Paranormalcy Trilogy Review: Pros and Cons of Seeing Through Glamours

March 22, 2021 by Bec | 3 stars, Books

Paranormalcy Trilogy Review: Pros and Cons of Seeing Through GlamoursParanormalcy by Kiersten White
Series: Paranormalcy #1
Published by HarperTeen on August 31st, 2010
Source: Purchased
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble
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Evie’s always thought of herself as a normal teenager, even though she works for the International Paranormal Containment Agency, her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, she’s falling for a shape-shifter, and she’s the only person who can see through supernatural glamours.

She’s also about to find out that she may be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

So much for normal.

The Good Things

  • YA paranormal/ urban fantasy trilogy. I’m rereading the first two books (which I first read in 2010) so I can finally finish the series.
  • Fun story! Lots of sass and hilarious chapter names.
  • THE NARRATOR!! I’m rereading this via audiobook and this narrator is amazing! I think she made me enjoy it even more than I did when I was 16.
  • I love how Evie unapologetically embraces the girly side of herself while still kicking butt. The bedazzled pink taser is iconic.
  • I love how it pokes fun at a lot of supernatural creatures and their associated folklore. And there are some interesting creatures I’ve never read of anywhere else before.
  • There’s a bit of a murder mystery with hints of a prophecy and dark premonitions.
  • I found it hilarious that the fae guy was the creepy ex almost-boyfriend.

 

The Not-So-Good

  • I wish a lot more was explored with the supernatural organisation and the creatures themselves as well as the mystery/ prophecy.
  • Also would have liked to see Evie interact with more characters beyond Lend, Reth, and the mystery villain.
  • When the story got to some more of the human world settings, Evie did get on my nerves a little. Particularly how sappy she got with her crush on Lend and some of the teenage drama stuff. It reminds me why I don’t read contemporary YA very often…

Paranormalcy is a fun read and I enjoyed it more than I remembered!! I think a lot of that can be attributed to a fantastic audiobook narrator. Though I did get annoyed at a few things at times, it was an easy, fun read overall.

Rating:  3 out of 5


Paranormalcy Trilogy Review: Pros and Cons of Seeing Through GlamoursSupernaturally by Kiersten White
Series: Paranormalcy #2
Published by HarperTeen on June 1st, 2011
Source: Purchased
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble
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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. So when she's given the opportunity to work for the International Paranormal Containment Agency again, she leaps at the chance.

But then Evie's faerie ex-boyfriend Reth appears, and tells her that a battle is brewing between the faerie courts that could throw the whole paranormal world into chaos. The prize in question? Evie herself.

The Good Things

  • Sequel to Paranormalcy, a YA paranormal/ urban fantasy. This was a reread for me.
  • Umm… I’m pretty indifferent about this one so it’s a struggle to come up with a lot of pros.
  • Evie continues to be sassy and entertaining. Plus the chapter headings are amazing.
  • Some new supernatural creatures made appearances!
  • The plot in the last quarter introduced some interesting ethical dilemmas for Evie.
  • It seems like an interesting premise was set up for the plot of the final book!

The Not-So-Good Things

  • It didn’t feel like the plot really went anywhere? The very start and the very end were the most interesting parts.
  • There is so much romance angst and it frustrated me a lot. It reminded me why I steer clear of most YA books set in high school.
  • Evie being an idiot about her future did not help my annoyance levels. All that mattered was her relationship with Lend, and of course she doesn’t need any back up plans because it would all work out perfectly (it never does). That whole thing is one of my pet peeves, honestly.
  • Villain had potential to be interesting but he was mostly just a bit of an annoying character. Also was not surprised at all to learn he was the actual villain.
  • I wanted more involvement from the book one secondary characters.

 

This book annoyed me for many reasons, but overall I’m indifferent to it. Here’s hoping the final book gets back to having more plot and less angst.

 

Rating: 2.5 out of 5


Paranormalcy Trilogy Review: Pros and Cons of Seeing Through GlamoursEndlessly by Kiersten White
Series: Paranormalcy #3
Published by HarperTeen on July 24th, 2012
Source: Purchased
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Amazon | Book Depository | Publisher | Angus & Robertson | Booktopia | Barnes & Noble
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In Endlessly, pink-loving, butt-kicking Evie has way too much on her to-do list. Paranormals are begging her to open a faerie gate so they can leave the human world, something Evie’s not sure she has the power to do. The Dark Queen is torturing humans and must be destroyed.

On top of all that, Evie’s prom is coming up. She’s not sure what to wear, and, oh, yeah, her shape-shifting boyfriend, Lend, has been cursed so that he falls into an enchanted sleep whenever he and Evie are in the same room…and even Evie’s ex-boyfriend, the faerie Reth, can’t reverse the dark magic.

An epic battle is looming, and the choices Evie makes will determine the fate of whole paranormal world—and her own life.

The Good Things

  • The final book in the Paranormalcy series, a YA paranormal series I’ve been meaning to finish for almost 10 years.
  • Highly entertaining! It’s not a story that takes itself too seriously and was a fun read. The chapter headings are amazing.
  • This one had the most interesting plot of all three books and was a big improvement over Supernaturally. I enjoyed the return to more faerie and IPCA involvement.
  • We got a really good look at the faeries and their realm, and even more interesting paranormal creatures were introduced!
  • I loved seeing more of the characters from book one return!! Also really enjoyed the redemption arcs Reth and Jack went through.

 

The Not-So-Good Things

  • I missed the audiobook narrator (my library didn’t have audio of book three). She brought so much life to the previous stories.
  • Evie was so selfish for most of the book, it really frustrated me. Of course she needs to start somewhere to demonstrate character growth, but it took her so long to show any signs of changing for the better.
  • The romance was so sappy and I really was not in the mood for that kind of thing. Evie and Lend needed to become less obsessed with each other and actually start focusing on saving the paranormals depending on them.
  • While I did enjoy the plot, I still think it fell a little bit flat. I was expecting something a bit more epic than what we got. I also would have liked an epilogue.

 

I’m so glad I finally finished this trilogy after 10 years of putting it off. I enjoyed this a lot overall, it is a fun read, but I did get frustrated with the main character and their sappy romance. But aside from that, I liked it.

Rating:  3 out of 5

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Bec is an Aussie blogger and reader who loves all types of novels. Fantasy, sci fi, and historical are my usual go-to genres. If I’m not binge reading, I’m usually gaming, trying to take decent photos for bookstagram, or freaking out about silly things.

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