Series Review: Unearthly Trilogy by Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly Trilogy
Author: Cynthia Hand
# of Books: 3 (Unearthly, Hallowed, Boundless)

There is a also a novella that takes place between books 2 & 3 called Radiant

Complete?: Yes
Genre: Young Adult, Angels, Romance
Heat Rating: cold

Thoughts:

When I started reading Unearthly, it seemed that the trend for Young Adult books was now angels instead of vampires and it was a trend I had been enjoying immensely. But what drew me to this book was that the lead was the angel herself, not a human girl falling for a fallen angel. I also won’t lie and I will admit the cover also drew me in 😉

I really did enjoy Unearthly. It was different from other books of the genre and there were a few things I didn’t see coming so that was great. The little surprises along the way throughout the series made me really enjoy reading the books because it wasn’t predictable and I was interested to see what would happen next. Overall, Unearthly was a great start to a series and hit all the right marks (romance, suspense, little cliff-hangers, etc) so I was excited to read Hallowed when it was released.

Hallowed disappointed me. I think the best way to describe it is “depressing”–and by this I mean the storyline that Clara is put through is a really sad one. She deals with some pretty tough stuff and I do remember shedding a tear or two while I read it. I also started to get a little annoyed with Clara, Christian, Tucker, and pretty much every other character I think, in how they act in this book. I don’t think I ever really connected to the characters which made reading the third one extremely hard.

It took me a long time to get into Boundless. I think I took it out from the library 3 times before I actually managed to read past chapter 1. As I said before, I don’t think I really liked the characters all that much (plus, 1 year is a long time to wait for another book in a series so I think I lost a bit of my like for this series in that time). I was also expecting there to be more action in the book; especially with how the plot develops in Hallowed and what Clara keeps predicting is going to happen. But for the most part the book was slow and it often dragged. I think I read most of it by skimming through it though some parts captured my attention and made me want to continue reading.

I should note that I never read Radiant, book 2.5, in the series. I don’t feel like I missed out on anything that affected my reading by doing so. I will probably read it if my library gets a copy, but otherwise I think I am going to pass.

Conclusion:

I think if I had read all 3 books within a one week span, I would have enjoyed the series more. I didn’t hate the characters unlike some stories, I think I was just indifferent to them so that made it hard to get into the series. But, this series is unlike any of the other angel books I have read and there are always a few plot surprises hidden within that makes the books interesting to read. If you are looking for a slower paced, angel story, this is for you!

Rating: 3.5/5

Similar Reads: Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton (Angelfire, #1); A Beautiful Dark by Jocelyn Davies (A Beautiful Dark Trilogy #1) and Angel (Burn) by L.A. Weatherly (Angel Trilogy, #1)

Synopsis for Unearthly (from Goodreads):
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 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?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart