Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Pages: 335

Genre: YA Fantasy

Pub. Date: August 31, 2010

My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

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

Evie works for the IPCA or International Paranormal Containment Agency.  This is all she has ever known and instead of being in high school and experiencing normal teenage milestones, she is off "tagging" paranormals for IPCA.  Evie is valuable to the agency, because she can see through paranormals' glamour, which make it much easier to track them down and tag them. Unlike a normal teenager, Evie is always busy with work, but she does have a little bit of a social life though. Her best friend is a mermaid and her ex-boyfriend, Reth, is a powerful faerie who still stalks her a bit.  All is status quo, until paranormals start dying and she catches a shape-shifter, named Lend, breaking into IPCA. The IPCA contains Lend, and Evie knows that she shouldn't like him, but she can't deny her connection to him.  To make matters worse,  she believes the prophecy she heard somehow connects her to the many deaths that have been occurring.  Paranormalcy is the start of a series that is unlike any fantasy I've ever read.  It's smart, fun, and addicting; it's absolutely one of my favorite books of 2010.


As I mentioned, Evie's voice is unique. She's funny, sarcastic, but also extremely real and insecure at times.  I felt that White really portrayed a teenager well and thankfully left out all of the unnecessary teen-speak.  White also created a unique world. I was fascinated by IPCA and their many rules.  I was also intrigued by all the paranormal creatures living together under one roof.  Needless to say, this is not a "cookie-cutter" fantasy; Paranormalcy is definitely one of a kind.


I also really enjoyed the relationship between Lend and Evie.  One thing that I liked about it was the fact that it was all pretty innocent and PG, which means I can put it on my classroom bookshelf without worrying.  One thing that bothered me a bit about their relationship was the fact that she became a bit dependent on him, but I guess that is bound to happen since she really didn't have a life outside of IPAC.  


The plot and pace of the novel was perfect.  I was never bored.  At times, I felt like some parts were predictable, but overall, I was hooked.  With that said, it should not come as a surprise that I will be picking up a copy of the sequel, Supernaturally, when it comes out next September.  I broke up with a series this past spring and there was a bit of a void there, but I can already see that Paranormalcy will quickly fill up that void and even more!  Fans of the fantasy/paranormal genre will be pleasantly surprised by this novel, much like myself. Kiersten White's debut is phenomenal!

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