Unearthly About Making Choices Slightly Spoilerish

Unearthly
By Cynthia Hand 
Publisher: HarperCollins Imprint:
Harper Teen h
On Sale: January 4, 2010 US 
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 448;
MSRP: $17.99; $12.49 at Amazon
Reviewed by Stephanie Takes-Desbiens
Appearing December 27, 2010 in 
Fangs, Wands and Fairy Dust

Description on Net Galley:

Clara has known she was part-angel ever since she turned fourteen two years ago. But now she is finally getting visions of what her Purpose, a rite of passage for every part-angel, is to be, and it happens to involve a gorgeous guy. Of course, there is the raging forest fire surrounding them, too. When Clara's Purpose leads her family to Wyoming, Clara finds the boy of her visions, Christian, but complicating her mission are her growing feelings for another guy, Tucker. As the day in her visions draws closer, Clara discovers that her Purpose may play into a larger struggle between angels and Black Wings-fallen angels who spread sadness and misery wherever they go. But when the fire erupts and both Christian and Tucker are in danger, who will she choose to save?

From debut novelist Cynthia Hand comes a riveting tale full of supernatural powers, forbidden romance, and the choice between fulfilling your destiny or following your heart. 

On Harperteen.com

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 de ceit, 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.

Australian Cover

 

My Take:

 

At first glance, Unearthly is a very similar to several other YA novels I have read lately. In those novels Parental emotional or physical absence, manifestation of a latent supernatural ability; and a love interest(s) all show up.

In this case Clara’s mother isn’t truly absent, but she should probably be paying more attentions to her than she is. She is preoccupied by something but at least she tries.

 

We do have a love triangle, for those who like or hate them. And, it is a local boy who is pulling Clara away from Christian who is also from California.

And, Clara learned she was part-Angel when she was 14 but her abilities are just beginning to show themselves.  

 

And, are angels popping out of the woodwork! I think this in the third book in a month that was about angels.

 

Angels are heavenly beings and in the Old Testament cultures they are the soldiers and messengers of God. So, it is pretty hard to have one without the other. < About two pages are devoted to discussing God and church with her boyfriend. It seems like a natural thing for him to wonder after finding out his girlfriend is part angel. He is worried God will smite him for kissing her. The family doesn’t belong to a church. Although, it seems they may have in the past. Earlier in the book after learning her purpose, she is wondering about the same thing and states she had always believed in God. Narrating her own story,Clara says: 

“But I was finding out then that there was a big difference between believing in God and knowing that he exists and apparently has some great master plan for my life.” (p. 57)

In this book the Angels being described are Old Testament.  But, most major religions have some sort of being like an angel. The writer doesn't sem to be of a fanatic religious bent, so I think the religious aspect is a natural extension of "Angel-hood" in this culture.

 

Clara is a teen whose mother trusts her a lot (because she’s a little Angel, no doubt). Business trips and computer work keep Mom preoccupied. She doesn’t question Clara going out with friends when she is actually going out with a boy against her mother’s wishes. She should be concentrating more on preparing for her purpose. But she is in love and for the first time in her life is being deceitful.

 

I think one of the reasons Clara becomes distant from her mother is that her mother will not reveal to Clara what her own purpose is, but at the same time, she is supposed to tell her mother everything.  In both being angel-bloods they are in fact peers and while the parental relationship remains even in the Angelic state, I can’t imagine not rebelling over that.

 

In the end, this book is about making choices, duty versus love, freewill versus destiny. If there were some master plan for Clara’s life why would an omniscient God put an irresistible love in the way of fulfilling her destiny?   Could it be that her purpose as an angel was mistaken? I guess that could be the neat little package that answers the questions left hanging at the end. But, it could just be that this is a look at the choices we make between what duty and desire, truth and deceit, loyalty and disaffection.

 

It was a good read with even less sexual activity than Twilight. There’s a little more making out but he isn’t sleeping over every night. There is a bit of subterfuge.

 

Unearthly stands on its own until the ending; making you hope there is a sequel.