Unearthly (Unearthly, #1)

by Cynthia Hand

Sixteen-year-old Clara Gardner's purpose as an angel-blood begins to manifest itself, forcing her family to pull up stakes and move to Jackson, Wyoming, where she learns that danger and heartbreak come with her powers.

• ISBN10: 0061996173
• ISBN13: 9780061996177
• Publish Date: 1 November 2011 (first published 4 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 24 May 2013
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Inc
• Imprint: HarperCollins
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[KitsuneBae]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars

Had I read this 3 years ago, I would have given it a higher rating. I had a lot of expectations with Unearthly considering that I've seen it on a lot of bloggers' favorite books list. But after reading it, it just felt lacking. Not too intense, not even swoon worthy, like everything was done with half-a-heart. The characters, Clara, Tucker, Angela, Christian, Jeffrey were just okay. It's just that I didn't feel sacrificing my life for them...you know what I mean.

No offense to the fans but End of Days is still the best angel series for me.

[nitzan_schwarz]

2015 tbr challenge

JUST POSTED ON THE BLOG :)

I wrote and re-wrote this review about three times. Maybe more. It took me about a month to finally post it at all, and I wasn't sure I was ever going to get there. For once, it's not because I don't have what to say. It's because I have too much and I just don't know how to put it down in writing or what to focus on and it's driving me nuts.

It's been a long, long time since I've read such a solid and well balanced contemporary YA fantasy. Especially one that's an angel book. And, to be honest, I really wasn't expecting this to be this good; this well rounded; to have all the elements I'm looking for in a story.

First of all, the whole concept here is refreshing and well thought out. It's obvious the author knew exactly what she was going for and not only that - knew what she wanted to develop it into. We don't learn everything in this book. Far from it. We're given enough so we understand everything that's happening, while making it clear a lot of vital information is still missing from this puzzle and will be unraveled in the future. I love that.

I loved Clara, the main character. Geez, when was the last time I read of a YA heroine who is level headed, logical, rational and real. Who fights for what she wants and for her life. Who is willing to listen. Who doesn't give up. Who is actively working on her life and not just... waiting for something to happen--Especially when the whole plot actually revolves around waiting for a certain event to happen?

This was so precious to me. I was 100% behind Clara and with her.

And then, the romance? My god. I was so afraid of the romance because the synopsis seems to tease Insta love and I am happy to inform the synopsis is lying! No insta love for this book, thank god. Just a case of insta attraction which is a-okay with me. Instead, we've got delicious, slow burn built up between two people who I think are meant to be together and asdfghjkl so many feels.

Is there a love triangle? Kinda. We do have two boys.

The first is Christian, the guy who Clara uprooted her whole family for. He's sweet, nice, kind of removed... but I didn't feel much towards him. He's, to me, not appealing. There isn't too much to him, and even when he was nice to Clara it never felt like he was really invested in her.

The second? Love of my life, light of my soul, what else could a girl want when she's got the sweet and layered rancher Tucker Avery in her life (romantically wise, anyways)? He starts off as the guy who teases and makes fun of Clara, in a rather fun manner. Then he grows to be more, showing her around the place and being sweet af and just... I can't with this guy.

Don't need to tell you which team shirt I'm gonna buy, is there?

Then we've got the surrounding relationships in the book which were all wonderful. The siblings in this novel love each other. They are also a pain in each other's butts, but when they need each other they are there for them. It's so realistic and heartwarming and I loved it.

Then we have the parental relationship between Clara and her Mom which was a big part of the story. I loved their relationship, even as we watched it begin to fracture underneath the weight of secrets and lies and destiny. But their love was never in question. 

And everyone in this story are such good friends to one another. Good, real, healthy friendships. You've no idea how much I miss those in literature sometimes. 

I highly recommend this novel to everyone who love YA and fantasy, and I will most definitely read the sequels! 

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[Vicki]

3.5 stars

[thebookdisciple]

Great paranormal romance.

[tellemonstar]

Clara is a fairly level-headed and intelligent teenager whose reactions to the various discoveries she makes throughout Unearthly are delightfully realistic. She explains that when her mum told her she was an angel-blood, she thought her mother had gone crazy. It wasn't until her mother proved to Clara that she was definitely telling the truth, that she accepted that maybe her mother hadn't gone completely bonkers. I loved how she had to learn to fly - it wasn't just a natural-born talent. It made the whole idea of angel-bloods much more realistic.

I love the idea of angel-bloods having a 'purpose'. The fact that they must piece together what their purpose is, through visions and dreams, makes it all the more interesting, although it does make it very frustrating and difficult for Clara - she doesn't know when the events in her vision will occur, just that they will occur at some point. I really want to know what Jeffery's purpose is, and Angela's as well, so hopefully we will find out more details about those.

The insta-attraction thing with Clara and Christian was nicely done. Explained as "well every girl lusts after Christian, so it's perfectly normal" but also as part of her purpose. With the last couple of chapters revealing everything, it made sense in a nice, non-stalkerish way. However, I really liked Tucker over Christian, and I would love to tell Christian to bugger off and let Clara figure out who she wants for herself. (Tucker!)

The one thing I found a bit frustrating was Clara's mum. She seemed very hesitant to give out any information to Clara, yet later on when Clara's friend Angela, who is also an angel-blood, asked about angel-related things she seemed quite happy to answer. I know she is trying to protect Clara as much as possible, but it's still annoying, because it seems as though it's not okay for Clara to ask questions, but if anyone else does then it's all good.

Cynthia Hand weaves well-researched and thought out angel mythology through Unearthly, and it makes the whole thing much more interesting and cohesive to read. The angel mythology in the book, which is a mix of Christian, Jewish and Islamic mythology, stays very much true to itself. There are no sudden changes to the mythology or random breakaways from the set mythology, and I really must applaud the author for this because that is something that drives me absolutely nuts.

[Kim Deister]

The story of Unearthly grabbed me from the very beginning! The book starts out with mystery, diving right into the story and I loved that. Clara is amazing as the protagonist. Even knowing she is something more than human, part angel, she is humble and unsure... just like every teenage girl. Her younger brother Jeffrey is the perfect younger brother, generally surly and pretty antisocial when it comes to his sister. But right from the beginning, I knew that it was going to be hard to choose between the two apparent love interests... Team Christian or Team Tucker? Both of them were really great guys and that love triangle added a lot to the story line!

One of the things that I loved most about this book was the romance aspect. In all honesty, I am not generally a fan of true romance novels, novels in which the romance is the central focus. They tend to be too neatly put together, too formulaic. And, very often, the lead female is often portrayed as obsessed or unable to stand for herself in the face of love. THIS WAS NOT THAT BOOK! The romance was there, but Clara was a strong girl and fully capable of being herself and being true to herself. There was a depth to the romance that sometimes is left out of YA romances, romance based on something more than hot boys and sparkly vamps, or something like them. No insane, over the top, teenage "emo-ness" at all. Actual healthy relationships! Great message!

The premise of angels and their "purpose" was an interesting bit of Unearthly mythology. I appreciated that her angels were angels in the traditional sense, not made out to be sexy beasts that somehow remained angelic, but still likable, understandable creatures. There is the unavoidable aspect of religion and God when an angel story, but the author did a great job of putting God into the story without being offensive to believers or preachy to nonbelievers.

Things to love about Unearthly...

--The cliffhanger ending. I already loved the book, but the twists at the end, while I guessed at them, left me wanting to start the next book immediately!
--Tucker and Christian. I love them both. They are both good guys and it is impossible to choose between them!
--The flow and the pacing. Not once did I stop to wonder where things were going. Instead, I was just engrossed and swept along with the story.

My recommendation: If you like angel reads, this is one of the best I've read!

[Kelsenator]

Originally posted on my blog Kelsey's Cluttered Bookshelf.

Clara, her mom and brother are all part-angel. Clara starts having visions of a boy and a big forest fire when she becomes of age for her powers, and then things start to change. Every angel has a purpose, so to fulfill Clara’s, her mom moves them to Jackson, Wyoming.

When she gets there, she tries to make new friends at the school. Since she’s new she’s practically invisible, aside from the rumours flying around due to certain popular girls. Pieces of her vision start to become familiar, especially the car of the boy she’s meant to find. When she finally does see him, she realizes how perfect he looks and acts after getting to know him a bit, and she starts to feel an attraction to him. She keeps convincing herself that it’s only for her purpose that she gets close to him.

Her mom doesn’t tell her everything and keeps secrets and wants her to figure some things on her own, which annoys Clara to no end. She wonders how she can face her purpose when it happens if she doesn’t have any knowledge of anything else. Her own flying lessons keep going horribly and she can’t even lift off the ground, yet she’s expected to carry Christina out of the fire.

As the summer progresses, things change, she gets close to some and more distant to others. When the vision finally does happen, it’s a shocking end.

This angel book was just hard to stop reading, I didn’t think I would like that type of book but it surprised me! I loved Clara, and Tucker was really cool too. I never liked Angela though, but I wish I had a friend like Wendy! The powers that Clara and the angels could possess was awesome, I loved being in her head and seeing her journey through her school semester and summer. I jsut really loved this book, and I don’t know why I put off reading it for so long.

There’s many a cliffhanger and secrets being kept at the end of this book, but it was so worth it, I definitely recommend this for young adult fans of paranormal, angel and romance books!

This is my new favourite book and series!! I loved it! Absolutely loved it! As you can see from my five club rating

When I finished this book I went out and ordered it from my book store. I wanted to have a copy of my own.

The quote on the cover of this book describes how I feel about this book. Exactly.

To be honest, the blurb didn’t sell me on it. Because it sounds like the story was going to have a lot of religious views, because it’s about angels and all. Also then because it’s about angels and the first book I read on angels was Fallen, which I hated, so you can imagine my hesitancy. I felt like it told the whole story in a nut shell so what is there left to read? Well the answer is quite a lot really. And it’s not that religious at all. There are references here and there but it doesn’t dwell on religion.

As soon as I started reading I was captivated by the writing style, it was written in first person present tense which usually leaves me feeling like I can’t get drawn in to the story. But with Unearthly that was not the case. The tense worked incredibly well, it was unobtrusive and exciting. I found I actually couldn’t put this book down because I was so excited to see what was going to happen next.

It was a little slow for the real story to start but to be honest I didn’t mind. I didn’t get bored at all through this story. I felt the beginning was a good start and a good way of explaining things without the reader feeling like they just got a whole lot of information dumped on them and hardly had any time to process or understand it.

I took my time to read this book because I loved it so much. I actually found myself late at night stopping myself from reading more just so I could read it for a day longer, just so I could feel excited to get home from work or class and pick up the book to read more of it. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. Hence the five club rating!

I found it very easy to connect with Clara, she had imperfections, she had real worries, she wasn’t dramatic or annoying, she seemed so real and thought like a real person in her situations. She wasn’t so immature that you felt like she acted like a kid. She wasn’t so immature that I’m sure older readers will also be able to connect with her as well as the younger ones (I’m 22 is that says something).

I absolutely loved that the relationships took time to grow and become what they were. They didn’t just happen instantly. The one thing I hate is when the main character falls in ‘love’ at the very beginning and its obvious a quarter of the way through that the guy she’s in love with is also in love with her. Where’s the fun in trying to capture the guy that way? It’s like, “Helloo, you both like each other so what the hell is keeping you apart?”. There is no fun in reading that. So the fact that this book did not do that is one huge plus for me and makes me sigh in relief!

I found myself asking so many questions. Like her brother Jeffrey, you just know he’s up to something but you have no idea what. And her mother Maggie, what on earth is she hiding from Clara? It must be huge! I have huge suspicions about her friend Angela. And her friend Wendy? Hmmmmmm, I just have a niggling feeling about her and her twin brother Tucker (Which I could be totally wrong about). You feel like this and it excites you trying to figure out the answers to all these questions. No wonder I wanted to read Clara’s story forever.

The ending left me a little confused and feeling quite down though. I know I’ve said quite a lot that I like good-feel endings but this is different. I loved the whole story and yes the ending did make me feel sad and anxious but it was a good sad and anxious. It definitely left me asking a lot more questions. So many questions need to be answered still, but there aren’t so many that it’s ridiculous. It’s the right amount to let your imagination go crazy trying to put all the pieces together. To want to buy the second book straight away to find out what really happens.

I am very excited to read the next book. So excited that I want to leave it a while purely because the third book does not come out till next year! I must sound crazy if I say I love this book so much but a year is a very long time to wait for the third book when I know I will want to read it as soon as I finish the second book. So I don’t want to put myself through that pain just yet!

Cynthia Hand is now one of my favourite authors. Following Juliet Marillier (I love most of her books, mostly the Wildwood series although I loved Heart’s Blood just as much.) and Richelle Mead.

I highly recommend you give this book a go! Then let me know your opinion on it!

Miss J
x

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

Unearthly is another novel I was convince to pick up due to the high praise back in February from some enthusiastic Aussie bloggers (thank you, ladies!). So I pulled it out of my reading pile, intrigued by the two boys that were so talked about. And now I'm wishing I had picked it up much sooner!

I don't even know where to start. It's such a great new take on the whole angel story. There are a few books out there where the main character is an angel, and she either knows it or she doesn't. With this book, Clara grew up a completely normal girl, thinking she was human and not knowing any different until she turned fourteen and her mother told her the truth: she is part angel, and as such, she will eventually have a purpose, a mission from up high, that is the whole reason she was born. So when the book starts with Clara starting to get visions of her purpose when she's sixteen, she already knows what she is. There's still a lot her mother won't tell her, and is still pretty much a normal teenager. But once her vision starts giving clues as to what her purpose will involve and wear, the family uproots and moves. She has to save a beautiful boy from a forest fire. She doesn't know when, or why, or who, just that that's what she has to do.

