quinta-feira, 27 de janeiro de 2011

Debut Author Challenge 2011 Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

This is my first review for Debut Author Challenge 2011, made by The Story Siren. This challenge is made to promote authors, who are debuting with their YA or MG novels in 2011. This review is for Off the Shelf Challenge and for Outdo Yourself Challenge. So the review is:

Unearthly




Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Series: Unearthly - Book 1
Genre: Young Adult, Romance
Publisher: HarperTeen (Hardcover - 448 Pages)
Source: E-ARC received from Net Galley 

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 it 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?

In the beginning of the book, we're in a middle of a forest, which is catching fire. So, we see a boy in the middle of the trees, but he start to turn, we see that was just a dream. This is how we're presented to Clara, a quarter-angel, who lives with her mother and brother, in California.
We can see that this history starts a little different than the usual. In this history the protagonist already knows that she's a part angel, instead of discover that she's not totally human during the book. And instead of other books, this books don't focus only in Clara's powers and their development. Cynthia Hand knew how to mix Clara's development as a angel and her relationship with her family, friends and love interests. Clara has two love interests during the book: Christian, who is the same boy who appears in her visions and Tucker, her friend cowboy brother (I even wrote a "My Book Boyfriend" about him! Read here). When you get the book, you can think that you know the end, but the author knew how to make surprises.
Clara was annoying and selfish sometimes, but we can forgive her, because at least she knows when she needs to apologize.  
Another thing that I liked in this book was Cynthia writing. I really could feel Clara's emotions. I could feel when she was sad, happy, worried or in love. I don't like books in first person, that i really enjoyed this one.
The only that I would change was the appearance of her family and friends. Some of them appeared so little that, I couldn't decide if I like them or not. Clara's brother was one of them.

This is Unearthly Australian Cover. I really loved the U.S cover, but this one was beautiful too. I don't know which one of them I would get!
So, in the end, this is a book which i'll buy when i get the chance, because this book I'll read a lot of times more! So I give: 

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I really enjoyed this book!