Perception by Kim Harrington

"I thought about the events of the last few days and wished I could have pieced things together sooner. Maybe then, I wouldn't be standing here with a knife and a girl's life in my hands. Every muscle in my body tightened in preparation for what I was about to do..."

Perception by Kim Harrington 
(Clarity #2)
Amazon | Book Depository | Goodreads
Fantasy/Mystery, 288 pages
Expected publication: March 1st 2012 by Scholastic Point

When you can see things others can't, what do you do when someone's watching you?

Everybody knows about Clarity "Clare" Fern. She's the psychic girl in school, the one who can place her hands on something and see hidden visions from the past.

Only Clare would rather not be a celebrity. She prefers hanging back, observing. Her gift is not a game to her.

But then someone starts playing with her head . . . and heart. Messages and gifts from a secret admirer crop up everywhere Clare turns. Could they be from Gabriel, the gorgeous boy who gets Clare's pulse racing? Or from Justin, Clare's hopeful ex-boyfriend who'd do anything to win her back?

One thing is certain. Clare needs to solve this mystery, and soon. Because the messages are becoming sinister, and a girl in town has suddenly disappeared.

Perception was one of my eagerly-awaited books of 2012.  I read Clarity last year for HH, and was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the people that pushed it on me were right.  I loved Clare's voice and Harrington's breezy, engaging storytelling.  I couldn't wait to get back into Clare's world.  And though I think Perception suffered a bit from sophomore slumpage, I have to say, it was nice being back in her world.

There were times when, I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed.  The book - and Clare - seemed somewhat lacking in spirit. I missed Clarity. In the first book, she reminded me so much of Veronica Mars - as this sassy, really smart, no nonsense, strong girl - and I loved that.  In Perception, she lost some of what made her stand out from the rest of the YA pack.  Her sassiness peaked through and definitely became more pronounced as the story went on, but for awhile she became just a little more typical, a little more predictable, and that made me sad.   Strong Clarity somehow lapsed into an average YA heroine, caught between 2 boys and the popular and unpopular groups.  She wasn't really her anymore.  Her spark was missing.

Now, she did reclaim it.  And part of me even thinks that, given all she went through in book 1, it kind of made sense for her to be a little...less, somehow.  But still.  Her voice was a big part of the reason I liked the series in the first place.  And part of it, too, was - OH GOOD GOD with the love triangle already. Don't get me wrong, if ever there was an excuse for a love triangle in a book, this book gets it.  Certain things needed to be addressed after how the 1st book ended, and it should have merited a good amount of page space - there were some major things to be worked through. But seriously. There's only so much you can take before you want to yell "Let's get on with it already!"
Also, NO WAY would those boys ever have been as saintlike as they were.

So, there was that.
But as for all the rest, it was just as enjoyable as ever.  It was strange, because much like book 1, I felt like  I had it pegged the whole way through, yet felt like I didn't.  I basically called it as soon as one specific character entered (because there was no other reason for the character to be there, really); but still...even though I was pretty sure, Harrington does a really good job arousing suspicion of everybody.  The red herrings are just a-flyin' and at some point, you doubt just about every damn body.  Part of me always knew, and part of me always doubted - it's a really interesting way to read a book.  I have to give Harrington props for that.

Another thing that got points was that there were good repercussions from book 1.  Some serious shiz went down, and there's bound to be fallout from that.  And I don't just mean where Clare is concerned.  Everyone went through some majorcrazyscary, and they have to deal with that.  And though, no, this is never going to be one of those books that wins awards for depicting How People Cope, Harrington (fortunately) isn't the type of writer that just throws the trauma away and lets the characters move blithely forward.  She not only didn't ignore the fallout and the trauma with the whole cast of characters, but she used it as a way to explore Clare and what she wants from life.  I so very much liked Clare's burgeoning sense of self and purpose as a result of what she went through.

So all in all, there's a lot of good growth, though it is a kind of in an in-between book. They're inevitable in a series, I guess, but a little slumpy all the same.  Still, it's worth the read, and Clarity does come back into her own (and makes a damn decision), and a lot of ground work is laid for the series to grow and for Clarity to become a really strong, kick-ass heroine.
Plus, despite any faults, it's always quick and engaging.

My verdict? Pick it up.
:)