Clarity (Clarity, #1)

Jun 21, 2011 Lora rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: fans of YA paranormal romance and Jordan's Firelight

Shelves: fluffier-than-my-birman-cat, lib-read

Hmm . . . I think I'm in the minority here when I say that I didn't like this.

I don't know much about the modus operandi of the law (other than what I've seen on Law & Order, naturally), but since when do police detectives and the mayor enlist the residential psychics to help solve a murder case?
The police have Clare investigate the scene of the crime and have her mother read the minds of a lineup of suspects! WT . . . ? I mean, would their testimony even hold up in a court of law? I realiz...more

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Apr 12, 2011 Vinaya rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: could-have-been-better, ya-fantasy, mixed-vibes, fluff-fluffy-fluffest

CLARITY, Or Five Reasons Why You Need To THINK Before You WRITE:

Fail #1: The Big Question of Why a Psychic with a Penis is Popular but a Psychic with Boobs is A Freak:

Both Clare and Perry are psychics. While Clare’s gift lies in psychometry, her brother is a medium. Yes, he talks to dead people. They both give psychic readings to tourists in Eastport. Yet Clare’s brother has friends, gets invited to parties, and scores with the ladies, both tourists and locals. Clare, on the other hand, is alte...more

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Apr 19, 2012 Maja rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-favorites, annoying-love-triangle, arc-2012, debut-author, favorites, just-another-book-crush, murder-mystery, own-a-dtb, role-models, surprise-surprise, ya, reviewed-in-2012

In Eastport, a tourist town on Cape Cod, lives a family of freaks. My family. I’m a psychic. My brother’s a medium. My mother’s a telepath. Tourists love us. Townies scorn us. My name is Clarity “Clare” Fern and my brother is Periwinkle “Perry” Fern. What were our parents thinking?

Clarity ‘Clare’ Fern is a psychic. Her father is long gone and the family earns a living by using their respective talents to entertain tourists. Even though their customers think it’s just harmless fun, the locals kn...more In Eastport, a tourist town on Cape Cod, lives a family of freaks. My family. I’m a psychic. My brother’s a medium. My mother’s a telepath. Tourists love us. Townies scorn us. My name is Clarity “Clare” Fern and my brother is Periwinkle “Perry” Fern. What were our parents thinking?

Clarity ‘Clare’ Fern is a psychic. Her father is long gone and the family earns a living by using their respective talents to entertain tourists. Even though their customers think it’s just harmless fun, the locals know that their talents are real. When a young girl ends up dead in a hotel room right in the middle of a political campaign, Clare is asked to secretly work with the mayor’s son – her cheating ex boyfriend, and Gabriel, the new boy in town. It is the mayor’s hope that she will be able to use psychometry to identify the killer as quickly as possible, which would help him save face and eventually win the election.

Clarity was a big surprise for me. I always approach paranormal YA with a certain amount of weariness, but I needn’t have worried this time. I finished it all in one sitting, in less than three hours, and found it very refreshing.
I could have done without the love triangle, but I didn’t mind as much as I thought I would. Torn between an almost perfect ex-boyfriend who cheated on her once while heavily drunk, and the mysterious new boy in town who harbors conflicted feelings towards her, Clare didn’t know which way to turn, and neither did I. That’s probably why I didn’t hate the whole situation as much as I normally would – I have no idea who Clare will end up with and I kind of like it that way, for now. I do have a favorite, though.
That said, I’m a bit tired of the new-bad-boy-in-town trope. Gabriel fits it perfectly. He likes Clare the second he sees her, but there’s something in his past (no spoilers, I promise) that makes him hate, or rather despise all psychics, Clare included, so he tries to keep his distance, and the whole love-hate thing that happens after that is just a little tiresome, in my opinion. However, the shortness of the book and the pretty fast pacing didn’t leave much time for Gabriel’s internal struggles.

Clare found her place high up on my list of favorite heroines. She felt like an actual person to me and I enjoyed her intelligence and her loyalty. In fact, I thought all the characters were fully fleshed out, except maybe Clare’s mother, but I have a feeling something’s coming there too. You can only expect so much in 250 pages, and I was really satisfied with how much Harrington was able to include. I have high hopes for all these characters in the sequel. After reading the blurb for book two, I’m absolutely convinced that I already know the identity of Clare’s stalker. I can’t wait to find out if I’m right.

A copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, Scholastic UK, for review purposes.

