Clarity by Kim Harrington

Title: Clarity

Author: Kim Harrington

Publisher: Point

Summary:

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 took me by surprise. I figured "Oh, this will be a nice short book" and what I got was something I could NOT put down. (Seriously, I was reading this in the ER while I got blood drawn & such.)

Clarity is a short novel but it's very well-rounded. There's a paranormal element but it's a realistic one (aka no vampires or witches or werewolves), there's a romantic subplot but it's not overpowering, there's a lot of focus on family relationships, particularly between Clare and her brother, which is something I LOVE to see in novels, and there's the mystery/suspense aspect of the novel. Basically, Clarity has everything.

It was so refreshing to read a novel that didn't need a hundred pages of backstory and just jumped right into the plot.

My favorite thing about Clarity was the fact it kept me guessing. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong. I felt like I was solving the mystery right along with Clare and I really connected to her and her emotions, whether she was trying to catch a murdered or figure out her boy situation. The emotional pull to Clare really kept me intrigued in the novel.

Overall, I definitely recommend Clarity. I was ecstatic to find out there's going to be a Book 2 and I can't wait to read it! Fans of The Body Finder will definitely love this one as well.

Guest post from Ramona Wray

Ramona has been kind enough to stop by with a lovely guest post about her novel, Hex: A Witch and Angel Tale.

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Hi guys. As some of you might know, I was born and raised in Romania. Now, my country has a rich folklore when it comes to things that can go bump in the night. But I chose to write about witches, as opposed to vampires, faeries, strigoi, and so on. So why witches? Well, for starters, I wanted to write about someone alive. Someone whom I could put in the middle of an ordinary setting. Give her a life, a family, friends. Make her likable. (So I would've struggled to write a vampire that could fit this particular bill). On the other hand, in Romania, witches are quite notorious characters. People fear them. People seek their services. Counsel. Advice (and yes, they pay for it). Witches walk in both worlds - they're human, but they have extraordinary powers. They can bring on or get rid of sickness. They can make or break a couple. They can tell fortunes. And they can cast the most horrific curses that live on for generations. Personally, I never met one of these illustrious women (because they're always women), but I grew up listening to these stories and, of course, I was always fascinated. A witch was like Wonder Woman-meets The Halliwell sisters-meets Milla Jovovich in Resident Evil. Amazingly powerful. Cunning. Unstoppable. So, as a little girl (a very dorky little girl), I spent my fair share of time thinking about witches.


Then, a couple of years ago, I was watching Bewitched and it just occurred to me: I should write about a witch. And so, I did. Hope you like my Lily :-) Happy reading.