Unearthly - Cynthia Hand

Although I am a huge fan of the paranormal romance genre that is extremely popular at the moment, I know these books can sometimes be lacking in originality and writing style. Thankfully, Unearthly is VERY unique, VERY well-written, VERY interesting, thrilling, hilarious and pretty much any other good adjective I can't think of at the moment. It is hands down the best paranormal romance I have ever read. Prepare yourself for an emotional roller coaster ride full of twists, turns, and lots of laughs. For anyone (like me) who has been losing faith in angel paranormal romance books (ahem Hush Hush, Fallen) THIS is what you have been waiting for! THIS book has finally met my, admittedly high, standards. Why did I love it so much? Well...

The characters! Clara... YES! Just, yes! Finally. FINALLY a female protagonist that doesn't make me blow my top. Clara is not whiny, idiotic or catty. She is not selfish or pathetic. On the contrary, she is quite the opposite; confident, sarcastic, intelligent. I absolutely adored her. Thank you Cynthia Hand for finally giving me a female heroine who I admire and love; Clara is flawless! Tucker was adorable. He was the perfect boy for Clara and for the story. He was sweet without being sensitive and witty without being an ass- the perfect mix. I didn't like Christian. Maybe that's because I was on team Tucker all along, I felt as if he was very flat. Like he was just THERE. He wasn't an important part of the story at all.

Relationships! The Clara/Tucker relationship was very well played out; Clara falls in love far enough into the story that it is actually believable. It is not rushed at all. We also get to know Tucker very well as the story progresses. He was a very three-dimensional character for me, which allowed me to better appreciate Clara's love for him. Unfortunately, Christian has to be brought into the story to create the ever-popular love triangle. I understand Clara had to save him, but I really wish Cynthia would have left him out of her love life. I hate love triangles. They tear me apart. And although feeling emotion for the characters SHOULD be considered a good thing for the author's writing, I hate how Clara always goes back and forth. It seems so unrealistic. That was one of the only faults of the book.

The writing. Oh my goshhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What can I say? Cynthia Hand is one of the best writers I have ever read. Her writing is flawless. It is effortlessly subtle and beautiful, and makes reading the 400+ page book a breeze. I read the whole thing in a matter of a few days without feeling anything. She draws you into her made-up world and keeps you prisoner until the very last page. I was literally unable to put the book down. My eyes were glued to the page the whole time. This is not something I can usually say for YA paranormal romance authors, so props to Cynthia Hand for that! WOW!

The plot! Well researched. I have to mention that. I hate reading all these angel books with authors blabbering on about this and that when they really have no idea what they are talking about. Cynthia Hand did a great job with the angel facts! As to the actual plot; if I begin on this aspect, I will never finish. And I'll end up giving away so many spoilers. So I will just say that although it may not be the most original thing you have read, it is pretty darn amazing. Read it and find out!

The ending was not the best. It felt too obscure and confusing, and there were so many problems left unresolved. Hopefully the sequel will fix this issue? Overall, a fantastic read. Very refreshing, hilarious and exciting! Happy reading! ;)