Also posted at The Nocturnal Library (less)

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May 19, 2011 Cara rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, paranormal, series, sibilings

What caught my attention was the premise of this book. I mean how cool (or maybe not cool but handy) would it be to be a part of a paranormal family? Clarity (aka Clare) can see memories through objects, her brother Periwinkle (aka Perry) can talk to the dead, and her mother can read minds. As with all gifts they can be fickle, but they make enough money to get by in the touristic area of Eastport. Things start to get bad when a murder happens in town. Clare is enlisted by her ex-boyfriend to he...more What caught my attention was the premise of this book. I mean how cool (or maybe not cool but handy) would it be to be a part of a paranormal family? Clarity (aka Clare) can see memories through objects, her brother Periwinkle (aka Perry) can talk to the dead, and her mother can read minds. As with all gifts they can be fickle, but they make enough money to get by in the touristic area of Eastport. Things start to get bad when a murder happens in town. Clare is enlisted by her ex-boyfriend to help, and if that wasn't awkward enough, there is the new guy in town that just screams hotness. Before Clare can really start to help with the investigation she finds out that Perry was the last person to see the murdered girl alive. Clare now has something personally invested and will do what she can to prove Perry is innocent, and hopefully she's right.

There were some parts of the story I enjoyed. The teenage voice is captured well, and seeing how the family used their "powers" was interesting. I'm also a fan of beach settings (must come from living in place where there are no beaches), and there were some pretty funny lines. I actually should read more mystery books because I enjoyed trying to guess 'who done it?' But I gotta say this wasn't executed well, at least for my taste.

All that though could not make up for the annoying amount of love interest that Clare has. I think I counted about four? Seriously? This from a person who can't even attract or nab a friend? Supposedly she has no friends, and she makes this clear over and over again. Usually there is a reason why people don't have friends, but the author doesn't offer any. It can't be because of her paranormal gift because her brother Perry has a friend and is evidently quite the player. And I hate the agrument of people being jealous. (insert eye roll) To be fair I think only two of the guys are really in the playing field, but still. Out of everything this is what really brought down my enjoyment of the story.

I hate to rant, but it just has to be said. If Perry had been let's say the sister who "hooks" up with numerous guys we would not have seen her in the same light. I was interested enough to finish and I thought things were woven in nicely. Here's hoping that the next installment Perception will knock me off my rocker.
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Mar 03, 2011 ~Tina~ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to ~Tina~ by: oliviasbooks

Shelves: paranormal-human, whodunit, favorites, read-2011, young-adult, own

Yeah, I was Claire Fern, tough psychic chick, member of the freak family. But if they stripped all those labels off people might be shocked to find a normal girl beneath. Who doesn’t want to spend her days on the defensive.
Who wants what everyone else wants.
To be loved.

While some are born with talents like singing and art, the Fern family are born with supernatural abilities. Clarity is a psychic, her brother, Perry is a medium and her mom, Starla is telepathic. Together they work at a business,...more

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Mar 27, 2011 Isamlq rated it 3 of 5 stars

I feel like I’ve just seen one of those made for TV murder-mysteries. With all these little clues pointing to one guy, the protagonist(s) couldn’t help jumping to conclusions. There’s a lot of this jumping-to’s going on. It got a little repetitive in fact: circumstantial evidence points to X, so X must have done it. X cleared. Newly found evidence points to Y, so of course Y is guilty.. and so and so forth. I mean, the authorities were just so easy to lead along! All of that was worth it though...more I feel like I’ve just seen one of those made for TV murder-mysteries. With all these little clues pointing to one guy, the protagonist(s) couldn’t help jumping to conclusions. There’s a lot of this jumping-to’s going on. It got a little repetitive in fact: circumstantial evidence points to X, so X must have done it. X cleared. Newly found evidence points to Y, so of course Y is guilty.. and so and so forth. I mean, the authorities were just so easy to lead along! All of that was worth it though because that ending (while visible from miles away) was well executed.

But the thing that I had the most difficulty was how she got involved in the first place. Apparently when there‘s murder in town, who you gonna call? Why, the local 16 year old psychic. Up to that point, I was sure to give this book a big old 5/5... especially, given Clare being just that fiery/snarky/spunky. Swallowing the pill of authorities actually roping her in to help (albeit secretly,) was a difficult to do. But once done, I found I enjoyed Clarity. Setting aside the two points above, I shall now do a John Green and enumerate the reasons I liked it:

First, the cover! Just look at it! Isn’t it gorgeous? That alone entitles this book a star (at least.) Next, the dialogue just zinged. I liked how Harrington made them all sound like mini-cops. The novelty of that alone entitles this to another star. Then, the characters (of which there are plenty):

Her brother is… honestly? Slutty, but I cannot discount the affectionate, protective bond between him and Clare. Clare, I absolutely adore a character that stands up for herself. I respect how the author paints a picture of this tourist town girl, who cannot wait to get out of it. I respect how the author clearly shows that she has a lot of feelings: good ones, bad ones, but the best were her conflicted ones, which leads me to… Justin and Gabriel.

Yes, there is a love triangle. But surprise of surprises--- I liked it, all of three of them in fact. I liked how she and Justin had a history. I enjoyed the insta-love/lust she and Gabriel had for each other. (I prefer Justin btw.)

Overall: Clarity = WIN!
3.5/5

*THANKS MEG!

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Mar 22, 2011 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites, books-i-own

Clarity had me from the first Chapter, I mean how intense was that! And then by the second chapter, well Clare had me captivated. I absolutely loved her character. And I must admit, any novel that references the Peach Pit is on my automatic favorites list.

I think I expected this novel to revolve more around Clare's ability, but it was an excellent mix of mystery, paranormal, and romance. I have no complaints what-so-ever, well only that I want more!

This is easily one of my favorites debuts so fa...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Martha added it

My favorite part of this story is that there's a character named Perry and a sequence in which he is missing and at least four people actually say, "Where's Perry?"

Life was so awesome in these moments.

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May 03, 2011 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars

Clarity is the wonderful story of a young Eastport resident who's family are called freaks as they all have supernatural abilities. Her family are shunned by the local populace but are popular with tourists who come to them for readings. For Clare her life is one of either doing reading with her brother Perry and mother Starla or hanging out with her brother and his mate Nate. But things change for the worse for Clare when a young female tourist is murdered and Perry becomes the prime suspect. C...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc-or-galley, fantasy-or-paranormal, romance, paranormal, mystery

Kim Harrington’s debut novel is one full of mystery and suspense, likeable characters, and a touch of paranormal. In short, I enjoyed it immensely.

Clare Fern is a psychic. Her brother is a medium and her mother a telepath. In the tourist town of Eastport, their family business is a hit with the visitors, but Clare can’t help but wish her days weren’t spent as part of ‘the freak show’. Unfortunately for Clare, it seems she can’t quite hide her talent yet. The local detective and his son have a s...more Kim Harrington’s debut novel is one full of mystery and suspense, likeable characters, and a touch of paranormal. In short, I enjoyed it immensely.

Clare Fern is a psychic. Her brother is a medium and her mother a telepath. In the tourist town of Eastport, their family business is a hit with the visitors, but Clare can’t help but wish her days weren’t spent as part of ‘the freak show’. Unfortunately for Clare, it seems she can’t quite hide her talent yet. The local detective and his son have a special job reserved for her and her ‘ability’. When a girl turns up dead and the killer remains unknown, it is up to Clare to embrace her unique gift and help solve the murder.

This is a short book, or at least much shorter than what I am used to, but the content is still wonderfully fulfilling. Kim Harrington’s writing style is easy to like and Clare’s voice is one I grew comfortable with almost instantly. There is a very straight-forward nature about her character that appealed to me. Unlike countless other female main characters, Clare had wit and intelligence that made her distinguishable and I’m almost certain this story would not have resonated as well with me had another character been narrating. That’s not to say she is without flaws, but I hardly noticed them as I was enjoying myself too much.

A love triangle makes itself present in this story, which, as expected, bothered me. Though having said that, the author did present both love interests reasonably well, so it could have been a lot worse. There is Justin, Clare’s ex-boyfriend who cheated on her but wants to redeem himself, and there is Gabriel, the new boy in town and the detective’s son. Although neither of them were particularly memorable, they were likeable characters that I would be happy to read about again.

My favourite aspect of this book also happens to be the most disappointing. I adore murder mysteries and Kim Harrington did a brilliant job ensuring this one was engaging and thrilling. For the most part, I loved the suspense and trying to figure out who was responsible. But the big shock, when it arrived, wasn’t very shocking. I’m usually terrible at spotting plot twists, but I pieced together the puzzle long before Clare did. A little less predictability and it would have been perfect.

Despite some of the flaws I have mentioned, I still greatly enjoyed this book, perhaps even more than I expected. The author’s writing and Clare are mostly responsible for that, and I am most definitely eager to read the sequel as soon as I get my hands on it.

(This review also appears on my blog)
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Sep 01, 2012 Katya rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, holy-hell, kick-arse-heroines, kudos-for-the-worldbuilding, teen-lit, thriller, the-ya-project

Also appears on The Book Lantern .

Okay, I have a question. Why is the sequel not out on the Kindle yet?

I have very interesting priorities these days.

Onto the book: Clarity is one of those novels that leave me with some... mixed feelings. On the one hand, we've got an amazingly crafted paranormal thriller, with a great plot and some really interesting red herrings. On the other... we've also got ANOTHER YA novel with some... questionable portrayals of female sexuality.

