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Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy #1)

by Kiersten White (Goodreads Author), Emily Eiden (Goodreads Author) (Narrator)

3.96 of 5 stars 3.96 · rating details · 41,813 ratings · 4,395 reviews

Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, 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 Evie’s about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruct...more

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Published August 31st 2010 by HarperCollins

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Oct 20, 2010 Kat Kennedy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Fans of the YA Paranormal genre

Shelves: kat-s-book-reviews, should-have-been-bad, ya-pnr-maddness, to-ya-or-not-to-ya

There’s a scene in Vampire’s Suck (yes, my husband and saw it with a group of friends and exited the cinema a few hours later with a few less braincells). Vampire’s Suck’s version of Mike Newton from Twilight approached the Bella character upon meeting her, threw an arm around her shoulder and said, “Wow, you look pretty frigid and boring! Wanna go to prom?”

Despite the stupidity of this movie they managed to encapsulate, in one brilliant sentence, the biggest problem I’ve had with the YA paranor...more

188 likes · like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Flannery rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: YA urban fantasy readers, Buffy fans

Recommended to Flannery by: SCB TBR 2011 - Pick Three; Jess

Shelves: tbr-scb-2011, kcls, paranormal, young-adult-teen, read-in-2011, reviewed-2011

When you look at the cover of this book, what do you think it is about? A blond teenage girl is wearing a prom dress in a field of pussy willows or wheat or something equally nonsensical. Here's a new cover that crushes the actual book cover on the relevancy front (though regrettably not in terms of artistic merit):

I mean, I went into this thinking it was going to be another YA paranormal romance and IT ISN'T. It is decidedly fun YA urban fantasy book. (jacket copy reading is for losers) It has...more When you look at the cover of this book, what do you think it is about? A blond teenage girl is wearing a prom dress in a field of pussy willows or wheat or something equally nonsensical. Here's a new cover that crushes the actual book cover on the relevancy front (though regrettably not in terms of artistic merit):

I mean, I went into this thinking it was going to be another YA paranormal romance and IT ISN'T. It is decidedly fun YA urban fantasy book. (jacket copy reading is for losers) It has a pretty kickass heroine, mermaids, werewolves (that may or MAY look like an Ewok in my picture), people made of water, people made of fire, vampires, trolls, nymphs, faeries, and everything else you can think of. Why would you trick your audience with the wheat field?

I digress. Evie has lived in the Center for as long as she can remember. She was picked up at the age of three and put through the foster system until the IPCA (Int'l Paranormal Containment Agency) realizes that she can see through glamours produced by all paranormals. As a vital asset, she goes out to bag-and-tag all sorts of beings for the agency. Things get a little dicey when all sorts of paranormals are being killed, the Center is invaded, and some faeries are being total douchebags. Speaking of faeries, Reth sounds like a noise someone makes when they are choking on something. Reeeth...Reeeeth...I'm retching here, it's too bad you can't hear it.

I felt like the last third or so wasn't as strong as the rest of the book. The story moved at a relaxed but appealing pace until a total break occurred and then it was out of whack. (view spoiler) Fun, sure, but I was perfectly happy with the natural pacing of the relationship--I was glad it wasn't going into trite YA foreverlove territory, and it still didn't...but it did get a little cheesified.

Kiersten White has a great sense of humor. Her characters were funny and fans of Buffy will definitely find something appealing about the friendships and storyline. I'm excited to see where it goes in the second book--Supernaturally.(which, incidentally, has Evie in a red dress and with some red (and probably completely irrelevant) flowers on the cover)

(view spoiler) 3.5 stars.(less)

164 likes · like · see review

Sep 30, 2012 Hana❀Joy rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: oh-so-unimpressed

When I saw this book I was drawn to the cover, of course. I mean jesus, look at it, flipping gorgeous. And how could an exciting prose and beautiful cover go wrong, right? Right? Wrong. I got maybe sixty pages in and closed to book and rubbed my temples, wondering how in the world I was so mistaken. Evie is, for lack of better words, a full out girlie girl, now that isn't really my thing. I like my heroines kick ass yet relatable, for which Evie was not. A few of the reasons that I couldn't conn...more

55 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2012 Emily May rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-na, pnr, 2011, vampires, weres-shifters, love-triangle, annoying

(Young adult genre + supernatural creatures) x love triangle - originality = De ja bloody vu

Why even bother reading this book? I can point you towards hundreds of other young adult books that are more or less exactly the same as what you get from Paranormalcy. I keep going back to this kind of genre, hoping that just once I will find the exception to the current book cloning rule that seems to be taking over the 21st century. We have a heroine who is neither good or bad enough to be exciting, s...more

37 likes · like · see review

Jun 24, 2011 Lora rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: people looking for a less angsty, more fun YA paranormal