As you can imagine, giving up your whole life to move somewhere to help some unknown would be a little annoying, and a little scary. But hey, when the guy you've got to save is the beautiful Christian - lovely, popular, gorgeous Christian - having to spend time with him to try and work out what she needs to do doesn't seem so much of a hassle anymore. She quickly makes friends and settles into her new life, and focuses on trying to pepare for the inevitable rescue, but things aren't always so easy. Tucker, her best friend's cowboy of a twin brother, makes it his mission to annoy the hell out of her and, unknowingly, distract her. And what a distraction!

Both boys are just awesome! There's nothing to really dislike about either guy; they're both gentlemanly, they're both good looking, they both care about the feelings of others, and in their own ways, they both set Clara's blood buzzing! However, I felt that I didn't get to know Christian enough due to lack of page time, so I am all for Tucker! Tucker is just the sweetest guy, and how he and Clara constantly take the mick out of each other is just so sweet! The boy is hot! And he's outdoorsy! And... he's just Tucker! I will say that a minor problem for me is how much time we get to see of Clara and each boy together. There are lots of times where they hang out, but there isn't much detail for some of the times. It's a lot of tell and no showing. I know some those times may not have been pivotal to the story, but I feel they would have helped me get to know the two boys a little better. They're both central to the story, and I feel I only have a vague grasp on who Christian is, and know only a little more about Tucker. Sweet moments are good moments, I want to see them, please! On the other hand, the book is already 433 pages long (my edition), so I guess they would have just made the book so much longer.

The mythology for Unearthly is great, but there is still so much we don't know, because Clara doesn't know. So much is hidden from her, for whatever reason, and you get frustrated right along with them. What is up with the Black Wings exactly? Other than that they're evil angels. Why is Clara's mother so intent on keeping Clara in the dark about a lot of things? What is up Angela, Clara's new friend, and her own secrets? No answers in this book. Despite all the questions, what we do know is cool; Clara learning about her wings and how to fly, discovering what glory is, and Clara's own abilities. It's fun!

Oh, the ending! I did NOT see it coming at all! I was so shocked! Such a twist to throw in! Now I'm questioning everything, and I have no idea where things are going to go next! There was something missing from the book though. I really enjoyed it, dreamed about it even, but I was never desperate to find out what was going to happen until I got to the very end. I can't put my finger on exactly why this was - possibly not knowing enough about the guys for my liking? - but there were days when I wouldn't pick it up, yet others that when I did, I was reading for hours. Normally, a book like this would take me about three days, but it's been over a week. And I can't really say why.

Overall, an awesome novel, and one you should definitely check out! So glad I have the next book, Hallowed, waiting for me to read. I will definitely be picking it up soon!

[Angie]

Finally an angel book that I really really enjoyed! It wasn't cheesy, and the religious aspect wasn't overdone, in fact it was barely mentioned, like angels are just another supernatural entity. Clara, our main character, is a quarter angel and she's just received her purpose...kind of. She gets visions of who she's suppose to be protecting, but no other details. Of course her purpose involves a beyond gorgeous teenage boy, but too bad he and Clara are in two completely different social circles. I actually really liked that despite being an angel, Clara isn't completely irresistible to humans. She has to struggle for his attention just like any other girl, except maybe his bitchy girlfriend.

Another thing I really liked about Unearthly is that Clara's mom is actually involved. There's no "wait, and where are the parents?" moments during this book. Clara's mom is present and involved with Clara's life and is trying to help her as much as possible in her own secretive way. They have a great relationship and are completely hilarious together in the beginning. Especially when they're trying to come up with worse names the mean kids can call her other than "Bozo." Their relationship isn't all sunshine and rainbows though; they have their fights, but Clara's mom is always there. I am very curious about what she's hiding though.

Now, back to the beyond gorgeous teenage boy. He's suppose to be all business for Clara, but of course she tries to mix in a little bit of pleasure. Is that such a good idea? I didn't think so, especially when there's a perfectly nice boy who's obviously genuinely interested in her. And she's obviously genuinely interested in him. Gotta love love triangles! Although we don't get to see much of her relationship developing with Christian (beyond gorgeous teenage boy), but it is there. We do get a whole lot of Clara and Tucker though. I loved how they did normal things, and just hung out, no pressure. It felt like they had a real connection, rather than the one with Christian, which is something else entirely.

I love Clara's friends! This doesn't seem to happen to often for me. I always tend to find at least one friend utterly irritating or flat, but not here. Wendy is a sweetheart and befriends Clara right away. Clara might not be able to be 100% honest with her, but I think they have a solid friendship. Plus she's party responsible for pushing Clara and Tucker together, so yay Wendy! Then there's Angela, whom I adore. She's quirky and smart, and a little mysterious. I definitely need to learn more about her! Clara has a brother who I felt was just kind of...there, until about 3/4 through the book when I went "huh, I wonder what's up with that?" Looking forward to finding out the answer to that, too.

The last 40ish pages, wow. Intense. I have no clue where this story is going, but I need to find out ASAP!

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.