Review: Unearthly

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Author: Cynthia and

Pages: 448

Publisher: HarperTeen

Source: Library

Challenge: Debut Author Challenge

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.

Unearthly is a nice cool spin on angels and the paranormal genre. It's refreshingly new and has one of the most gorgeous covers I've ever seen.

The story is about Clara, a normal-ish teenager who also happens to be a quarter angel. Clara's been having visions of her purpose and so her family moves from California to Wyoming so that she can achieve it. Clara understands the importance of that and she's a cool character, not too drab but relatable. I love that Clara does small things that seem so normal that I can imagine doing the exact same thing.

This is another angel book and I know that might turn some people off because the other angel books haven't always been too unique but Unearthly is different in many ways. First, this isn't about a regular girl falling in love with a boy with a secret- for once the girl has a secret and is aware of it. I love finally being in the know and it's cool to be on the other side of the "What are you?" conversation. The mythology is new and so much fun to read about, you'll love this world. I have to admit there isn't too much mythology yet, but I expect there will be more.

Even though we know who our supernatural is from pretty much the beginning, there's a ton we readers and Clara don't know. Clara's mother wont tell Clara basically anything and it's annoying but believable. It also puts a wedge in their relationship. Clara and her mom actually have a relationship unlike many books where there is not responsible guardian and if there is, they don't understand. I'm really interested to see how their relationship progresses.

You can expect a bit of a love triangle in Unearthly, but it's very significant to the plot and not there for fun so I like it. Plus I can actually imagine it for once! Both boys are amazing in their own ways and for the first half of the book I was rooting for Christian but for the second half I switched and stuck to Tucker. They're both very daydream-worthy literary crushes.

One thing I wasn't not over the roof about is the pacing. It's not necessarily slow but not much happens quickly. However, I wasn't really bored and this book kept me interested. The end was a big surprise though, and it made me love of the book so much more. Now that I'm done I have a feeling I'll enjoy the second book even more.

Unearthly is a great start to what I think will be an amazing series. I can't wait to read more of this world and I'm already in love with the characters. 4 stars,

****

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