Clara is desperate to get away—from the memories that haunt her in Wyoming and the visions of a future she isn't ready to face—and spending the summer in Italy with her
best friend, Angela, should be the perfect escape. . . .
For as
long as she can remember, Angela has been told that love is dangerous,
that she must always guard her heart. But when she met a mysterious guy
in Italy two years ago she was determined to be with him, no matter the
costs. Now she must decide whether she can trust Clara with her secret,
or if telling her the truth will risk everything she cares about.
Alternating between Angela and Clara's perspectives, Radiant chronicles the unforgettable summer that will test the bounds of their friendship and change their lives forever
Review:
Another series I love (and I'm eagerly anticipating Boundless) is the Unearthly series by Cynthia Hand. Many of you were unhappy with how things ended with Tucker, Clara's very popular love interest, and this book briefly glides over some of the hurt and heartache she's feeling.
I think this story deserved to be told. In Unearthly and Hallowed we have lots of brief snippets about Angela's boyfriend from Italy but never a clear indication of whether it's something that we should be concerned about or even if it plays any part in the overall story. What we read in Radiant is that it IS serious and I can only think that in the end Phen will arrive into the main story to help or hinder (not quite sure which!)
So the story basically tells of a few weeks that Angela and Clara are in Italy for summer vacation before they both head off to Stanford. Angela sneaks out one night after a chance meeting on a train. Clara noticed the cute man Angela was trying to run from and guessed, using her empathic skills, that this is THE man from Angela's cryptic past.
One thing leads to another, Clara is finally introduced to him but she's not sure about Phen. He's a full on 100% angel and while he neither is a white or black wing, Clara senses that in the end its only going to end up one way. Angela's heart will be broken.
Radiant is a short story, very sweet. As I said earlier we get to hear how Clara is doing now that Tucker is no longer in her life, but what I was most upset about is the lack of thought about Christian Prescott. She doesn't think of him at all. In fact he's really only mentioned in a narrative by Angela at the beginning. This confused me because I thought with Clara and Christians new found 'connection' he would have appeared as at least a small blot on the radar.
Anyway, if you're a fan of the series then you definitely must read!
Synopsis:
For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought.
Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her 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.
Review:
I read this book in about 6 hours straight with very few breaks for cups of tea or to eat anything. Cynthia Hand - you should be a dietary-form, The unputdownable book diet!
I've also had to give myself a few hours before writing this review because so much happened, and so many raw emotions played along with me as I was reading, its actually difficult to know what to write.
Firstly, Unearthly was one of my books of 2011. I wanted to read Hallowed as soon as I finished it. Hallowed for me IS one of the best books for 2012 and I hope it will remain so. The writing, once again, is exquisite. The characters are all in full bloom and raring to go from page 1. And for Clara, the hits just keep on coming.
In one way this book is much darker then Unearthly. The subject of dying and death is iterated so finely with the premise of the story but underneath it IS the main subject of the book. How Clara deals with the prospect of death of a close one. How she reacts. How she deals with her friends while she's reacting. And then the truth of it all is so frightening that she finds it difficult to cope. Because the truth is always so much more painful.
I was never a Tucker fan, I have to admit that Christian was always up there for me. And I guessed he was an Angel too before I got to the end of Unearthly so I was so pleased he had more of a starring role in this book. In the end Tucker does what he can humanly do best. And his decisions are something that we can all relate to at sometime or another.
Christian ended up being the solid rock this time. He's able to deal with the situations without the possibility of freaking out - being Angel and all. Tucker would never have coped in the same way.
Clara is a bit of a mess throughout most of this book. She's indecisive, emotional, happy one minute and sad the next. But remember when teenage life was always like that? I do.
For the sequel to Unearthly, and bearing in mind that 2nd books sometimes don't meet the expectations of the first, this book is like standing in front of a tornado. You never know what is going to hit you next. It will have you spiralling so out of control that you just want it to stop and give Clara a break, for pitys sake!
An emotional and turbulent ride but one I wouldn't have missed for anything. Bring on Book 3 - I'm ready!
I loved this book. I literally could not put it down. And as usual, it starts with a boy....
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?
This is one of those books where you get torn in two. Firstly I loved the fact that Clara knew she was an angel from the beginning. There was no - OMG what's happening - moment except a little way into the book when her powers advance.
Christian is the one she has to save. I feel an enderaing quality in Christian, even though he's always sucking face with Kay. This part of his character creeps me out, but when he's on his own he's so lovely. Except then we all begin to hate him when he leaves Clara high and dry at the Prom.
YOU SEE! These characters really draw you in and I haven't even begun to discuss Tucker. Well, he's one that you hate to begin with and then get to love as he loves Clara.
At no point in this book did I get the feeling that Clara was doing anything behind anyone's back, she didn't cheat, and she certainly kept her good girl values which is a likeable quality in our heroine.
The ending was not a total surprise after a remark when clara follows Christian to lunch. So I kind of knew what would happen, but it still had me gripping my Kindle right to the last page.
An excellent new Author, and an excellent first novel. 5 Stars!!!
