Review: Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clarity

Written by Kim Harrington

Available Now!

Published by Point

*Review copy provided by Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.

Summary from Goodreads:

"When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?

Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It's a gift.
And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case--but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother--who has supernatural gifts of his own--becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?"

My Thoughts:
Clarity has been on my wishlist since it began popping up around the blogosphere months ago.  The reviews I read were all pretty stellar and I do love a good paranormal murder mystery!  After reading the book, I can say without a doubt that the early reviews I read were spot on!  Clarity is very well written.  Kim Harrington did a phenomenal job creating a story that kept me guessing throughout.  It was so suspensful that I had a hard time putting the book down!  All of  the characters peaked my interest as well.  As the story unfolded so did the characters.  There was more to each of them than you initially thought and that type of character development adds to the suspenseful nature of this book.  I really liked the main character Clare.  She was strong, determined, and able to maintain a thick-skin against the constant taunts and name-calling from her peers.  Her psychic ability isn't the main storyline in the book, although, it is because of her gift that she is thrust into the middle of a dangerous murder investigation.  After the tragic murder of a teenage tourist, Clare is asked to 'asssist' the police by using her psychic ability.  Clare is put face to face with more danger than she could have imagined but luckily she isn't alone!  The classic YA love triangle was present in the story.  Should Clare go for the ex-boyfriend, who is the all-american good guy or should she go for the new guy in town, who happens to be ultra mysterious and superhot?  Both guys hold appeal for Clare, but there are things about each of them that make her hesitate.  I liked both of the guys and I was still undecided at the end of the book as to which one I wanted to see Clare with.  One of my favorite parts of this book was Clare's family.  Each member had some type of 'gift' and they used their abilities and worked together giving readings to the local tourists.  You could really tell how much they loved each other and how they would do whatever was necessary to ensure each other's well being.  Their family (and their business) is threatened when a rival psychic sets up shop in town.  The family falls on hard times and paired with the recent murder, it looks pretty bleak for Clare, her family, and their business.  The end of the story is exciting!  Shocking revelations are discovered as the investigation nears its end and Clare finds that everything she holds dear could be in jeopardy.  The people in her life that she thought were her friends could be enemies and her enemies could really be her friends!  You will just have to read it to find out!  Lisa Harrington's has secured her place in YA with this one.  I cannot wait to see what happens next in Clare's story.  The second book in the series, titled Perception, is scheduled for release in March of 2012.