Astonishingly special in a sea of overused, hackneyed YA paranormal cliches, Unearthly stands out as something else. Not necessarily original or completely inventive in story, Unearthy doesn't seem to be anything more than another novel riding on the coattails of the popular supernatural genre in the YA world. Yet somehow it stands out as one of the best YA fantasies I've read in a long while. Kiss goodbye to all those Twilight-look-a-likes, Unearthly is in a whole new league of its own. 
 Yes, I was definitely surprised at how good Unearthly was! Unearthly chronicles the life of Clara Gardner as she moves across the country to fulfill her purpose. Clara's purpose is far more complex than family drama or a new boyfriend, rather she's 1/4 angel, and all angels have a purpose to complete. However, as Clara learns more and more about her own purpose as well as the darker forces in the angel world, Clara is forced to make decisions about her own life as well as larger worldly struggles. 
 The best thing about Unearthly is how it develops its characters, and relationships. Clara is not another whiny girl pinning after a sexy boy, she's got guts, physical prowess and actions to prove it, and most of all she doesn't need a jerk Prince-Charming to save her when the going gets tough. Clara is perfectly capable of saving herself and making her own decision as she is a quarter blood angel. She might be a little egocentric, cocky and kinda headstrong, but that's all human, and she makes up for it with her sense of duty and compassion. Perfectly balanced as an actual human being, Clara is one heck of a cool heroine. 
 Oh and the romance is just as great as Clara herself! If not better. :D I love how Clara actually makes her love choice pretty clear in the book, she doesn't vacillate between guys, and the romance is quite sweet with mutual feelings. What a difference from some YA books.. And the male leads! One seems a bit of the old fashioned, cold, popular type while the other is warmer and perhaps the good guy type. I'm not going to spoil anything else, but I really do adore one of the male leads! But regardless, yes Clara is willing to love, to be loved, and to indulge in pure wholesome love, it's so innocent really! 
 World-building, the emerging showing of the angel world struggles, and the hidden truths that Clara's mother hasn't told her will definitely keep you hooked. Unearthly is pretty vague on details, but it leaves room for expansion in the sequels. However, angel customs, from details about wings, to angel categories, all litter Unearthly's jargon. It's quite fascinating actually, especially on the mini details Clara learns. 
 Alas Unearthly still has its faults though. The ending..definitely made me want more, and the twist is nice, though seems to complicate the situation. But for the most part, Unearthly keeps us in the dark for a lot of things, it's really quite frustrating! In some ways it makes me sick of the series trend in YA books..But Unearthly really isn't a bad read at all, I just wanted more! So many major questions are unresolved and I just want to know more about the angel world! 
 A compelling debut read, I'll be anxiously counting down the days to Unearthly's sequel Hallowed.