Review - Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy, Book 1) by Kiersten White (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Urban Fantasy
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: August 31st, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0061985843
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in the Paranormalcy Trilogy
Source: Bought from audible.com
Rating: 5/5 stars

This was another teen paranormal book that I was a bit reluctant to read, since some of the popular teen series I have read lately have been kind of disappointing.  I kept an eye on it though and the reviews were flattering, so I decided to give it read.  I am glad I did, this was a wonderful book.  I listened to it on audio and the audio book was well done, the person who reads matches Evie's personality perfectly.  Paranormalcy is the first book in a planned trilogy; the second book Supernaturally is due out Fall of 2011.

Evie works for IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agency).  She tags and bags paranormals to keep both the paranormals and the rest of human society safe.  Evie's most unique ability is that she can see through any glamore; which makes her invaluable to the IPCA.  This is why sixteen year old Evie hasn't left IPCA since she was eight, unless she is on a bag and tag job.  Then a mysterious paranormal is caught going through the head of IPCA's office and he is unlike anything they have ever found before; his name is Lend and he befriends Evie during captivity.  Evie then finds that paranormals are being killed at an alarming rate and IPCA needs to figure out why before whole species of paranormals are wiped out.  As if crushing on Lend, finishing homework, and trying to save paranormals isn't enough...Evie has to deal with her fairy ex-boyfriend Reth who keeps trying to literally steal her heart...

Evie is a wonderful character.  She is tough, snarky, loves to shop, loves pink, and is lonely.  She is grateful for her place in IPCA but yearns to be part of the outside world.   She is a fun character that I really enjoyed reading about and listening too...she was just so real, yet tough at the same time.  Of course the other awesome character was Lend, he has a depth and a sensitivity to him that you don't see in a ton of teen male leads.  The way Evie and Lend banter back and forth is funny, engaging, and shows the wonderful chemistry they have together.

There is a lot of action in this book  and that is tempered with some interesting scenes dealing with Evie's struggles against Reth and with some tender scenes between Evie and Lend.  The plot moved at a fast-clip making the book hard to put down.  I really enjoyed White's writing style, she really nailed the dialogue between characters and made the book very natural sounding and easy to read.

White has also built a great world here.  It is a complex world with a lot of depth but the reader is introduced to it effortlessly.  The book wrapped in a wonderful way, but left a few tantalizing questions unanswered.  I was impressed with the completeness of the story and eager to read the next book Supernaturally to see what happens to Evie and Lend.  Really this was a great book and I highly recommend it.  It was refreshing, fun, and something readers of teen paranormal books should really enjoy.  It was an overall feel-good and uplifting book and just lots and lots of fun.

Overall a great read.  For a while I was a little put-off by teen paranormal books because series like The House of Night, Wicked Lovely, and the Wolves of Mercy Falls have been okay but nothing spectacular.  This book blows all of those out of the water.  I also recently read Nightshade by Andrea Cremer; this was another really excellent young adult paranormal series that is something different.  So pick up Paranormalcy and read it; and if you are looking for something else awesome check out Nightshade too. 

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
- The Debut Author Challenge
- The Young Adult Reading Challenge
- Speculative Fiction Reading Challenge Book List
- The 100+ Book Reading Challenge