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?

Unearthly is a moving tale of love and fate, and the struggle between following the rules and following your heart.

If you're thinking, "Oh, no, not another angel book," stop it right now.
Yah, Unearthly emang lagi-lagi buku yang nyeritain tentang angel & nephilim. Awalnya aku juga mikir kayak gitu. But shush and listen for second.

Cerita ini menunjukkan angel dengan cerita yang beda banget dari buku-buku tentang angel yang baru-baru ini terbit. Secara keseluruhan buku ini menceritakan tentang latar belakang keluarga Clara dan keluarganya dan bukan the super-page-turning point di awal cerita alias plotnya lambat. Selesai baca buku ini, sekarang aku nggak bisa nunggu buat seri selanjutnya. Awalnya aku pikir buku ini endingnya nggak bakal se-nggantung ini! Mungkin buku ini bisa dibilang perfect kecuali deskripsinya yang terlalu detail. OK, so how much longer until the sequel?

Mungkin banyak buku tentang angel yang cerita romancenya terlalu cliche dan karakter ceweknya selalu jadi damsel in distress, beda sama Clara yang punya karakter kuat dan gampang disukai; dia ini nggak gampang nyerah, baik, dan seseorang yang pengen kamu jadiin temen. Clara juga nggak lovesick di awal cerita. Pas dia ketemu Angela dan Wendy, dua BFFs barunya, kayak mereka itu satu dari sisi baik dan satu dari sisi jahat. Wendy yang sugary sweet, sedangkan Angela punya sedikit sisi sebagai bagian dari fallen angel juga. Menurutku Angela mungkin bakal punya peran penting di buku selanjutnya. Tentu saja juga ada, the evil elements, Black Wings.

Unearthly bener-bener bacaan yang nggak bisa aku taruh. Christian dan Tucker yang masing-masing menarik dengan cara mereka sendiri. Alur ceritanya nggak terburu-buru atau dipaksain dan predictable di bagian-bagian tertentu, tapi jelas ada liku-liku di sepanjang cerita.

My final say, what do you think of the new angel trend? Do you love it or hate it?