Kiersten White
2010; HarperTeen; ISBN 978-0-06-198584-3 (hardcover). ARC borrowed from friend.
Summary: For Evie, the ordinary is exotic. She wishes she could attend high school, have a locker, eat in the cafeteria, even go to prom. Instead, she lives in one of the compounds run by the International Paranormal Containment Agency. Evie can see through glamours to the true appearance of paranormal creatures. This talent, one that no on other human has, means that Evie can only long for a normal life. When she falls for a shapeshifter, Evie hopes that this is her chance to be a regular teenage girl. But her faerie ex-boyfriend and a dark prophecy might keep Evie from getting what she wants.
Paranormalcy has drawn comparisons with Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with good reason. The theme of an extraordinary girl who longs for normalcy was well-mined by that show. Yet Kiersten White's debut also stands on its own two feet. A subtle mythology grounded in real-world situations, laugh-out-loud humor, and intriguing characters helps create a fast-paced fantasy. Evie is a fantastic heroine, slowly maturing into a strong young woman. While Paranormalcy thankfully does not end on a cliffhanger and resolves the major storylines, here's hoping we might get another novel featuring Evie.
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