Evie finally has the normal life she’s always longed for. But she’s shocked to discover that being ordinary can be . . . kind of boring. Just when Evie starts to long for her days at the International Paranormal Containment Agency, she’s given a chance to work for them again. Desperate for a break from all the normalcy, she agrees. But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.
So much for normal.
Title: Supernaturally
Author: Kiersten White
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: July 26, 2011
My Rating: 5 SERIOUSLY SPARKLY STARS.
Oh, bleep! It was SO. GOOD.
Let me just say I was torn between reading at a crazy, feverish, I-am-consumed-by-this-book pace and slowing down to savor each delicious word and laugh-out-loud line.
As I ended up reading Supernaturally in 3.5 hours, I obviously opted to drink from the fire hose instead of sipping daintily from a tea cup.
Kiersten White, you are the word maestro. You really upped the hilarity quotient in this sequel with your clever turns of phrase and laugh-out-loud lines sprinkled on every page. You know that part where Lend gives Evie a gift (which she loves) and Evie says, "Well, you've set a ridiculously high standard for yourself. Should have started out with something tacky."? That's how I felt after Paranormalcy. You'd set the bar so high for yourself (no short jokes intended). Could you do it again?
My answer is a RESOUNDING YES!
It's been six months since Evie and Lend's escape from the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Evie's finally gotten the "normal" life she's always longed for: high school, a job, an apartment, a locker. But Evie's finding that normal is...kind of boring. So when Raquel and IPCA come calling, swearing they've
Oh, Jack. With your cocky attitude, all-kinds-of-funny wit, and dimpled audacity, you had me laughing from hello. Jack, thy name is Cheeky. (I just had to throw that little ode in to one of my favorite new characters of 2011.)
I don't know if Jack has a real-life inspiration, but if he does, heaven help that boy's poor mother.
Kiersten White knows her stuff. She seems well aware of YA tropes and avoids them at every turn with her refreshing characters, unexpected plot points, and authentic relationships. Kiersten seems to know we're tired of love triangles. And clingy, over-dependent heroines. And cliffhangers. (There is no the-building's-burning-and-we-don't-know-who-gets-out-alive for our Supernaturally ending. *ahem, Demonglass*) Kiersten lovingly pokes fun at many of these well-worn YA tropes and creates something fresh and fun--an absolute pleasure to read.
Each moment where I thought the story could descend into predictability, Kiersten White took it in another direction of total awesomeness.
And Evie. I heart Evie. There are YA heroines I respect. Others with which I sympathize. Some I relate to. But Evie, she's in the very tiny category of YA heroines I'd want to be friends with. SUCH A FRESH VOICE. She's sassy and clever and witty and relatable and sparkly. She's tough yet vulnerable. And she likes pink. Kiersten draws these characters with such a vivid hand.
The pacing? Genius. It was unputdownable. And unforgettable. I've read it three times now because it was that good. There was an "oh my gosh, what's going to happen next" read, an "I am so savoring this" read, and a "good parts--wait that's all the book" read. I am an unabashed fangirl at this point.
Fans of Paranormalcy, start counting down to July 26.
P.S. That cover is all kinds of gorgeous.
P.P.S. And Kiersten, I was waiting to see where you'd fit in the usage of "cleavagization" and now I know. =)
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