Review: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Title: Unearthly
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: January 4, 2011
Series: Unearthly #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: NetGalley

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?

This book made me want to sprout wings and then pluck a feather out of them. I'd heard from a lot of people that this is the best angel book they've read, but I remained a little skeptical because the other angel books that have come out have just been kinda ehhh for me. Well, after reading it, I am a believer, because I completely enjoyed this book.

I love Clara. I don't really know what to say about her to explain all of the reasons why I love her. She is very realistic. She is pretty but isn't vain about it. Until she gets a bad dye job and then she's totally insecure. I love that! How many of us walk around thinking that we're not vain like some people, until we get a terrible haircut or have to walk around wearing something completely dorky? Then we become as concerned with how we look as the worst of them. It shakes our confidence. It makes us insecure. It's little things like that which made me fall in love with Clara because she is alive on the pages like she's my long lost sister. She has flaws. But she is also determined and she holds herself accountable when she makes mistakes.

The supporting characters are awesome. Clara's mother is one of the best parental figures I've read in YA. She's supportive and protective and involved in Clara's life. The interaction between Clara and her brother are brilliant and true. I love it that Clara doesn't have to hide her wings around her family and that they're all in it together no matter what. Her classmates are well-written, and they all act appropriately teenage. Wendy and Tucker are my favorites! But I won't go into too much of my opinions of Clara's friends (of which I have many) because I don't think I can do it without spoiling some stuff.

I also like it that Clara is the angel rather than the clueless, naive human chick who's also weak and vulnerable and stupid. She isn't some depressingly average, idiotic waif of a girl who is being wooed by something dark and sinister. Neither is she a fallen being doomed to walk the earth forever in tragedy. She has a purpose. She was born with this purpose in life and must discover what that purpose is and carry it out.  This angel book had a plot! Not that the others don't - I just feel like this one is stronger. The reader knows from the beginning that Clara has something she must accomplish and that the story will be leading up to that.

So yes, this is definitely the best angel book I've read. The end is satisfying but still leaves me anticipating the sequel. A lot. I loved it and I can't wait for the next one.  :)

A couple of asides: 1) I'm totally team Tucker, and 2) This is one of the most gorgeous books I have ever seen. It is absolutely beautiful and if you don't have a finished physical copy, you should get one. The shiny will blow your mind. Even without the dust jacket it is shiny and awesome. Pictures can't come close to representing the glitzy sparkle that is this book.

In My Mailbox (10)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everybody got this week.

Here are the books that I got this week:



For Review:
The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (from HarlequinTeen)

Won:
Firelight (signed) by Sophie Jordan (from Best I've Read 2010 and Once Upon a Twilight)

Bought:
Looking for Alaska by John Green - My paperback copy was falling apart, so I bought a shiny new hardcover.
Graceling by Kristin Cashore - I have this one as an ebook but found the hardcover at Books-A-Million for $4 so I snagged it.
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Linger by Maggie Steifvater
The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray
Bright Young Things by Anna Godberson
Odd and the Frost Giants by Neil Gaiman

Swap:
Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
I Am Number Four by 'Pittacus Lore' - I figure I should read this one before seeing the movie.

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

Title: The Demon King
Author: Cinda Williams Chima
Publisher: Disney Hyperion
Publication Date: October 6, 2009
Series: Seven Realms #1
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Purchased

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch.  Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for himself, his mother, and his sister Mari.  Ironically, the only thing of value he has is something he can’t sell.  For as long as Han can remember, he’s worn thick silver cuffs engraved with runes.  They’re clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he’s never been able to get them off.

While out hunting one day, Han and his Clan friend, Fire Dancer catch three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea.  After a confrontation, Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to ensure the boy won't use it against them.  Han soon learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago.  With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana’Marianna, Princess Heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight.  She’s just returned to court after three years of relative freedom with her father’s family at Demonai camp – riding, hunting, and working the famous Clan markets.  Although Raisa will become eligible for marriage after her sixteenth name-day, she isn't looking forward to trading in her common sense and new skills for etiquette tutors and stuffy parties.

Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage.  She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world.  But it seems like her mother has other plans for her--plans that include a suitor who goes against everything the Queendom stands for.  With the help of her friend, the cadet Amon Byrne, she navigates the treacherous Gray Wolf Court, hoping she can unravel the conspiracy coalescing around her before it’s too late.

