Secure Unearthly (Unearthly, #1) Prepared By Cynthia Hand Manuscript
CUTE" !
Finally finished this first book that I had been wanting to read for a long time, and this was such a fun, easy and cute read, though a bit weak on the paranormal aspect !
The world building :
I thought the angel mythology in this book was quite interesting and intriguing, but unfortunately it wasnt as well developed and as original as I was hoping it would be and compared to some other books about angels I read in the past namely the Sweet trilogy or the Penryn and the end of days trilogy, it was a bit weak.
Overall, I thought the story didnt focus enough on the paranormal aspect of the book, it just felt like a background for the plot and I was never really awed or fascinated by it.
The plot :
I think the plot, with the world building, was what was lacking the most for me with this first instalment.
Basically, except at the very end, there was actually nothing much happening in the book, no action at all, no twists except at the very end, no villains, nothing.
It came to the point that it felt more like reading a YA Contemporary Romance than a YA Paranormal Romance.
The plot was basically Clara trying to understand her purpose through getting closer to Christian and then spending time with Tucker.
The romance was definitely dominant in this first book and was the main focus of the story,
which normally I wouldnt mind because I love romance in books, but I like it better when its mixed equally with a strong paranormal or fantasy world and plot, which wasnt really the case here.
I wish the plot had been thicker and more complex with a lot more action scenes, and the romance only secondary.
The characters :
Clara were named the same ! was a very likable, sweet and funny MC.
It was quite easy to relate to her, being the new one in a new school, having to make friends and going through your first love.
She might have annoyed me just a tiny bit in the first part with how insistent she was to get closer to Christian and how attracted to him she was when he obviously had a girlfriend he deeply cared about.
I thought she was being a bit selfish and inconsiderate at that time, but after a while she finally came to her senses and then she was such a fun girl who I couldnt help but like.
Christian was not my favorite character, I liked him okay I guess, but he didnt really have anything special going on for him and he never made me swoon over him.
Also, I didnt really liked his behavior at the beginning towards Clara .
I thought he was a bit plain and described as too perfect for my liking.
Im definitely rooting for Tucker here ! He was such a sweet, smart and resourceful guy.
And a real cowboy, on top of that ! How sexy is that ! I liked how easygoing he was, very friendly and caring, but not in a too perfect and forced way like Christian.
I liked Wendy alright, though I wish she had been a bit more present in the story.
However, I disliked Angela who I definitely don't trust, there's just something strange about her that annoys me, I thought she was overconfident, too intrusive and such a knowitall.
The romance :
So, theres kind of a love triangle, though its not so strong yet in this first one.
But Im definitely team Tucker ! I loved how his relationship with Clara was slowbuilding, how they didnt like each other much at first, but they came to know each other better through spending a lot of time together and sharing a lot of activities.
Its exactly the kind of romance I like ! They were so cute together, they made me swoon with how much they adored each other.
Unfortunately, I can feel with the ending that the love triangle is going to get stronger and more complicated and Im not sure how to feel about that.
On other thing that I absolutely loved about the book was the setting, Wyoming, I loved we get both a winter setting and a summer setting, with the skiing, the hiking, the cowboys, the ranches, the lakes, the forests full of lodge pole pines.
It felt like I was there and I really enjoyed the atmosphere that came out of it,
Overall, I really liked the first book because of its characters and the romance, but the paranormal aspect of the story and the plot were altogether a bit weak and needed more development.
Maybe it was because I had low expectations, or because I don't read this genre very often, or maybe I just like angel books, but I kind of loved this It stumbles a few times love interest perpetuates the idea that "if a boy is mean to you that means he actually likes you!" and there's some slut shaming but I want to continue the series.
Things that may sway whether you would like this or not:
Love triangle,
Lots of Twilight vibes, No watching people sleep, but it's a new kid in school is a paranormal being mysteriously drawn to a human kind of story but we're following the paranormal character in this case.
Potential triggers: Very brief, nondetailed mention of rape, Slur toward Romani people. Forest fire.
I feel it only fair to warn you guys that I am involved in a onesided fictional relationship with Cynthia Hand.
