Boundless by Cynthia Hand [Joint Review!]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

   

Boundless by Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly #3
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Release: January 22, 2013

Hardcover: 438 Pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon and Rex

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:
The past few years have held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner could ever have anticipated. Yet from the dizzying highs of first love, to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she can no longer deny is that she was never meant to live 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 seems 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 decide her fate once and for all. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon and Rex's Thoughts:
Since we read this book at the same time, we decided to write a joint review!  We both had a lot of feelings and thoughts on this book and the series on a whole, but quickly discovered how hard it was to talk about those feelings without giving anything away!  

1. What was your favorite part?
Rex: My favorite part is Tucker rolling up on Clara's doorstep to profess his love for her. Gave me butterflies :)

Shannon: Flaming swords!  Oh and I enjoyed getting to know Clara's dad better.  And Christian better. 

Rex: Flaming swords sounds so perverse for whatever reason. I wish she would have used something else... Like, firey? swords? haha. And you're right, it was refreshing to get to know the characters better (finally.)

2. What was your least favorite part?

Rex: As my least favorite part is pretty spoilery, I'm going to say that my least favorite part would be the first 2-3 chapters where there is WAY too much talk about Stanford. WAAAYYYY too much. WHO CARESSSS! Lets hear about angel fights and kissing instead!

Shannon: I agree.  The Stanford part seemed...pointless.  Especially considering it didn't play as big of a role at the end.   Also, I was concerned that no one was concerned about Clara's brother, Jeffrey.  Why doesn't anyone care about Jeffrey?!  Also there was a plot twist involving Angela that I didn't see coming and I wasn't too keen on it either.

Rex: Angela's whole story line was like the adults in the Peanuts, "wahwahwah, wahwah, wah''

3. Lets talk love triangle.  Team Tucker?  Team Christian? 

Rex: Can I be Team Tucker AND Christian? I love them both. I'm more Team Tucker, but after Cynthia broke my heart (and Tucker's) in the 2nd installment, I was ready to move on. I was ready to embrace Team Christian and Clara's destiny with him. But you know how those wonderful authors are, they throw you curve balls and stuff. That's why you should read this book, it isn't too predictable.

Shannon: This is a tough one for me too, because Cynthia Hand managed to create a love triangle with two awesome (and good) guys.  But in THIS book, I was Team Christian.  Or at least I was Lets-Give-Team-Christian-A-Try.

Rex: Let's Give Team Christian a Try!! That's perfect.

4. What did you think of the ending?

Rex: Too clean. I wanted death, happiness, laughing and crying. I really didn't get any of that. I felt more apathetic. I don't like when an ending cleans up too perfectly. I mean, I want this perfect happy ending, but with a little grief or something. I don't know, I just didn't get this BAM in your face ending like I had hoped.

Shannon: Ahhh, now we come to the crux of the problem.  And unfortunately it is hard to talk about without giving anything away.  I thought it was a bit of a cop-out.  You're right - everything ends too cleanly.  And even the Big Showdown was missing some grit.  I felt really bad for Christian actually.  I was a little bothered by how Cynthia Hand left things between Clara-Tucker-Christian.

 

5.  What did you think about the series on a whole?

Rex: Love it. Probably won't read any of these books again, but they're fast reads and I really enjoyed them. I'm not an uber angel-in-young-adult-fiction fan so for this series to keep my attention and make me love it is a big deal. ;)

Shannon: I usually dislike Angel YA too, but I really enjoyed this series.  I really cared about the characters and I was always interested to see where the story was going.  The angel mythology was interesting and slightly different than the norm.  Overall, I really recommend the series, but I think the second book was my favorite.

Overall, we both thought this was an excellent series.  Especially since it is a genre we generally don't enjoy.  Kudos to Cynthia Hand for writing a fun and captivating series!

 

Books in the series in the order they should be read:
1. Unearthly
2. Hallowed
3. Boundless

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand [Review]

4.5 out of 5 Robots!

