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: 0062043102
• ISBN13: 9780062043108
• Publish Date: 19 April 2011 (first published 4 January 2011)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

Unearthly is the best paranormal romance I have read. Clara is an almost perfect protagonist. Being partially dorky but also pretty and a little bit popular makes her real and relateable. She has teenage problems and sometimes freaks out, but does so without being annoying. She is not quite a kick-ass heroine, but she is strong in her own quiet, steady way, and it is very inspiring.

Of course, Clara is not just a normal teenager—she is also part angel. Hand portrays the paranormal mix in Clara well, as she feels drawn to her purpose and strives to be a good person so her wings can stay white, but she is not perfect and not at all preachy. Being angelic is almost something she is supposed to achieve with effort and respect, not something that was thrust upon her so she is just cooler than all humans. The concept of full angels is presented equally well. They come across as strong and pure without seeming ridiculous or impossible, strong without seeming only supernatural and not divine. Hand has captured the essence of her paranormal creatures in skilled, beautiful, and knowledgeable way that few other authors can claim.

The romance is also a very strong aspect of the book. There is no “instalove” to be found here. Sometimes there is a love triangle, but sometimes there is not. Basically, Clara is drawn to different characteristics in different boys, just as any teenager could be, so the triangle seems like a real and plausible occurrence, not something the author forced upon readers for more “excitement.” The love between Clara and the boy she finally chooses grows naturally and slowly, and when they finally come together the moment is truly beautiful. As a bonus, Clara is able to experience it in a unique way because she is part angel. More such moments are sure to come in the sequel.

The plot also will continue because (miracle!) there is a valid plot in Unearthly. Clara is supposed to puzzle out what her purpose on Earth is, and then train so she can fulfill it. In addition to the fact that this is simply a lovely thought, the concept is very engaging. Watching Clara trying to figure it out is a bit like watching a mystery unfold—full of suspense with just a touch of action and maybe some more romance on the side. Some logic seems to fail other characters when it comes to Clara’s purpose (Apparently if she does anything else except meditate on her purpose she is utterly doomed to failure!), but it was not a major flaw. And by the end of the book just enough questions are left open to keep readers wishing for Hallowed without leaving them completely baffled or dead from too much suspense.

Anyone looking for a romance with beauty and substance instead of characters kissing each other just because they can will want to pick up Unearthly soon.

This review was also published at Pages Unbound Book Reviews.

[kimbacaffeinate]

3.5 stars
I picked Unearthly up sometime in 2011 because I loved the cover. For some reason, it kept getting shuffled around to the back of my TBR pile and after reading a review I almost bought it again. Unearthly is the first in a trilogy and I will be reviewing book two the Hallowed later this month. This novel is filled with angel mythology, suspense, romance and typical high school drama.

The protagonist is sixteen year old Clara Gardner. Clara is an angel-blood. Her mother was part angel and her father is human. Every angel has a purpose; a task they must perform in their lifetime. When Clara begins to have visions about her purpose, she and her family move from California to Wyoming. Clara’s visions show a young man and a fire. She believes she must save him from it.

In Wyoming, Clara and her younger brother try to fit in at the new high school. Which isn’t easy, since being part angel makes you faster, smarter, and better at almost everything. Clara attempts to get closer to Christian (who she quickly learns is the young man in her vision) and learn her purpose. The school year is filled with typical high school drama. Clara begins to crush on Christian. She makes a few girlfriends. Wendy is the first to friend her. I really liked Wendy; she doesn’t care about the in-crowd and seems to genuinely care about Clara. She has a twin brother named Tucker who teases Clara unmercifully. Clara also befriends Angela. The friendship between them grows when Angela reveals her secret to Clara. I haven’t made up my mind about Angela. There is something I do not trust about it.

During the summer while Clara waits for Christian to return from a trip, she starts spending time with Tucker. We slowly get to see this romance unfold, and I enjoyed watching Clara come to realization that she loves Tucker. This romance is pure, believable and sweet. Clara’s mother fearing Tucker will distract her from her purpose; grounds Clara and forbids her to see Tucker until her purpose is completed.

Throughout Unearthly there is something sinister lurking and Clara has experiences with it more than once. As the tales moves towards its conclusion we are again confronted with this evil. We witness a battle between good and evil. After the battle, Clara is suddenly overwhelmed with a vision and realizes the time is now. Her purpose is now. She flies to save Christian. When she arrives she is too early and as she waits she learns someone she loves is in danger. She must choose between fulfilling her purpose and saving someone she loves. The ending left me with more questions than answers. I am hoping Hand clarifies things more in book two.

[Amber]

I stayed up all night reading this one XD

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Review to come!

