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.

 

You guys voted for me to read Unearthly by Cynthia Hand, and here’s my review.

 

I have never been a fan of angel books. I’ve tried to read several, and I’ve usually put them all down. The only exception is Immortal City by Scott Speer, which is an absolute amazing read that I would recommend to everyone. Unearthly was just mediocre to me. Let me explain why.

I found the main character, Clara to be so dull and boring. I found her to have no spark, character or perk that made me sway her way. And because she is the narrator of this book, I was really bored. There was actually a point that I set the book down and decided to not read anymore. I was going to give it a DNF (did not finish) and call it good. The only thing that made me pick the book up again was Tucker.

Tucker, one of Clara’s love interests, is one of my all time favorite male characters. I found him to be so amazing. One thing that I really liked about this angel/paranormal/fantasy book is that it had a major contemporary piece to it. There is a large chunk of time dedicated to the romance between Clara and Tucker, and I loved those scenes. Thankfully, those scenes happened right after I picked the book up again, and they made me fall in love with the book itself.

I didn’t like the concept of Clara having to go do this purpose. For those of you who haven’t read this series, Clara is an angel (well…part angel) whose family up and moves to a different state so that Clara can save a boy named Christian from a forest fire to fulfill her purpose (something given to all angels.) I didn’t like Christian, and I didn’t like the concept of the purpose. I just honestly wish that the paranormal aspect of this book had been taken out and that it had been strictly contemporary.

I had a really big problem with the mom in this book. I don’t care if you’re kid has a purpose to save some random guy. If she wants to be happy with someone else and live her life…then let her. Don’t go grounding her because she doesn’t want to settle down with a guy that she doesn’t even love. I couldn’t stand the mom.

I’m sitting here talking about all of the characters and not really about the story itself, so let’s take a different approach. I found the story and writing to be very mild and relaxing. It definitely is not a book full of action and suspense. It is also very predictable. I think that the girls over at epic reads accidently gave away the ending to me, so I can’t say that I wouldn’t have been shocked…but I do think that I would have guessed what happens. Most of the characters in the book were pretty bland, but there were a couple exceptions..namely Tucker and his sister. I do have to say that I expected madness to go down with Angela’s character. I was expecting something that never happened in the book, which is really exciting. I’m going to be shocked, though, if my predictions don’t occur in the rest of the series.

Overall, I would not recommend anyone to go out and buy this book. It’s definitely something that you want to borrow from a friend or the library. I went out and bought the first two in the series, because I had heard how amazing it is, and I’m really disappointed that I did so. On the upside for all of you, I’ll probably be giving my copies away once I finish the second book.

Christina reviewed the book in 2011 and gave it a whopping 5 stars! Check out her review here!

 

Pages: 435

Publication Date: January 4th, 2011

Publisher: HarperTeen

Rating: :

 

Teaser Quote: “Think about Tucker. Think about a good memory, she whispers in my mind. Remember a moment when you loved him. And just like that, I do.

“What did the fish say when it hit a concrete wall?” he asked me. We’re sitting on the bank of a stream and he’s tying a fly onto my fishing rod, wearing a cowboy hat and red lumberjack-style flannel shirt over a gray tee. So adorable.
“What?” I say, he grins. Unbelievable of how gorgeous he is. And that he’s mine. He loves me and I love him.
“Dam!” he says.”

The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live a normal life.

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.

Boundless picks up with Clara, Angela, and Christian leaving for and starting at Stanford. Each of our three characters are dealing with new visions, new threats, and a new atmosphere. Samjeeza’s still lingering around, but he’s no longer the biggest bad. Or even bad at all, for that matter. Now, our angels are facing another enemy, one much more threatening than Samjeeza. On top of all that, Angela’s hiding a huge secret and Clara’s trying to navigate her relationship with Christian.

