Review: Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Publisher: HarperTeen

Publication Date: July 26th, 2011

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.

But as one disastrous mission leads to another, Evie starts to wonder if she made the right choice. And when Evie’s faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears with devastating revelations about her past, she discovers that there’s a battle brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole supernatural world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

So much for normal.

(Courtesy of Goodreads)

I have been putting off writing this review for awhile because I'm having a really hard time articulating my feelings about this book without my words coming off wrong.  I loved the first book in this series, Paranormalcy.  I mean, I LOVED it.  It was one of my favorite books of 2010.  That said, I was anxiously awaiting the release of this book, its sequel.  I had extremely high hopes and expectations; Supernaturally was near the top of my "most anticipated" list for 2011, and I was ready for a out-of-the-park hit.  Maybe that was part of my problem... When a debut author like Kiersten White has a first book that is SO good, like she had with Paranormalcy, I think it can be difficult for the second book to top it, despite the desires and expectations of the readers.  For me, Supernaturally was an excellent book- I enjoyed it enough to read it twice (once for myself, and once as a buddy read with my 10 year old daughter)- it just fell a little short of Paranormalcy...

I did very much enjoy the characters in Supernaturally, particularly Arianna and Jack.  Arianna was just sarcastic/witty enough to add some sly comic relief when Evie was being whiny and needy.  As for Jack, I know I'm in the minority for liking him, but he was funny.  I just picture some kind of imp when I think of him, and he was always good for a few laughs. Of course, Evie is the center of the story, and everyone, myself included, loves Evie.  There were times in this book when she got on nerves though.  I think she mastered being a "normal" teenager a little too well in some ways, and made some really dumb choices that I don't think she would have made in book #1.  That said, I still adore her and I think she was even more kick-ass in this book because she had to compensate for her impulsiveness.

As for the story... This book was action packed, while continuing to explore the Evie and Lend's romance.  The action was awesome.  I love it when Evie takes down the bad guys, and there's some real baddies in this book (and not always who you think they are).  Evie isn't just taking down problematic paranormals on order like she was in Paranormalcy, she is having to rely on her own perceptions and intuitions, while doing it on the sly because the important people in her life don't know that she's back to "work".   As far as the romance is concerned, I know I will gain some haters here, but I don't like Evie and Lend together.  I like Lend, don't get me wrong, I just don't think they're a great fit; there's just something off that I really can't put my finger on.  Lend has his life mapped out; he know what he wants and he knows how he's going to go about getting it. It almost feels like Evie's just expected to go along for the ride, and she is so much more than THAT girl.  I'm kind of leaning toward wanting to see her with Reth...

Overall, I really did love this book, just not as much as I loved Paranormalcy.  I am still anxiously awaiting the release of Endlessly on July 24th (especially with its gorgeous cover- see it HERE), but my expectations aren't quite as high, which in actuality, is probably a good thing!  I gave Paranormalcy 5+ stars, I give Supernaturally a solid 4 ½ stars.

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Grade Level Recommendation:  As with Paranormalcy, this book is completely clean.  Of course there's romance, but no sex.  No major swears that I can recall.  I would say this book is entirely appropriate for grades 5 and up (ages 10+).