Rummanah Aasi
   There have been many times when I have been fooled by pretty book covers, but the Unearthly series is one of the few series in which the writing is as good as its gorgeous covers. I was eagerly anticipating the release of Boundless, but I was sad to see this series end. Boundless is a strong and satisfying conclusion to an incredible series that sets a new standard for supernatural romance.

Description: The past few years held more surprises than part-angel Clara Gardner ever could have anticipated. Yet through the dizzying high of first love to the agonizing low of losing someone close to her, the one thing she could no longer deny was that she was never meant to have a normal life.

Review: Beautifully written and filled with humor, wide range of emotions, and depth Boundless is maturer than its predecessors both in tone and by its characters, who are embracing their adulthood. As the book opens, Clara begins her freshman year at Stanford University. Full of excitement and nerves, she is trying to balance a normal college life and has yet to identify her divine purpose as an angel. Clara still feels the absence of those she loves, even though Angela and Christian are both there at school with her. It's been a few months since she has had any contact with Tucker after the events that took place in Hallowed, but she just can't stop thinking about him. Every decision Clara makes not only has an impact on her own future but also has an effect on the safety and happiness of those she holds so dear.
   What I loved about this series compared to other angel books that I've tried- and failed to grab my attention- is the unique spin of the age old theme of free will versus fate. Clara, like all the angels in the Unearthly series, has a mission that she needs to complete. She once thought that mission might be involve saving a boy from a fire, but since then her mission has evolved and changed. Clara only receives snippets of clues, but it is up to her to put all of the clues back together. I've been worried that Clara's goal would revolve around romantic interests, but I'm thrilled to find out that the mission is much more deep than that and it was something that I didn't expect at all. I was also very glad that the mission didn't take the turn of preachy religion, but it was more geared toward introspection and life choices.
    There were a few surprises along the way, which I did have a hunch about but couldn't fully explain why I felt them. I know some readers did have issues with the villain and the lack of explanation of what he wanted, but I didn't think that was the focus of this series which is solely focused on Clara's actions. There were many sweet moments in the book, both of visiting characters we missed as well as romantic moments that made me smile. The romance is just as strong here as the other books. Hand addresses what if questions in many different scenarios, but she stayed true to her characters. I was very happy with how she dealt with the love triangle.
  If you have thought about picking up books that feature angels, be sure to read this one first. The writing is very nicely done and the characters are great. I look forward to reading more books by Hand.

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is a scene of underage drinking and sex is implied. Recommended for strong Grade 7 readers and up.

If you like this book try: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington, Kiss by an Angel series by Elizabeth Chandler, Halflings by Heather Burch, A Temptation of Angels by Michelle Zink
9 Responses
  1. Anonymous Says:

    Ahhh!!! I need to read this series and like NOW. I have the first 2 books just sitting on my shelf and Ive heard nothing but good things about these. Thanks for the fabulous review.


  2. Jenny Says:

    I'm so glad you loved this one too Rummanah! I was thrilled with how the love triangle was handled, even though my heart bled for Christian time and time again. He had my loyalty to Tucker starting to crumble and that is a feat because I've always been 100% Team Tucker:)


  3. Glad you liked this one! I haven't read it yet. I was disappointed with the second book but still want to read the third one.

    On an unrelated note, your post had a link to your review of Hounded - the Iron Druid Chronicles. I just finished listening to the first one on audiobook and it was fabulous. I loved Oberon. And it's good to hear the words pronounced via audio.


  4. I am with you on the whole angel theme. This, however, is one angel series that I stuck with and loved. I agree with you about the free will and refraining from preaching and religious themes. I adored the romance in this one and I was wavering back and forth the whole way with this one wondering who she would choose. But I think her heart led the way, especially consdering that she kept ending up in that barn. I just wish tha we had an idea of what happened with Christian.


  5. Candace Says:

    I'm not a big fan of angel books but this is one series I love! I haven't read Boundless yet but it's sitting on my TBR pile. I'm glad it had a satisfying conclusion!


  6. I'm glad to have this book and I'm loving it


  7. There's so much to be said about free will vs. fate and a lot of people pointed that out as their favorite thing about these books. I never made it past book one, but I own the other ones as well and every review I come across makes me even more excited about reading them. :)


  8. I don't like angel books for the most part and just couldn't get past the first book. Actually I couldn't finish the first book. I'm not sure why, I was so bored with it. I'm glad you finally found something you enjoyed!! Phew, I was really getting worried about you finding something to read.

    Heather


  9. Anonymous Says:

    I was also thrilled with how she dealt with the love triangle, but I've never really changed teams throughout the series, so I guess that's not a surprise. :-) I love that these books tackle free will vs. fate, and I feel like this book really went even further in raising these questions (the scene on the mountain was very interesting, and sweet). Such an amazing series! Glad you enjoyed this one!


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