequin Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Source:  I received a copy for review from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"No one knows what happened the night Echo Emerson went from popular girl with jock boyfriend to gossiped-about outsider with "freaky" scars on her arms. Even Echo can't remember the whole truth of that horrible night. All she knows is that she wants everything to go back to normal.But when Noah Hutchins, the smoking-hot, girl-using loner in the black leather jacket, explodes into her life with his tough attitude and surprising understanding, Echo's world shifts in ways she could never have imagined. They should have nothing in common. And with the secrets they both keep, being together is pretty much impossible.
Yet the crazy attraction between them refuses to go away. And Echo has to ask herself just how far they can push the limits and what she'll risk for the one guy who might teach her how to love again." ~ Goodreads

I have to admit, I had reservations about this book.  The cover and the title made it seem a bit cheesy and the synopsis didn't really grab my attention.  I'm not a huge fan of contemporary romance anyway so initially I decided to pass this one up.  Then I saw some super early reactions from bloggers whose opinions I generally tend to agree with and I decided to go ahead and give it a shot.  For being a book I wasn't even interested in trying at first I was really blown away.  The story was not cheesy in the least, the characters were dynamic and interesting and the drama sucked me right in.  I fell in love with Echo and Noah and found myself devouring this story.  Best of all, the book had real depth and the romance was not the least bit one dimensional.  I loved this book!

LIKES:

Story is told from both Noah's and Echo's perspectives:  I really love it when stories are told from multiple perspectives.  It really adds to the reader's understanding of a story and makes it feel more dynamic.  Echo and Noah each had their own unique voice and their own story to tell and it was really great to be able to understand Noah's view on the evolution of their relationship and not just Echo's.  I think this writing style makes you more attached to the secondary characters as well and therefore more invested in the story as a whole.
McGarry shows the humanity of all characters, even the "villains":  I was a little worried when I first started this book that the author would focus on the short-comings of Echo's parents and ignore the fact that their life experiences and concern for their children influenced their parenting decisions (this is a common pitfall in a good portion of YA literature).  McGarry left me pleasantly surprised when she really delved into why Echo's dad (along with other secondary characters) acted the way he did and why he made the, sometimes wrong, decisions that he made.
Realistic romance, not star-crossed lovers: Echo and Noah are from different worlds and they certainly don't seem like they are meant for each other at the beginning of the book.  Their relationship is tumultuous and they have completely different personalities.  I was very happy that instead of a perfect, simplistic "bad boy falls in love with good girl" romance they had a real connection and realistic arguments about their relationship.  I didn't feel like their love story was over-idealized.  Their issues and fights were all the more heart-wrenching because of this realism and it allowed for an even bigger pay-off.

DISLIKES:

An abundance of f-bombs:  If I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times:  don't overuse the f-bomb. Whenever you use a word over and over it takes away its meaning and impact.  This is especially true with "shocking language".  After awhile it just gets old reading "eff this, eff that" constantly.  For me, it isn't a matter of offensiveness, it's a matter of creativity.

Not enough closure:  I felt like there wasn't quite enough resolution with Echo's mother.  I would have liked to see that explored and settled more.  Then again, I suppose that was on purpose.

I am so happy I gave this one a shot.  There is enough suspense and drama to keep everyone interested but the romance is realistic and sweet.  Even if you don't love contemporary romance I would definitely pick this book up.  You won't regret it.

Review: Bright Young Things by Anna Godbersen

Author: Anna Godbersen

Genre: historical fiction, romance, drama

Pages: 389

Published: October 12, 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"The year is 1929. New York is ruled by the Bright Young Things: flappers and socialites seeking thrills and chasing dreams in the anything-goes era of the Roaring Twenties.
Letty Larkspur and Cordelia Grey escaped their small Midwestern town for New York's glittering metropolis. All Letty wants is to see her name in lights, but she quickly discovers Manhattan is filled with pretty girls who will do anything to be a star. . . .
Cordelia is searching for the father she's never known, a man as infamous for his wild parties as he is for his shadowy schemes. Overnight, she enters a world more thrilling and glamorous than she ever could have imagined—and more dangerous. It's a life anyone would kill for . . . and someone will.
The only person Cordelia can trust is ­Astrid Donal, a flapper who seems to have it all: money, looks, and the love of Cordelia's brother, Charlie. But Astrid's perfect veneer hides a score of family secrets.
Across the vast lawns of Long Island, in the ­illicit speakeasies of Manhattan, and on the blindingly lit stages of Broadway, the three girls' fortunes will rise and fall—together and apart. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Luxe comes an epic new series set in the dizzying last summer of the Jazz Age."- Goodreads

