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.

New Header!

Well, I suppose it's not new since, technically, I didn't have one before.

But anyways, I really like it, and I think it goes with the blog and adds some much-needed color.

Tell me what you think about it!

The Left Hand Of God by Paul Hoffman

"Listen. The Sanctuary of the Redeemers on Shotover Scarp is named after a damned lie for there is no redemption that goes on there and less sanctuary." 

The Sanctuary of the Redeemers is a vast and desolate place - a place without joy or hope. Most of its occupants were taken there as boys and for years have endured the brutal regime of the Lord Redeemers whose cruelty and violence have one singular purpose - to serve in the name of the One True Faith. 

In one of the Sanctuary's vast and twisting maze of corridors stands a boy. He is perhaps fourteen or fifteen years old - he is not sure and neither is anyone else. He has long-forgotten his real name, but now they call him Thomas Cale. He is strange and secretive, witty and charming, violent and profoundly bloody-minded. He is so used to the cruelty that he seems immune, but soon he will open the wrong door at the wrong time and witness an act so terrible that he will have to leave this place, or die. 

His only hope of survival is to escape across the arid Scablands to Memphis, a city the opposite of the Sanctuary in every way: breathtakingly beautiful, infinitely Godless, and deeply corrupt. 

But the Redeemers want Cale back at any price… not because of the secret he now knows but because of a much more terrifying secret he does not.

Stars: 1.5/5

Cover: D

Sigh. This book was just not for me. I was unable to get into the book from the first page. It wasn't a long book, but it still took me over a WEEK to read, which is a really long time for me to be reading a book.

Plot:

For me, the plot was extremely difficult to follow. I found myself reading a page, and not really knowing what just happened. There were some exciting moments in the book that kept me intrigued for a couple of pages (that's why this book gets 1.5 stars instead of just 1) but for the most part, I just wanted to be done with the book.

I think the main reason I didn't like it because it was not my type of book at all. I'm not one for the medieval-time type of books. 

Characters:

I'm sad to say this, but I really didn't feel any connection to the characters at all. There were so many of them, and none of them really had any distinct qualities, so it was hard to follow who was who.

Writing:

The writing in this book was very formal. I think it was way too serious writing for me --- I felt like I was reading a non-fiction book (which I don't like).

Cover:

The newest hardback cover of The Left Hand Of God is pretty boring. I don't think it portrays what the book is about. And even though the first hardback cover doesn't portray what the story is about, either, it's at least better than the newer version.

The Ending:

By the last thirty pages, I was so anxious to be done reading The Left Hand Of God, I don't really think I absorbed much information. The ending was pretty climatic, and it left you with a cliff hanger.

The Final Verdict:

I would be cautious with this one. If you like books based in medieval times, and that are mildly religious, I would say "have at it." 

I'm thinking about lending this book to one of my family members that likes this type of genre, just to see if it was just me who didn't like the book.

This book is the first in a trilogy, but I won't be reading any of the later books.

Even though I didn't really enjoy The Left Hand Of God book, I don't regret reading it, because now I know which type of book I don't like. :)

FTC: I received this book for review.

"Waiting On" Wednesday (5)

Ripple by Mandy Hubbard

Lexi is cursed with a dark secret. The water calls to her, draws her in, forces her to sing her deadly song to unsuspecting victims. If she succumbs, she kills. If she doesn’t, the pain is unbearable. To keep herself and those she cares about safe, she shuts herself off, refusing to make friends or fall in love—again. Because the last time she fell in love with a boy, he ended up dead. 

Then Lexi meets Cole. Against her better judgment, she finds herself opening up again, falling in love when she knows she shouldn’t. But when she’s offered the chance to finally live a normal life, she learns that the price she must pay to be free of her curse is giving him up. 

In Ripple, Mandy Hubbard spins a sea-ravaged tale of melancholy beauty, and the choices one girl makes between land and waves, love and freedom, her future—and her heart.


Release Date: July 21, 2011


Well, without even reading the synopsis, I knew I just HAD to have this book, for two reasons. The first: it's by Mandy Hubbard. Hello? I love her. And two: the. cover. is. gorgeous.


And then, I read the synopsis, and realized that I would be dying for this book. I love books with allusions to Sirens, and it sounds like Mandy wrote a great modern spin of it. This type of book  isn't what Mandy usually writes, but I think it will be cool to see her branch out, and how her writing will be.


Anyways, I can't wait to get this book. It sounds like a great summer read.

In My Mailbox (4)

Yes, I know,
I tweeted that I was going to actually film an In My Mailbox this week. But, I suck, and I didn't, so all you have is a picture of the book that I got. :P


I only bought one book this week because Christmas is just a couple of days away, and I should (hopefully) be receiving a lot of books.


Anyways, I won The Lost Saint by Bree Despain from Brooke Reviews (it hasn't come in the mail yet) but  I haven't read The Dark Divine yet. So, I figured I might as well pick it up.
And I did.
At the HUGE Colorado bookstore. ;)


Here's a pretty picture of the pretty cover. 

A Prodigal Son
A Dangerous Love
A Deadly Secret 

Grace Divine—daughter of the local pastor—always knew something terrible happened the night Daniel Kalbi disappeared and her brother Jude came home covered in his own blood. 

Now that Daniel's returned, Grace must choose between her growing attraction to him and her loyalty to her brother. 

As Grace gets closer to Daniel, she learns the truth about that mysterious night and how to save the ones she loves, but it might cost her the one thing she cherishes most: her soul.

Sounds good, right?!

Anyways, I pinky promise to a vlog of In My Mailbox next Tuesday, because I'm sure I'll have plenty of books to show you guys. 

See you next week!

A Little Update

Hey, guys! This last week has been really crazy for me --- it was the last week of school before Christmas break, so I had a bunch of tests, and I was packing for Colorado --- so I barely got any reading done, and I didn't post much. (Sorry!)

Buuuuuuuut, I've finally arrived in Colorado, and I'm hoping to finish The Left Hand of God today, or tomorrow. The books I brought with me to read are Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (which I'm reading next), The Devouring by Simon Holt, Willow by Julia Hoban, and Once In A Full Moon by Ellen Schreiber. I'm hoping to get through all of these by the time I leave, which is on the 28th.

Anyways, I just wanted to apologize for being semi-absent, and that it was just temporary.

See you guys soon with a review of The Left Hand of God!

Need by Carrie Jones

Zara White suspects there's a freaky guy semi-stalking her. She's also obsessed with phobias. And it's true, she hasn't exactly been herself since her stepfather died. But exiling her to shivery Maine to live with her grandmother? That seems a bit extreme. The move is supposed to help her stay sane...but Zara's pretty sure her mom just can't deal with her right now.

She couldn't be more wrong. Turns out the semi-stalker is not a figment of Zara's overactive imagination. In fact, he's still following her, leaving behind an eerie trail of gold dust. There's something not right - not human - in this sleepy Maine town, and all signs point to Zara.

In this creepy, compelling breakout novel, Carrie Jones delivers romance, suspense, and a creature you never thought you'd have to fear.

Stars: 5/5

Cover: A

Plot:

Zara step-dad dies, and that's difficult for Zara to get over. Not to mention, she thinks a creepy guy is stalking her. That fear is intensified when she gets sent to live with her grandma in Maine, and the man is still following her, a couple of thousand miles away from where she used to live. 

Weird things start happening, people go missing, and Zara keeps finding this gold dust everywhere. Soon, she starts unraveling the mysteries behind everything that's been happening to her, and her family, and to say the least, the end result is not what you would expect.

I didn't feel like the plot was dull at all, in any places. Itwas painful when I had to stop reading this book to go do something. Carrie Jones has an incredible talent at capturing the reader all the way from the first line of the book until the very last. 

Characters:

The characters were practically jumping out of the page! They were unique (Zara memorized and recited phobias; Devyn was in a wheelchair) and that made them more realistic than any "regular" character could ever be. 

I would have to say my favorite thing about all of the characters is that through the story, they changed, like actual humans do. What I mean is that I got to see Zara go from someone who was paranoid and a little depressed from her step-father dying, to someone who was confident in herself, and, dare I say it, happy. And the change didn't happen overnight, like they unrealistically do in some books, but instead over time. It happened so gradually that I didn't even notice the difference in her until the end of the book.

I knew from the first time I "met" Zara's grandma Betty that she was going to be my favorite character. She was everything you could ever want in a fictional grandma. She was witty, sweet, and loving. She gave great advice, and was always understanding towards Zara. I loved her.

Writing:

Carrie Jones' writing is fantastic. As I mentioned above, she just pulls you into the story, and doesn't let you go. The way she writes is great. It isn't choppy or awkward in anyway. Ahh, I just can't even put into words how much I loved this book!

Carrie is really good at building suspense. A lot of things happened in this book that I would have never guessed would and the twists and turns made me want to keep reading to find out what would happen next.

Need is addicting. I found myself saying, "Okay, one more chapter, and then I'll go to sleep." And then something crazy in the story would happen, and I'd want to know what happens next. I just couldn't put the book down.

And I LOVED that at the beginning of each chapter, there was a different phobia. I didn't even know that that many phobia's existed, and I loved the phobias that were just really odd.

Cover:

The cover to this book is beautiful. I love how the gold dust is completely connected in with the story. Also, it's shiny! Who doesn't love shiny things? I think it's cool how all the covers are tied together with the gold dust.

The Final Verdict:

Go. Buy. This. Book. Now.

Honestly, this book was great. It was so good, I had ordered the sequel, Captivate, up on Amazon before I even finished Need. 

I recommend this book to anyone looking for a captivating (pun intended, seeing as the sequel is Captivate) read that leaves them thinking about it for days on end.

Need is one of those stories that makes you fall in love with the characters, and want to be their best friends.

I don't want Zara's story to end. EVER.

FTC: I bought this book.


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