Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly, #1

Summary: 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.

Review

Imagine thinking that you're just a normal, average teenage girl. You go to school, have friends, and a younger brother. You live in California, enjoying life, with your tangled, unruly hair. Then one day your mother tells you that you are part angel, an angel-blood. And so is she. And your brother. And that your grandfather is a full-blooded angel. And that every angel and angel-blood has a purpose, and one day, you will receive that purpose. That is what happens to Clara Gardner.

She is, in fact, no ordinary human. She is stronger, faster, smarter, great at everything. She is an angel-blood. And she is on this earth for a reason. A purpose. And that purpose just so happens to involve a very hot, very sexy skier who lives in Wyoming, and whose name is Christian Prescott. The problem with this is that she has no idea what it is she's supposed to do. Her visions never tell her and only come in little snippets at a time. They involve a fire and Christian and a terrible sadness. That is all she knows. And these visions always come at the worst times: in class, while driving, in the middle of phone conversations... When her family moves to Jackson, Wyoming after seeing a license plate from the state in her vision, Clara is determined to make the best of things and to fulfill her purpose at all costs, to save the boy who she can't get out of her head from a raging forest fire. She soon finds that it's going to be a lot more complicated than she ever imagined.

On the very first day of school, where her brother Jeffrey seems to magically fit in with ease, Clara almost wrecks her new car into a big blue truck, passes out, and gets on the bad side of a girl named Kay, who just so happens to be Christian's girlfriend. Clara befriends Wendy who ironically is the twin sister of the boy who's truck she almost hit, and discovers that the boy's name is Tucker. After Clara makes fun of his truck (in which he has named Bluebell), she quickly learns that it is a bad idea to insult a cowboy's truck.

As the days drag on, Clara begins to doubt herself and her abilities. She can't fly, no matter how hard she tries. Her hair has started to glow, and after attempting to die her hair red, it ends up orange. She tries several times to die it another color, any color, but it's quite clear that the bright orange coloring is here to stay. Time inches closer and closer to the fire hazard days, and Clara works hard to train herself to be ready, with the help of her family and a new friend, who also shares Clara's secret. What she doesn't expect is to have a distraction. And that distraction could cost her everything. The only question is: when the times comes, will she be able to fulfill her purpose??

Man, oh man, did I love this book. It's filled with romance and discovering who you are and lots of fun in the Wyoming countryside. And Tucker. Oh Tucker, how I love him. This boy just seems like the perfect guy, I'm telling you. He's sexy, he keeps things interesting, and he knows how to have fun. He's kind, he opens the car door for you, he's unbelievably sweet and caring. He rides horses. He's a country boy. I think I'm in lurrrve And for some reason I seem to really identify with Clara, even though she is an angel-blood and all. Unearthly draws you in from the very first page, when you first learn about her visions. And we can't forget that where there are good angels (White Wings), there are also the bad angels: the fallen, the Black Wings. There's even a run-in with them. The story is interesting, has an amazing plot, and a twist at the end that I didn't see coming (though maybe I should have). I just really, absolutely loved this book, and I can't wait to read Hallowed!

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