Jump to content

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White


Kell

How would you rate this book? (Dont forget to say why in the thread!)  

2 members have voted

  1. 1. How would you rate this book? (Dont forget to say why in the thread!)

    • 5/5 - Top-notch reading!
      0
    • 4/5 - Excellent
      0
    • 3/5 - Pretty good
      1
    • 2/5 - OK, but nothing to write home about
      1
    • 1/5 - Dull as ditchwater
      0
    • 0/5 - Utter dross!
      0


Recommended Posts

IT IS ASSUMED YOU HAVE READ THIS BOOK BEFORE READING THIS THREAD, THEREFORE SPOILER TAGS MAY NOT HAVE BEEN USED IN ORDER TO FACILITATE EASIER AND MORE OPEN DISCUSSION

 

paranormalcy.jpg

 

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Synopsis:

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 paranormals' glamours.

 

But Evie's about to realize that she may very well be at the center of a dark faerie prophecy promising destruction to all paranormal creatures.

 

So much for normal.

 

SOME BASIC QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER:

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?

3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

 

FURTHER QUESTIONS

6. Where do you think Evie's soul comes from? Was she born with it or did she somehow create it? Why is Evie's soul brighter than Vivian's, and why does Evie's get brighter while she is staying with Lend?

 

7. Discuss the theme of prejudice in this story. Who is prejudiced and why? What does prejudice lead to and why is it bad?

 

8. Discuss morality in this story. Which people have different moral codes and what happens when they clash? Who do you think is right and who is wrong?

 

9. Is it ever acceptable to limit another person's freedom in order to protect others? In the case of paranormals, are there any who do not deserve the same rights as others? For example, should hags be given the same freedom as werewolves?

 

10. What makes Evie and Lend's relationship work? Why are they good for each other?

 

11. Apparently the film rights to this novel have been sold. Do you think this novel lends itself well to the movie medium? Given the choice of any actors/actresses, who would you cast and why?

 

12. Do you think Evie is believable both as someone who has a paranormal gift, and as a teenager who just wants to be normal? How well does that blend work? Were there any ways in which is didn’t work for you? How about Lend?

 

13. Which of the "creatures" was your favourite? Why? What did you think of the creatures that appeared? Were they stereotypical, or did the author present them in a way that was fresh to you?

 

 

INFO ON THE AUTHOR (from Fantastic Fiction):

A stay-at-home mom to two rather adorable young children, Kiersten has a lot of time to daydream between running errands, writing freelance articles, and supervising playground acrobatics. Needing a new hobby, she decided to put her BA in English to use and type out some of the stories constantly playing in her mind. Much to her surprise and delight, writing books was even more entertaining than reading them - and took longer, too.

 

When not chained to her computer in a fit of creativity, Kiersten maintains a humorous blog, reads anything she can get her hands on, and occasionally cleans her apartment. Emphasis on occasionally.

 

OTHER NOVELS BY THE AUTHOR:

Paranormalcy series:

1. Paranormalcy (2010)

2. Supernaturally (2011)

3. Endlessly (2012)

 

Mind Games series

1. Mind Games (2013)

2. Sister Assassin (2013)

 

The October reading circle is now open! I hope you've been enjoying the book we've chosen for this month, but if you haven't started yet, don't worry, there's plenty time to get caught up - it's a very quick read - and you can join in the discussion.

 

However, if you're joining this thread before you've finished it, be aware that spoilers may well be used without the tags ot cover the, in order to facilitate easier discussion (hence the big red warning at the top of the first post!).

 

Let the discussion begin! :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll get the ball rolling by answering the first few questions just now, in the hopes that everyone else who showed an interest in this reading circle choice is reading or has read, and will join in soon!

 

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

Lend was actually my favourite character. I loved the whole idea of the "water boy" being able to take on the likeness of others and essentially being a "blank canvas". I think he's a pretty good analogy of teens in general - a blank canvas who's looks are influenced by those around him - the whole peer pressure to follow fashion and look like everyone else is played out in that he can literally look like everyone else.

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?

I loved the interaction between Evie and Lend while they were in the IPCA compound. Their growing attraction and intrigue was well played out.

 

3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

Not the first in the paranormal romance / young adult genres, but the first by this author. I rather like the genre anyway and would be very happy to read more by this author. I think I'll be taking a look at the rest of this series.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

Not struggled with, but I almost liked the part where Evie is heading to the prom a little less. I'm not sure why, as it perfectly illustrated her trying to be normal and have a normal teenage experience, but I kind of liked that for the most part, our lead characters weren't going to high school. So many YA paranormal romances have the high school element that it was a nice change to have it almost entirely absent on this occasion.

 

5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

Yes - I found this a very enjoyable and easy read. It flew by so quickly, it felt like my old carefree reading days when I would read half a dozen books in a week with ease. I liked that this had hardly any of the high school element (which I've already mentioned), and that Evie and Lend were both so self aware, so conscious that they were different and unable to entirely fit in, but trying so hard to have normal lives anyway, to differing degrees of success. I would definitely recommend this to fans of the genre.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

I'm not sure I had a favourite character, certainly not Evie as she was a tad annoying, Lend was sweet but didn't have a huge amount of substance. maybe Reth as he at least had strength of character and I felt from the start that he did have Evie's best interests at heart.

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?

The final third was the best as that was when the story moved along a lot faster.

3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

I've read a fair few YA books, I've enjoyed many of them but a few, like this one, didn't really hit the spot for me, it just didn't have enough depth, moving along too quickly and not exploring ideas deeply enough. I do however think it will be perfect for my 11 year old daughter when she starts to explore the genre. I will definitely read more YA as there are definitely some more great reads out there and it is a great way for me to source books for my children.

