Supernaturally by Kiersten White (Book Review)

 

Supernaturally by Kiersten White
Release Date: July 26, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 309
Received: ARC from publisher
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars, Special Shelf
Goodreads Page

This is a sequel to Paranormalcy, but there are 
NO SPOILERS
for Paranormalcy in this review!

Summary

From Goodreads (spoilers for Paranormalcy. Highlight to read): 

A lot has changed in the six months since Evie escaped from the International Paranormal Containment Agency with her shape-shifter boyfriend, Lend. She finally has the blissfully normal life she’s always dreamed of, including: 

1) A real live high school
2) A perfectly ordinary after-school job
3) Her very own locker (and by the way, rusted metal is every bit as awesome as she imagined)

But Evie’s not-so-normal past keeps creeping up on her...and things get pretty complicated when you factor in: 

1) A centuries-old, seriously decaying vampire stalker
2) A crazy faerie ex-boyfriend who is the perpetual bearer of really bad news
3) A major battle brewing between the faerie courts where the prize in question happens to be...Evie herself.

So much for normal.

Review

"The Buffy mark"

There was a blurb on Supernaturally that said something along the lines of “Comes closer than most to hitting the Buffy mark.” Well, Buffy fanatic that I am, any sort of comparison to Buffy usually sets me off…and not in a good way. Because can anything really come close to the awesomeness of Buffy? I didn’t think so. 

Now Kiersten White is no Joss Whedon. Her humor is completely different and it isn’t really fair to either of them to try to compare Evie to Buffy. They’re just different. Yet, that blurb is totally spot on.

What Joss Whedon managed to do so perfectly that makes Buffy epic was create a show that had incredible humor, but also incredible depth and seriousness. These aspects are then balanced in a way where both complement and enhance one another. THIS is where Kiersten White nails it. This is how she "hits the Buffy mark."

I love these people

Evie is one of the funniest characters I’ve ever met. Just like in Paranormalcy, the first page--heck, the first line--had me laughing. I knew this book would be awesome by that first sentence alone. Evie's the kind of girl who looks at the world, says exactly what I would be thinking, but does it in a way that’s a million times funnier than I could ever dream of being. The best humor is the kind that resonates, and Evie is so utterly relatable. Whenever I read Evie, all I want to do is make her real and have a million sleepover parties together and buy BFF charm necklaces.

She also so gets my high school gym experience.

And yet…beneath all the cute glitter and pink is a deceptively sad story. It might be easy to get wrapped up in the light tone of the book and believe there is no more here than superficial fun, but that would be a mistake. There’s a darkness here that is breathtakingly tragic.

The characters Kiersten White creates are so real and possess such depth. My heart aches for them. Even the Big Bads are complex people with logical reasons for why they act the way they do. If you’re the type of reader who wants villains that transcend the black and white confines of Good vs Evil, then look no further.

Supernaturally gives greater insight into Paranormalcy’s Big Bad while also introducing a new BB to the mix. While they’re both bad, the funny thing is that I feel protective over them. I like them. Yeah, ok, they’re not good people, but I get them. I see where they’re coming from, even if they’re wrong. I want to cry over their completely heartbreaking stories. The best part is that Evie sees it too, and watching her grapple with the confusion this leads to adds the depth of both character and plot that elevates Kiersten White from “good writer” to “superb writer.” 

Middle books are different

I was blown away by Paranormalcy, and while Supernaturally is made of awesome it doesn’t quite hit the same mark Paranormalcy did. The plot of Paranormalcy really grabbed me and took me on a roller coaster of a ride. The impending threat of the Big Bad going around murdering paranormals and the mysterious nature of that BB kept my eyes glued to the pages.

Supernaturally’s Big Bad is a lot more subtle, and, for me, that subtlety lessened my “OHMYBLEEPINGGOSHWE’REALLGOING TODIEEEEE” excitement that I had going with the first book. Don’t get me wrong, the story is still fun and there’s still a mysterious aspect to unravel (which I sadly managed to figure out too soon), but it didn’t have the same edge-of-your-seat feeling that I loved so much.

In some ways Supernaturally is very much a “middle of a trilogy” book, but in this case that isn’t a bad thing. Evie’s life changed completely in Paranormalcy, and Supernaturally shows Evie dealing with all of that fallout. It’s a very character-driven story. Too often major things happen to characters and the impact of those events is glossed over for the sake of advancing the plot. Now, you know me, I have a very short attention span. I want ACTION! So when I say I truly appreciated the time Kiersten White takes here in letting Evie figure everything out, you can be confident that this isn’t a boring filler book.

