Boundless Review

TITLE Boundless (Unearthly #3)
AUTHOR Cynthia Hand
PUBLICATION January 22nd 2013 by HarperTeen
READ January 26 to 27, 2013
SOURCE Puchased

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 fulfil 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.

This review is spoiler free for the series.

Starting this book was a very bittersweet experience for me. On one hand, I was excited because throughout the series I have really come to love these characters. I care about them, I care about what happens to them. On the other hand I knew that in this installment of the Unearthly series I would be saying goodbye to them. The road to the end was better than I could have ever wished for and I have to say that Cynthia Hand knows how to end a series.

I have been struggling all day with how to write this review because pretty much everything that happens in this book would be a spoiler. I don’t want to talk about any of the fights, or any of the relationships, or what characters make appearances when. There is just so much that happens in this novel. At 436 pages it felt like way less to me and I just breezed through it.

I can say that Clara has remained a heroine that I love and admire. She is so strong and she faces everything that comes at her with a maturity beyond her years. Through all that has happened in this series she still manages to see beauty and hope in her surroundings. I went into this novel a strong Tucker fan and as her relationship changed throughout the novel with both Christian and Tucker, I got to a point where I knew I would be satisfied with whomever she chose. The road that each relationship took was by no means a straight path but everything seemed to work out in a weird way and I was completely satisfied with her decision.

One thing that I found amped up in this novel was the desperation and the action. I felt like everything moved pretty fast. The visions were intense and the road to figuring out exactly what they meant was full of action. I think the reason for that was in the other books sure there were visions but we didn’t know exactly when they would play out, with this one we knew that they would happen before the end of the book. That had me hanging onto every word and picking apart every occurrence that came about.

There was so much here that took me by surprise. I was shocked at more than one time and near the end my husband came into the room and asked how I was reading through the waterfall of tears that had taken over my eyes. I had all the feels reading this book and I wouldn’t change anything. I normally finish a series and want more, something always feels as if it wasn’t wrapped up quite right. But I can safely say that in this instance I am completely satisfied with the route the characters took and because of that I am OK with saying goodbye to them. If you haven’t started this series yet, you need to do so as soon as possible and if you have and are holding off on reading Boundless I recommend you do it before you start seeing spoilers everywhere. This is a book you want to travel in the dark so it can take your mind and your heart by surprise as it did me.

Hallowed Review

TITLE: Hallowed
AUTHOR: Cynthia Hand
PAGES: 249 (ePub format)
RELEASE DATE: January 17, 2012
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
READ: February 21, 2012
BUY THIS BOOK AT: Amazon / Kobo / Chapters.Indigo

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves 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.

In this compelling sequel to "Unearthly," Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Wow! This was a perfect followup to the amazing debut in the series.  Cynthia Hand maintains her great pace and gives the characters even more depth in this second book.  Once again I'm torn in this well written love triangle because I love both Tucker and Christian! Both of our leading men are explored much more deeply and we see new sides to both of them that makes me love them even more.

Cynthia paints such a stunning picture in your mind with her writing, the scenery, the glory, the hair, it's all ridiculously well written.  The emotions conveyed in this book are heavy! I felt like I was on a roller coaster and by the end of the book I felt like I needed to take a nap.  It definitely ended up going in a direction I was not fully prepared for and I found myself needed a box of tissues at my side for the last 1/4 of it.

Our girl Clara has really grown up in this book and is prepared to face all the trials and tribulations that come along with being and angel-blood.  In the first book where we had a young girl finding out about who she really is and not knowing how to deal, we now have a woman who is dealing with her situation head on.  I love it! A strong minded, smart protagonist!!

Unearthly Review

TITLE: Unearthly
AUTHOR: Cynthia Hand
PAGES: 262 (ePub format)
RELEASE DATE: January 4, 2011
PUBLISHER: HarperTeen
READ: February 20, 2012
BUY THIS BOOK AT: Amazon / Kobo / Chapters.Indigo

In the beginning, there is 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.

I LOVED this book! It had a great flow to it, it built up well and the climax was awesome.  Yes, it's another love triangle book (seems that's the template most YA authors run to now) but I feel it's very well executed.  I fell in love with Tucker and at the same time I really liked Christian!  That's never happened to me before, I always pick a side.  I also really appreciated the way Cynthia treaded lightly around all the God talk.  This is a book essentially about the beings of Heaven and Earth, but it didn't feel preachy at all (even the angels don't go to church!).

Our protagonist Clara Gardner also won me over throughout the book.  She's a heroine with a head on her shoulders and I really appreciated that.  She had her purpose in life but she was going to stay true to herself no matter what the cost.  So often we see girls in these books that have no mind of their own, so it was so exciting to read a character and be able to respect her for her decisions.

This is a perfectly paced book that leaves you ecstatic for the sequel.  I definitely recommend Unearthly to anyone looking for an Alluring Read.