Review – Unearthly (Unearthly Trilogy, Book 1) by Cynthia Hand (5/5 stars)

Reading level: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal/Fantasy
Size: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Release Date: January 4, 2011
ISBN-13: 978-0061996160
Stand Alone or Series: 1st in Unearthly Trilogy
Source: ARC from Amazon Vine
Rating: 5/5 stars

I got an advanced reading copy of this book through the Amazon Vine program.  This was one where I was drawn to the cover and the story, but wondering if it was going to be another one of those teen love triangle paranormal books.  Well it kind of was, but it was a really fantastic book that (although there was a love triangle) there was also really neat ideas about angels, predestined actions, etc.

Clara has always known she is one-quarter angel.  When she starts having visions her and her mother realize that her one true purpose is being revealed.  Unfortunately that purpose takes place in Wyoming, not in their current home of California.  So Clara, her mother, and brother move.  Now Clara is in a school, with all new people and her angelic powers are making themselves known in the most embarrassing ways.  The boy she believes she is destined to save is one of the popular ones, and Clara just can’t seem to get him to pay attention to her.  Then over summer break Clara finds herself falling in love with someone different.  Now Clara is torn; will this new found love mess up her one true purpose?

This was a fantastic book.  I loved Clara and her family.  There is just a lot of love and honesty (most of the time) between Clara and her mother; it was nice to see such a functional family setting in a teen book like this.  Clara was a very likable heroine; she tries so hard to do what it right and is pretty normal…except for all of the angel stuff.  The angel stuff is pretty neat; Clara gains some powers that are really nifty but never overwhelming.

Clara’s two love interests work very well.  Both of the boys have good and bad traits to their personalities.  Loved the stuff about the angels and how Clara’s crazy smart friend Angela does all of the research to better understand angelic history.  I am very curious to see what we learn about angels and their powers/history in the upcoming books because this book just barely scratches the surface of all of that.

The books moves at a good clip, I was never bored and really enjoyed reading it.  The writing was spot on, super easy to read and beautiful at times as well.  The dialogue sounded very natural.  The plot was well done leaving enough things mysterious that it really pulled you forward.

The book ended well, wrapping up the main storyline while revealing some new mysteries for the next book.  There were some crazy twists at the end that I kind of suspected were going to happen; I still ended up being surprised though by the way things worked out.  I love a story that can surprise to the end.

Overall a really excellent debut in the paranormal young adult genre.  Definitely a series I will keep reading and I am so glad I read this book.  I basically loved everything about it.  So if you like young adult reads and angel mythology check out this series.  It is incredibly well-written an easy and fun read; the story will suck you in with the mysterious plot and the engaging characters.  Really looking forward to the next book in this series.

This book goes towards the following reading challenges:
– 100+ Reading Challenge
– The Debut Author Challenge