[lizarodz]

Uhm...Where do I start with this one? Ok, let me start by saying that I love books about angels. I found some aspects of the story refreshing, for example, Clara knows exactly what she is and that there is a higher purpose to her life (no pressure.) I also liked that the love triangle doesn't last that long (although I'm sure it will come into play in the rest of the series) and that Clara is a strong lead character. There is also a certain air of mystery and secrecy that surrounds Clara's family and the angel-bloods in general that I liked.
I have to warn you that this series is highly addictive, I just wished that the ending wasn't such a cliffhanger (don't you think?) Apparently there is a lot involved in being an angel-blood.
*Sigh* Ah, Tucker. Since it's all the rage to choose sides in books now I confess myself to be in 'Team Tuck'. He is not only handsome, but understanding, loving, considerate, etc. (I can keep going on and on...) Christian is not a bad character, but he is absent for a big chunk of the story and I didn't identify with him as much.
The next installment of the series is called Hallowed and I'm not sure when it will be published, but I can assure you that I will read it!
About the cover: When I saw the book in the store I thought is was beautiful, BUT after reading the book I don't think it represents the story at all. There are two other covers (UK/Paperback) in Ms. Hand's blog that I liked a lot more that this one.

[Stephanie]

I stayed up till 2 am to finish this book when I had to wake up at 8, because I couldn't put it down. After finishing the book my first thought was "Wait... What?" because there were so many unanswered questions that Hand leaves you hanging with in the end. This was the first 400+ page book that I was mad about it ending.

I really enjoyed the angel mythology. It comes in bits and pieces so it's much easier to understand. The last angel book I read, I didn't really understand the mythology, so it was very refreshing to actually understand it. I also really liked that the setting was in Wyoming. It made everything much more interesting. And the high school Clara goes to, I wish I went there and got to take that British History class.

Clara's mom bugged me though. Clara spoke about how close she was with her mom, but when they got to Wyoming, her mom shuts herself off and barely talks to Clara, when Clara obviously need her moms guidance to figure out the purpose. And then her mom gets mad a Clara towards the end? She should have been mad at herself for not paying attention!

I absolutely loved Tucker and the relationship between him and Clara. He takes Clara out to do so many awesome things like white water rafter and jumping off a high tree into a river. Tucker is also the reason why I now want to go take a trip up to Wyoming. The relationship between Christian, Clara, and Tucker and seeing how it will all unfold was very interesting and fun to read.

I was kind of expecting the little twist in the end, but I quickly discarded it thinking it wouldn't happen, but then it did happen. Not that that's a bad thing, I like being right most of the time.

Unearthly is an awesome debut. I can't wait for the next book!

[Linda]

A remarkable story! Outstanding, really, the characters all had a way of making me feel attached to them, the story moved forward easily, there was a sense of mystery and urgency until the very end of the book. Clara is an excellent female heroine, she is strong, capable, and really takes other people's feelings into consideration most of the time. At the same time, she feels very different, and a little excluded by her mother.

Clara's mom, Meg, was also attaching, but not the best mom-character I've ever read, she almost reminded me a little bit of Nora's (Hush, Hush) mother. She knew that Clara's purpose was coming up very soon, but she still left her alone with her brother for a good part of the summer. Even when she was around, she was absorbed in other things, and did not share nearly enough information with Clara. Then, when Clara made some mistakes (not serious mistakes imo) she got angry with her, and shut her out again. I do get that a lot of things has to be learned from experience, but somehow, I disagree that it ALL has to come from own experience. What good is it to have parents if they are not able to help their children on the way? Even when children have to take their responsibilities, and grow up and make hard choices, the parents really should be there to guide and help them. Especially in a situation where the children are part-angels, and seem to have a very important purpose in life, even if that purpose is not easy to figure out, as it first happens through visions.

I loved Clara and Tucker's relationship, very healthy and happy, and when she shared the truth with him, he thought about it, and was able to love her just the way she was. I don't think that he took her away from her purpose, I think the love they shared made her a lot stronger, and able to deal with the difficulties ahead of her. When she had to call on her glory when the black-wing Sam tried to kill Meg, she was able to do so when thinking of Tucker and the love she feels for him.

And it seems her purpose might not have been to save Christian after all, maybe they were simply supposed to know that they are both angel-bloods, so that they can fight the black-wings together?

I am not so sure about Angela though, she could be a lot older than she seems, and even if her wings are still white, that does not mean her Italian (angel?) bf isn't a black-wing, and she might want to fight the 'wrong' side.

And I also wonder what's up with Kay! Why did Christian think he couldn't be what she wanted? And how much does she know about the angels living around town?

I am (im)patiently waiting for the next book, I love this universe, and I love how the characters all came to life, and made me feel something for them.

[ladygrey]

This book has one of the most gorgeous book covers I have ever seen. Absolutely stunning!

I saw it on the best book covers in 2011 and immediately began lusting after this book. Fortunately, I got it within a week or so of discovering it on the list and immediately devoured it.

I found it simple and sweet; there isn't anything bad about this book, there just also isn't anything great (except the cover). The writing is simple and straight-forward but well paced. As far as quick reads go, it's enjoyable. The plot is thin, but the characters are good. I don't like all the unanswered and unexplored bits at the end; finishing a book with loose ends isn't fun. Fortunately, the characters are good enough that I'm willing to follow them into the next book, whenever that happens.