Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Unearthly 
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen (an imprint of HarperCollins)
Release Date: January 4, 2011
Edition: Hardcover
* Purchased on my own.

Summary from GoodReads:
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.

My Thoughts:

Cynthia Hand's take on angels definitely isn't like the others--and I mean this in a completely positive way. Admittedly that was one of my fears going into Unearthly; was I going to be bored stiff by the same repetitive angel mythology? Happily, I was pleasantly surprised by it and well, now I'm hopping about while waiting for the next book to come out!

Clara's recently begun to have visions of her purpose as an angel-blood and they take her from California to Jackson Hole, Wyoming (a place I've actually been to and personally loved) in search of a boy she's only glimpsed in said visions. Enrolled in her new high school Clara makes friends with Wendy and Angela and she's rather put off by Wendy's brother Tucker (known to his friends as Tuck) who seems to have it out for her. She learns that vision boy's name is Christian and knowing that he's a big part of her purpose, she seeks him out. Although Clara knows that Christian is her purpose she can't help but notice Tucker isn't as bad as she thought he was and as things progress, there's a new contender for Clara's heart.

Alright, I know I just made it sound like Clara must fall for one of the guys and well, she does. Actually, I'd say she falls for both a little and then falls for one completely. Which one am I talking about? Can't tell you that! I will, however, say that I love the combination of Clara and Tuck--the level of adorableness is at an all time high--and well, Christian isn't exactly out of the picture.

In this particular case, I wouldn't be able to pick a favorite minor character to rave about because it's really a tie between Maggie (Clara's mother) and Wendy (because best friends stick together, even when they do have fights). Clara herself is pretty amazing too--and not just because of her abilities. I mean, the girl is determined to learn how to fly and she's really waiting (and trying to prepare as best she can) to carry out her purpose--well, trying to go along with the vision as much as possible at least. I'm really hoping that in the next book Cynthia will go more in depth about Maggie and well, the Black Wings (although I am suspecting that Black Wings will play a big part from now on) as well as the different types of angels in general. Meanwhile, I shall satisfy myself with pondering about why Christian and Clara meet one another in the vision and the significance that it'll play later down the road.

Seriously though, I enjoyed reading Unearthly. Cynthia's writing style was easy to read, there was just the right amount of romance (in my opinion), and it introduced the cast of characters wonderfully--although that's one heck of a discovery at the end of the book! If Unearthly sounds like your sort of book, well, I'd say go for it and pick up a copy!

Oh, and Tucker's nickname for Clara (due to the dye incident of which she would probably rather not be reminded)? It's both funny and cute at the same time. He calls her Carrot! I love it--although I'm not too sure that she does! If you've read it already, are you liking Christian more or Tucker? If you haven't yet, who do you think you'll like more? (Clara describes Tucker as sexy-rugged and Christian as sexy-broody.)

Overall Rating: ★★★★★