Shelves: g-ya-paranorm

First off, I really liked Evie. She reminded me of Mac (from the Fever series) a little, and that can't be a bad thing. I'm usually very fastidious when it comes to finding heroines that I like, but Evie was actually really nice.
She may have had a couple of blonde moments towards the end (no offense to blondes, of course - my mother is actually blonde) but I still think she was fierce, fun, refreshing, and insecure in a way that I found quite endearing. I alternated between wanting to grab her a...more First off, I really liked Evie. She reminded me of Mac (from the Fever series) a little, and that can't be a bad thing. I'm usually very fastidious when it comes to finding heroines that I like, but Evie was actually really nice.
She may have had a couple of blonde moments towards the end (no offense to blondes, of course - my mother is actually blonde) but I still think she was fierce, fun, refreshing, and insecure in a way that I found quite endearing. I alternated between wanting to grab her and hug her and wanting to go shopping with her. She just has that aura about her. And when the time came for her to make the right decision, she made it. Plain and simple. There was no messing everything up so that the stage is set for the next book to have a bunch of obstacles to move and things to fix that could have easily been avoided if the heroine had only made the right decision. To be blunt, she wasn't stupid (like some heroines I won't mention here *cough*Ever*cough*).
(view spoiler)

Lend was completely different from what I was expecting. Kind, sweet, yet protective when the situation called for it. He was the perfect yang to Evie's yin.
And the paranormal aspect with him seemed more unique than most out there right now; I liked that.

I've never been a big fan of faeries when they're the kind that manipulate and take you away from where you're clearly supposed to be. So I think it's safe to say that I didn't really like Reth. But, in this case, I'm not quite sure you're supposed to. It seems to me that the author wants us to know he's not really a second choice for Evie—unless he changes drastically in the next installment—so much as an obstacle for Evie to overcome. So, as far as love triangles go, I'd say this novel doesn't really have one (YES! That's a good thing, IMO). And here's to hoping that doesn't change in the next installment.

Now, I think the only thing I haven't mentioned is the writing. I think that some may read this novel and feel that it's maybe too cutesy or fluffy; however, for me, it was just a nice change of pace from all of the angsty YA romances that seem to be so popular.

So, Paranormalcy is a good debut and I look forward to seeing where this story goes in the sequel, Supernaturally.(less)

26 likes · like · see review

Nov 05, 2010 Kristi (The Story Siren) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own-arc, signed-arcs, books-i-own

This novel had me hooked from the first page. I mean with an intro like this how can you not want to read the rest:

“Wait- did you-- You just yawned!” The vampire’s arms , raised over his head in the classic Dracula pose, dropped to his sides. He pulled his exaggerated white fangs back behind his lips. “What, imminent death isn’t exciting enough for you?”

“Oh, stope pouting. But, really, the widow’s peak? The pale skin? The black cape? Where did you even get that thing, a costume store?”

If that d...more

19 likes · like · see review

Apr 21, 2011 Janina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, paranormal, on-my-shelf, read-in-2011, pure-entertainment, series-lost-interest, given-away

Paranormalcy definitely was a cute little book. It was entertaining, funny and a little romantic at times – but, honestly, while I enjoyed it, it didn’t really make a lasting impression on me.

Evie was very pink, but also very refreshing when compared to other heroines I’ve met so far. I loved her little quirks and her excitement when it came to ‘normal’ life. Her obsession with her pink rhinestone taser ‘Tasey’ (something that had me very suspicious at the beginning) actually didn’t bother me t...more

15 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fey, vamps, werewolves, 2011-reads, i-liked-it, it-wasn-t-all-that-but-enjoyable, original-and-creative, young-adult

Actual rating 2.5 stars.

Let me start by saying that I didn't hate this book, but I also didn't love it either. It was cute, spunky, and funny. However, there was just something about it that annoyed me.

So I've recently found out what a Mary Sue is. All this time I've been calling it "A la Bella-esque." Evie is most defiantly a Mary Sue. And I've come to the realization that I had a love/hate relationship with Evie the entire book. I thought she was really funny and down right silly at times. B...more

29 likes · like · see review

May 21, 2012 Haleema rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: what-the-falafel

I do not have the patience to read a book where the heroine talks like this:

"Oh bleep! I'm so pumped! He kissed me! It was the best kiss of my life! It's such a cool kiss!"

Oh bleep?

Oh bleep?

I'm out.

20 likes · like · see review

Nov 21, 2011 Giselle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

This is the book that you read when you need a break from dark, serious, hefty novels and just want something fun! Paranormalcy not simply about vampires, or werewolves, or faeries, it's includes ALL of them- and more. I really had a great time with it and enjoyed the medley.