   

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly #2
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal

Release: January 17, 2012

Hardcover: 403 Pages

Publisher: HarperTeen

My Copy: Purchased

Reviewer: Shannon

Buy the Book: Amazon

Book Summary:
For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are. (Courtesy of the Publisher)

 
Shannon's Thoughts:

Hallowed is a great sequel to Unearthly.  In fact, I think I liked it even more.  It kind of ups the ante and I loved it.  Clara didn't fulfill her purpose to save Christian and now she is unsure where she stands now.  On top of that, some major revelations are dropped on her lap and she is about to lose someone she loves.  I had some suspicions about these reveals, but I still managed to be surprised.

First, let's talk two things that normally make me cringe: angels and love triangles.  But hat's off to Hand for creating a very compelling world inhabited by angels, half-angels and quarter-angels.  I find angel books to be cheesy and overwrought sometimes, but Hand does a great job of being self-aware.  She takes a lot of the over-the-top aspects out of the story.  Instead she keeps the story quiet and fairly introspective.

Normally, I'm not super interested in love triangles.  But this felt realistic. (Or as realistic as relationships involving Angels can be).  Both Christian and Tucker are great guys, but for different reasons.  They also aren't perfect and I liked that too.  Normally I side with one guy over the other, but Hand makes both guys sympathetic.  I honestly would be happy with Clara being with either one.

I was pretty excited about the direction Hand took the story and I am really excited to see how it all goes together in the final book, Boundless.
 
Books in the series in the order they should be read:
1. Unearthly
2. Hallowed
3. Boundless

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand [Review]

5 out of 5 Robots!

   

Title: Unearthly

Series: Unearthly, #1

Author: Cynthia Hand

Genre: YA PNR Romance

Release Date: Jan 4, 2011

Hardcover: 448 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061996165
ISBN-13: 978-0061996160
My Copy: NetGalley
Reviewer: Rex

My Review:

Unearthly is beautiful, unique and a breath of fresh air. I was hooked on this book from the first few pages- I'm still hooked on it. I am so sad it is over! Talk about having a literary crush. After sifting through many mediocre Young Adult books and barely being able to finish them- I want to hug and thank Ms. Hand for such a well written book. And about angels, nevertheless! Just what I've been looking for lately. This book literally has everything you could ask for in a Young Adult Paranormal Romance novel. I should have warned you to brace yourself for my smitten behavior while writing this review.

Clara learned a few years ago that she is one quarter angel. When receiving the "angel speech" from her mother, she also learns that she has a purpose which she is anxiously waiting to complete. Now, Clara has began receiving visions of her purpose- saving a teenage boy from a forest fire in Wyoming. So what's a girl to do but follow her dreams- literally. Clara, her brother and half-angel mother all pack up and ship off to Wyoming. Once there she finds herself dealing with angelic issues as well as mundane teen problems- new school, new friends, new crush. She has her plate full.

Clara is believable and I found it incredibly easy to relate to her. Having to choose between her heart and head, her emotions and reactions are pragmatic and sometimes frustrating. Just like the average teenage girl, she isn't always likable and is a wee bit self centered... but she is genuine and compassionate. And, of course, she's got that major *who do I choose* conflict going on. Who doesn't love a good love triangle? 

Now, love triangle. Clara's purpose is to save the rich, cute, popular Christian... But when she accidentally falls in love with poor, adorable, popular Tucker can she still complete her purpose? Or will she save the wrong boy? At first I had a hard time picking a side, I'm falling head over heels for Tucker right along with Clara but then Ms. Hand tossed me a curve ball and I'm like wait, Christian.....? Both equally have their pros and both equally have their cons. Good luck trying to choose your side! Though I have to admit it was fun not being able to choose.

Before I finish up- I have to make note of Clara's friends. They're shockingly realistic. She's got Wendy- her human friend and Tucker's sister, and then there is Angela, half angel. There is jealousy, arguments, tension- all that good stuff that girls deal with amongst their best friends. I feel the same way about the mother-daughter relationship with Clara and her mom. So realistic- and after just finishing up a book that has a  frustratingly fictional relationship between the child/parents- this was refreshing.

Each and every character has depth and the story is absolutely compelling. Hand writes with such graceful efficiency. I highly recommend this novel to all fans of young adult, paranormal and angels. Gosh, I would recommend this novel to just about anyone. When does the second one come out!?

Purchase your copy of 

Unearthly at

Amazon!