(To put it in terms Buffy fans will understand, Supernaturally is Buffy’s season six. There isn't really a gigantic Big Bad like in the other seasons. The focus is instead more inward and focuses on the characters themselves. Supernaturally obviously has totally different events, but think the soul searching and character development end of things.)

Unique paranormals (with proper sparkle placement)

There are so many clichés in YA paranormal books right now that complaining about the clichés is practically a cliché in itself. But Kiersten White? I need to create an altar to bow down in front of and give massive thanks for turning paranormal clichés on their heads (but there will be no animal sacrifices at this altar! Will offerings of sparkly things suffice?)

I may need to offer a few sparkly pink taser holsters in penance for ever doubting her, too. Hear me out though, ok? I mean, Paranormalcy was chock full of a whole bunch of paranormals, and they were all totally different from how we’re used to reading about them (noooo pretty vampires here!), but not in ways that are lame (sparkles are for jewelry, not vampires). This was awesome, but I really wasn’t expecting Kiersten to have the imaginative reserves left after all that to create even more unique paranormals and add even more depth to the already established ones. Now having read Supernaturally? Me=IDIOT.

Diana Peterfreund was the sole occupant of my “Authors who make COMPLETELY AWESOME AND ORIGINAL Unicorns” pedestal, but I now need to put in an order for a wider pedestal. Kiersten White is soo getting a spot on it now. I’m not even going to mention the other paranormals so you don’t get spoiled, but I will say this: Reading Kiersten’s books is like taking a stroll through a paranormal amusement park. (That's a good thing). 

Crazy for you

I’m so torn on all of the scenes of peril. I want to go running around screaming in fright, giggle like a seven year old listening to a fart joke (um, still do that), and clap my hands in delight over the new spin on the paranormals. So, uh, Kiersten? Thanks for making me look like a COMPLETE LUNATIC when I read your books in public. Ugh, Readers, take it from me and don’t even try to explain to (non-cool) people why the cloud scene in Supernaturally is made of win. (But, seriously Kiersten, thanks. The reading experience is so worth those weird looks). 

Final proof that Kiersten White is a genius?

The chapter titled "Sparkles Make Everything Better" Yes they do, Kiersten. YES THEY DO!

Bottom line

If you loved Paranormalcy, then I’m certain you’ll love Supernaturally. Luckily I’m tiny so I can hide from you pretty easily if I’m wrong and you try to hunt me down for misleading you. But I don’t think that’ll happen. You definitely have to read Paranormalcy for Supernaturally to make any kind of sense, but Supernaturally ends nicely without any pull-your-hair-out cliffhangers (Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!). I can’t wait for the third (and final *sniff*) book, but that’s because I just want more.

My only complaint is that there isn’t nearly enough Reth and I really wanted to learn more about him. His scenes are wonderful, but too infrequent and riddled with cryptic clues. *Sigh* That is just so like him.

Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 

This book satisfies the following challenges: 

• 2nds Challenge
• Most Awaited YA Releases Challenge

Review for the first book in the series: 

Paranormalcy

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Book Review: Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Paranormalcy, by Kiersten White
Release Date: August 31, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 335
Received: Library book
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 
Author's Page
Amazon Page 
Goodreads Page

 Summary

As a teen working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie spends her days catching and tagging all sorts of paranormal baddies. Never questioning her duties, Evie goes along with the agency’s activities until the arrival of a completely new paranormal changes her world. Calling into question everything she thought she knew, Lend, the hot new paranormal, challenges Evie to reconsider her actions. He also comes with devastating news: Someone has been systematically murdering paranormals, and Evie and her friends could be next.

Review

I loved, loved, loved this book. Loved it. Why? In large part because of Evie. She’s such a super sweet character and so well developed. I could easily see myself hanging out with her. She’s hilarious (really, I was laughing so hard throughout this book), but she’s also sensitive. The story is told in the first person with Evie narrating, so we get to know her really well. She’s light and bubbly, but she also has depth. She’s been raised in a pretty cold environment without ever really having anyone to love her for herself.

At first blush she may seem a little too stereotypical teenager with her love of shopping, teen drama television shows, and pink fashion (all things I think are actually kind of fun). Going deeper, though, you really get a sense of her separation from all these normal teenage things and so her interest in them seems less superficial and more sad. She seems to try so hard to create normality and love around her because the reality of her life lacks all of that. My heart breaks for her, especially as she uncovers the secrets and prophesies throughout the book.