Evie can see paranormals: No matter what glamour they wear, she can see through it. She's been living with the IPCA, an agency who controls the paranormals, all her life and feels pretty lonely being the only (human) teenage...more

15 likes · like · see review

Feb 25, 2013 Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Preteens, Teenagers who are very bored

Recommended to Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) by: My G.R. friends influenced me!!

Shelves: cheesy, unpredictable

Paranormacly: 3 stars

What I liked: Evie is a likeable protagonist and extremely easy to follow – a little naive perhaps and at times juvenile – but it is made evident the reason for why this is so. Perhaps the author stressed her locker fetish a bit much and made her childlike almost to a fault, but she is okay by me. Okay enough that I will look into the next book in the series, however not to buy because the ratings for that are floundering at the moment and I am not impressed enough to spen...more

8 likes · like · see review

Sep 13, 2010 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, paid-full-price, read-in-2010

I probably would've given a slightly higher star rating if there hadn't been so much damn hype around this book.

Alright. I'm feeling pro/con-y today. I'm taking a break from pharmacology homework to write this, so I need to get back to that. And it's a football Saturday, I've got a Bud Light in hand, so my thoughts are less than structured.

Pros:
- The cover is pretty, even though I can't decide how it correlates to the story.
- There is a seriously wide variety of paranormal creatures in this boo...more I probably would've given a slightly higher star rating if there hadn't been so much damn hype around this book.

Alright. I'm feeling pro/con-y today. I'm taking a break from pharmacology homework to write this, so I need to get back to that. And it's a football Saturday, I've got a Bud Light in hand, so my thoughts are less than structured.

Pros:
- The cover is pretty, even though I can't decide how it correlates to the story.
- There is a seriously wide variety of paranormal creatures in this book, each type having their own special powers/abilities. Vamps, werewolves, fey, water nymphs, mermaids, hags, gnomes, trolls. Yay for a smorgasbord of weirdness!
- The idea behind the book is cool. The International Paranormal Containment Agency hires Evie to track down unruly paranormals who threaten the unveiling of their existence, allowing her to tase them to the fullest extent of her desire.
- Evie is an especially special (heh) abnormal human who can see through paranormal creatures' glamours. She kicks serious butt and can take down a gaggle of vamps without a second thought.
- I didn't lose interest in the book throughout the first 4/5 of the novel.
- Evie's fascination with lockers was cute and funny.
- There were some really clever lines in this book. The interaction between Lend and Evie caused some near-LOLs.

Cons:
- Evie was annoying. I found her cute at first. Ya know, she's a girl who doesn't get out much (read: ever) and she clings to whatever sense of normalcy available with every fiber of her being. She watches hip teen shows and wears zebra print dresses and pink stiletto boots. She has a right to be a little weird. But somewhere along the line, she just began to grind my gears and wasn't cute anymore. I can't get much more descriptive than that, really, because I don't know when exactly she began to annoy me.
- Lackluster love interests. Reth was semi-appealing at first, until he uttered the line "let me fill you." I think I temporarily lost control of my gag reflex and gastric content at that moment. I later found out it didn't mean what I thought it meant, but WHO CARES?! That line should never be used in any context whatsoever, unless he's a bartender offering to fill her drink or a millionaire offering to fill her bank account. Lend just bored me. He shouldn't have bored me because he's your typical nice guy who isn't quite normal and, like the heroine, is looking for somewhere to belong. But he just didn't do it for me.
- Pink taser with rhinestones? Acceptable. Pink taser with rhinestones named "Tasey?" *facepalm* *headdesk* *keysmash* OAIm PA7A *Wrj H~! LK#(*&%(T~~!!!!
- The villain wasn't scary.
- The weird, hokey ending with the floating and the souls and the WTF.

This book may appeal to many people and apparently has. I'll probably read the sequel, but I'm not rushing out to get it. If you like cutesy books with happy little rainbow endings, by all means, help yourself. It could've been better, though.

(less)

62 likes · like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 oliviasbooks rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, vampires, urban-fantasy-paranormal, shapeshifters, mystery-crime-sleuthing, read-2011, paranormal-humans, faeries-elves-pixies, mermaids-selkies, swapped-or-given-away, debut

I was skeptical after I read a ton of reviews and saw that Becca Fitzpatrick recommended it (very bad sign in my opinion), but I decided not to cancel my pre-order and have a go. Now I have to say: I really liked the book. And I liked the heroine and her love-interest (I mention only one, because that manipulative control-freak behavior of RetCh, the conscience-free faerie, cannot be counted as love-triangle worthy. He just used her loneliness and her craving of any kind of physical contact to r...more I was skeptical after I read a ton of reviews and saw that Becca Fitzpatrick recommended it (very bad sign in my opinion), but I decided not to cancel my pre-order and have a go. Now I have to say: I really liked the book. And I liked the heroine and her love-interest (I mention only one, because that manipulative control-freak behavior of RetCh, the conscience-free faerie, cannot be counted as love-triangle worthy. He just used her loneliness and her craving of any kind of physical contact to reach his goal. There is really NOTHING to recommend or excuse him apart from good looks. So don't try to convince me of the opposite. Aprilynne Pike wrote in her blurb "...One won Evie's heart and the other won mine." I enjoyed Mrs. Pikes debut well enough to rate it three stars, but after this disclosure of her bad taste in evil guys I will be very wary of books to come).

