Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

CLARITY
By: Kim Harrington
Published By: Scholastic Point
Release Date: March 1, 2011
Series: Clarity (#1)
Pages: 242
Genre: Paranormal / Mystery
Reading Level: Young Adult
Source: Bought
Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads Summary: 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?



What do you get when you combine a family with psychic abilities, a small tourist town, and an unsolved murder? Add a little romance to the mix and you have Clarity, a captivating debut novel by Kim Harrington.

Clare Fern is biding her time until she can go away to college. Raised in a family of psychics, she has always been the outcast at school and relied on her brother and his friend for company. Things seemed to change when she dated the mayor's son, but when that relationship ended, so did her respite from the teasing. But this summer, things might change. When a tourist is found murdered over the July 4 weekend, the town's new detective is expected to solve the case. But Clare's ex-boyfriend Justin knows what she can do and wants to enlist her help. Clare soon finds herself not only having to work with Justin but also with Gabriel, the detective's attractive son, to try and solve the murder. But as they get deeper into their investigation, the stakes get higher, and soon nobody is safe. Will Clare be able to see the investigation through in one piece...and with her heart intact?

Clarity was a great blend of mystery and paranormal elements. As much as I enjoyed watching the Fern family use their psychic abilities, I really loved following Clare, Justin, and Gabriel as they worked to solve the murder. The story was fast-paced with one surprise after another; I started reading it one morning and didn't put it down until a couple of hours later when I finished it. The chain of suspects as well as the unexpected events during the investigation kept me guessing who the murderer was right along with Clare. In addition, everything from the setting to Clare's emotions were very vivid. It was easy to identify with her, from her desire to protect those she loved to her internal struggle about how to balance the feelings that never quite disappeared for Justin with her growing attraction to Gabriel. The book continued to be a roller coaster (in a good way) until the end.

I wish that this book had been longer, because I definitely wanted more. I have to admit that the ending seemed a bit rushed and the explanation was not completely believable. However, I did enjoy the role that one of the smaller characters played in the outcome. Also, even though the murder was solved, things were left open between Clare, Justin, and Gabriel. I'm curious to see what Clare decides to do in Perception, the sequel.

Clarity has a world and cast of characters that it's easy to fall in love with. This was a fabulous debut novel, and I can't wait for the next book!