What’s it all about?:
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.
What did I think?:
This is the second helping in the wonderful Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand, set in a world where an ordinary teenage girl finds out that she is part-angel, and follows her struggles in coping with new powers, the forces of darkness and the agony of grief, while still trying to go through the teenage angst of your average adolescent girl. We also see more of Clara’s internal fight between her boyfriend Tucker and Christian – also part angel who she feels increasingly drawn to despite her best efforts. From the first novel in the series we learn that all angel bloods have a “purpose,” something they are compelled to carry out and cannot escape from as they will have strange, confusing dreams that hint at the task they should complete. At the beginning of this novel, Clara is confused as to whether she has carried out her purpose or not but has started having a different dream, in which someone she loves will die.
I found this to be quite an emotional read and found myself becoming more attached to the characters as Cynthia Hand continues to develop the story in new and exciting ways, so be prepared for a lot of surprises which makes for an intensely enjoyable and readable novel. I think all the characters are interesting or likeable but among my favourites include Clara’s mother and her younger brother, the latter becoming slightly more detached and emotionally unstable as the story continues… perhaps an omen of darker things to come? I’m really looking forward to the final novel in this trilogy – Boundless – I know my sister Chrissi Reads absolutely loved it so it may have to jump up the TBR pile a bit!
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
