Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Pages: 435

Genre: Paranormal, Romance
Format: Paperback (UK)
Published by Egmont Books
Originally Published January 4, 2011 by HarperTeen
Goodreads // Amazon

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.

This book was an adventurous ride! I can't believe I didn't pick it up before. I wasn't so sure about angel teen romance, but this book has me convinced unlike Hush, Hush. Because the point of view was from Clara, the teen angel-blood, we learned a lot about her world and why she was motivated to act the way she did. I think this makes it more believable this way around

I was enraptured by the romance in this book. It seemed so natural rather than the usual high school paranormal romance with their BAM, I love yous. Clara becomes entangled with Christian because he's the boy in her visions to the point where she doesn't notice Tucker, the slow flame. Two genuinely nice guys with something different to offer Clara. Usually, love triangles sort of annoy me, but somehow this one is done really nicely. I truly feel Clara's heart tugged back and forth as she battles her thoughts on where her destiny (literally, not just teenage drama) and her heart lie.

The characters were original and well done. I enjoyed Clara's two good friends Wendy and Angela. She can get help with her human and angelic problems from them. I also thought Clara's mom Meg and brother Jeffrey were great additions. Sometimes in teen novels, family just becomes a plot device, but these two each had a purpose and actually added something to the story.

Even though Clara is part angel, I still could tell that she was just a teenage girl. Her problems seemed real and she seemed vulnerable and complex at the same time. I enjoyed reading from her perspective. She's really witty and funny and written like a real teenager. She reacted to situations in ways I feel I would have. Having a purpose in life is daunting when you're only 16 or 17!

I definitely recommend this book to someone who feels that there's often something missing in teen paranormal romance. Whatever you've been missing, you'll find it here. I wouldn't say this novel was ground-breaking, but it is something seriously enjoyable like a great guilty pleasure. I'll definitely be reading the next novel and novel to come!