After reading her story I can even understand Evie's girlish preference for pink, sparkling clothes and tasers and her motivation to give her Taser and her knife pet names: Since she turned eight she has been living underground, held like a dumb princess in an ivory tower, fed with only the information necessary to tag and bag random paranormals for the International Paranormal Containment Agency that is her "home" and shamelessly uses her unique gift of seeing beyond every kind of magic glamour. All her confidants are grown-ups. She is home-schooled by a permanently depressed female werewolf and High-School is something that happens on TV. If you were Evie, would you not jump at every possibility to shop with your otherwise business-like guardian for some ultra-girlish clothes, which resemble the stuff the actors on your favorite Teen TV Drama "Easton Heights" flaunt? Would you not try to be a little normal, to be a teenager? Evie does not own rhine-stone-studded hand-bags because she never leaves the Center outside of a mission. So she compensates by decorating her weapon and giving it a silly name.

Apart from the difference in age and that unhealthy degree of helpers syndrom Rachel Morgan has, Evie's personality reminded me a lot of this favorite urban fantasy heroine of mine. I don't excactly know why. But she was not at all how I had imagined her to be.

What I also liked were the various commonly known paranormal lores (faerie, vampire, werewolf, mermaid, elementals ...), their adaption and their integration into the book's world-building. Nicely done. I think I will pickup the sequel "Supernaturally", when it comes out in paperback.(less)

13 likes · like · see review

May 05, 2012 Lissa added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011

I wanted this book ever since I started following White on Twitter and her blog. I love her to bits. She's totally fun and awesome and I believed that voice would be present in her book. I was right.

But I'm torn.

Either Kiersten White is the first author ever to completely and utterly nail the teenage girl voice, or she's not quite a master storyteller yet.

Allow me to elaborate.

Evie is neither clever nor stupid. Her personality is full of loving pink, zebra patterns, pop culture, and boys. She ha...more

7 likes · like · see review

Jan 09, 2011 Scarlet rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own, amazing, covers-i-love, faeries, fantasy, magic, mermaids, original-stories, paranormal, romance, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, favorites, review

review to come :)

UPDATE:

Another book I couldn't wait to get my hands on! All I kept saying to my mom was "Paranormalcy, Paranormalcy, Paranormalcy!"

Finally she bought me the book for Christmas, and I fell to reading it right away.

At first I was like "eh, the writing style is average." But the farther in I got, the more I began to love it! Paranormalcy quickly won me over. The Reasons are as follows:

1. I adore Evie! Shes a badass girly-girl with a sparkly pink taser! I mean how could you not lov...more

8 likes · like · see review

Aug 13, 2010 Amelia, the pragmatic idealist rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, favorite-books, ya-kids-teen, arcs, harper-collins, own, paranormal, annoying-protagonist, mc-girl

Probably one of the best books I've ever read. Everybody needs to read this, seriously!:

I’ve been fortunate to read MANY amazing, 5-star-worthy books this summer, so it’s no little thing when I say that Paranormalcy blows them ALL out of the water. In fact, Paranormalcy is the newest Must Have book for the fall, a treat every teen needs to ease those back-to-school blues.

The characters were all so unique, quirky and absolutely lovable. The narrator, Evie, is just about as awesome as her zebra d...more Probably one of the best books I've ever read. Everybody needs to read this, seriously!:

I’ve been fortunate to read MANY amazing, 5-star-worthy books this summer, so it’s no little thing when I say that Paranormalcy blows them ALL out of the water. In fact, Paranormalcy is the newest Must Have book for the fall, a treat every teen needs to ease those back-to-school blues.