This book reminds me why I absolutely love YA fantasy novels.  Though it is written with a younger audience in mind, the plot does not lack any of the complexities that I love about epic/high fantasy novels which are written for adults.  I think this book is a perfect example of why people should not turn their nose up at YA lit based upon the assumption/stigma that books written for younger people must be dumbed down and simplified.

Han and Raisa are both amazing protags.  They are complex and troubled and strong and defiant and completely awesome.  Han and Raisa are from very different backgrounds, but they are both trying to do what they feel is right despite all of the obstacles in the way.  I really connected with each of them.  I love Han's attitude and the fact that Raisa isn't some pretty, pretty princess that is content to be a figurehead.  Both of them struggle with three facets of their identities.  I love the fact that they each have these three identities and that each one goes by a different name/alias.  In addition to their normal identities, they each have a clan name in addition to an alias - Han as the gang leader "Cuffs", and Raisa disguised as a servant girl named Rebecca.  It illustrates really well the identity struggles that teenagers go through, especially around the age in which they must transition into adulthood.  In the novel, clan children are said to have fluid names which change as their personalities grow and evolve, and often receive a name change on their 16th birthday, one which corresponds with his/her chosen path in life - a further example of identity and the transition from child to adult.  I love what this book does with names, identity, and the coming of age.

The secondary characters are also amazingly done as well (and there are many of them, though not so many that it becomes confusing).  I can't think of a single one who falls flat.  (Raisa's best friend, Amon, is my favorite, though.)  As many of you have probably noticed, I absolutely love it when the secondary characters are fleshed out just as well as the main characters are.  I am always impressed when an author can effectively do that, because the narrative spends significantly less time on these characters and the space in which to make them feel real is so small by comparison.  I felt connections to those close to Han and Raisa, and contempt for their enemies.  I also felt the connections between the characters themselves.  The world building in this novel is extremely well done, from the descriptions of the cities and surrounding areas to the politics at play.  The characters involved in this world are very much alive on the pages, which gives the setting even more depth and relevance.  The reader can see, feel, and witness the story as though he/she is a part of it.

I could go on for pages about all of the reasons why I loved this book.  The characterization is superb.  The plot is complex, and it is filled with suspense, action, survival, conspiracy, thievery, wizardry, and dancing.  I obviously recommend it!  If you love epic/high fantasies, and even if you're unsure about them, you should pick up The Demon King.  I can't wait to get started on its sequel, The Exiled Queen.  If you have read this book or plan to, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it!

In My Mailbox (9)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everybody got this week.


Here's what I've gotten since last time:

Won:
Fallen and Torment (signed) by Lauren Kate (from Random Buzzers)

Bought:
Rebel Angels by Libba Bray
Other Words for Love by Lorraine Zago Rosenthal

ebooks:
Crown Duel & Court Duel by Sherwood Smith
Magyk by Angie Sage (free on Kindle)
The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
Real Mermaids Don't Wear Toe Rings by Helene Boudreau (Kindle edition $2.39)

From a friend:

Vampire Academy, Frostbite, and Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

Review: Mostly Good Girls by Leila Sales

Title: Mostly Good Girls
Author: Leila Sales
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication Date: October 5, 2010
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Won

The higher you aim, the farther you fall….

It’s Violet’s junior year at the Westfield School. She thought she’d be focusing on getting straight As, editing the lit mag, and figuring out how to talk to boys without choking on her own saliva. Instead, she’s just trying to hold it together in the face of cutthroat academics, her crush’s new girlfriend, and the sense that things are going irreversibly wrong with her best friend, Katie.

When Katie starts making choices that Violet can’t even begin to fathom, Violet has no idea how to set things right between them. Westfield girls are trained for success—but how can Violet keep her junior year from being one huge, epic failure?

This book is delightfully fun and funny. The writing is good and the characters feel true to life and believable. Violet and Katie remind me so much of my best friend and myself in highschool. They are silly and hold witty and amusing conversations that had me laughing out loud on several occasions and earning me some strange looks from the people around me. They get into a little bit of trouble but really are, as the title says, mostly good. I love that the characters feel so natural and real. All of my best friends have been girls just like these. They are realistic and lovable, and the characterization is done really well.

My one complaint would be that the plot doesn't really go anywhere. It is a cute and fun story, and I enjoyed it, but there just isn't really that much happening in it. There is some minor conflict between Violet and Katie and there are some shenanigans, but mostly it's just teenage girls being teenage girls. While the conflict isn't very prominent, it is realistic, so I could still appreciate it for what it is - a good example of mildish everyday type of issues that can arise between friends as they grow up.

Overall, I like Mostly Good Girls despite its gently sloping story arc, and a bit because of it. I enjoyed it as a true to life story that could have been an excerpt from probably most people's highschool experiences. The humor is entertaining without being over the top. It felt like reminiscing, and it left me feeling the kind of happy that you feel after you've had a good, long laugh with friends.

Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Title: Before I Fall
Author: Lauren Oliver
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication Date: March 2, 2010
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: Won

They say to live every day as if it's your last - but you never actually think it's going to be.  You always think you'll have more time.

That's what I thought.  But I was wrong.

The thing is, you don't get to know when it happens.  You don't remember to tell your family that you love them or - in my case - remember to say goodbye to them at all.

What if, like me, you could live your last day over again?  Could you make it perfect?  If your whole life flashed before your eyes, would you have any regrets?  Are there things you'd want to change?

Amazing.  I struggle to come up with a way to describe how I felt about this book once I finished it.  It. Was. Freaking. Awesome.  The writing and the characters were so brutally honest.  Oliver doesn't leave out the ugly and the terrible.

Samantha Kingston is a bitch.  Her friends are bitches.  They are mean, spiteful, vindictive girl bullies who mistake the fear of their peers for admiration.  I was appalled by Sam and her friends' behavior a lot of the time.  But it was real, and raw, and seriously and hatefully jacked up at times.  Other than the occasional appearance of a guilty conscience which suggested that Sam was acting outside of what she felt was acceptable behavior, Oliver doesn't give us much to like about Sam.  But I wanted her to be able to right her wrongs and redeem herself.  We always want to believe that the good in a person will take over in the end. 

The plot is cyclical.  This did slow down my reading for the first couple of days, since it is repetitive at first.  Sam relives the last day of her life over and over again.  Each day is a little different, based on Sam's various decisions and actions.  The longer this happens, the more the days change, so it doesn't stay the same every time.

This novel is beautiful.  It does a great job of illustrating how our actions can affect others, both positively and negatively.  It shows us the difference that one day can make.  It reminds us that we are fragile - that our lives could snuff out at any moment - and that we should take advantage of every second that we have.  I felt that the arc of the story and the ending were right.  Before I Fall left me in a pensive mood for many hours afterward.  I absolutely loved it.

In My Mailbox (8)

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren, in order to bring books to the attention of readers and to encourage interaction between bloggers.  It's also a great way to discover new books to add to your ever-growing to-read list!  Stop by Kristi's blog to participate or to take a look at what bookish things everybody got this week.


I didn't receive any books for review this week, but I did buy and win several:

Won:
Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly (from Random Buzzers)
The Lost Saint by Bree Despain (from YABC)
Storyteller by Patricia Reilly Giff (from iBookDB)
Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
The Demon's Covenant by Sarah Rees Brennan
(these last two are from Best I've Read 2010 and Page Turners Blog, courtesy of Lauren Oliver and Sarah Rees Brennan; both are signed UK editions)

Bought:
Eon by Alison Goodman
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan
A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray

And for my Kindle:
Alanna by Tamora Pierce
The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (It was on sale for $2.39.)
The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

What did you get in your mailbox this week?

2011 A-Z Reading Challenge

I have decided to participate in the A-Z Reading Challenge over at The Thoughts of a Book Junky.  The rules are pretty simple:  read 26 books this year, each one's title beginning with a different letter of the alphabet.  Follow the links to read up on it or to participate!


So here is my list of books that I would like to read for the challenge:

A  Across the Universe by Beth Revis
B  Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
C  Choker by Elizabeth Woods
D  Dark Mirror by M.J. Putney
E  The Emerald Atlas by John Stephens
F  Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
G  The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima
H  Heist Society by Ally Carter
I  I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore
J  Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
K  The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
L  Linger by Maggie Stiefvater
M  Moonglass by Jessi Kirby
N  The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson
O  Orchards by Holly Thompson
P  Past Perfect by Leila Sales
Q  The Exiled Queen by Cinda Williams Chima
R  The Revenant by Sonia Gensler
S  Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
T  Timeless by Alexandra Monir
U  Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
V  The Vespertine by Saundra Mitchell
W  Wither by Lauren DeStefano
X  XVI by Julia Karr
Y  You Against Me by Jenny Downham
Z  Zombies vs. Unicorns by Various Authors

Completed titles are in bold print.