Unearthly (Unearthly #1) by Cynthia Hand

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): 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?

Book Review:
Okay, so I've been meaning to read this for a whiiiiile now. With the recent release of Hallowed, I finally was inspired to pick up Unearthly, and I am glad I did. First of all, I'm happy to finally read an angel story that worked well. It wasn't over the top, but rather a tangible story of a girl who is part angel. Clara was a great protagonist. She definitely leaned more towards a teenage girl rather than an angelic being. This made her realistic and easy to relate to. The characters overall are colorful and individual. I really enjoyed Wendy and Tucker. They were easily my two favorite supporting characters. I also really liked Clara's relationship with her mother. While Clara didn't always agree with her mother's choices, she was a role-model and mentor to Clara. There's definitely more of a story to Clara's mom, and I hope that Hand fleshes that story out more in the sequel. While there were many things I enjoyed about this story, there are a few issues that ultimately made me knock down the rating from a five to a four. The pacing at the beginning was a little slow for me.  I don't think the relationship were as fleshed out as they could be. Also there were SEVERAL things, BIG things, that were left unanswered. This was completely frustrating. Finally, the ending just seemed a little rushed to me. I hope to get some much needed answers in the follow-up Hallowed. Overall, a very enjoyable read. I am very much looking forward to the sequel!

Favorite Quote:
“In fact, I've essentially given up on the idea of flight altogether and accepted that I'm going to be an angel-blood who stays earthbound, a flightless bird, like an ostrich. Maybe, or in this weather, a penguin.” 

Cover Art Commentary:
I looooove this cover. It's purple and sparkly with a few angel-wing feathers thrown in for flair. Seriously, what's NOT to love?!

Rating: