Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

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?

I liked this story a lot. I thought the characters were interesting, and the plot was compelling. It was clunky in places (like the way Clara's lifelong friends were handled), but I could easily look past that. I was riveted trying to figure out what was going to happen with Clara's purpose, and couldn't wait to see how it was going to unfold--as well as how that was going to affect the rest of her life. I really enjoyed the monkey wrench thing with Tucker, and I loved how Clara chose the down to earth boy over the popular, perfect boy.

The premise was very intriguing. I love the idea of angels on Earth, and that not all of them are fallen. I especially loved the varying shades of gray. So much more interesting and compelling than the black-or-white good vs. evil thing. That was very well done. I also liked how your shade of gray was affected by your choices. That reflects life extremely well.

I am not quite sure about the ending. It didn't feel like a satisfying resolution to me. I would have preferred less relationship development with Tucker and more with Christian and Jeffery. Those two huge elements were introduced (Christian and Jeffery) right before the end, and nothing was resolved. Not even Clara's purpose. So I wasn't thrilled with that. But still, I enjoyed the story enough to want to read more, and I'm looking forward to the next book.

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