In creating her male leads, Hand gave Tucker and Christian numerous similarities, believing that doing so would make for a challenging love triangle. Hand was partly inspired by events in her own life prior to writing the tale: 'I’d just had a baby, my husband had a new job, and we’d moved to a town where I didn’t know anybody, and I really had to stop and ask myself, Who am I? What am I doing here?' These experiences gradually lent themselves to the development of Clara's character. She is trying to find herself,' Hand said. 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. 'My story is about a girl who wants to understand her purpose on this earth. Though the series features a paranormal lead, Cynthia Hand has stated that Unearthly is primarily 'a human story' centered on personal matters. Throughout the series, Clara deals with the loss of her mother and discovers that she is one of the only seven triplares in the world, which means she is 3/4 angel and has powers that exceed that of angel-bloods who are 1/4 angel. As the story progresses, Clara becomes romantically drawn to both Christian and Tucker, learns of a conflict with fallen angels, and tries to discover her purpose on Earth. She also befriends a brooding angel-blood named Angela Zerbino, a girl named Wendy Avery, and Wendy's brother Tucker Avery. After dreaming of a young man and a forest fire, Clara eventually meets and watches over Christian Prescott, the boy in her visions. Clara's hybrid status grants her various superhuman abilities, and also gives her an undiscovered purpose to fulfill. Unearthly tells the story of Clara Gardner, a teenager who has learned that she, her brother Jeffrey and her mother are part angel-known as angel-bloods. While seeking answers about her role, Clara encounters friends, enemies, and romantic interests amidst her journey. The story follows a teenager named Clara, who learns that she is part angel and has a purpose to fulfill on Earth.

Unearthly is a series of young adult urban fantasy novels by American author Cynthia Hand, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name.

Unearthly by Cynthia Hand