Review: Unearthly and Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

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.

Review:

The thing I liked most about Unearthly was Clara. Then Hand's writing. Both were executed beautifully and I loved being in the world Hand had created for us. There was never really a point where I was confused about any of the mythology or needed more explanations besides the obvious mystery aspects that Clara also didn't know.

I got this book before its US official release in stores, but I've been really lazy in both reading and reviewing this novel. I guess that's because while I loved the concept, nothing really grabbed me about it. Unearthly is the kind of book you just don't realise how great it is until you experience it yourself.

The novel was fun and I really liked how Hand formed the relationships and made her characters three dimensional. Each character was unique and each relationship was different and I'm completely torn in that good way, because I love the both of them!

The cover was gorgeous, even if the Aussie and American versions are different. I do prefer the America one, although I've heard a lot of people say they prefer the Aussie one instead.

The novel ended on a cliff hanger and I cannot wait to see how the newest complications get solved in the sequel!

Review: 5 stars
Date Published: January 4th 2011
Publisher: HarperTEEN
Source: Bought
Format: paperback
Date Read: Jan 2011
Page Count: 432
Series/Stand Alone: Unearthly #1

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Review:

I have no idea why it took me so long to get to Hallowed. I mean, I loved Unearthly. All I remember was: I love this novel. And what is the only thing I remember about Hallowed when I come to write this review? I love this novel. Hand has such a talent for writing. I just love her style. I know some people don't like present tense because they feel like they can't connect--but I connected with Clara so well again in Hallowed. I think it has more to do with Clara's voice than anything--her witty...moreI have no idea why it took me so long to get to Hallowed. I mean, I loved Unearthly. All I remember was: I love this novel. And what is the only thing I remember about Hallowed when I come to write this review? I love this novel. Hand has such a talent for writing. I just love her style. I know some people don't like present tense because they feel like they can't connect--but I connected with Clara so well again in Hallowed. I think it has more to do with Clara's voice than anything--her witty mental remarks that I found myself thinking the same thing and her need to protect her family. Hand also made me fall in love with two incredibly sweet guys in the course of two books--Tucker and Christian. Despite the whole destiny thing, I really do believe that Clara and Christian were the better pairing. I love Tucker--he's witty, down to Earth and pretty damn good looking, and while I felt the chemistry, I felt like sometimes Clara wasn't being completely honest with her feelings. But I loved Clara for that because she was in denial because she wanted to be loyal in Tucker and believe in their relationship. Hallowed and Unearthly aren't packed packed novels. They're very character driven and I usually find those kinds of books hard to get into. But the Unearthly series is truly spectacular. The characters are real, Hand's writing is amazing, and Boundless is just too far away for me to comprehend. Review: 5 stars Date Published: January 17th 2012 Publisher: HarrperTEEN Source: Bought Format: paperback Date Read: June 2012 Page Count: 395 Series/Stand Alone: Unearthly #2 Boundless, the third Unearthly novel is due out January 22nd 2013. So far away!