The characters were all so unique, quirky and absolutely lovable. The narrator, Evie, is just about as awesome as her zebra dress and pink boots. Her voice was funny, sassy and endearing – all the ingredients needed to cook up one of the best fictional characters of 2010! It was so great to watch her grow and mature over the course of the story. Oh, Evie, I'd love for you to be real. If you thought high school was fun, just you wait until you come to college with me! :P
But I can’t forget the love interest, Lend. Abso-freaking-lutely going in my Boyfriends! file. Besides being completely swoon-worthy, Lend is also an incredibly original character. Vampire? Nope. Werewolf? Uh-uh. Faerie? No way. Angel? Fuggedabadit. You’ll just have to see for yourself. And Reth… you know, I didn’t expect this to happen, but he became one of my favorite characters. His scenes were absolutely delicious. WORD to Aprilynne Pike’s blurb.
But characters aside, what impressed me the most about P was its sheer originality. I’ve read YA nearly exclusively for 2 years now, and I can honestly say that Paranormalcy was like nothing I’d ever read before. If we’re all sitting in a circle, holding hands and being honest, I thought I had this story pegged from page one. I thought I knew – because it was a “paranormal” book – what would happen in the story. Guys and girls – I wasn’t EVEN close! I can’t tell you all enough just how creative and ORIGINAL Paranormalcy is. This amazing story full of amazing characters populating an amazing world came straight out of the mind of the intensely talented Kiersten White, and I WAGER that you have not read anything like this! Evie and the world of the IPCA was so brilliantly created and put together.
From one YA lover to all of you, I guarantee you don’t want to miss this phantasmagorical thrill ride.
(PS – am I the only one who is surprised that ‘phantasmagorical’ is a real word?)

(less)

28 likes · like · see review

Oct 02, 2010 Katieb (MundieMoms) rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010-100-book-challenge, arcs-i-own, books-i-own, debut-author-challenge, signed, mundie-moms-review

Paranormalcy is a fun, flirty, addictive read with a great paranormal twist. I literally found myself wanting to read it again when I finished it. I love Evie! She's one of those characters I wish was real so I could be friends with her.

Evie is a sassy, smart, decisive, strong, sarcastic, butt kicking, "make the world better", pink stiletto boot wearing character that I fell in love with. Evie herself is a paranormal character who can see through the glamour of other paranormals. That makes her...more

12 likes · like · see review

Feb 05, 2013 tonya. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, fantasy, 2011, ya

I'm really not sure how to review this properly, to be honest. I think this is the first YA novel I've ever read that is really and truly geared toward actual young adults and not the growing adult audience in the genre. It was really the only time in the last year I've spent immersed in YA that I've not been able to identify with a main character, simply because I felt so much older and more mature than her.

Anyway, beyond Evie feeling a bit immature--exactly as immature as a sixteen year old sh...more

9 likes · like · see review

Oct 18, 2010 Lyndsey rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reviewed-2010, reviewed-4-stars, genre-urban-fantasy

This is kinda like a cross between Buffy and The Mortal Instruments series.

Despite the girl on the cover, I couldn't help but picture Sarah Michelle Gellar in the role (younger though, considering Evie is just 16). Her attitude and quirks remind me very much of the early years of Buffy, though obviously nowhere near up to the genius level of Joss Whedon. No offense.

Evie is a seemingly one-of-a-kind bagger and tagger of paranormals imbued with a special ability that helps her track them down. She...more

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May 10, 2011 Megan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, urban-fantasy, werewolves, not-mine-library, vampires

What a cute book and a pleasant surprise! Paranormalcy is a refreshingly well written coming of age story about a sheltered teenage girl who just happens to live in a world filled with vamps, weres and other supernatural beasts. What’s that? You say that sounds just like every other YA book written these days? Well, yeah… but what is so different about this one is main character Evie thinks for herself, solves her own problems and develops a sweet and healthy relationship with a guy who treats h...more

11 likes · like · see review

May 03, 2010 Emilee rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of Melissa Marr, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maggie Stiefvater

Shelves: reviewed, own-arc, favorites, own-finished-copy

Cross posted from my blog: http://penultimatepage.com/review-par...

Judging a book by the cover: Dark. Strong. Feminine. Eye-catching. Definitely what comes to mind when I think of Evie and her story.

My Thoughts:

I have been longing to read Paranormalcy since I first heard about, so naturally, I stalked my mailman when I found out I would be getting my very own copy.
Evie, the main character, is quite possibly the strongest heroine I have ever read. However, she is more than just strong. Evie is cl...more Cross posted from my blog: http://penultimatepage.com/review-par...

Judging a book by the cover: Dark. Strong. Feminine. Eye-catching. Definitely what comes to mind when I think of Evie and her story.

