Book Review: Endlessly by Kiersten White (Whitney Finalist)

Title: Endlessly (Paranormalcy #3)
Author: Kiersten White
Enjoyment Rating: ***
Whitney Finalist
This book would be rated: PG, for violence, kissing, and lots creative curse substitutions

When Endlessly opens, Evie has renounced her relationship with the IPCA (the International Paranormal Containment Agency) and is trying to live normal life, going to high school and spending time with her boyfriend. But this is Evie we're talking about, and as long as there are paranormals about, Evie isn't going to be able to fade into the woodwork (as if-- her hot pink, rhinestone-studded clothes aren't exactly the kind that blend). Pretty soon, everyone wants a piece of her, the IPCA, the fairies, and everyone in between. And if the world is going to avoid utter destruction, Evie is going to have to play a role in that too.

When I read Paranormalcy two years ago, one of the things I loved best about the book was Evie's voice. I know that some will say that she is annoying, but I find her glibness and enthusiasm and over-the-top teenage talk endearing (in small bursts). Evie is also funny, which is a refreshing characteristic, especially in the YA Speculative category, where characters tend to take themselves so seriously.

There's a lot of action in Endlessly, which isn't surprising in this category. It feels that many of the books are based a lot on external conflict, which is true in Endlessly. Things happen to Evie. She's not sure who to trust, and she makes a lot of the same mistakes (which feels like inner conflict), but she's not especially reflective, and she's making the same kinds of mistakes in book three that she was making in book one. Her situation has changed by the end of the trilogy, but I'm not convinced that Evie has changed in significant ways. I'm the kind of reader that really grooves on inner conflict, and when I see lots of inner conflict in a YA Speculative book, that's a book that is a winner for me.