Title: Unearthly Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly (#1)
Genre: Angels, Fantasy, Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Publication Date: January 4, 2011
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pre-Reading: I just read the sample on my nook. I NEED the rest of this book now. It was actually really much better than I expected, for the first 35 pages they gave me...i hope the rest is as good as the preview.
The rest is as good as the preview. (Warning: minor spoilers ahead, major laziness, which is why I did this rather than mark spoilers.)
To cut it short, this book was...Unearthly. (See what I did there? Haha...yeah.)
I have always wanted to meet, or come in contact with, a book that was so wonderful it made me question everything I thought I knew about books- specifically, a book that broke every rule in the Young Adult market. A book that is so creative and refreshing that it makes you cry or squeal.
Fortunately, this is one of those books. I mean, admit it. You read the premise, the summary, whatever. You look at the cover. And now you're thinking, "Great. Another predictable book with a Mary Sue. I know everything that's gonna happen." You open the book and roll your eyes, because- ADMIT IT- You feel like you figured everything out already. Girl is angel, girl is beautiful, girl rescues boy, girl and boy live happily ever after, book ends in random cliffhanger for no reason. Right? This is what you are thinking. And I know because I was definitely thinking that too. I thought this would be a disappointment.
*WRONG*
Even Simon Cowell would be impressed by this book. And I'm sure he does not like or read Young Adult Paranormal/Fantasy/Romance/Angel books. The characters- Jeffrey, Clara, Tucker, Christian, and Clara's mom- are so realistic and relatable. I LOVE THEM. Everything about them (well, maybe not EVERYTHING) is likable. They have great backgrounds, flaws, and redeeming qualities. I can easily name three flaws every character has, and four redeeming qualities as well. They jump off the pages, and are so fleshed out and real, I feel as if they are my best friends. If one them was to suffer (and when they did suffer) I felt as if I was suffering too. I mean, Clara is as far from a Mary Sue as you can get. Yes, she is an angel, and of course, therefore she has supernatural abilities that could make her a Mary-Sue, such as the fact that she is beautiful and good at everything. However, the author writes her characters so well, that giving Clara those wonderful abilities actually just add to her appeal, and she has enough flaws to be a real human (well, maybe not HUMAN human...she is an angel and all) being, but enough good qualities to make her likable. She's more than likable. She's lovable. She's angelic (Pun fully intended). And I just love the fact that, even if she is beautiful like an Angel, the author made her have orange hair by accident, orange enough that kids call her Bozo at school. Because, really, if you dye your hair, sometimes it isn't going to turn out right, especially if you had Clara's hair. The best thing is that her appearance doesn't matter anyway. She can be blue-haired and purple eyed for all I care. Her personality outshines everything. At the beginning, she was so awkward around her new school and Christian that it made me cringe. I felt so bad for her- yet I knew, if I was in her place, I'd be handling everything almost the same way. Unlike in some books and TV shows, going to a new school, you won't become super popular and admired in the first week, let alone first day (*cough*BellaSwan*cough*). You also are obviously not going to be a total outcast, if we're being realistic- there will be a few people who will talk to you, and everything Cynthia Hand wrote about high school and the way the characters interacted with each other screamed "REAL"! There was nothing fake, dramatic, or unreal about this book. Exciting, amazing and real are the words that come to mind when I try to describe Unearthly. I don't know how Cynthia Hand did it, but she managed to write a world and book so utterly relatable that I couldn't stop staring at the cover. I have NEVER seen a book that was this real. Sorry for lack of better words to use other than "real", but that's what this book was. Oh- don't let it fool you. Just because this book is real, doesn't mean it's any less entertaining or fascinating. It is EXTREMELY entertaining and fascinating. The plot is solid and creative. You think it's all about her rescuing some hot boy? No way, Jose. As amazing as it is, Hand wrote a book with a plot so creative that I was fooled by the summary. I thought I was so great, having figured it out. But then I realized, Hand had fooled me- she had bettered me. I sulked for about eight seconds and squealed in delight for the next five days. Because this book is absolutely flawless. The world building was complete, neat, almost perfect- I had a few questions, but those were more of a plot's mystery factor than lack of world building. I was so glad to see that the author actually seemed to have studied and researched upon angel mythology and Angels before writing this - everything made sense, and it fit in. It wasn't stupid or random or awkward. Everything fit, like a nice little puzzle, and that was another breath of fresh air.
TALKING ABOUT FRESH AIR....OH MY GOD. THE RELATIONSHIPS. Don't take that as a bad "Oh My God" it's a happy "Oh My God". It's an, "Can she be more of a genius?" type of "Oh My God." I mean, every. single. book. in the YA market (or almost every book) suffers from a case of Insta-love syndrome. (*ahem*TwilightMortalInstrumentsHushHushShiverHaloAndThatsJustAFew*AHEM*) This book? It has THE MOST developed, slow-forming relationships I have ever read. I'm not kidding. THIS IS THE MOST DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIP THERE IS. I can't give away much - but Clara and the boy don't fall in love immediately. It takes more than half the book for them to even become friends. I mean, don't take this the wrong way- there is romance. Lots of it. Just...unexpected romance. As in, it takes a while for them to be friends, and a lot longer for them to be together. They (not saying who!) go from strangers, to enemies, to friends, to close friends, to a relationship, to head-over-heels. The thing is, though, that the plot is exciting even without any romance. It just adds on.
And, the best part? WE DON'T SEE IT COMING! We can feel it [the romance]- but we can't see the relationships coming. It's amazing. I love Cynthia Hand. I seriously do. I worship her for writing a novel with a plot that's a thousandfold times better than the summary and cover combined,a novel that I was able to clutch to my chest and cry, because I was so happy that it was so utterly real and exciting and unpredictable.
Talking about relationships, brings me to another thing I love about the book. Family. This book also does not suffer from absent-parent syndrome. Clara's mom is very, very, very involved in Clara's life- her mom is a big part of the puzzle. Without her, it wouldn't be the same. A great book, but just not as amazing. And the fact that their relationship isn't all rainbows and sunshine or clouds and ice makes it better. Clara loves her mother - it's obvious - but has conflicting feelings about her and her complex situation. Her dad isn't as present, but he is definitely a part of Clara- and she does think about him. Her brother is a pretty big part, too- Clara loves her family, though they do have their fights. It just makes this book better. And it GETS better. There is something about the way Cynthia Hand writes, something about this book I can't pin point, that makes it so....AMAZING. ENCHANTING. THRILLING. EXCITING. PAGE-TURNING. EVERY GOOD ADJECTIVE THERE IS. Please, you all have to read this book. I will definitely read it again - I already re-read this book 4 times, and I finished only a few days ago with reading it the first time. And I'm still not tired of it. I doubt I ever will be. '
Five-stars. A solid five stars, since I can't do five and a half, or six. I really recommend this book to everyone. You can't miss. This is a must-read with one of the best plots and characters I have ever seen. Read it and you will not be disappointed. It exceeded my expectations BY A LOT. I expected to rate it one-star after the premise. Now, look at those nice five little stars. I swear- if you don't read this, I'll have to find you and do something about it.
And by the way- TEAM TUCKER! FTW! TEAM TUCKER ALL THE WAY! -Astrid
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