Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

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Publication Date: September 1st, 2010
Publisher: HarperTeen
ISBN: 0061985848
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Supernatural
Source: My bookshelf
Lootability: ***

Weird as it is working for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, Evie’s always thought of herself as normal. Sure, her best friend is a mermaid, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she's falling for a shape-shifter, and she's the only person who can see through paranormals' glamours, but still. Normal.
Only now paranormals are dying, and Evie's dreams are filled with haunting voices and mysterious prophecies. She soon realizes that there may be a link between her abilities and the sudden rash of deaths. Not only that, but she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

Could White have made her main character, Evie, anymore pink and sparkly in her new paranormal novel for YAs, Paranormalcy? For a girl separated from other teens, brought up surrounded by vampires, mermaids and other scary supernatural critters, she is the stereotype of a teenage girl. If she were a comic character her speech bubbles would be pink and glittery.

What I Liked: White produced an interesting view of paranormal creatures and methods for their containment. For example, Vampires are tagged with a leg tracker that will dose them with a lethal amount of holy water if they feast on human blood.
The International Paranormal Containment Agency is the ruthless guiding hand of the world's paranormals, determined to keep them under control by any means necessary.

What I Didn't Like: Evie was Vampire Hunter Barbie. The girl took down a vampire (cool, right?) with a pink rhinestone covered taser. Shouldn't there be some kind of OH&S rule about impairing the quality of your weapon? You know, maintain the dignity and usability of your weapon?
Her taser - cleverly and creatively named Tasie - is the perfect example of her creepy Barbie ways (what with matching her knee high high heeled boots and zebra print dress...)
But mostly the problem with Evie is a a problem that thrives in YA literature. A few morons once said, "OMG, like, OMG, seriously?" a few too many times and have tainted an entire generation. I'm not sure if its an American thing but I've been there, I have friends who live there and no one seemed to be a completely hollow headed moron with a speech impediment.
So here's a call out to all YA authors, please stop portraying all teenagers as mindless chimps in pink pumps.

#RantOver

Reading primarily YA novels, it gets annoying to see every character being based on stereotypes and I've taken that frustration out on my rating of this book. However, Evie does have some redeeming qualities, when she isn't muttering inanities or flashing her rhinestones (seriously though, am I the only one who fines rhinestones completely hideous?), that make her an easily likable protagonist. I would be her friend if she'd let me train the Barbie out of her.

Raiding Bookshelves Rating

Cover Conversations: I want to live in that dress forever and always (see I do like some pink!). The cover model looks poised and elegant, if only every other mention of fashion hadn't been so...

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Can there truly be love after death?Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

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Publication Date: 7th June, 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN:  0062026771 
Age Group: New Adult
Genre: Romance/Paranormal
Source: Library
Lootability: ***

Firelight by Kristen Callihan

London, 1881Once the flames are ignited . . . Miranda Ellis is a woman tormented. Plagued since birth by a strange and powerful gift, she has spent her entire life struggling to control her exceptional abilities. Yet one innocent but irreversible mistake has left her family's fortune decimated and forced her to wed London's most nefarious nobleman.
They will burn for eternity . . . Lord Benjamin Archer is no ordinary man. Doomed to hide his disfigured face behind masks, Archer knows it's selfish to take Miranda as his bride. Yet he can't help being drawn to the flame-haired beauty whose touch sparks a passion he hasn't felt in a lifetime. When Archer is accused of a series of gruesome murders, he gives in to the beastly nature he has fought so hard to hide from the world. But the curse that haunts him cannot be denied. Now, to save his soul, Miranda will enter a world of dark magic and darker intrigue. For only she can see the man hiding behind the mask

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Publication Date: 31st January, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing 
ISBN: 1455508594
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult/Adult
Genre: Romance/Fantasy/Paranormal/Fairytale
Source: NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go!

The Wedding Gift by Kathleen McKenna

It is a spine-electrifying supernatural tale where a huge Southern States mansion contains one of the most terrifying, violent and indeed psychopathic ghosts to haunt any town. It is also a murder mystery - why did Robina Willets apparently kill all five of her young children, and her husband, before stabbing herself to death?

