Review: Radiant (Unearthly #2.5) by Cynthia Hand

Radiant (Unearthly #2.5) by Cynthia Hand

Publishers: Harper Teen
Published Date: December 4th 2012
From: Bought
My rating: 4 out of 5

Synopsis:

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!

-CB x

You can reach Cynthia Hand here:

Web

Twitter

 Profile

Blog

Goodreads