Also posted on Rally the Readers.

Oh, how I adored Unearthly! Just when I was becoming paranoid that there was some divine message in the fact that angel book after angel book failed to click with me, Unearthly turned out to be the angel book that I’d been searching for. The lore, the characters, the setting, the writing, and the story were all simply wonderful. Warning: this is going to be a gushy, possibly incoherent review because I want to write about everything that I loved all at once. There will be liberal use of the word “love,” too.

The angel mythology in Unearthly strikes just the right note, taking the usual images associated with angels (wings, superhuman strength, an ethereal glow) and making them completely plausible. I thought the idea of all angels having a purpose was a nice twist on the concept of them as protectors. What really makes Cynthia Hand’s representation of angels stand out, though, is how they lead pretty normal lives considering that they’re otherworldly beings and all. Some of the previous angel books that I’ve read put so much emphasis on the characters’ angelic traits that I felt as though I never got to know the characters for themselves. Unearthly’s Clara is a very relatable protagonist who happens to be able to fly and occasionally glows.

I really liked Clara. She’s smart in the intelligent sense as well as smart in the smart-alecky sense. I loved her wry narration. Despite the advantages that her angel blood provides, such as a knack for sports and languages, she is refreshingly grounded. When Clara’s not worrying about fulfilling her purpose, she’s caught up in the regular teenage business, like fitting in at her new school and not making a fool of herself in front of Christian, the guy she’s supposed to save. You get a full picture of what life is like for Clara; she has this single, momentous mission looming ahead of her, but she’s still a teenager who wants to enjoy a normal teenage life. The fact that Clara is not a normal teenager but rather a superhuman being with a very great responsibility figures prominently throughout the novel.

I never imagined myself, a city girl through and through, falling for a cowboy like Tucker Avery, but it was impossible not to. He’s such a genuine, heart-on-his-sleeve type of guy; I could not help but swoon whenever his name appeared on the page. I loved his straightforward manner, that he said whatever was on his mind. Tucker also excels at sarcasm, which, enjoying snark as much as I do, I found absolutely charming. Dear Cynthia Hand: please do not let anything bad happen to Tucker. I have become too invested in his well-being to bear seeing any harm befall him.

I just loved (there’s that word yet again!) reading Unearthly. It’s a superbly crafted novel that brings angels to realistic life and makes me want to see the majestic beauty of Jackson Hole, Wyoming in person. It’s a novel that is in no hurry to cut to the romance; it builds subtly, making it that much sweeter. Most importantly, though, this is a novel that proved that I could love an angel book.