Let's start with the good:...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Laura YA indie princess rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, hardback, books-i-own

Kim Harrington deubt Clarity is a work of YA art.

What I loved the most about Clarity is how kick ass Clare is as a character and that all of her family are "special" not just her.

All the way though reading I had no idea who the killer was one minute I was sure it was that character then I was like no it that character. I loved how this book keep me on my toes and kept me guessing the whole way though.

Funniest moment for me has to be with the husband & wife. Ha ha ha serves him right.

I loved...more

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Dec 12, 2010 Karsten Knight rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was so mesmerized reading CLARITY that at one point I got off at the wrong bus stop...but it was well worth the longer walk home. Kim Harrington has extracted the best elements from the Paranormal and Whodunnit genres and synthesized them into a fascinating, beachside murder mystery. In addition to the killer story, I absolutely loved the atmospheric world of CLARITY, which has traded the traditional "Everytown, USA" setting for a very real and well-explored Cape Cod. Everything about this boo...more

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Apr 19, 2011 Cory rated it 5 of 5 stars

More reviews @ Anti-Drug Reads

Only one complaint... I wish it wasn't soooo short! I absolutely obsessed over Clarity. I prolonged finishing it for as long I could, which wasn't long at all. I did not want it to end!

Kim Herrington did a great job in mixing the paranormal with crime. She then added a little love triangle as a side-dish to the UNBELIEVABLE meal. This book had me guessing the whole time. I swear I guessed everyone was the killer at one point or the other. Homicide and psychics was t...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: paranormal fans

Recommended to Lynn by: goodreads

Shelves: series-i-am-reading-or-will-be-soon

Clarity is a short, but great read. The kind of book you can’t put down and end up finishing in one setting. Well at least that is how it was for me. I was hoping for a good thriller and that is what I got. There is a lot of suspense in Clarity. I went back and forth a few times with who the killer could be. In the end I had guessed right, but not before I had thought it had been at least four other people. But I still only ended up being half right. I didn’t think the outcome was a possibility...more

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Mar 19, 2011 Rebecca rated it 5 of 5 stars

Absolutely AMAZING! That pretty much sums up my feelings on Clarity by Kim Harrington. I started it in a day and sat down and read it all day until I finished it. The first chapter had me very intrigued and it offered up some clues about who the killer could be, it also made me want to get to that part of the book. It’s not every day that I actually enjoy a book that starts with part of the ending first, I find that it often annoys me but in Clarity I thought it well fitting.
I liked Clarity as a...more Absolutely AMAZING! That pretty much sums up my feelings on Clarity by Kim Harrington. I started it in a day and sat down and read it all day until I finished it. The first chapter had me very intrigued and it offered up some clues about who the killer could be, it also made me want to get to that part of the book. It’s not every day that I actually enjoy a book that starts with part of the ending first, I find that it often annoys me but in Clarity I thought it well fitting.
I liked Clarity as a character and I found her brother Perry to be an interesting specimen too. In fact, all of the characters had their own little secrets and part of the excitement of the book was finding these secrets out. Not everybody’s secrets were let out of the bag however and I have a feeling that in some character’s secrets/ things that happened there is more than meets the eye.
Anyway, back to Clarity. She is just a really awesome character in that she stands her ground when it comes to her beliefs and ideals and I respect that. I found Clarity to be incredibly relatable and really well developed.
As far as the romantic side of this book goes, I honestly wasn’t a fan of either of the two boys vying for Clarity’s affection but there was another guy who just seemed so great. I am kind of hoping that maybe in a later book she will end up with him? Who knows? I know I can’t wait to read on to find out.
The whole psychic angle was very very well played out too. I love psychics in books and I just love how they were in Clarity because they seemed realistic. I didn’t feel the psychic thing was overdone but I did love it when Clarity used her psychic ability. I think of the three family members Clarity’s mum, Starla had the coolest ability. The others’ were very cool too however.
There is just so much going on in Clarity but it didn’t feel like everything was swarming in and overpowering everything else; it felt like there was just the right balance of everything. That includes the hints of who the murderer is. I felt there were enough clues that kept me entertained and I could figure out half of what had happened but I was surprised at the other half of it.
The ending of Clarity alludes to more of what could be happening in the next book, Perception and it is unfortunate for me that it does not come out for quite a while.
Overall, Clarity is one freaking fantastic book and definitely a favourite of 2011 for me. In fact, it has just become my favourite book of 2011 so far. If you love murder mysteries and a dash of psychic you will absolutely adore Clarity just as I did.
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Oct 04, 2011 Misty rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: recommended, supernatural-paranormal, sci_fi-fantasy, 2011-debuts__elevensies, own, read-in-2011

