Unearthly

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: Harper Teen
Pages: 435
Source of Book: My local public library

Summary: (courtesy of http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com/books.php)

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 Rating: 7 out of a possible 10

Explanation: This book was unlike any of the other angel related books on the market (at least any I have read, which isn't many). For starters, it's not about fallen angels. The main characters are not fallen angels, and the word nephilim only comes up twice in the whole novel. Also, there's less biblical references than some of the other angel novels.

Clara is a very cool character, and very realistic and relatable. She's just as confused about her life as any other girl, but with the added pressure of having a purpose. Her mother doesn't tell her a lot of information, so we find out things as soon as she does.

Clara finds herself in a fascinating love triangle, where the guys really don't hate each other or directly compete over her. I am personally deeply in love with Tucker, which is hard because I also see the appeal of Christian. There's no bad guy, it's all about taste.

The end definitely threw me for an unexpected loop and revealed a smidge of some of the secrets Clara's mother is hiding. I cannot believe that in this trilogy the books are coming out a year apart, I do not want to wait until January.