“…that was what kept the world interesting…reality had no gears, and you never knew what surprises would come spinning out of its chaos.” 

Title: Goliath
(The Leviathan Trilogy #3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publication: September 20th, 2011 by Simon Pulse
Format, pages: Hardcover, 543
My Rating: 
More Info? Goodreads

Alek and Deryn are on the last leg of their round-the-world quest to end World War I, reclaim Alek’s throne as prince of Austria, and finally fall in love. The first two objectives are complicated by the fact that their ship, the Leviathan, continues to detour farther away from the heart of the war (and crown). And the love thing would be a lot easier if Alek knew Deryn was a girl. (She has to pose as a boy in order to serve in the British Air Service.) And if they weren’t technically enemies.

The tension thickens as the Leviathan steams toward New York City with a homicidal lunatic on board: secrets suddenly unravel, characters reappear, and nothing is at it seems in this thunderous conclusion to Scott Westerfeld’s brilliant trilogy.

As this final book in the trilogy concluded, I was left with a loss of words. What more do I say that I haven’t already said before in my reviews for Leviathan and Behemoth? Scott Westerfeld is a genius at what he does, casting you off on a worldly adventure amidst an alternate World War I. This historical platform had given Scott Westerfeld’s imagination endless room to soar with the help of his endearing characters and the spectacularly masked plot. These books will give you a new appreciation for world history and the genre of alternate/speculative fiction such as Steampunk, as it did for me. This is one trilogy you have got to read! You would be barking daft to not at least try.

When you can see things others can’t, where do you look for the truth?

This paranormal murder mystery will have teens reading on the edge of their seats.

Clarity “Clare” Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch a certain object, and the visions come to her. It’s a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare’s ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case–but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare’s brother–who has supernatural gifts of his own–becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?

Clarity by Kim Harrington was a must-read for this year. If I didn’t read it I would have been slapped, or strapped depending on which is more painful, repeatedly by so many people including Kim herself for…not reading it. You might think I have an obligation to write a positive review and rate it five stars because I’m on Kim Harrington’s hit list but to be honest, Clarity deserves no negativity whatsoever. I can’t give it any. Everything was constructed perfectly: the characters, the plot (involving the mystery), the setting. It all worked really well together and for this I have nothing really negative to point out.

Clare was a very likable protagonist indeed. She had just the right amount of humour and childishness, and maturity and seriousness. It’s hard these days to find a voice so genuine and pure in character that has the ability to make you laugh and also think deeply about dark and depressing thoughts and issues. You can relate to her no matter what and because of that I was infatuated with her. As seen on my blog header, obviously a crush on this…redheaded psychic girl (which is strange) has manifested. She takes charge and doesn’t need others to hold her hand when things can get tough. She is the driver of this story and turns the events to make it as true as possible. This can be seen in her belief in her brother, Perry.

Although Perry gets accused of being apart of the murder, Clare strongly believes that her brother had nothing to do with it from the very beginning. What I love to find in stories is a strong protective sibling bond. Family background is a stronghold and going through some stuff in my life, having two older sisters to rely on, to be there to talk to or be strong with, really makes me relate to Clare and her bond with Perry. Clare’s mother has a chance to ignite the parental role of families in YA.

Throughout Clarity, I had been asking myself a few questions. One was along the lines of ‘what happened to Clare’s father? Where is he?’ which I kept thinking about and wondering. However, turning the page had given the answer and though it was vague, I knew what the problem was. Through this a new sub-plot was created and began to unfold. Another question was ‘why doesn’t Clare have girlfriends?’ It seemed really strange because as I thought about this, the answer too was given within a page or two.

Clare should just stick with her brother (or me), because neither Justin nor Gabriel deserves her. That is all.

Clarity is an amazing debut by Kim Harrington, with witty but serious writing that will be enjoyed by a range of ages no matter your interests. A cast of fascinating characters was delivered and an exciting, suspenseful, turning, mysterious plot was created that I couldn’t stop thinking about.

You can see me (or my name) sometime in the future…in words and sentences written by Kim Harrington.