In which we spend our evenings sipping martinis and laughing hysterically at the craptasticness of all the recent angel novels, while Jericho Barrons kneels at my side sporting a Galactica flight suit and feeding me chocolatedipped cherries.
Apparently, my fantasies have a knack for getting out of control at times, Just roll with it.
Anyhoodle, Unearthly is a delicious cheesefilled Happy Meal remaining afloat in a sea of unwashed goat carcasses, sitelinkFallen, sitelinkHush, Hush.
. . the list is long, and it is for this reason that the general GoodReads population myself included is praising its very existence.
Sure, there are far better YA novels, But what makes it unique is the WTF curveball she hurls at you at the end,
Oh yaess she did,
Having said that, give me a month or two and I will probably forget it was ever written.
And I will choose a new author with whom to share my fangirl daydreams,
and Cynthia Hand can get back to drinking the blood of virgins from the hoof of a Pterodactyl, Or whatever the hell she does to keep ahead of her game,
It's been a few months since I finished this book and I'm still swooning, You shall be read again soon my precioussssss, . .
Actual Teetering on,stars
Hush, Hush, who Halo, what Fallen, huh
After reading the catastrophe Hush, Hush, I had pretty much given up on reading any more books involving angels.
As far as I was concerned it would be my first and last angel book, I resisted the urge mostly thanks to my dear Goodreads friend's reviews to pick up Halo and Fallen, even though they still remain on my TBR shelf.
At first glance I thought, "pages! This meanspages of misery orpages of awesomeness, " Needless to say, I was not very optimistic about this book, demoting it all the way to the bottom of the library book pile.
But, I decided to give it a chance, And I can honestly say I'm glad I did, Unearthly will make you forget all about those sad, pathetic excuses for a book about angels, Unearthly is the real deal,
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Unearthly tells the story of ayearold girl, Clara, who is/part angelblood.
The book opens with her discovering her purpose in life, It appears she is destined to save a young boy from a forest fire, So, together with her mother and brother, Jeffery, they pack up their house and home and move from California to Wyoming.
At first glance, you think you have this book figured out, You're thinking, "Ok, I know what's going to happen, She is going to save this dude and they are going to fall in love, yada, yada, yada, " And just when you're feeling really clever for singlehandedly predicting the outcome of the book, Cynthia Hand shatters your preconceptions.
I love a good plot twist and this book exceeded my expectations,
A few things I LOVED about Unearthly:
No disappearing parent syndrome. Clara's mother was very much apart of her life, Albeit mysteriously, she is always there to help Clara with succeeding in fulfilling her purpose,
. Likeable heroine. Not once did I feel irritated at Clara for doing something dumb, She isn't overly whinny or a pathetic damsel,
. Healthy relationships. You will not find instalove in this book! No, sir! In fact, I would say Hand may have written one of the best developing relationships I've read in a long time.
She let it build up perfectly, By the time our heroine actually falls in love it is believable, As a result, it is much easier to feel Clara's emotions, I could feel myself swooning! Clara isn't overly dependent on her love interest, either, She learns to draw on her own inner strength, Kudoos to Hand for handeling this very well,
If there is one complaint I have, it't that I didn't really like how it ended, It felt akward to me, like it was imcomplete, There are so many unanswered question left in the ending that it almost drove me insane! And to top it off, the next book doesn't come out till next freakin' year!
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Anywho.
In conclusion, it pains me to think this book will be compared to Halo, Fallen and Hush, Hush.
It's in a higher and better league then them, hands down, So, I've decided to do my own little comparison through a visual story, Enjoy!
Once upon a time there was a girl who loved life, Everything was wonderful!
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Untill one fatefull day she picked up
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and it left her in a state of
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After finishing CoFA, she sank further into depression.
The girl felt no one could understand the mental pain she felt,
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Then, one day she came accross Unearthly and she saw the heavens open with rays of light.
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The girl was once again happy,
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The end!
Ironicly, if you google "Angel saving human" this pops up as an image:
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Coincidence I'll leave that up to you.
My Hallowed review can be found sitelinkhere,
More reviews and more at sitelinkCuddlebuggery Book Blog,
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