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Clara's Reviews > Unearthly

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
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bookshelves: paranormal, romance, young-adult

** 3,5 "VERY CUTE" stars ! **

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 wasn’t 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 didn’t 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 wouldn’t mind because I love romance in books, but I like it better when it’s mixed equally with a strong paranormal or fantasy world and plot, which wasn’t 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 (we’re 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 couldn’t help but like.
Christian was not my favorite character. I liked him okay I guess, but he didn’t really have anything special going on for him and he never made me swoon over him. Also, I didn’t really liked his behavior at the beginning towards Clara (view spoiler). I thought he was a bit plain and described as too perfect for my liking.
I’m 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 know-it-all.

The romance :
So, there’s kind of a love triangle, though it’s not so strong yet in this first one. But I’m definitely team Tucker ! I loved how his relationship with Clara was slow-building, how they didn’t 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. It’s 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 I’m 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.
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Reading Progress

July 9, 2016 – Started Reading
July 9, 2016 – Shelved
July 9, 2016 –
page 0
0.0% "I read good things about this trilogy, so I wanted to finally give it a try ^^"
July 9, 2016 –
page 150
34.48% "So far really enjoying the atmosphere and the mythology behind angels !"
July 10, 2016 –
page 265
60.92%
July 10, 2016 – Finished Reading
August 16, 2016 – Shelved as: paranormal
August 16, 2016 – Shelved as: romance
August 16, 2016 – Shelved as: young-adult

Comments Showing 1-9 of 9 (9 new)

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Xhez Fantastic review! I completely agree with what you said: this book definitely felt more like a YA Contemporary Romance.
Christian was a little too perfect for my tastes also and I'm so Team Tucker!!! TUCKER ALL THE WAY!! xD

I also loved Wyoming!! After finishing the book, I googled images of that place xD


Clara Thank you so much, girl ! I'm so glad to see you felt the same ^^ Tucker is such a sweetheart and the fact that he's a cowboy adds some hotness ;) And I did just like you, I couldn't help but look up on the internet pictures of Wyoming too, especially the forests of lodge pole pines :p


message 3: by Xhez (last edited Jul 11, 2016 07:53PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Xhez Clara wrote: "Thank you so much, girl ! I'm so glad to see you felt the same ^^ Tucker is such a sweetheart and the fact that he's a cowboy adds some hotness ;) And I did just like you, I couldn't help but look ..."

Can't wait to see what you think about the other books in the trilogy too. You are planning to read them, aren't you?

This is one of my favorite angel-books. And I'm always rooting for the guy that the MC isn't supposed to end up with. xP

However, you'll be more sympathetic towards Christian in the other two books. (If you read them)
P.S.: He still didn't steal Tucker's place in my heart.


StellarLuna ☾✩ Nice review!! It's always nice when a character has the same as you! I haven't read this series yet but it sounds interesting and I am definitely on an angel mood since I'm reading Angelfall :D


Clara @Zaira
I'm still not quite sure if I want to read the rest of the series :( The mythology didn't really amaze me and I can feel the love triangle is going to get more important, and I'm not very happy with that because I know I want her to end up with Tucker ^^ Depends on my mood really :)


Clara @Evaguel
Thanks, honey ! It's true it's always nice to be able to relate to the MC and it was the case for me here ^^ I recommend you try the series if you're in an the mood, though it was not the best angel book imo, but still a cute romance :)


Elise ✘ a.k.a Ryder's Pet ✘ Awesome review, Clara :)


Clara @Elise
Thanks, girl ! ^^


message 9: by [deleted user] (new)

Gah, I love this trilogy so much! Tucker is literally everything. ❤️


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