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

I didn't particularly struggle with any of it, it moved along quickly and it only took a day or so to get through, I just found the whole of it a little too... what's the word.... simple, for the reasons I described above.

5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

It was ok..

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6. Where do you think Evie's soul comes from? Was she born with it or did she somehow create it? Why is Evie's soul brighter than Vivian's, and why does Evie's get brighter while she is staying with Lend?

I don't think it's possible to be born without a soul. To me, the soul is the essential spark of life that makes you who you are. Therefore, I think both Evie and Vivian were actually born with souls, although it's possible their souls were incomplete. Perhaps that's where the whole notion of "soul mates" comes into things - we find soul mates and they help complete our souls. Perhaps because Evie has had friends who love her and accept her as she is, her soul burns brighter than Vivian's. We tend to feel happier in a caring environment and we talk of having our souls "uplifted" - perhaps that's a large part of what makes Evie's soul brighter when she's with Lend and his family.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Is anyone else reading this month's book? I'd love to hear from you if you are!

 

7. Discuss the theme of prejudice in this story. Who is prejudiced and why? What does prejudice lead to and why is it bad?

Everyone seems to be prejudiced against everyone else to begin with. The folks of IPCA are just so sure that their way is the only way - tagging and bagging vamps and weres like nobody's business. Hag's don't even get a look in - so much so that we don't even get to hear their side of things at all (not even the good folks of the underground will admit hags to their deal of non-harm to others, although vamps and weres are welcomed). Fairies are prejudiced against humans - IPCA got hold of the names of fairies by nefarious means and basically hold them hostage to that. To be honest, I actually gave a little cheer when Reth managed to get a name change (not least because I didn't much like his name to begin with - LOL!).

 

To be honest, I think the only character who seemed to have no prejudice whatsoever (at least as far as I can recall) was the mermaid. She seemed entirely accepting of everyone and never seemed to have a bad word to say about anybody.

 

As usual, I think a large part of the prejudice stems from a lack of understanding and a lack of the ability to fully comprehend what motivates the different pretes (and in the case of the faeries v humans - both assume they are superior). I really think that if they were all able to sit own together and really listen to one another, and try to get their heads round not only the things that make them different, but those areas where there are similarities, better compromises could be reached where everyone could be happier. But then, that's the same in the real world too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1. Who was your favourite character and why?

Hmm, this is a tricky one. One of the problems I had with the book was that I felt the characters weren't very well developed, and the only one we got to know was Evie, and I agree with chaliepud, she was a bit irritating. Like Kell, I liked the idea of Lend, an almost human chameleon, born of water, but I still felt as a character he was a bit too good to be true. I guess my favourite character, although hardly in the book at all, was Lend's mother, as this was a new type of paranormal character I've never come across before, thought she was intriguing, and I wanted to find out more about her.

 

2. Was there a particular part you enjoyed/disliked more than the rest?

I did quite like the beginning - I thought it was a good way into the story and a good introduction to Evie, who she was and what she could do.

 

3. Was this the first book you've read in this genre/by this author, has it encouraged you to read more?

I've read an awful lot of paranormal YA over the last few years, and although it was enjoyable enough, and far from the the worst I've read in this genre, it didn't stand out as anything particularly new or inventive. I will continue to read the genre, but I don't think I'll be reading any more in this series.

 

4. Were there any parts/ideas you struggled with?

The thing I struggled with most was actually Evie herself. I was torn between feeling a bit sorry for a teenager who had spent most of her life without a family and had to grow up before her time, and finding her shallow and selfish, and although she comes to realise the error of her ways, even that is done in a very obvious way. The other thing I found really annoying was the use of "bleep", which just felt ridiculously childish and grated on me every time I read it.

 

5. Overall, was reading the book an enjoyable experience?

As I've already said, I do like this genre and the story rattled along nicely but I felt it was suited better to the younger end of the demographic despite Evie and Lend being older teenagers, and just a bit lightweight for me. I think if you were a young teenager just embarking on your first YA paranormal books, then this might be a good one to start with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Hello out there? Anyone else reading the book this month? Fancy joining in the discussion? You don't have to answer all, or even any of the questions, just get talking about it! ;)

 

11. Apparently the film rights to this novel have been sold. Do you think this novel lends itself well to the movie medium? Given the choice of any actors/actresses, who would you cast and why?

I think I'd really like to see Emma Stone cast as Evie. Having recently watched her as Gwen Stacey in The Amazing Spider-Man, I know she can pass as high-school age, and she's a pretty good actress. I think she'd be able to handle all aspects of Evie with ease. With her hair lightened, shed also really look the part.

 

post-3572-0-44999100-1351004199_thumb.jpg

 

Lend gives me a little more difficulty as he clearly has to be very good looking. You'd also need several different guys to play him as he appears differently on numerous occasions.

 

Dave Franco is good looking and just about young enough to pass. Charles Michael Davis is another. And finally Kim Beom would round out my choices. This way we get a known face to draw in the fans, as well as two lesser known but also showcases some u-and-coming talent. They have three very different looks, all of which would complement Stone as Evie.

 

post-3572-0-91727300-1351004612_thumb.jpg post-3572-0-82708100-1351005051_thumb.jpg post-3572-0-44286200-1351005130_thumb.jpg

 

For Vivian, we need someone who has a similar look to our Evie, so I go with Jane Levy. She looks strikingly similar but is also a good actress and a known face (albeit mostly from TV - could be her move to film!).

 

post-3572-0-35247900-1351005362_thumb.jpg post-3572-0-47265500-1351005381_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...