Book pick: ‘Supernaturally’ weak sequel to ‘Paranormalcy’

Turns out writing the second book in a series isn’t as easy as you’d think. — Kiersten White

That should have been my first clue that author Kiersten White was going to have a tough time following up her wildly funny and creative first book — PARANORMALCY — about Evie, a 16-year-old girl who can see through the glamours of paranormal creatures. That makes her a valuable asset of the IPCA — the International Paranormal Containment Agency — where she uses her pink “rhinestone-studded Tasey” to bag and tag paranormals, who are later made into useful members of society. (Read my review of that book HERE.)

But SUPERNATURALLY  is just so totally different in characters, tone and plot that I felt like I had to force my way through this book — which I read on a cross-country plane trip so I was a captive audience.

The sequel picks up with Evie after she has left the IPCA and starts her normal life. But — her normal life is too normal for her. She misses feeling special. Then her boss from the IPCA Raquel — through a series of totally weird events — comes into her life again and offers a position at IPCA. Evie jumps at the chance, even though her boyfriend Lend (invisible boy) isn’t going to be thrilled.

And this is the really annoying part of the book. Evie is so quick to go back to work for the IPCA after everything that occurred in PARANORMALCY that it’s a little tough to believe at first. But — Evie is a teen — and we know how teens change their minds — that after a bit, her return — on her own terms — seems plausible.  However, forget the wise-cracking “what the bleep” Evie of old. She is a big whiner in SUPERNATURALLY. OK — this is a YA book and you expect some teen-age angst but this was boring. Her boyfriend is in college and so can’t always spend time with her. She can’t seem to  focus — even when she’s back at work. She’s turning into a Twilightesque Bella. Where the heck is her backbone? She’s turned into a wimp. And she’s boring. Not the kind of main character you want to like or care about.

The best parts of the book:

•  One of Evie’s missions is to bag a troll community but she ends of finding out they aren’t the bad guys. It’s a vampire. And this vamp finds that drinking paranormal blood makes him stronger. He’ll be back. And I liked these scenes because the real Evie returns.

• The new character Jack. Jack is weird. He’s like a kid. A hyperactive one. But at the same time there’s something ancient about him. He’s spent time with the Fae and can travel through their paths. You sense he wants to be good — but he leaves Evie in a bind every time. And there’s something so odd about him that we don’t know yet if he could turn out to be a villain — or if he really is a good guy. But I liked his escapades.

• We find out who Evie’s father is. It’s not really a “best” part because it’s so dorky. Let’s just say NASCAR is involved. And he’s a paranormal. But is he really her Dad?

• Reth. He’s back and creepy as ever. What’s he up to? Not sure. But left me wanting to know more about why the Fae seem so determined to snag Evie.

• The back stories on Vivian and Arianna.

I will say the last 80 or so pages of the book lived up to the pace of PARANORMALCY. The majority of the book, however, was mainly Evie feeling sorry for herself. You can’t help but wonder if an editor could’ve helped White focus a bit more because there were elements of this book that could have been sharpened into a much faster, fun read that would have made this a stronger sequel.

Let’s just hope the snappy, funny, smart Evie turns up in the final book, and that the editing is better for ENDLESSLY. (Here’s what White posted on GoodReads about the final book:

The final chapter of Evie’s adventures. Old friends, new ones, all wrapped up in impossible decisions. And some ball gowns. Because what’s a life of normal and paranormal drama without a ball gown or two?

(Note: I was given a copy of SUPERNATURALLY to review for my news site — which I haven’t turned in yet! So you’re getting my disclosure notice here and a look at my rough draft before I turn it in!)