My Thoughts:

I have been longing to read Paranormalcy since I first heard about, so naturally, I stalked my mailman when I found out I would be getting my very own copy.
Evie, the main character, is quite possibly the strongest heroine I have ever read. However, she is more than just strong. Evie is clever, sarcastic, hilarious, flirtatious, lovable, and altogether awesome!
Paranormalcy isn’s strictly about vampires or werewolves or faeries. Evie refuses to be put in a box labeled “YA Paranormal Romance”. I mean, how can you get a girl that has a pink, rhinestone taser into a box? I wouldn’t even try it. Let Evie, and Kiersten, be unique. They’re good at it. They’re the best.
Not only is Evie completely original, but so are the other characters, including the ultra-sexy love interest! Aside from some purposely cliche vampires, a few totally docile werewolves, and an evil faerie, Kiersten gives us some new paranormals to wrap our heads around. After seeing book after book of strictly one or the other, Paranormalcy is a breath of fresh air that seriously makes you think. All of Paranormalcy’s characters have lives of their own.
Of course, there is more to a story than fabulous characters. The settings in Paranormalcy are vivid and realistic. From the IPCA headquarters to international cities where Evie tracks paranormals to the faerie paths that take her there, you can perfectly visualize everywhere Evie takes you.
Normally, I can tell where a story is going, whether I guess the ending or just the next twist. It starts to get boring. I applaud Kiersten for keeping me guessing. Sure, I could guess a twist here, the effect of some action there, but multiple times, I was utterly stumped.
What we get with Paranormalcy is the perfect debut book and I only see this series getting better.
The Blurb:

Dark and sexy, flirtatious and fun. Paranormalcy is a extraordinarily unique debut that will keep you on the edge of your seat.(less)

11 likes · like · see review

Aug 05, 2011 Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sarcasm-is-my-shield, paranormal, vampires, werewolves, fae, debut-author-2010, elementals, ghosts, hags, shifters, urban-fantasy, young-adult-fiction, snarkers

Oh how I struggled with 3-4 stars on this one. I know for a fact most of my brain was thinking "oh hell no you can't give it the same rating as Fallen!" which is kind of sad. This was a much better story, characters actually lived throughout the pages, oh and I didn't want to slit my wrists thinking about how pointless the good vs (not so) evil fight was pretty much every 5 minutes of listening.

I did like this book but it did have a couple faults. There was a lot of weirdness with the lack of e...more

5 likes · like · see review

Sep 08, 2010 Peep (Pop! Pop!) rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, clean-enough, so-not-impressed, your-cover-lies, addicted-to-ya

Yeahhhhh, so this one started out pretty funny. I kind of liked Evie. Though I did think she was much less mature than what you think someone would be, based on her level of confinement.

The bad guy was ok. I didn't really see her as intimidating. I mean, she really wasn't. Her wrath was kind of peaceful. It's hard to explain but I felt like they were just rumors of a bad guy, that there was no actual bad guy in this book.

I did not like the IPCA. I thought what they did to paranormals was wrong,...more Yeahhhhh, so this one started out pretty funny. I kind of liked Evie. Though I did think she was much less mature than what you think someone would be, based on her level of confinement.

The bad guy was ok. I didn't really see her as intimidating. I mean, she really wasn't. Her wrath was kind of peaceful. It's hard to explain but I felt like they were just rumors of a bad guy, that there was no actual bad guy in this book.

I did not like the IPCA. I thought what they did to paranormals was wrong, wrong, wrong. It was slavery, slavery I tell you!

I was all set to complain about the lack of answers in this book. No explanation of what paranormalcy is, nothing about how that stun gun worked. You mean to tell me not one single PN was immune to a measly stun gun?? How the heck can you be paranormal then? I'd call you different, but not paranormal!

I think this was the first book that I've read where the paranormals were extremely lame and so unimpressive. They were weaker than humans. They let humans control them. How could you not know basic self defense? I mean, they let themselves get caught by a 16 year old girl with a stun gun who admittedly does not work out!!! Do they have bricks for feet or something?? Really, they sit and patiently take accept it and politely ask questions. Me? I'd ask a question to distract her, karate chop her in the neck, and run like there's a 49 cent sale on best sellers at the nearest bookstore.

I think most people would still like this one. It was funny in most places and extremely clean. There was no excessive violence and no bad language. It was lighthearted but just not enough to get more stars from me. The ending was kind of lame and anti-climatic.

I liked Lend, Lissa and David. There was someone else I liked but I couldn't read the name I wrote in my notes (and I already returned the book)! I still don't know about Reth.

And the cover lies! It is a beautiful cover, but it was all lies. The cover makes you think it's dark, but it's not. It's light and campy (not a bad thing, but the cover lies!)(less)

17 likes · like · see review

Oct 10, 2010 Brooke rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-copy, favourites, faeries, super-powers, big-bad-evil-people, paranormal-supernatural-psychic

A fun, laugh out loud, yet scary (in parts) read. Some awesome characters, and a storyline different from the majority of paranormal reads I've come across this year. I loved Evie, bleeping awesome. And Lend was adorable. That's all I want to say for now :o)

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 17, 2010 Emi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal

For the full review: http://oktopusink.blogspot.com/2010/1...

