Book #9: Boundless

Title: Boundless (Book #3 in the Unearthly trilogy)

Author: Cynthia Hand

Date started reading: Jan. 30, 2013
Date finished reading:  Feb. 1, 2013

Publish date: January 2013
ISBN: 978-0061996207
Number of pages: 448

Official summary: "The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life. Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her ... even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seemed like the best option, so she’s headed back to California — and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place. As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. ... With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal. In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must choose her fate once and for all." (http://www.cynthiahandbooks.com)

Official book trailer:

How I obtained the book: Pre-ordered for $15.29 from Walmart using a giftcard I got for Christmas

My spoiler-filled commentary:

•  I'm sad to see this series end. I knew it was just going to be a trilogy from the beginning, but I think it could've lasted another book or two.
• Angela getting pregnant by a "gray angel" ... TOTALLY didn't expect that. It's weird to think that her "purpose" in life was to give birth to a baby that was 3/4 angel. I got a little angry at the author for having Angela tell everyone at the college that the father was a boy at the school instead of being honest because I think that sends a bad message to the mostly-teenager audience, but I guess I understand why she did it. Angela was afraid to let anyone know that a full-blooded angel was the father. 
• I'm pissed that in the end, Clara ends up with Tucker instead of Christian. I know Tucker was the "love of her life" from the beginning of the series, but he was just human, and Christian was part of Clara's "life purpose." Clara and Christian were soulmates, and he loved her completely, and ultimately Clara chooses Tucker. Of course, like I've said before, I don't get why the authors of supernatural books always feel the need to make humans into something else; Clara saving Tucker's life when he got killed by an angel-blood turns him into some sort of prophet of the Lord which allows them to be together. Annoying...
• I love how the author mentions the "Vampire Academy" book series and the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series in this book. Of course, VA's author Richelle Mead has been quoted on the back cover of the Unearthly series all along, so I bet Cynthia Hand was just trying to work her friend's book series into hers somehow.
• I was bothered by the fact that Clara went to a college party and the kids were watching "That 70s Show," and somehow the author says "That Seventies Show" instead. I know that's not a big deal in the long run, but the copy editor in me is screaming at the fact that the mistake made it into the book.
• I normally try to make sure when I buy a book series that the covers are all matching. I don't know if other people think about stuff like that or not, but I do. This one's going to bug me. Of the trilogy I have, the first book is a paperback. The second is a hardback, but I bought it as-is at a used book store and it's missing the dust cover, and this one is a hardback with the dust cover because I bought it new. Three books, totally mismatched. I guess I just gotta deal with that.

Memorable quotes:

• "I can't spend my entire life being afraid of the black-winged bogeyman. I have to live my life." ~ Clara
• "Sometimes it's difficult to be the bearer of a sword." ~ Michael
• "I blame God. If there even is such a thing. Sometimes I feel like we're all chumps, doing stuff from these visions just because somebody told us to, in the name of a deity we've never even met. Maybe the visions have nothing to do with God, and we're just seeing the future. Maybe we're all just perpetuating the myth." ~ Jeffrey
• "If we can send one man to the moon, why can't we send them all there?" ~ Angela
• "Sanity is overrated." ~ Clara
• "Love is a many-splendored thing. But it is also a pain in the ass." ~ Clara's mom
• "Angels can be a pain in the ass." ~ Clara
• "I love you. Can you feel that? You. Not some destiny I think I'm called to. You. I'm with you. My strength. My soul. My heart. Feel it." ~ Christian to Clara
• "You're my glory swoard, you know that? My truth." ~ Christian to Clara

Buy on Amazon.com: Boundless (Unearthly)