Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 435

Publisher: Harper Teen

Age Group: Young Adult

Release Date: January 4th, 2011

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 apurpose, 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?

Stars: 4/5

Cover: A-

Plot:

The story is fast-paced and exciting. I was really impressed with how well Cynthia Hand captured my attention by the first page, and held it until the end. Some parts of the book, I was holding my breath, and my eyes couldn't read fast enough. Other parts of the book were calm enough that I wasn't sitting on the edge of my chair, but they weren't boring either. I guess the way to describe that is to say that the book has good pace.

I liked the idea behind Unearthly. Sure, there are tons of books out there about supernatural creatures, and the stories are bound to have similarities. But even taking all of that into consideration, I felt that Unearthly was different from all of the other books about angels.

Characters:

I loved the characters. The main character, Cara, was very likable. I was rooting for her the entire way --- even if some of the actions she made weren't the smartest. 

All of the characters were unique. Cynthia Hand gave the characters realistic traits that made them come alive, and feel like they were my friends.

Writing:

The great way Cynthia tells a story makes it seem like there is no book about angels that could even compare to Unearthly. 

Cynthia made me feel what the characters in the book were feeling. I was able to put myself in their places, and be taken out of my world and into theirs.

Cover:

The cover to this is gorgeous. I also love the beautiful font. I just couldn't stop looking at it!!

The Ending:

The end of Unearthly was exciting, eventful, and tied up the book very nicely. I didn't know that Unearthly was the first book in a trilogy, so when I found out that I would be able to read more about Cara and her friends, I was ecstatic.

A Lovely Line:

"Go to hell," she snaps.

His anger feels like a rising mushroom cloud to me, although the expression on his face doesn't change.

"All right," he says.

He murmurs something in Angelic, a word that for once I don't understand, and suddenly the air around us shimmers and splits. There's a shrieking sound, a tearing. The ground under our feet jolts slightly, the way it feel when someone drops something heavy on the floor. Then the earth I know peels away into a gray world.

(Pages 395-396)

The Final Verdict:

When this book hits the shelf, I definitely recommend you go get it! It was such a fun read. 

I really enjoyed myself while reading this, and I think paranormal fans of all ages will too.

FTC: I borrowed this book from Zoe.