Unearthly

Locations
Call Number: Teen Fiction / Hand, Cynthia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown Teen, 1st Floor 4-week checkout	Teen Fiction / Hand, Cynthia	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Sixteen-year-old Clara Gardner's purpose as an angel-blood begins to manifest itself, forcing her family to pull up stakes and move to Jackson, Wyoming, where she learns that danger and heartbreak come with her powers.

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Unearthly submitted by karaelise on June 21, 2011, 8:24pm When Clara turned 14 she learned she was a Nephilim—a child of angels and humans—and that her sole reason for being on earth was to fulfill her “purpose.” This is the staging for Cynthia Hand’s Unearthly. As soon as Clara begins receiving visions of her purpose, her mother uproots her family from California and they move to Montana, the state where Clara’s purpose is supposed to take place. At first, fitting in at a new high school is difficult for Clara, but she soon makes friends, and spots the reason for their move: Christian, the main component of Clara’s purpose, attends her high school. It doesn’t hurt that he is gorgeous, and that she’s convinced she will have to save him from a forest fire. What does hurt is that just as a relationship between Clara and Christian begins to develop, he goes away for the summer…as do all of Clara’s friends. However, her best friend comes through and “loans” Clara her twin brother Tucker, and over the summer everything Clara was certain of begins to shift.
Surprisingly unpredictable, Unearthly is a welcome shift from recent fantasy novels, as it places a female main character squarely in the role of being the supernatural being. Clara is a believably tormented teenager, trying to cope with her difference and the fact that certain things—like her hair that seems to glow—must be covered up for the very sanity of those around her. References to everyday stores, like Claire’s, and events such as prom ground this fantasy in reality despite the wings that appear on Clara’s back and her harrowing first attempts at flying. Clara’s relationships with her mother, brother, friends, and love-interests are all well developed and progress naturally in the novel. A well-developed supporting cast fleshes out this story, whose end will leave readers begging for a sequel. The only weak point is a somewhat slow beginning, but Hand makes up for it as this rousing angel fantasy takes flight. Recommended for grades 7 and up.

Read this! First in a series. submitted by pamhockey25 on July 11, 2018, 10:46pm Unearthly is well-written, the characters are well-developed and the plot is so realistic that I can't wait to read the other two books. Unearthly is about a high school girl who is also part angel. I had no expectations before reading this book, but really couldn't put it down. I would recommend it highly!