Anyone who has talked to me about books in the last year knows that my love of Godbersen's The Luxe series knows no bounds.  That being said I was really worried about reading her most recent historical fiction series.  I put off reading Bright Young Things for a long time, but I finally got around to it this week.  It blew me away.  It was fun, sexy and full of vibrant characters.  This is an entirely satisfying read.  Set during the last golden days of prohibition era New York City, this glittering novel follows the lives of three girls trying to make a name for themselves in the big city.  The glitz and glam of the 1920's is shadowed by the readers knowledge of the economic disaster that looms just beyond the horizon.  This idea of fleeting opulence creates an attachment to the characters that is totally enthralling.  I loved this one so much that I decided to do a video review so I could gush and gush.  Even though I still love The Luxe I think Bright Young Things now tops my list of best young adult historical fiction.  5 fabulous stars for this beauty!

On a side note, I really hate YouTube thumbnails.  I look like I'm weeping tears of joy.  Close but not quite ;) 

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Author: Kiersten White

Genre: fantasy, paranormal, romance

Pages: 335

Published: 2010

Publisher: Harper Teen

Rating: 5/5 Stars

"Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.  Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal."

Anyone who has met me in real life probably thinks I'm fairly sane.  That is until they really get to know me and learn about my obsession with a little show called Buffy The Vampire Slayer.  The extent of my love for this show goes far beyond casual viewership and into the "dangerously crazed" category of fandom.  So much so that I injured myself on more than one occasion when I was in grade school trying to do kickboxing  in my room (i'm not very coordinated).  I have spent countless hours lamenting the fact that I will never be The Chosen One and that I don't get cool weapons (or athleticism for that matter).  Buffy ended awhile ago but I still tend to compare most paranormal-esque things to it.  I picked up Paranormalcy expecting a pretty good read based on the reviews I had read, but I was shocked by the amount of awesome in this book!  It was spooky, quirky and funny.  So why the Buffy intro to this post?  I'll tell you, Evie's witticisms and attitude remind me so much of Buffy!  I think that's why I loved this book so much.  By page 3 I was thinking "why isn't this a show on the CW yet?!".  I am in love with this book!  Let me give you an example of why I fell for this read:

“Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine’s pink withrhinestones.”  - Evie, Paranormalcy

Yes, ladies and gents, that's correct, she has a pink, bedazzled taser.  Oh, how I want one.  And in case you are wondering, yes, they do in fact exist (naturally I looked this up immediately).  There is actually quite a selection of pink tasers.  I happen to think the Hello Kitty one is pretty sweet.

Anyway, adorable anti-rape devices aside, this story had lots of things going for it.  First of all there is Evie.  I've already told you how I love her spunk, but she also has real depth and vulnerability without getting all weepy every time she breaks a nail.  She is strong and capable while still being feminine.  All of the characters that White creates here are realistic (strangely enough) and their motives are relateable.  This includes the bad guys and even the background characters.  I also really enjoyed Lend.  He is a paranormal who is captured while breaking in to the agency where Evie works.  He can change into almost any person and only Evie can see his real face.  Of course they grow to love each other but this is not a case of insta-love.  They form a friendship first and out of that loyalty and admiration comes love.  This is always admirable in YA literature where the model for successful book says that the girl needs to instantly fall in love with the brooding male lead.  That's another thing!  Lend doesn't brood!  He is funny and charming and just a little awkward.  Yes!  I don't know about you but Lend is just my type.  The two of them together are hilarious and entirely believable.  The third character I want to get into is the villain.  I won't get into too much detail because, for the most part, this character isn't revealed until about half way through the book,  but I will tell you that White does an excellent job of making sure that we understand the villain and even feel sympathy for their plight.  

Another thing I like about this story was that it wasn't one-sided.  I didn't feel like one person or organization was all bad or all good.  This is something that Evie comes to realize as well as the book goes on.  I think this is an important theme for a YA book.  I know that as a teenager it was easy for me to feel like the people who didn't always treat me well, or who didn't agree with me were awful people who were just plain wrong, all the time, about everything.  But that's not real life.  In reality we all have our moments of good and bad and White illustrates this with not only the monsters in her book, but the humans as well.

As far as negatives go I really wasn't able to think of anything I would have changed about the story.  It just worked for me.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for something both spook and heartfelt with a lot of snark.  Giles would be proud.