In the crowded genre of YA fantasy, Cynthia Hand is a master of her craft. The Unearthly series has been acclaimed by readers (with a 4.2 star average on Goodreads), reviewers, and fellow authors, and the first two books have sold over 25,000 copies in Australia alone.

What is it that makes Hand’s stories stand out? The author credits her success to the fact that unlike other angel-related books hers are, at heart, human stories.

‘My characters aren’t angels; they’re humans with a bit of angel blood in them,’ Hand explains. ‘My story is about a girl who wants to understand her purpose on this earth. Her situation is a metaphor, I think, for a basic question all human beings ask themselves at some point: Why am I here? Clara isn’t trying to find her place in some epic struggle between good and evil. She is trying to find herself. And she gets to have some very cool powers and a set of gorgeous wings along the way.’

About the Book

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but nothing prepared her for the choice she was forced to make that day. Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

About the Author

Cynthia Hand divides her time between Southern California, where she lives with her husband and two children, and southeast Idaho near the Teton Mountains. She teaches writing at Pepperdine University. For more information see Cynthia’s website at www.cynthiahandbooks.com