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Publication Date: July 12th, 2010
Publisher: CreateSpace
Country: 
ISBN: 1453701974
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young Adult
Genre: Mystery/Romance/Paranormal
 Source: NetGalley
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: It's a blunt object, hit someone with it.

Steam and Sorcery by Cindy Spencer Pape

Sir Merrick Hadrian hunts monsters, both human and supernatural. A Knight of the Order of the Round Table, his use of magick and the technologies of steam power have made him both respected and feared. But his considerable skills are useless in the face of his greatest challenge, guardianship of five unusual children. At a loss, Merrick enlists the aid of a governess. 
Miss Caroline Bristol is reluctant to work for a bachelor but she needs a position, and these former street children touch her heart. While she tends to break any mechanical device she touches, it never occurs to her that she might be something more than human. All she knows is that Merrick is the most dangerously attractive man she's ever met—and out of reach for a mere governess. 
When conspiracy threatens to blur the distinction between humans and monsters, Caroline and Merrick must join forces, and the fate of humanity hinges upon their combined skills of steam and sorcery...

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Publication Date: March 7th, 2011

Publisher: Carina PressCountry: United States of AmericaISBN: N/AOriginal Language: EnglishAge Group: Young AdultGenre: Supernatural/Paranormal, Romance, Mystery, SteampunkSource: ARC recieved through NetGalley (a long time ago).Buy the Book: AmazonLootability: Grab it and go

Halflings by Heather Burch

After being inexplicably targeted by an evil intent on harming her at any cost, seventeen-year-old Nikki finds herself under the watchful guardianship of three mysterious young men who call themselves halflings. Sworn to defend her, misfits Mace, Raven, and Vine battle to keep Nikki safe while hiding their deepest secret—and the wings that come with.  

A growing attraction between Nikki and two of her protectors presents a whole other danger. While she risks a broken heart, Mace and Raven could lose everything, including their souls. As the mysteries behind the boys’ powers, as well as her role in a scientist’s dark plan, unfold, Nikki is faced with choices that will affect the future of an entire race of heavenly beings, as well as the precarious equilibrium of the earthly world. 

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Publication Date: 1st February, 2012Publisher: Zondervan PublishingCountry: United States of AmericaISBN: 9780310728184Original Language: EnglishAge Group: Young AdultGenre: Supernatural/Paranormal, Romance, MysterySource: ARC recieved through NetGalleyBuy the Book: AmazonLootability: Grab it and go

Clarity by Kim Harrington

When you can see things others can't, where do you look for the truth?
This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats. 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?

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Publication Date: March 1, 2011
Publisher: Point
Country: United States of America
ISBN: 9780545230506
Original Language: English
Age Group: Young
Adult
Genre: Supernatural/Paranormal, Romance, Mystery
Buy the Book: Amazon
Lootability: Grab it and go

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

#34 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Egmont USA
Country: USA
Publication Date: 28.12.2010
ISBN: 9781606840580
Page Count: 416

Grace Divine made the ultimate sacrifice to cure Daniel Kalbi. She was infected with the werewolf curse while trying to save him, and lost her beloved brother in the process. When Grace receives a haunting phone call from Jude, she knows what she must do. She must become a Hound of Heaven.
Desperate to find Jude, Grace befriends Talbot—a newcomer to town who promises her that he can help her be a hero. But as the two grow closer, the wolf grows in Grace, and her relationship with Daniel is put in danger—in more ways than one.
Unaware of the dark path she is walking, Grace begins to give into the wolf inside of her—not realizing that an enemy has returned and a deadly trap is about to be sprung.

The Divine family return in The Lost Saint six months after the life changing events of Dark Divine. Grace and Daniel are pushing themselves to adjust to their new selves while Grace's family are still suffering from Jude's continued absence. The Lost Saint throws more than one new complications into the romance of Grace and Daniel as another distraction in a new adventure.

