Unearthly

Goodreads 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 by Cynthia Hand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would. The concept of the book was so quickly revealed that I wasn't sure where it could go. I also wasn't sure how interesting a book about a teenaged angel could be. But it was surprisingly interesting and I couldn't put it down.

As usual with me, there were a couple of things that I didn't like. I thought Angela's character was overdeveloped. I expected her to have more involvement because of how much she was set up. Cynthia Hand wrote so much about Angela's research on Black Wings and the Black Wing section was less than a chapter. I thought that was unnecessary. There are at least two more books in this series so perhaps Angela and all of her research will become more important in the next installment. I was also very frustrated by the ending. I think it was geared that way and it definitely worked. I was furious that I didn't know what was going to happen between Clara and Tuck or Clara and Christian or Clara and her mother. And what the heck is going on with Jeffrey. I was left with so many unanswered questions. I'm sure that the questions are taken care of in Hallowed but I think that there might have been a few too many cliff hangers. It made the book seem incomplete versus it leaving you in suspense. There was no real conclusion. I found that irritating.

Beyond those things, I thought this was a very well written book. It packed a lot of punches and kept you guessing until you found out the truth about Christian. Cynthia Hand is a creative writing professor at Pepperdine University so she knows a little bit about writing a great story. I'm excited to see what happens next!!

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