Book Review: Boundless

Boundless (Unearthly #3)

By: Cynthia Hand

Published By: HarperTeen

Publication Date: January 22, 2013

Page Count: 448

Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or IndieBound

Source: ARC Kindly Provided by Publisher

Audience: Young Adult - Paranormal Romance, Angels

Woah. Where to start?! Unearthly was a cute, semi-serious book about a klutzy girl, Clara, who was trying to find her feet in a new school (and life as an Angel-Blood) and save the school’s resident hottie, Christian, because she’d had a vision about him dying in horrific forest fire. Along the way she fell for her BFF’s brother, Tucker, the swoonsome cowboy who rode off with my heart. I was expecting Hallowed to be much of the same, more swooning, a bit of angst, more Angel-Blood lore and some action. Instead, it ripped a hole in my heart. Clara had to deal with the loss of a very dear loved one, and it was utterly profound. Bar, consider yourself raised. So what was I expecting from Boundless? I hardly knew.

Boundless was phenomenal. It almost defies description; so much happened. The story got blown wide open time and time again by events that I totally didn’t see coming. Every character saw growth and challenges. There were some really poignant bits, and some bits that made me want to slap Clara, Tucker and Christian about the head. And Jeffrey, Clara’s brother... he was definitely in need of a sobering slap, just for dating such a horrific specimen.

I don’t feel like I can, or should, talk too much about the plot because it will spoil the earlier books in the series, and I would hate for someone to have Boundless spoiled in any sense. I will say that I think it is quite important that fans of the series read Radiant, the #2.5 novella which falls in between Hallowed and Boundless. It might have been a little confusing to read Boundless without it.

What I can’t get over is the ending. PERFECT, and yet also kind of soul-destroying. I really came to care for both Tucker and Christian in an above-average way through this series, and it tore me up that one of them would lose out. Clearly both guys were just so right and so in love with Clara. By the way, could I please be Clara? A super-hot angel guy who literally understands her to the core and a ridiculously cute manly cowboy who calls her Carrots, both after her? Oh the poor girl!!! And she gets superpowers?! How I don’t hate this girl is a mystery... She is all kinds of awesome though, despite being a bit lame about choosing her guy, but then I couldn’t blame her really. She really comes through in the end, and she kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole ride.

Things I really enjoyed... the appearance of ‘Web’ (I won’t say any more), Stanford and its new challenges, and the various “Luke, I’m your father” type moments. Things which irked me: O Jeffrey, Jeffrey! Wherefore art thou Jeffrey? Seriously, he needed more face-time, and I want to know more generally about him and his life as an angel-blood. I’d ideally like a novella just about him now. More Tucker needed too. That’s about it. Oh and the epilogue... normally fast-forwarding ten years or so into the future is a bit gratuitous at the end of books (particularly in Mockingjay), but it felt good here.

All in all, Boundless rounds out a stellar series, which is absolutely one to read and push to all young adult readers... it really IS that good. Other books about angels don’t even come close.

Summary:

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

Since discovering the special role she plays among the other angel-bloods, Clara has been determined to protect Tucker Avery from the evil that follows her . . . even if it means breaking both their hearts. Leaving town seems like the best option, so she’s headed back to California - and so is Christian Prescott, the irresistible boy from the vision that started her on this journey in the first place.

As Clara makes her way in a world that is frighteningly new, she discovers that the fallen angel who attacked her is watching her every move. And he’s not the only one. . . . With the battle against the Black Wings looming, Clara knows she must finally fulfill her destiny. But it won’t come without sacrifices and betrayal.

In the riveting finale of the Unearthly series, Clara must decide her fate once and for all.