Boundless by Cynthia Hand
Title: Boundless
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Series: Unearthly #3
Release Date: January 22nd 2013
Pages: 438
Rating: ★★★★☆
Blurb:
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.
A great conclusion to a great series. It had the ending I expected, although secretly I was rooting for another end, it was still good.
I can't really tell much about the story without spoiling it, so I won't give a summary.
I have always been 'Team' Christian. I can't really explain why, but I just thought Clara and him fit together better than she and Tucker. So when Clara left Wyoming to go to Stanford University together with Angela and Christian I was very excited. Unfortunately, Clara was by far not over Tucker and everytime she and Christian tried anything romantic it failed because of Tucker. I really hate when in a love triangle the girl can't have the guy she really wants so she strings along the other guy who she likes but not as much as guy 1. That was what the love triangle felt like in this book. That was a bit of a disappointment, since I did like the triangle in the previous book. And I really felt sorry for Christian, who is a very nice guy and does not deserve to be strung along.
I loved Christian in this book. He is really a knight in shining armour throughout the whole book, always supporting Clara and being there for her when she needs it. It was sad to see him rejected by Clara time after time, you could tell he really loved her. In the first book I was a bit sceptic about him, it seemed like he was only interested in Clara because of the visions. But especially in this book he shows he really cares for her and would sacrifice himself if it could save her.
Tucker was basically non-existent in the book, apart from the few times Clara transported herself to his barn, in which he seemed pretty irritated. Bit of a disappointment, since he was still an interesting character, even if I am not on his 'team'. His 'end' I had really not expected, it was a nice touch.
Apart from the love triangle business, I did like Clara's character. She is a very strong protagonist, who is not afraid to sacrifice herself for her loved ones. I was a bit afraid after her loss in the second book she would get emotional and such, but she picked herself up and started a 'new' life at Stanford. She is not perfect, but she knows her powers and how to use them. She seemed to grow more confident after her fighting training, which was nice to see.
I felt so sorry for Angela in this book. She was always so happy and fun in the previous books, and in Boundless nothing even remotely good happened to her. We did get to see another side of her and it was great for her character development, but I would have liked to see more of happy Angela and her friendship with Clara, which was great in the previous books.
And again, almost no Jeffrey. I said in my review of 'Hallowed' that I missed his humour and hoped he would show up more often in book 3. Clara visits Jeffrey a few times, but when she does he is always irritated and can't wait for her to leave. So again, in this book his character is a disappointment.
I liked the sort of bond Clara and Samjeeza had which started to form after Clara's mother's death. In this book they actively helped each other. I liked that even the seemingly evil character of Samjeeza has a soft side and has good in him, too many villains are such flat characters.
There was unfortunately no epic fight or something at the end, it would have made a great conclusion. I did like the epilogue, that's something more series should do, it really wraps up the story. And yes, I did find it a bit predictable, but that does not make it any less good. I did find some things missing, about Christian, Jeffrey and Tucker and how their lives have turned out. But I guess some things should be left open to imagination. Overall, it was a closed ending, which I like in series.
The book's pacing was good and quick, so that you stayed excited until the end. Throughout the book there were many plot twists and new villains, I liked that. Most last books dwell on the stories of the previous books, this book gave much new information. The writing was good as usual.
This review may come over as a little negative, but I really did love it. There may have been some negative things which were not in the previous books, but the story was great and the ending was nicely wrapped up. I would definitely recommend this book (and the rest of the series of course).
I loved Christian in this book. He is really a knight in shining armour throughout the whole book, always supporting Clara and being there for her when she needs it. It was sad to see him rejected by Clara time after time, you could tell he really loved her. In the first book I was a bit sceptic about him, it seemed like he was only interested in Clara because of the visions. But especially in this book he shows he really cares for her and would sacrifice himself if it could save her.
Tucker was basically non-existent in the book, apart from the few times Clara transported herself to his barn, in which he seemed pretty irritated. Bit of a disappointment, since he was still an interesting character, even if I am not on his 'team'. His 'end' I had really not expected, it was a nice touch.
Apart from the love triangle business, I did like Clara's character. She is a very strong protagonist, who is not afraid to sacrifice herself for her loved ones. I was a bit afraid after her loss in the second book she would get emotional and such, but she picked herself up and started a 'new' life at Stanford. She is not perfect, but she knows her powers and how to use them. She seemed to grow more confident after her fighting training, which was nice to see.
I felt so sorry for Angela in this book. She was always so happy and fun in the previous books, and in Boundless nothing even remotely good happened to her. We did get to see another side of her and it was great for her character development, but I would have liked to see more of happy Angela and her friendship with Clara, which was great in the previous books.
And again, almost no Jeffrey. I said in my review of 'Hallowed' that I missed his humour and hoped he would show up more often in book 3. Clara visits Jeffrey a few times, but when she does he is always irritated and can't wait for her to leave. So again, in this book his character is a disappointment.
I liked the sort of bond Clara and Samjeeza had which started to form after Clara's mother's death. In this book they actively helped each other. I liked that even the seemingly evil character of Samjeeza has a soft side and has good in him, too many villains are such flat characters.
There was unfortunately no epic fight or something at the end, it would have made a great conclusion. I did like the epilogue, that's something more series should do, it really wraps up the story. And yes, I did find it a bit predictable, but that does not make it any less good. I did find some things missing, about Christian, Jeffrey and Tucker and how their lives have turned out. But I guess some things should be left open to imagination. Overall, it was a closed ending, which I like in series.
The book's pacing was good and quick, so that you stayed excited until the end. Throughout the book there were many plot twists and new villains, I liked that. Most last books dwell on the stories of the previous books, this book gave much new information. The writing was good as usual.
This review may come over as a little negative, but I really did love it. There may have been some negative things which were not in the previous books, but the story was great and the ending was nicely wrapped up. I would definitely recommend this book (and the rest of the series of course).
I still haven't read this series, but it's great to hear that it's a good conclusion to the trilogy. :) There's nothing worse than the final book letting you down! :P
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great book and series! I really love the cover! It's so pretty!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the review.
I have to agree with Ruby in the comment above. I also haven't read this series it came to my attention after I got over the angel craze so I never picked it up, but maybe I will.
ReplyDeleteGreat review :)
-Mari @ The Sirenic Codex
I have been putting off reading this one, I started it and then stopped when I got too busy with other reviews. I really do need to finish it though, I know it will make me sad. That might be why I have been putting it off. I have really loved this series and I am going to miss it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read past the first book in this series, but it's definitely a good sign that even the follow-up installments are getting good reviews! I really appreciate your honest take on this though, Eveline. Sometimes it's nice when you get to formulate your own conclusions, to an extent, you know? Nevertheless, it sounds strong, and I'll have to give it a go! Great review :)
ReplyDeleteThat's good that, even despite some issues, you still enjoyed the story! I still need to catch up and read the sequel.
ReplyDeleteGreat review :)
I still need to read this book, but I can't wait! Still have to order it though. I really liked the previous books so I hope this book will be as nice as the others.
ReplyDeleteI seriously keep forgetting about finishing this series. I still need to read Hallowed! :) Glad you liked the final books. Great review!
ReplyDeleteJanina @ Synchronized Reading