Someone - and I can't remember who - recommended this to me because they said that Clarity (the character) reminded them of Veronica Mars. And I am a leeetleobsessed with that show. Until said comparison, I actually had no intention of buying this. Couldn't tell you why, I was probably just burned out on the glut of YA paranormal books out there, but I just assumed that if I ever decided to read this, it would be a library grab. But no. There was a V Mars comparison, and that meant that I clicke...more Someone - and I can't remember who - recommended this to me because they said that Clarity (the character) reminded them of Veronica Mars. And I am a leeetle obsessed with that show. Until said comparison, I actually had no intention of buying this. Couldn't tell you why, I was probably just burned out on the glut of YA paranormal books out there, but I just assumed that if I ever decided to read this, it would be a library grab. But no. There was a V Mars comparison, and that meant that I clicked over and bought it that night. And I'm glad I did.

Though I think this book doesn't have quite the sparkle of Veronica Mars, and it's not quite at that level of this-is-perfect-I-want-to-be-this-when-I-grow-up, it certainly does invite the comparison (which equals a win for anyone who loves a smart and sassy character). I truly liked Clare and the intro into her life. I liked the family element - and the family business - and the small town that goes crazy with tourist season; I liked Clare's relationships with her mom and man-whoring yet lovable brother, and her realizations and suspicions about his actions; I liked Clare's outcast status that became a bit less-so as the book went on - it all just worked together for me so that even when it wasn't completely believable, it was still thoroughly enjoyable. Add to that the fact that it's a fairly trim book and a definite quick read, and it made for the perfect fun bit of escapism. Harrington's style doesn't take effort to read - and I don't mean that as an insult, like it's too simple or not taken to the next level; I just mean that she's got Clare's voice down cold, and it reads effortlessly, drawing you along and keeping you entertained.

One thing that was a really pleasant surprise is that it actually kept me guessing. I had suspicions of course, but the thing is - I had a lot of suspicions and I kept going back and forth with who I thought just had to be the guilty party. It's a rarity for me to not figure out, with absolute assurance, any mystery within the first 1/4 of a book. That's why I don't read mysteries. Even if it's still sometimes fun seeing it all unfold and waiting with bated breath for everything to come to a crisis, the whole point of a mystery is the doubt that you have, and the suspicious thoughts you find yourself having about everybody. In this case, I really was having those suspicious thoughts about just about everybody. But it wasn't because the groundwork hadn't been laid and everything was up in the air. It's just that there was enough mystery and enough self-doubt on Clare's part that the reader was able to get caught up in it and doubt their own judgement, too. I love that. It's what a mystery should be. And the paranormal aspects just enhanced this. It didn't feel like it was too much of a stretch and it was worked in so as to amp the tension but not make me roll my eyes, which = impressive.

Yes, of course there were times were I felt like it was a little wish-fulfillment-y. There was a rough patch in the middle where I felt it tread a little close to typical, predictable YA, but for the most part, it was in such minor ways that it didn't really bother me. And yes, things are sometimes too convenient, and Clare has too many people pursuing her (in the true lurve way, not the homicidal maniac way, though...) for it to be believable. Or, if not believable then relatable, I guess. And yeah, there probably aren't any 16 year olds who would get to or even could do the things Clare gets to do. But that didn't stop me from loving Veronica Mars, and it didn't stop me from enjoying every minute of this book.

I feel like I've been really inarticulate through this whole review, but that's really all I can say. It's just a book that I just fully enjoyed that I hand't even planned on reading, and I love it when that happens. I often recommend Paranormalcy as the perfect funk-breaker because of the tone and the enjoyable way it reads, and I think this one is now going to be added to that list. This a great quick read that kind of livens you up and entertains above all else, and I loved that. Perception is being added to the wishlist for sure (no cajoling from forgotten friends necessary).
;)

Oh yeah, and I did an interview with Kim Harrington =D(less)

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Mar 15, 2011 marlene rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

First i have to say - I adore the cover of this book! The coverart is just amazing. Wow.

The book was pretty amazing too. I really enjoyed reading it! Mostly because I liked the charakters. I love Clarity, and Periwinkle (not only because of their super-awesome, super-cute names), they were great charakters. I've always wanted a big brother, and I thoght Perry was so cool and sweet! Despite his flaws. Haha! Also i liked all the other charakters.

The plot was good too. I guess I could say it's lik...more

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Feb 07, 2011 Mariya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: FANS OF THE BODY FINDERS XD

Shelves: young-adult

Clarity is one of those books you read and cannot stop reading til you put the book down. I was so memorized by Clarity.

