Teen Read: Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Clara has always been good at everything she's tried. She is an excellent student, beautiful and popular. Her brother is the same way. It is easy to excel in life when you're part angel.

Now that Clara is getting older, her purpose has begun to reveal itself. Each angel-blood gets one chance at fulfilling their purpose in life. Will Clara be able to figure out the clues for hers in time?

Cynthia Hand wrote an original and wonderful book. She did a few things that other teen books have not done that I found added so much to the story. The most significant was having a mother who is present and plays a vital role in the story. So much of YA literature does not include families. To go along with that, Clara had a brother who wasn't 10 years younger than her and actually had a relationship with the family. Clara has 2 best friends, neither of which was generic. Each added to the story line and helped Clara mature both as an angel-blood and as a young woman.

I was engrossed in this book. I felt the characters were tangible. I cared about what was happening in their lives. There is an element of mystery and danger in the book that adds suspense to the already riveting plot. Although some of the mystery is left to be resolved in the next edition (due out in 2012), I felt satisfied with the ending. No spoilers, here, so you'll have to read it for yourself!

I'm so glad I read this book. I feel refreshed after finishing it and want to reflect on it instead of jumping right to the next junk food book. This book was like a medium rare ribeye when you've only been eating beef jerky. Well done!