Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

In the beginning, there's a boy standing in the trees . . . .

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place—and out of place at the same time. Because there's another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make—between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

When I started this book I didn't know what to expect. Angels? Yes, but there is SO much more. It's full of passion and left me completely immersed in the story.

Clara is an awesome character. I love that even though she is part angel, she still acts like a normal teen. She wants to enjoy being a teenager for as long as she can. Same with her brother, Jeffrey. He longs to be a normal teen. All he wants is to be able to live his life without worry of exposing their secret. They don't go around moping that they can't hang out with anyone because they are part angels. They make the best of everything. It did bother me that Clara was a tad bit selfish sometimes. I felt especially bad for her brother because I felt like he sometimes got pushed aside and the focus was all on Clara.

Oh the guys in this series. First, Christian. He is the brooding, athletic, popular guy that every girl in school pines for. Wendy, one of Clara's friends, describes him as the guy every girl is inspired by.

I feel like the focus of Unearthly was definitely on Christian but there wasn't much of him in this book. Although there was just enough to peak my interest.

Now...TUCKER...I loved his personality. He was so sweet but funny at the same time. The banter between him and Clara made me smile through the entire book. Also, when he used the nickname Carrots for Clara...-->

Overall this book was a refreshing outlook on angels. Everything wasn't about love and falling in love. It had so many other aspects like the angels having a purpose, and Clara finding out more about her purpose, family and angels throughout the book. There was so much passion in the writing and it is so beautiful that I found myself not wanting to put this down and wanting to read it everywhere. I loved Clara's younger brother. I think young adult books need more little brothers. Too often paranormal books are all about only children. The younger brothers bring a whole other aspect to the story and I love that. I really enjoyed just getting to know each character. They all have their own unique personalities and it is just great to read about them. Stay tuned for my Hallowed review soon :)

Quote:

“Hey, you feel like driving today?" he asks. "I don't want to walk to the bus stop. It's too cold." 
"You feel like dying today?" 
"Sure. I like risking my life. Keeps things in perspective.” 

Rating: 5 stars