The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

#33 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Egmont USA
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: December 22, 2009
ISBN: 9781606840573
Page Count: 372

Grace Divine, daughter of the local pastor, always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared, the night she found her brother Jude collapsed on the porch, covered in his own blood, but she has no idea what a truly monstrous secret that night held.
The memories her family has tried to bury resurface when Daniel returns, three years later, and enrolls in Grace and Jude's high school.
Despite promising Jude she'll stay away, Grace cannot deny her attraction to Daniel's shocking artistic abilities, his way of getting her to look at the world from new angles, and the strange, hungry glint in his eyes.
The closer Grace gets to Daniel, the more she jeopardizes her life, as her actions stir resentment in Jude and drive him to embrace the ancient evil Daniel unleashed that horrific night.
Grace must discover the truth behind the boy's dark secret...and the cure that can save the ones she loves.
But she may have to lay down the ultimate sacrifice to do it--her soul.

The Dark Divine is the debut novel of Bree Despain, and the beginning of a new series of the same name. Grace Divine, daughter of the local Pastor, happily contributes to society while focusing on her art. She was living quite happily, especially when she is asked out by a cute Senior, until Daniel returns and shakes everything up.

No Humans Involved by Kelley Armstrong

#28 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Country: Canada
Publication Date: 2007
ISBN: 0307355764
Page Count: 352

In her acclaimed Women of the Otherworld series, bestselling author Kelley Armstrong creates a present day in which humans unwittingly coexist with werewolves, witches, and other supernatural beings. Now, in this spellbinding new novel, a beautiful necromancer who can see ghosts must come to terms with her power—and with an evil she never thought possible. It’s the most anticipated reality television event of the season: three spiritualists gathered together in one house to raise the ghost of Marilyn Monroe. For celebrity medium Jaime Vegas, it is to be her swan song—one last publicity blast for a celebrity on the wrong side of forty. But unlike her colleagues, who are more show than substance, Jaime is the real thing. Reluctant to upstage her fellow spiritualists, Jaime tries to suppress her talents, as she has done her entire life. But there is something lurking in the maze of gardens behind the house: a spirit without a voice. And it won’t let go until somehow Jaime hears its terrible story. For the first time in her life, Jaime Vegas understands what humans mean when they say they are haunted. Distraught, Jaime looks to fellow supernatural Jeremy Danvers for help. As the touches and whispers from the garden grow more frantic, Jaime and Jeremy embark on an investigation into a Los Angeles underworld of black magic and ritual sacrifice. When events culminate in a psychic showdown, Jaime must use the darkest power she has to defeat a shocking enemy—one whose malicious force comes from the last realm she expected… . In a world whose surface resembles our own, Kelley Armstrong delivers a stunning alternate reality, one where beings of the imagination live, love, and fight a never-ending battle between good and evil.

Kelley Armstrong continues her Women of the Otherworld series in book seven:No Humans Involved. Celebrity necromancer Jamie Vegas is working on a documentary where she and several other celebrity mediums are trying to raise the spirit of Marilyn Monroe.

Broken by Kelley Armstrong

#27 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Bantam Books/Spectra
Country: USA
Publication Date: 2005
ISBN: 0553588184
Page Count: 480

In this thrilling new novel from the author of Industrial Magic , a pregnant werewolf may have unwittingly unleashed Jack the Ripper on twenty-first-century—and become his next target. Ever since she discovered she’s pregnant, Elena Michaels has been on edge. After all, she’s never heard of another living female werewolf, let alone one who’s given birth. But thankfully, her expertise is needed to retrieve a stolen letter allegedly written by Jack the Ripper. As a distraction, the job seems simple enough—only the letter contains a portal to Victorian London’s underworld, which Elena inadvertently triggers—unleashing a vicious killer and a pair of zombie thugs. Now Elena must find a way to seal the portal before the unwelcome visitors get what they’re looking for—which, for some unknown reason, is Elena.

Broken is the sixth Women of the Otherworld novel by Kelley Armstrong. Set approximately 7 years after Bitten, Elena Danver (nee Michaels) is pregnant and terrified. The only female werewolf, Elena fears the unknown; of a child born to two werewolf parents. In the meantime, she is sick of being coddled by Clay and Jeremy, so when the opportunity comes to safely complete a job for a friend, Elena is excited to participate.