The very first thing I loved about this book was the Stanford atmosphere. So many YA novels take place in high school, which is fine, but moving onto the world of college was a fun departure. I thought Hand depicted college life super accurately. I could relate to a lot of the forced socialization aspects, the orientations, navigating a huge sea of unfamiliar faces, and somehow forming friendships out of all that mayhem and confusion. I also liked that Clara stays in school and goes to class throughout the entire novel. This shows what a dedicated student she is and makes her a genuinely good role model for anyone reading. Plus, it’s just more realistic. If you’re paying for an education, you’re going to get that education, even if you are a Triplare. And the Stanford campus was just a fun change of scenery all around.

Second, I loved how hard it was for Clara to move on from Tucker. Yes, Christian is supposedly her soul mate and a really great guy, but she was still in love with Tucker. And when you’re in love with someone, no matter how hunky the new guy courting you is, you can’t just move on. Plus, Tucker’s just as amazing as he always was. This is one of the few love triangles in YA where I’ve been completely torn about which guy the girl should end up with. I love Tucker and Christian equally and they’re both really great guys. And they’d both be great for Clara. I won’t spoil her choice for you, but one of the characters really doesn’t get a satisfactory ending. Or any ending. Which really grated on my nerves, considering how much I care about these characters. That lack of ending left a bad taste in my mouth and catapulted the series finale from amazing to just enjoyable.

Another of Boundless‘s strengths, though, is that something was always happening. This book was even more plot- and conflict-driven than the last two, which impressed me. I couldn’t predict any of the plot and looking back, I can’t believe I missed certain hints, but at the same time, I’m glad I did. I liked being surprised. I was also much more concerned for the characters, unsure of if everyone would make it out okay. The characters undergo a lot in Boundless, and they can’t easily bounce back from these events.

My problems with the book revolved around Angela’s plot line, the whole idea of angels’ purposes, and the ending. I really didn’t like the direction Hand took with Angela. I hated Angela for most of this book, didn’t understand the reasoning behind most of her decisions, and confused by Hand’s incorporation of Angela’s scenes. Sometimes, Angela was used as an important character, while other times, she disappeared for whole chapters. Then, there was her purpose, intertwined with Clara’s purpose. Purposes are supposed to be these big, life-changing things. These are angels put on Earth with a purpose to do God’s bidding. Yet, Clara’s purpose supposedly revolves around Angela, while the entire series leads us to believe Purposes revolve around Clara, the almighty Triplare. This is a little hard for me to swallow. Shouldn’t Purposes be bigger than just people? And especially bigger than angels? None of this made sense to me and, unfortunately, the ending doesn’t tie up any of these, or other, loose ends. The ending also seems rushed and unrealistic for me, but I’m sure some people will just be happy with Clara’s choice of boy-toy. I just thought such an explosive series deserved a better ending. But I still enjoyed reading this book and I still love this series.

Pages: 438
Publication Date: January 2013
Publisher: HarperTeen
Source: Bought
Rating :

Teaser Quote: “I should have fought for you, Clara, even if I would have had to fight you to fight for you. I should have never let you go.“

Life as a mermaid can be suffocating.

Eviana Dumahl has returned home as a clan leader, an orphan, and a heartbroken teenage girl. Her parents are dead and her boyfriend, Brendan, has decided that he needs some time away. While battling her inner turmoil, Eviana is forced into the war that Lucian Sutherland has incited amongst her own kind. With the help of Kain, her friend and formally betrothed, the two work together to prove that they deserve their birthrights as young merfolk leaders.

When the Council requests a demonstration of Eviana’s mermaid powers, she finds herself with an opportunity to win back Brendan’s heart. But her orders to train with a repulsive merman and the presence of an attractive new suitor challenges Eviana to embrace her leadership and resist temptation. Lucian is after her, and no one seems to understand why. Loyalties are tested as the casualties increase, showing Eviana that sometimes it is impossible to delineate between friends and enemies.

