Review of Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

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Published January 4th 2011 by HarperTeen

Page Count: 435           

Synopsis

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.

Favourite Quote

“I’ve learned that a storm isn’t always just bad weather, and a fire can be the start of something. I’ve found out that there are a lot more shades of gray in this world than I ever knew about. I’ve learned that sometimes, when you´re afraid but you keep on moving forward, that’s the biggest kind of courage there is. And finally, I’ve learned that life isn’t really about failure and success. It’s about being present, in the moment when big things happen, when everything changes, including myself.”

One Word To Describe The Book

Surprising

My Opinion

This book was definietly unexpecting and I can firmly admit that by the end of this book I was skipping around the house with a goofy grin on my face.

At the beginning as I started reading the book I thought the plot would play out in the same way most YA books do and it seemed really predictable. But when I came around to the half way point I was literally blown away, I really can't explain it, I just fell in love! The relationship which emerged was so unpredictale and refreshing, it felt so beautiful and right. I don't want to give much away in this review because I want everyone to feel as ecsatic as I was when I read it.

I absolutely liked the main character Clara, she was a very strong character and had a lot of will power, I feel the sacrifaces she makes in the book were well worth it and considerable. Something else I really admired about her is that she makes rational decisions and wasn't like many YA female characters who never know when to call it quits or who would do anything for the attention of a boy or even solely put themselves in danger just for BOYS without a valid reason. There was also the fact she let her mother into her life and let her know about the decisions she made. However I would say at some point at the beginning of the book  I started becoming annoyed with her obsession with Christian but that didn't last long.

The characters in this book were well developed, you really got a feel of all the characters lives and emotions towards the end of the book. I would definietly say Tucker and Christians characters bloomed, at the beginning both these characters were not all too interesting but as the book progressed you could absolutely fall in love with either.

I really enjoyed the angel concept/mythology about their purpose which they had to fulfill, it gave the story meaning and created a more hooking storyline.

I clearly believe this book will beyond doubt surprise you but it's up to you whether you consider it to be a good or bad twist. The start of the book was rather slow but it picked up pace half way through the book which had me hooked until the end.

RATING

★★★★ 1/2

4½/5 STARS

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