Book #80: Unearthly

Title: Unearthly

Author: Cynthia Hand

Date started reading: June 03, 2012
Date finished reading:  June 05, 2012

Publish date: November 2011
ISBN: 978-0061996177
Number of pages: 464

Official summary: "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 deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?" (http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Bought for $5.94 at used book store

Memorable quotes:

• "(My hair) takes the word unmanageable to a whole new level." ~ Clara
• "It's hard to make a lot of friends when the most popular girl in school is giving you the stink-eye." ~ Clara
• "I like risking my life. Keeps things in perspective." ~ Jeffrey
• "Women love soup. More than flowers. Trust me." ~ Christian
• "I think that all the stories about supernatural creatures, like vampires, werewolves, ghosts, mermaids, aliens, you name it, could all be angel related. Humans don't know what they're seeing, but it could all be angels taking on other forms." ~ Angela
• "As a regular girl, I'm not proving to be anything magnificent. And as an angel, I am simply abysmal." ~ Clara
• "She's like one part hip thirty-something, one part tranquil angelic being, and one part crotchety old lady." ~ Clara about her mom
• "You're like one part crazy teenager, one part angelic being, and one part private detective." ~ Clara to Angela
• "It's like I'm a prop in someone else's life." ~ Clara
• "I feel like Cinderella sitting in the middle of the road with a pumpkin and a couple of mice, while Prince Charming charges off to rescue some other chick." ~ Clara
• "One thing about Jackson Hole High, everybody is in everybody's business." ~ Tucker
• "Christian's like a god. And gods don't make good boyfriends." ~ Wendy
• "Flying in real life isn't a mathematical equation." ~ Clara
• "I want to put Tucker in a safe little box where I can predict what he wants, but he refuses to stay in it." ~ Clara
• "I have to admit that as distractions go, Tucker is top-notch." ~ Clara
• "Why are you always trying to hide how pretty you are?" ~ Tucker to Clara 
• "I think (Tucker) seriously believes that deflowering an angel could mean an eternity in fiery hell." ~ Clara
• "I'm not going to stand in the way of you and your destiny." ~ Tucker to Clara
• "We're young. We've got lots of time to fall in love." ~ Tucker to Clara 
• "People get dumped; it's a fact of life." ~ Clara 
• "Time is a funny thing. Sometimes it crawls endlessly on. Like French class. Or waiting for a fish to bite. And other times it speeds up, the days zooming by. ... And sometimes time really does stop." ~ Clara

My commentary:

• I have no clue how I got on this angel phase. It's been almost non-stop angel book reading for a while. I've temporarily switched gears from non-stop vampires to angels.
• There is a quote on the cover of this book from Richelle Mead, the author of Vampire Academy that says the book is "utterly captivating. One of the most addictive books I've read in a while." That explains it better than I probably can. 
• The thing I love the most about this book is that unlike many paranormal books I read, Clara already knows she's an angel from the start of the book. A lot of books go through this self-discovery process which takes up about half a book. This one jumps right into the angel storyline. It does flash back to when Clara first found out about being part angel, but it doesn't take over the book.

Buy on Amazon.com: Unearthly