Oh bleep, I honestly don't know where to begin. I could gush about this book for hours, even though I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I first picked it up. I usually have mixed feelings about urban fantasy novels due to the abundance of cookie-cutter whiny heroines that seem to show up within the pages, but I absolutely adored Evie and the supporting characters in this book. Evie was hilarious! Every one of her lines is filled...more For the full review: http://oktopusink.blogspot.com/2010/1...

Oh bleep, I honestly don't know where to begin. I could gush about this book for hours, even though I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I first picked it up. I usually have mixed feelings about urban fantasy novels due to the abundance of cookie-cutter whiny heroines that seem to show up within the pages, but I absolutely adored Evie and the supporting characters in this book. Evie was hilarious! Every one of her lines is filled with a touch of wit, and I loved the fact that despite the un-normalcy of her life she tries to act like a regular teenage girl: she loves wearing crazy clothes, she freaks out if she misses an episode of her favorite TV show, and she wonders when she'll get her first kiss as she backhands vampires. All of this adds up to a sassy strong and endearing character with a refreshingly original story without the angst.

In addition, the romance in this novel was adorable. Lend (the love interest) is an endearing character as well, with unique powers and a mellow personality that compliments Evie's. He shows up early on in the book, after failing to successfully break into the International Paranormal Containment Agency. When caught and locked up, he and Evie become fast friends after recognizing that they have a mutual curiosity for one another. We get to see their relationship progress naturally throughout the entire book, and White really takes the time to make them get to know each other before they become a couple. I hate it when characters jump into a relationship because they fall in love at first sight, even though they know absolutely nothing about each other. Though we all wish that we could be Disney Princesses, really, how often does it happen in real life? Marriage after 48 hours is not that cool.

But I digress.

The concept of working with a global secret society was pretty interesting, and is something I haven't seen in YA urban fantasy (yet, anyway). Though we don't get to see everything that the organization does, the part of the department that we do see is well described and detailed. The technology used to contain the paranormals was grounded enough in reality so that it was easy to visualize. For example, Evie carries around a pink rhinestone tazer. Easy to picture, no? The paranormal creatures also leaned more towards the traditional side of mythology and legend, which was sort of relief when one considers the flood of literature that likes to "spice things up" when it comes to the paranormal (Not that I'm saying that that's a bad thing). Vampires don't sparkle, and werewolves just turn into monsters during the full moon. In a way--probably due to Evie's snarky comments--I felt like Paranormalcy was subtly making fun of the flood of crazy paranormal characters while fully participating in the genre. If wrong, then I give Kiersten White permission to smack me silly.

Anyway, the book ends on a sugary-sweet note, but left me wanting more. With a prophecy to address and a rouge faerie to find, I'm sad that I have to wait until next October for the second book. I swear, this has been one of the best books I've read all year.(less)

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Jul 06, 2011 Kubika Penerbit added it · review of another edition

Shelves: segera-terbit, favorites

Update 1. Akhirnya buku ini jadi kami terbitkan.
Update 2. Buku ini akan difilmkan. Silakan lihat di sini: http://paranormalcythemovie.com/

3 likes · like · see review

Nov 12, 2012 Jen (A Reading Daydreamer) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook

It's ridiculous how long I've wanted to read Paranormalcy. I've had my eye on it before I even knew about blogging! The cover always intrigued me and I was a sucker for paranormal YA novels at the time. 4,381,470 years later, I have finally picked it up. However, I'm sad to say that it wasn't my cup of tea.

To start off, one of the things I didn't like was the fact that the paranormal creature setup was all over the place. I understand that Kiersten White made this novel unique by having all diff...more It's ridiculous how long I've wanted to read Paranormalcy. I've had my eye on it before I even knew about blogging! The cover always intrigued me and I was a sucker for paranormal YA novels at the time. 4,381,470 years later, I have finally picked it up. However, I'm sad to say that it wasn't my cup of tea.

To start off, one of the things I didn't like was the fact that the paranormal creature setup was all over the place. I understand that Kiersten White made this novel unique by having all different types of paranormal creatures, but for me, it didn't work out very well. It felt crowded and hectic. Perhaps I'm just used to reading about one or two paranormal creatures in a book, but the amount that is presented in Paranormalcy was overwhelming and disorganized.

Second of all, the characters weren't real to me, and boring. I couldn't care less what the main character Evie did with her job at the IPCA. Evie was annoying and whiny. Her relationship with Lend wasn't bad, but it was awkwardly developed, which made it unbelievable. The romance wasn't anything special. I didn't feel for any of the characters, actually. In a nutshell, the characters of Paranormalcy fell extremely flat for me.

Not only were the characters unentertaining, so was the plot itself. Areas where the plot was fast-paced, I found myself not needing to know what happened next. I was constantly thinking, "Oh. Intense part coming. It's done? Okay, moving on then." It just kind of went along and there wasn't much to it. I know, sadness.

