Alice's Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Unearthly, Cynthia Hand

Paperback: 432 pages
Released: January 2011
Publisher: HarperCollins
Author's Website
Obtained: Bought
Genre: YA Romance, Paranormal Romance
Series: Unearthly Trilogy
Book Order:
1. Unearthly
2. Hallowed (1st January 2012)

Clara has known she was part-angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago, but only now is her Purpose - the crucial rite of passage for every part-angel - becoming clear to her. Clara′s Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, where, amidst terrifying scenes of a bush inferno, she finds the boy of her visions, Christian. He is everything she could wish for - so why does she also have feelings for her enigmatic classmate Tucker? 

Clara discovers that her Purpose is only a small part of a titanic struggle between angels and their destructive counterparts, the Black Wings. And when the fire of her visions erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

From debut novelist Cynthia Hand comes a riveting tale full of supernatural powers, forbidden romance, and the choice between fulfilling your destiny or following your heart.

I picked up this book with really high expectations-- and this author met them.

Clara is part angel and she receives her purpose-- to be a guardian, messenger, etc-- and it involves a boy standing in the woods in a fire. Clara thinks she's supposed to save him. When she finds out where he lives, she and her family move to Wyoming and here Clara starts her journey to fulfill her purpose as an angel. 

I rag on love triangles all the time and I didn't want to read yet another book with a love triangle, but Cynthia Hand pulls it off so well that it's a barely there thing-- because there really isn't much of a love triangle. Who Clara ended up with in the first book surprised me a lot and I'm really happy with her choice. Never before have I read a book that had such a twist. Hopefully there won't be too much trouble with love triangles in the sequel!

The angel mythology in this book is an important part of the story, with Clara finding another angel-blood friend and getting to know more about herself and her ancestors-- her mum keeps a tight lip about the history and information on angels. Clara finds out that not all angels are good and is rightfully mad at her mum for keeping this info locked up. It also leaves most of us wondering why he mum doesn't want to tell her anything.

The setting for this book is mainly in Jackson, Wyoming-- and I want to live there now! It's basically a ski resort in winter and in summer a holiday dream come true. I totally fell in love with this place. Its rugged beauty made me think of the country in Australia, which is just as beautiful. Hand describes the magnificence of the land so precisely and strikingly that I can almost imagine myself there.

This book is funny (it's one of the only few books I've ever read that really made me laugh) and witty and downright amazing. It kept me hooked and I could barely put it down. Cynthia Hand basically makes you so addicted to this story. It deserves every bit of praise it has gotten, really. I enjoyed the characters (Clara is witty and has a great personality, and Tucker is HOT), the settings and the story. As I have mentioned before: I love angels, and this is one of the best angel books that I've read. It's full of angel mythology (unlike a lot of angel books where the angel part is a minor thing) and loveable characters. I want Jeffrey as a brother. He's a pretty cool little brother to Clara and I think he'll grow up really well. 


The ending of this book left me with a gazillion questions that have yet to be answered. Oh Ms Hand, you just keep us on our toes!

My verdict: Read this book ASAP. The hype that comes with it is very well deserved and this will keep you up all hours of the night because you won't be able to put it down. It's rich in angel mythology and a great romance. I love it and you will too, I hope!