Welcome Alex of http://possessionofbooks.blogspot.com.au who is doing a guest review for us today of one of our BOTM's..... Unearthly.
Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Before I start this review I must say, I usually don’t read these types of books so I was pleasantly surprised. With the mass amounts of angel books out there (Hush Hush, Fallen, Halo) what makes this novel so different? Who’s to say this isn’t another cliché love story? Well I was enjoyably surprised after reading this novel that it was nothing like its predecessors. Unearthly begins with a dramatic vision seen by a young female protagonist Clara who is ¼ part-angel blood. The vision tells of her destiny- saving a teenage boy named Christian from a forest fire. Together with her brother and mum they leave the life Clara only known in order to fulfil her ‘purpose’ Cynthia Hands writing is eloquent, weaving romance, angels and supernatural abilities perfectly into an intriguing plot that plays out well throughout the novel. I also loved the emotional connection Clara established with her mum and friends, I thought that revealed more of Clara’s character. Now comes the bit where I was sceptical about. The Love Triangle. I have read so many books with horribly played out love triangles that I think its slowly driving me insane…Is Unearthly the same? No! The two love interests Tucker and Christian are completely and utterly unique from each other and the other author didn’t describe or explain one character better than the other. She left everything to us and our opinions and I think that’s what separates this love triangle from other novels. Clara is subtle and certain with her choice but just when she has firmly decided her choice is blown away which I think adds suspense to the novel. Mainly the characters are what drive this story. Clara is sweet, funny and most importantly the choices she makes are believable. Every choice she made was relevant to what most people would do in the situation. Then there’s Tucker, a cowboy who would do anything for Clara. And Christian a typical high school popular nice guy. Therefore in the book the highlight was definitely character development with just enough unanswered questions that make you want to get the sequel. Also the angel lore was done well and kept me intrigued on the history of how the angels came to be. One of the main things I didn’t like about the novel was its slow pace. Was it just me? But I thought Hand could have paced the story faster without losing important character development. I also thought Hand could have expanded on the relationship between Clara and her brother Jeremy. Just when you think angel books are getting overdone, Cynthia Hand surprises us with her debut novel that finely entwines romance with angel lore. Despite the slow pacing, you should definitely read this novel if you enjoy romance with a supernatural twist and combined with a brilliant plot that makes any Young Adult reader squirm with delight.
4/5 Stars
Thanks Alex for your review. Look out for Alex's blog on our Feature page next week!!!
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