Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Publisher: Harper Collins/Harper Teen
Publishing Date: 01/04/2011
ISBN: 9780061996160
Pages: 448 pages

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 it 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 deciet, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?

My Review:

I received this novel as an ARC from NetGalley. I loved this book and I can't wait to read more from this author. Unearthly is about a girl named Clara who is an angel-blood. She has received her mission and the only thing she really knows is that she has to save some incredibly handsome boy named Christian. I don't want to give away too much but I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed Hand's writing style. She keeps you wanting more. She also did a great job with character development. Clara seems like an easy-going teen who like many her age has many, many questions about her identity. This is further complicated by the fact that she is not just a human teen but also part angel. She struggles with her relationship with her mother and also in her friendships. She feels in the dark about her angel heritage and is constantly looking for the answers. She also gets herself involved in a bit of a love triangle. I couldn't put this book down because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. What made it more interesting is the fact that Clara herself has no idea what is going to happen next either. There were many surprises along the way as well. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars and I will definitely be reading the follow-up book or books to this novel.