Stolen by Kelley Armstrong

#22 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Viking Press
Country: USA
Publication Date: May 2003
ISBN: 0-670-03137-2
Page Count: 532

On a mission for her own elite wolf pack, Elena Michaels, the only living female werewolf, is lured into the net of Tyrone Winsloe, a ruthless Internet billionaire. Winsloe has funded a bogus scientific investigation of the “other races” and their supernatural powers. Kidnapped and studied in his underground lab deep in the Maine woods, these paranormals - witches, vampires, shamans, werewolves - are then released and hunted to the death in a real-world video game. But when Winsloe captures Elena, he finally meets his match.

Stolen is the second instalment in Kelley Armstrong’s, Women of the Otherworld. Elena Michaels, werewolf, once again takes center stage as the protagonist. Set a year or two after the events of Bitten, Stole centers around a group of humans, led by celebrity Ty Winsloe who discover the existence of Supernaturals. This discover leads them to capture and experiment on a range of diffierent subjects; as the only female werewolf, Elena is at the top of that list.

The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong

#20 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: April 6, 2010
ISBN: 0061662836
Page Count: 391

Only two weeks ago, life was all too predictable. But that was before I saw my first ghost. Now along with my supernatural friends Tori, Derek, and Simon, I’m on the run from the Edison Group, which genetically altered us as part of their sinister experiment. We’re hiding in a safe house that might not be as safe as it seems. We’ll be gone soon anyway, back to rescue those we’d left behind and take out the Edison Group … or so we hope too.

The Darkest Powers trilogy, by Kelley Armstrong, comes to a thrilling, but slightly disappointing (in some ways), conclusion in The Reckoning. The adventures, and misadventures, of Chloe Saunders and her friends take a new direction in The Reckoning. Finally they have adult supernaturals teaching them how to manage their powers, and searching for a way to bring down the Edison Group and save their family/friends. Except for one problem, their powers are much stronger than anyone expected and suddenly Chloe and her friends are a danger…to everyone.

The Awakening by Kelley Armstrong

#19 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: Harper Collins
Country: United States of America
Publication Date: 2009
ISBN: 978-0-06-166276-8
Page Count: 357

Chloe Saunders is a living science experiment—not only can she see ghosts, but she was genetically altered by a sinister organization called the Edison Group. She’s a teenage necromancer whose powers are out of control,which means she can raise the dead without even trying. Now Chloe’s running for her life with three of her supernatural friends—a charming sorcerer, a cynical werewolf, and a disgruntled witch—and they have to find someone who can help them before the Edison Group catches them. Or die trying…

Kelley Armstrong continues her mind capturing Darkest Powers trilogy in The Awakening. Chloe Saunders, a fifteen year old new to her powers as anecromancer, was betrayed to the Edison Group at the end of The Awakening. While there Chloe learns she and her friends are genetically altered supernaturals, part of an experiment called Genesis II.

The Summoning by Kelley Armstrong

#18 of 200

Original Language: English
Publisher: HarperCollins (Imprint: HarperTeen)
Country: United States
Publication Date: July 2008
ISBN: 0061662690
Page Count: 400

My name is Chloe Saunders and my life will never be the same again.
All I wanted was to make friends, meet boys, and keep on being ordinary.
I don’t even know what that means anymore.
It all started on the day that I saw my first ghost—and the ghost saw me.
Now there are ghosts everywhere and they won’t leave me alone.
To top it all off, I somehow got myself locked up in Lyle House, a “special home” for troubled teens.
Yet the home isn’t what it seems.
Don’t tell anyone, but I think there might be more to my housemates than meets the eye.
The question is, whose side are they on?
It’s up to me to figure out the dangerous secrets behind Lyle House … before its skeletons come back to haunt me…
The thing is how do I know who’s on my side or who’s betraying me?

Kelley Armstrong’s latest supernatural series for young adults is the Darkest Powers trilogy series. The first book, The Summoning, was released in 2008 and follows the adventure of 15 year old Chloe Saunders as puberty hits, brining much more than monthly cramps and a few pimples.