Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Book Summery (Via Goodreads): For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Book Trailer:


Book Review:
Wow. I don't even know where to begin! So I had some lingering questions after finishing off Unearthly. I was very, VERY happy to finally get some answers! Cynthia Hand takes the world that she created in Unearthly and deepens the story, and fills in the gaps. So much that happens in this book! The supporting characters play a much larger role and several new characters are introduced. Clara starts to mature and focuses on the big picture in life, rather than the small, nagging details. I rode an emotional roller coaster while reading this. There were times I laughed, times my heart ached, and times I wanted to cry. There are some loose ends left and some stories that need some fleshing out. Clara's journey is far from over! I will be waiting on the edge of my seat for the next book to be released!

Favorite Quote:

"Something crashes. I sit up in bed. The best weapon I can come up with this time is a can of hairspray, like that will do any good if Samjeeza's here. 

Note to self: buy some nunchucks or something." (p. 224)

Cover Art Commentary:
Looooove this cover!  Beautiful shade of blue. The font is elegant and the angel feather is a nice touch! Curious to see the cover of the third book!

Rating:

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: