Clara even comments directly on some of these often recycled themes. and creates something new and exciting out of them. Clara's family is also a big part of her journey through this series, and I love their relationships with each other.Ĭynthia Hand takes the standard paranormal romance themes - supernatural beings, love triangles, high school etc. But some of that doesn't. These questions about identity also morph the series into having a New Adult vibe, especially in the second book as Clara nears the end of high school. Some of that has to do with the guys she meets. She's trying to figure out what she's supposed to be doing with her life - and who she wants to be. I connected to a lot of Clara's struggles and decisions in this story. This is also one of the few series where after two books, I'm not exactly sure what is going to happen with her love interests, although I do have hopes.ĭespite the paranormal element and talk of purposes, the Unearthly series has a very contemporary feel to it. And I think in life, that is a very real question that we all ask ourselves about our relationships. While I read these books I kept wondering who is the better choice for Clara, not just who is the best guy. There is no broody bad boy or insta-love in this series, and the love story develops slowly. Yes, this series contains a love triangle, but it is one that I actually like. Part of that is the two guys that enter Clara's life - the one from her visions and the other one who is not part of The Plan. I actually found the way this question is approached in this series to be very relatable. destiny (predestination) debate that carries through the series. They feature some large life themes, including a very interesting free will vs. Can she follow her purpose blindly? What if her heart takes her in another direction? As she works to discover her purpose, she also questions how much freedom she has to choose. But nothing is ever as easy - or clear - as it seems. What she sees leads her to move with her family, which consists of her mom and brother (also part angels), from California to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Although she's not told exactly what he purpose is, she gets glimpses of it from a reoccurring vision. Although I'm going to talk very generally about the series, I've included the book description from Unearthly above.Ĭlara Gardner is part angel and every angel blood is born with a purpose on earth that they must fulfill. In light of that, I'm going to try to tell you why I love these books so much - without giving anything away about them. However, every time I go back to edit what I've written, I realize that what I really want to say about these books is a spoiler, and I'd rather discuss them than write individual reviews. I keep wanting to transfer my Goodreads reviews of Unearthly and its sequel Hallowed by Cynthia Hand to my blog.

Unearthly book series