Clarity is the heroine of the book and she and her family are physics and have these special abilities. Clarity is able to touch an object and look back to what happened in the past. Clarity is a bit of a loner. She doesn't really have any friends, hangs out her her brother and his friend Nate. People shun her because of the physic thing. I don't really mind that Clarity is a b...more Clarity is one of those books you read and cannot stop reading til you put the book down. I was so memorized by Clarity.

Clarity is the heroine of the book and she and her family are physics and have these special abilities. Clarity is able to touch an object and look back to what happened in the past. Clarity is a bit of a loner. She doesn't really have any friends, hangs out her her brother and his friend Nate. People shun her because of the physic thing. I don't really mind that Clarity is a bit of a loner. A lot of young adult novels have the heroine where she has a best friend and stuff, but most of those books I don't like the best friends at all. And I think authors sometimes think of it a must to have a best friend and all, but to me none of them were that much likable to me. I think it is interesting to have a book that is a loner.

Justin is Clarity's ex-boyfriend. Okaiexz. I for one hate cheating ex's you know. But OMG. If Clarity won't take Justin I will. Justin is just so lovable and if you haven't noticed already I'm Team Justin. You can tell that Justin cares a lot for Clarity and would do anything in the world for her. Justin has been like Clarity's only best friend. He is one of the only few people that don't shun her because she is different. He likes that she is different. He finds it intriguing. And the whole cheating thing. You find out there is more to the story then Clarity had known. I really hope that they get back together.

Gabriel is the detective's son who works with Clarity to solve the murder that has taken place. You know I really didn't know what I thought about Gabriel in the beginning. I mean I like him and would like to know more about him, but I like Justin more and wish for Clarity to be with him. Gabriel has a problem with physics due to an incident that happened in his past. But he likes Clarity a lot. He is trying to ignore his feeling for her. Hmmm...I wonder how long that is going to last. I would to know more about this guy. He hasn't really impressed me in the I like Clarity category. Hopefully he will do better in the next book.

I loved the characters! I loved Clarity's family and that is rare for me. I find that in young adult novels I don't really care for the brother or mom, because it is like they are usually invisible, you don't see much of them. But that is not the case in Clarity. Her mom and brother are very involved and very likable.

I loved the suspense, murder mystery aspect and most of all the romance. The ending was perfect and I am very interested in what will happen in the next book. I loved this book and look forward to more from new Debut author, Kim Harrington.(less)

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Jul 05, 2011 Liliana ♥s Mythology rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: supernatural-abilities, favorites

I will admit, I was a little hesitant about reading this book at first. I don’t even know why! It was great! :D

I really liked this book, its sooo unique! You know how in most (well, most of the ones I’ve read at least) books when a character has some sort of supernatural ability, and it’s usually kept a secret? Well, not in this book! Clare Fern and her family each have a special ability and they actually entertain tourists with them.

Clare has the ability to see things that have happened by touc...more I will admit, I was a little hesitant about reading this book at first. I don’t even know why! It was great! :D

I really liked this book, its sooo unique! You know how in most (well, most of the ones I’ve read at least) books when a character has some sort of supernatural ability, and it’s usually kept a secret? Well, not in this book! Clare Fern and her family each have a special ability and they actually entertain tourists with them.

Clare has the ability to see things that have happened by touching an object. Her brother, Perry, is able to communicate with ghosts, and their mother can read minds. Yeah, they can never get away with anything, lol
So their small tourist town is buzzing with…well, tourists lol, just like every other summer. The Fern’s family business is giving reading by using their abilities. Some people think they’re frauds, but what they do is very

real (you know, in the fictional world).
Nothing exciting ever happens in their small town, so when there is a murder, it sets the whole town on edge. Especially the Fern family. Why? Because Perry is the main suspect of the murder O.O I was like “Nooooo!! I really like Perry! He reminds me of Ethan (from the Shifters series) *sniffles*”

But luckily, thanks to Clare’s ability, she was asked to help in the investigation alongside the new Detectives very hot and very gorgeous son Gabriel *sighs* Well, him and Clare’s ex-boyfriend, Justin, who she still might be having feelings for. Awkward much?

Throughout the book I had several suspect in mind: Perry, for one, even though I didn’t want him to be the murderer. An Gabriel too, but I liked him too…he is very bad boy-like, mmmm ;) I also suspected Justin, and Nate (don’t even know why, he’s such a good guy)!

And the real killer…wow! And the motives behind the killing…gosh, you would’ve thought it was totally random!

I loved this book (I’m pretty sure I already mentioned that, lol)! I love a good mystery!! I can’t wait to read book 2!!! I’m wondering what Clare is going to do about the whole Gabriel-Justin thing. I myself am leaning more toward Gabriel…but I guess we’ll just have to see what Clare’s going to do..