Evie isn’t the only thing I loved about this book. I mentioned the humor, but I really need to reiterate this. I was so darn happy reading this book. I kept smiling and giggling and smirking. I dare anyone to read the first page and not, at the very least, crack a smile. Go on, I’m serious. I dare you. Look, I’ll even give you a link.

Ok, did you read it? Well, did you smile? I read that first page in the library, closed the book, and walked straight to the checkout line. I knew I was going to love the book based on that first page alone, and I was right. Kiersten White’s writing style is so fluid and fun, but she also really knows how to keep suspense high. There was this one scene (don’t worry I’m not going to give anything away) where Evie encountered the big bad of the story and I was all prepared to start screaming myself. It was tense! But also so much fun! I don’t know how White manages to combine the two, but as a reader I am so glad she did.  

But those aren’t the only reasons I loved this book. Yeah, there’s more. There’s all those other characters. Evie is great, but so is pretty much everyone else. Evie’s best friend (a mermaid!) is so sweet and such a fun character. She speaks through a voice translating computer, all monotone and with any curses bleeped over. She was hilarious. I was so glad Evie had a friend like her. Then there’s Lend. He’s a good guy and his paranormal ability is really very cool. I hope we get to see it used more in the sequel. That’s all I’m going to say about him. Don’t want to spoil anything for you. And the big bad? Jeez, I can’t say anything about that one without giving stuff away, so I’ll just say that I LOVE what White did with this character.

And I’m still not finished explaining all the reasons I loved this book. I’m a, how should I say this, I’m a “throw it all in the pot” kind of girl. When I eat rice, for example, I don’t want just plain rice. I want my rice to have a ton of stuff in it. Cranberries, mushrooms, onions, chicken, whatever. Throw it all in and I’m happy.

 I’m finding I also like my books like that. Not with food (then I’m just super hungry every time I read), but with paranormals. I love that publishers are printing so many different paranormal stories: we’ve got werewolves, vampires, mermaids, fairies, and so on. It’s great. Only thing is, they’re each neatly sectioned off into their own little books. Kiersten White took all those major players, threw them together, and even added a bunch more of her own. I loved it! Even better, it all worked. It didn’t feel jumbled or awkward at all.

I especially liked how White made her fairies. They were mysterious and dangerous, seriously dangerous. I liked that so much more than the delicate sparkly fairies of a lot of other series. How am I supposed to swoon over a fairy guy if he resembles body glitter? I love glitter. Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually kind of obsessed with glitter and anything sparkly (put it on a pretty cover and I could stare at it all day stroking the cover with a dazed expression mumbling “Pretty….” Think a sparkle zombie).

But on a hot guy? I may be kind of old school here, but I want my men to be described with words like “rugged” not “disco ball.” Likewise, if you'd use a word to describe a ballerina, then I don't want that word used to describe the guy I'm supposed to find attractive. Reth, the second love interest and a fairy, might have been gorgeous (and I’m so not complaining about that), but he was in no way, shape, or form delicate. Um, can you tell I liked this character? I hope and suspect we’ll see a lot more of him in the second book (Sorry Team Lend girls, I loved Lend, but I’ve got a thing for the bad boys).

Finally, the last thing I loved about this book is the mystery. We’re fed little bits and pieces as the story progresses. A hint here, a cryptic statement there. I know Reth was bad news for Evie and she was right to try to avoid him, but I really just wanted her to tase him until he spilled the beans…in clear and complete sentences! He was such a tease with all of his little sly statements. Jerk! (I loved him.) Eventually most of these tid bits add up to an interesting conclusion that I really wasn’t expecting at all. Actually, there were a number of curve balls thrown here that I didn't see coming. I can’t wait to see how this is developed in the sequel.

 I still have a ton of questions I’m hoping will be answered in the sequel (Supernaturally, coming out much too far away in September 2011), but this first book did wrap things up well. I hate it when I’m left hanging right in the middle of a storyline with zero answers. Paranormalcy didn’t do that. We get closure in a lot of areas, but significant parts of the storyline are still left open. Fans of Lee Nichols’ Deception (my review) will love Paranormalcy (and if Paranormalcy sounds good to you, then be sure to check out Deception if you haven’t already read it!)

 Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key 


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Another review of Paranormalcy posted today by Mizz Yasmin

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