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 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.

Family ancestry is an important factor in people’s lives.  We all want to know where and who we come from, our parent’s history can have a big effect on our future.  So when Clara found out that she was a mix of human and angel and that her who reason for living was to fulfill a preordained future, her life was forever changed and she didn’t know if she could handle it. Talk about pressure!

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand surprised me in such a good way.  Things started to happen right from the beginning, there was no long period of discovery where Clara is trying to figure out exactly what she was and why she was different. Clara knew from the start that she was quarter angel and the story revolved around the mystery of her purpose and whether or not she would be able to fulfill it.  I enjoyed reading the story through Clara’s point of view. She had enough vulnerability within herself that made her relatable but was strong enough to have her own opinions and made decisions for herself no matter the opinions of others.  Though Unearthly had the predictable love triangle with Clara between Christian and Tucker it had its own surprising, interesting moments and it progressed with the story.

The plot was what made this story so enjoyable. Cynthia Hand did a great job creating a uniquely suspenseful story that kept me guessing all the way to the end.  Just when I thought I knew where the story was going there was a pleasantly refreshing new twist. The detailed descriptions of the surrounding small town in Wyoming engulfed me into the story, making me feel like I was there. I liked how Clara’s mother played an important role in Clara’s discovering who she was and what she needed to do. Though her mother still kept secrets from Clara it just added to the suspense of the story.  All the characters were uniquely different and complicated and added something different. Christian and tucker brought different elements and qualities to the story as well as the possible romantic relationship with Clara which instantly added drama with who Clara would ultimately pick since she is drawn to both of them. The writing flowed easily and the story was so compelling that I was flying through the pages. There was the constant suspense, drama, romance and action, each cleverly balanced without over powering the other. Readers will enjoy this new creative world that Cynthia created and I can’t wait to read what will happen next.