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Sep 29, 2011 Kelly Leigh rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Veronica Mars fans and everyone else

Shelves: young-adult, mystery-thriller, paranormal

A wave of nostalgia swept over me fairly quickly while reading the opening pages of Clarity. I was instantly time-warped back to 2004, the very year the amazingly awesome Veronica Mars premiered on the telly. Oh, Veronica Mars. How I adored your show. And now I adore Clarity, for it reads just like the pilot episode of Veronica Mars, only without the psychic abilities. I suppose I should mention that Clarity is skilled in psychometry, her brother’s a medium, and her mother’s a telepath. I’ve see...more

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Mar 23, 2011 Danielle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: debs11

*Originally post on my blog Overflowing Shelf*

Clarity is a great debut novel that will have you drawn in right from the beginning. Filled with mystery, a great strong snarky female lead and plenty of boys, Clarity is filled with fun.

The best thing about Clarity is the characters. All the characters are AWESOME!! Clare is definitely one of my favorite characters EVER. She is so full of spunk. Clare is such a strong character and she has to be being from a family of “freaks” and bullied about it a...more *Originally post on my blog Overflowing Shelf*

Clarity is a great debut novel that will have you drawn in right from the beginning. Filled with mystery, a great strong snarky female lead and plenty of boys, Clarity is filled with fun.

The best thing about Clarity is the characters. All the characters are AWESOME!! Clare is definitely one of my favorite characters EVER. She is so full of spunk. Clare is such a strong character and she has to be being from a family of “freaks” and bullied about it at school. Clare can really hold her own against everyone else. And she is full of snark. I LOVE SNARK! I would have been fine just reading a story about Clare’s everyday life even if nothing happened because she is just entertaining. Clare had me laughing out loud at times too. She’s pretty kick-ass. I really loved Clare’s brother Perry too. While Perry has his flaws and is a player, he still has this loveable characteristic. Clare and Perry’s relationship was spot on too. They truly felt like brother and sister, you could feel the love between them and the need to protect each other, and I loved that.

While Clare and her family has special abilities, the supernatural aspect from their abilities did not dominate the story. I really liked that abilities was not the center of the story. Instead, the characters and the relationship between the characters was what I felt was center of the story. Also the mystery WAS GREAT! I literally did not know who the murderer was. I would suspect it to be one person but find out it wasn’t. I thought the murderer was like four different people and in the end I WAS WRONG! I had not clue who the murderer was. That’s great a feat to completely blind side the read with who the killer is. I really liked that.

I really loved how Kim wrapped up this book. The ending wrapped up everything nice, but still left things open enough for the next book. Especially with Clare’s boy situation. I really cannot decide if I want Clare with Justin or Gabriel. They both have their own flaws and own charms so I cannot pick!

Overall, Clarity was a great fun read. I loved Clare, she was such a strong, confidant, spunky character. She is definitely one of my favorite characters of this year. I cannot wait to read the next book because it is sure to be AWESOME!!
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Jan 31, 2011 Annie McElfresh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 5-star-awesomeness, my-favorites

First off, um, WOW!! This book has easily pushed its way to one of my favorite novels. True crime mysteries in YA are few and far between, and Clarity helps fill that void. This novel totally reminds me of a psychic Veronica Mars, and those of you who know me know how much I loooooooooove Veronica Mars. I know I'm not alone on that one. :)

A novel that Clarity reminds me of is Laurie Stolarz's TOUCH series. Which is one of my most favorite series ever!

This novel has such a fresh voice. Claire is...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Princess Bookie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read2011

My Thoughts: We are introduced to Clare Fern aka Clarity and her brother Periwinkle Fern aka Perry. They live with their mom. They live in Eastport where they are considered weird or freaks. They each have a special gift and run a shop. Clarity can pick up an object and see things the object has been through, or memories. Perry can see spirits. Their mom can read people's minds. That isn't a good thing for Clarity, since her mom can read what she is thinking easily! Any teenage girl would hate t...more My Thoughts: We are introduced to Clare Fern aka Clarity and her brother Periwinkle Fern aka Perry. They live with their mom. They live in Eastport where they are considered weird or freaks. They each have a special gift and run a shop. Clarity can pick up an object and see things the object has been through, or memories. Perry can see spirits. Their mom can read people's minds. That isn't a good thing for Clarity, since her mom can read what she is thinking easily! Any teenage girl would hate that!

Clarity doesn't really have many friends. She basically hangs out with her brother and his best friend Nate. She did have a boyfriend Justin but he cheated on her with the school mean girl and she still hasn't forgiven him. She usually just does her own thing and has gotten content with being alone.

A murder occurs in Eastport.! And they keep piling up quickly! A new detective and his son Gabriel come to town to investigate the murder. Gabriel doesn't believe in psychics so he's leery when he hears about the town's psychic family. However, he ends up getting teamed up with Justin and they work together with Clarity to find the murderer. All signs lead to Perry since he was with the first murder victim Victoria the night it happened. He's quite the womanizer but he's still a good guy. At least now he hooks up with the out of towners so they know what they are getting into; a one night stand sort of thing. He finds himself as the main suspect in the murder investigation but Clarity just knows her brother is innocent and fights for him all the way.

Gabriel doesn't want to like Clarity but of course he sees himself falling for her and tries to fight it as hard as possible. Than, there is Justin, whose still madly in love with her. Of course she is going to have feelings for both guys as they are so different from one another. Gabriel seems to always be "around" and Justin will drop anything to come to her rescue.

I loved all the characters, I loved the relationships between their family and how close they all were.

Overall: I won't say much else or I'll give everything away. But this book was pretty darn great. I loved the suspense, the murder mystery, their abilities, her relationship with both boys. Harrington knew what she was doing when she came up with this storyline!

Cover: Love it! At first glance, its hard to tell her hair is red. It kind of looks blonde. I love the cover though, its very pretty and she looks mysterious.

What I'd Give It: 5/5 Cupcakes

Review Based on Hardcover Edition

Taken from Princess Bookie
www.princessbookie.com
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May 25, 2011 Krys rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: urban-dark-fantasy-paranormal, short-length-book, young-adult, first-person-narrative, read-in-2011, mystery-suspense, series-i-love, series, arcs-i-no-longer-have

I really needed something light this week. I keep trying heavier, denser things and quickly burn out on them. Something in my brain is not wired well for it at the moment. So, I looked in my pile, scanned a few titles (and ratings online!) and grabbed one that everyone really seemed positive about - Clarity by Kim Harrington.

Clarity (Clare) Fern hails from a family who are all spiritually gifted. Clare herself is a psychic with the ability to recall events from touching objects. She lives with h...more

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Apr 17, 2011 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paranormal, series

With the good and the bad, I really enjoyed reading this book. It kept me guessing who the murderer could be (and I am glad to know that I was 'half right' about it).
But the ending, oh... I hate series, they always keep you waiting for more and my patience is probably in far-far-far-away-land by now ;))

Read more reviews at ReadingAfterMidnight.com

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Apr 08, 2011 Miakoda rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: forgettable, young-adult, fantasy, crime

I'm so close in giving up with young adult fiction with pretty covers.

Just read this and you'll know why :

"I work here"
I blushed. "With your dad?"
"Yeah. I'm an explorer."
"Huh?" Was this some slang I wasn't up on?
"That's my title..."
"Cool." I pictured him in uniform. Let's just say the picture was...nice.

____________

"See you around." He began to walk away, then stopped. "By the way, what's your name?"
"Clare."
"Clare," he repeated. "Cute."

____________

Please give me a break and a piece of that kit...more

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Jan 11, 2012 Shari rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2011, reviewed, ya-paranormal, best-of-2011

My two favorite parts of Clarity were Clarity herself and the town in which she lives. Clarity's character is the perfect mix of snark, vulnerability, and quirky physic detective. Harrington also did a great job of writing about the town. I wanted to go to the beach so badly after finishing Clarity. The mystery was also great, and kept me guessing until the very end. I'm not usually big on mystery novels, but I was very excited to read this one because of the paranormal aspect. I think I may hav...more

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Apr 20, 2011 Alyssa rated it 4 of 5 stars

In the Cape Cod tourist town of Eastport, the summers for Clarity ‘Clare’ Fern and her family are filled with psychic readings and not much else, but when a teenage tourist is found murdered in her motel room, the summer becomes unforgettable. Clare must team up with a Detective and his son (who are against psychics) to find the killer, but when one murder leads to three more, the quest to put the criminal behind bars becomes a battle for life, truth, and love.

This murder mystery had fantasy and...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Beáta rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Na túto knihu by sa dala aplikovať veta Neodsudzuj knihu podľa jej začiatku. Myslela som si, že Clarity bude jedno z dievčat, ktoré sa hneď zamilujú a okolitý svet pre nich prestane existovať - zlý odhad. Síce vyzerala tak nejak zamilovane, randila skoro s každým kto sa v knihe vyskytoval, ale len preto aby získala dôkazy, že jej brat je nevinný. Vôbec som netušila kto je vrah, rovnako ako Clare aj ja som obviňovala každého :D
Teším sa na pokračovanie.

Inak pred prečítaním knihy nečítajte recenzie...more

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