Tag: angel

Book of the Month – December

7488244Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

I began skimming through my Goodreads “Read” list, searching for a warm, festive book for the holiday month of December…and I realized I don’t read too many “ho-ho-ho!” and hot cocoa-worthy books. So, I went with the angel-themed story/series, Unearthly by Cynthia Hand (to honor the angel at the top of my Christmas tree, of course…Bit of a stretch? Maybe, but oh well!). This is one of my favorite YA series, so hopefully you can enjoy it too!

Synopsis

“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.”

Jen’s Review

A reliable friend recommended the Unearthly series to me last winter. To be honest, when I saw the cover I wasn’t all too eager to read it. It just didn’t “wow!” me and it had a juvenile edge to it that made me wary. But, I decided to trust my friend and gave it a chance. And I’m so glad I did, because I ended up falling in love with it. I devoured Unearthly in just a couple of days, and went on to devour its sequels, Hallowed and Boundless. The plot was fun and enticing, the characters memorable and endearing, and the pace fast and thrilling. It’s a story filled with the perfect amount of humor, action, emotion and, yes, romance.

Now, I know there are quite a few paranormal/angel themed stories out there, but this is one you won’t want to miss! Give it a try (don’t let the cover deter you like it almost deterred me!).

“I feel like Cinderella sitting in the middle of the road with a pumpkin and a couple of mice, while Prince Charming charges off to rescue some other chick.”

Read more about Unearthly here!

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Book Review: Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

8490112Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor

Synopsis

“Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.
In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.
And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.
Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”, she speaks many languages – not all of them human – and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.
When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?”

Jen’s Review

As a book nerd, one of my least favorite questions is, “What’s your favorite book?” It’s an impossible question to answer. I don’t have a favorite book. But I do have favorites. And Daughter of Smoke & Bone is one of them.

When I first started reading Daughter of Smoke & Bone, I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. Simply put, it was weird. The protagonist, Karou, rocked blue hair, liked to draw monstrous creatures in her sketchbook, and collected teeth from both animals and humans. Yes, teeth. However, I quickly fell in love with the weirdness. It was hard not to when the characters were so likable, the premise so original, and the writing so skillfully done. And let’s not forget the fiery-eyed angel, Akiva. Oh Akiva…Ladies, he’s a book crush waiting to happen. Trust me!

Just take my word for it. Daughter of Smoke & Bone has everything a story should have: depth, romance, wit and adventure.

Jen’s Rating

5 Star

Read more about Daughter of Smoke & Bone here.

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