Tuesday 1 November 2011

Review: Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2)



 Title: Supernaturally
Author: Kiersten White
Series: #1 of Paranormalcy
Genre: Young Adult, Urban Fantasy
Age restriction? None
Published: 26 July 2011
Recommended for: Fans of lighter YA or spec fic
Buy: Supernaturally (Paranormalcy #2) @ Amazon

Incredible writing and characterization - a sequel that doesn't disappoint!

DESCRIPTION (via Goodreads): 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.(more...)


REVIEW: Continuing her riveting series with the eloquent voice, vivid and funny writing and shining characters, Kiersten White brings the goods in the highly anticipated second book of her Paranormalcy series.

Like with Paranormalcy, I found being in Evie's head a delightful and very often hilarious experience. This book is slightly darker than the first and I liked that we get to explore the fairy realms and magics some more and deal with some conflicting and more troublesome emotions.

Other things I loved:
  • Lend.
  • The way the overarching story arch vs. local story arch is handled. There are still many questions left unanswered and you'll long to read the third book, but this book's story wraps up completely and neatly, leaving you with a feeling of satisfaction and a good anticipation.
  • The writing style. It's just so comfortable, funny and quirky. It works incredibly well. 
Things I didn't like so much:
  • Too much Lorethan - and not in a good way. I like the character of Lorethan but found his actions and motivations in this book growing more and more strange and incomprehensible as the book continues. Where I felt I had a grip on the character before, after finishing this book I'm mystified and more than slightly horrified.
  • This may sound strange, so I hope I explain it sufficiently. I really, really missed Lish, and felt as if Evie didn't think about her or miss her presence as much as I did.
  • Evie becomes stupid and makes stupid decisions, most unlike her socially naive but street smart self from book one. Perhaps it's a part of showing her as "normal", in the author's mind? For me and most other people, teens most definitely included, it borders on TSTL. Whatevs, but for a while in the middle there I seriously thought: Evie would never fall for that shit.
Despite its problems, I had a fantastic time reading this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Supernaturally and wait in anticipation for the next (last?) one.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Fans of Paranormalcy - Paranormalcy is Required Reading before reading Supernaturally. Some series you can just start off in the middle. Not this one. So, some demographic as for Paranormalcy.

3 comments:

  1. I haven't read the first book yet but it seems interesting.

    New south african blog follower :)

    http://www.spirit-of-books.blogspot.com/

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  2. Oh, well-rounded, lovely review this is. You hit on all my favorite points and spotlighted the negative ones so eloquently. I loved this sequel for all the reasons you did and more. I'm mystified and suspicious of Reth as always, but not so much horrified, so he didn't bother me as much. But I have to agree with you a little bit on that third point, about Evie making some bad decisions. I did feel like the Evie we all know and love wouldn't act that way. But, overall, this did not disappoint at all. What did you think of the new villain? Funny but unbelievably creeptastic were my thoughts.

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

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  3. Welcome Riahana, always nice to meet a fellow South African!

    @Asher, thanks for your insightful comment! The new villian was super creep-tastic for me, from the beginning. I got a "oily", smarmy kind of feel from him from the start that really creeped me out. Then again, I strongly believe in personal space boundries, so maybe it's just that ;p

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