Betrayal is the second book of The Syrenka Series trilogy following Eviana and her friends as they navigate through the challenges of existing in a secret world.

 

The first book in the Syrenka series, Promises, ended with Eviana’s parents being murdered and her having to step up and become the leader of her clan. Betrayal picks up right where it left off. This time, Eviana is being forced to learn how to control and develop her powers. New and old characters alike make appearances and ultimately help shape Eviana into the leader that she is meant to become.

The beginning of Betrayal was off the charts amazing. I’ve previously compared Amber Garr to a growing Richelle Mead, and the beginning of this book really showcased that. Eviana’s pain over her parents murders was obvious and heart-wrenching, and I just wanted to suffocate her with endless hugs.

Graham is a new character introduced in this story, and I’m dead serious when I say that I can never get enough of this man/fish person. He was hot, funny, sarcastic, gorgeous, somewhat stupid at times, and did I mention that he worked out?! I LOVED him. I’ve been having a serious issue falling in love with male characters lately. I had no such problem with Graham. I fell in love with him the moment he was introduced, and I am going to be SERIOUSLY disappointed if he’s not who Eviana ends up with at the end of the series.

There is definite character development in Betrayal. In the first book, Eviana and her friends came across as slightly immature (normal for the age they are,) but they really are forced to grow up in this book. I love books where you see the characters progress in each book. I feel that not only is that wonderful for the series, but it’s wonderful for the author as well. The more you read about characters, the more life experience they gain and the more mature (or sometimes immature) they will become. I loved that I was able to watch these characters develop into mature young men/women/fish people.

The ending of this book was SO. SHOCKING! I mean seriously…I did not see any of that happening! I cannot wait to see what happens next. I’m trying so hard not to give out spoilers, because I don’t want to ruin it for you guys, but oh my gosh. Loved it!

I do have a few complaints about this book. Let’s start with Eviana. I’ve never officially fallen head over heels in love with Eviana to begin with. I actually really liked her during the first half of the book, but I think that had to do a lot with Graham. Eviana showed a whole different side of herself whenever she was with Graham, and honestly, it was for the best. She lost some of her stiffness and became more teenager/girly/cutsy/relaxed. I really enjoyed that. But during the second half of the book, I couldn’t stand Eviana. My problem with Eviana is that she is way too stiff. She sometimes comes across as a really old woman who seriously needs to have a drink every now and then. She’s uptight, stiff, and just blah. I loved the moments when I could see her fun side come out, but that wasn’t very often.

Then there’s Brendan, who is my least favorite character in the series. I have noticed that in every book I read lately there is a good, clean, boy that the girl always falls for. I get why authors do this. I do! But let me tell you straight up…I usually always hate that character. So basically I’m always screwed, because my guy never wins. I haven’t finished the series yet, but I’ve resigned myself to the fact that Eviana is probably going to end up with Brendan. And now, it’s not just that I’m a fan of Graham, but I find Brendan to be whiny, clingy, annoying…and flat out rude! I didn’t feel quite so intense about this until I met Graham. But Graham is AMAZING! No one should have the right to beat him!

My final complaint has something to do with the writing style itself. Now, let me emphasize that I adore Amber Garr, and I think that she is an amazing author. But I noticed in this book that sometimes she just tells the reader what’s happening. I don’t know if I can explain this right. I don’t want to be told about what type of expression a character has on their face or how they feel at that moment or even sometimes what they’re about to do. I DO want to see that in the writing, but I want to see it with colorful words and emotions….I want to be able to visualize it. When I’m just told that the character starts crying or something…I don’t see it the same way. I noticed that this went on the whole book, and it drove me bonkers.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading Betrayal. I’m a big fan of Amber Garr’s working, and you can bet yourself that I will be reading the rest of her books. The Syrenka series is something that I would encourage everyone to read!

 

Pages: 255

Publication Date: February 20th, 2012

Publisher: CreateSpace

Rating: :