All in all, Paranormalcy just wasn't for me. It's hard for me to say that I'll continue with the series. However, I do still recommend it because I know many readers who enjoyed Evie's spunky, light-hearted personality. If you're a big fan of paranormal YA novels that has different supernatural creatures involved, I do still recommend giving Paranormalcy a try, even if I didn't enjoy it as much as I'd hoped.

Audiobook review: Let's just say I'd give the audio of this 1.5 stars. Reading this novel in print is highly recommended. The narrator has an extremely nasal-y voice, I'm surprised I got through the entire audio!

2.5 Teacups for Paranormalcy!

THIS REVIEW WAS ORIGINALLY POSTED ON A Reading Daydreamer:
http://a-reading-daydreamer.blogspot....

To see more of my reviews, check out the blog:

(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Apr 07, 2011 Shannon Messenger added it · review of another edition

I could seriously gush and rave about this book for about 10 gazillion reasons, but I realize that you're all very busy and important and have better things to do than read my endless ramblings. So I'm going to limit myself to 5.

5 Reasons you NEED to read Paranormalcy

1. Creativity. In one of the most oversaturated genres out there (YA Paranormal Romance) this book manages to stand out in all the right ways, while still giving you all the great staples we've come to love and expect. There's magi...more

4 likes · like · see review

Jul 04, 2011 Liliana ♥s Mythology rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: love-the-book-cover, faeries-fairies, shapeshifters, supernatural-abilities, vampires, werewolves, mermaids, favorites

OMFG I LOVED this book!! It was amazing!! Can someone please tell me why I didn’t read this book sooner?! Lol

So Evie has this special ability of seeing through glamours, which basically Means that she can tell paranormals from…well, normal humans. She was found when she was only a toddler and she was being chased by a vampire. Ever since, she has been with IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency) helping them track down and tag all sorts of paranormal creatures…it’s kind of like a job....more

4 likes · like · see review

Jun 03, 2013 Angelic Zaizai rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ghost-djinn-witch-fairy-immortal-de, non-terjemahan

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3,5 bintang juga

Ini YA paranormal yang agak beda, tentu saja tetap ada vampir, peri, werewolf,
mermaid, etc etc, dan juga ada naksir-naksiran antar dua spesies

trus bedanya apa?
Evie, 16 tahun, bekerja sebagai pemburu makhluk paranormal karena kemampuannya
melihat menembus glamour apa pun - bekerja pada IPCA semacam agen 'pemerintah'
untuk menangkap (lalu mengontrol) makhluk supernatural
kebayang deh Evie nangkap vampir, trus dipasangin gelang kaki yang bisa
memonitor gerakan, trus si vampir disuru...more

2 likes · like · see review

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Reth or Lend ?	278	655	Jun 17, 2013 10:46am
Amazing!	3	5	Jun 16, 2013 11:02pm
What character would u be? AND IF U LIKE THIS BOOK I AM WRITING A STORY ITS UNFINISHED THOUGH BUT I WOULD LIKE AS MANY POSSIBLE PEOPLE TO READ AND COMMENT ON IT	4	15	May 23, 2013 05:21pm
If There's A Movie Who Should Be The Actors ?	36	144	Apr 18, 2013 06:25pm
Fun Reads & R...: Movie Cast?	7	9	Apr 09, 2013 03:41am
Is this worth a read?	23	88	Apr 08, 2013 06:09pm
Fun Reads & R...: Paranormalcy	5	4	Apr 04, 2013 05:13pm

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About Kiersten White

Hi! I'm the New York Times best-selling author of Paranormalcy and Supernaturally. I also give the most awkward hugs in the world. You should probably opt for one of my books over one of my hugs, but then again, maybe you like awkward hugs.

As for me, I like writing flirting scenes, and fighting scenes, and sometimes I write scenes that fall somewhere in between the two, but only if I can't avoid i...more

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Pitch Dark: Dark Days of Fall Sampler: Supernaturally; Fateful; Cold Kiss; A Beautiful Dark; and Eve

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Quotes from Paranormalcy

“Yes, I have a driver's license."

I leaned back against the wall, sighing. "Man, that must be so cool."

"It ranks right up there with lockers. In fact, sometimes I put my license inside my locker, and it's so cool I worry that the whole thing might explode with the sheer coolness of it all.” — 589 people liked it

“Lish tried to swear--which is always funny, because the computer won't translate it. It went something like this: "Bleep stupid bleep bleep faeries and their bleep bleep bleep obsessions. He had better stop bleep bleep bleep the bleep bleep rules or I will bleep bleep bleep the little bleeeeeeeeeeep.” — 435 people liked it

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