[Book Review] Unearthly by Katie Jane Gallagher

 

An entrancing sci-fi retelling of the classic fairy tale.

Once upon a time, an alien prince craving solitude docked his spaceship above the snowy Montana mountains.

Unbeknownst to him, a small-town beauty searched for her missing father in the lonely winter woods…

When Corinne Kaminski volunteers to take her father’s place on the alien’s sprawling, desolate ship, she regards it as a death sentence. But just as the alien promised, no harm befalls her in her strange new home, where the walls talk, a dense hothouse flourishes, and sim rooms transport the user to any place imaginable.

The ship’s only other occupant, Del, is shocking to look at. Beastly, some might say. But Corinne finds herself unable to look away.

Yet a gilded cage is still a cage, and Corinne longs for freedom. Her instincts might be pushing her toward friendship with Del—and something more than friendship, perhaps—but at what cost?

In this enthralling reimagining of Beauty and the Beast, slow-burn romance mixes with alien abduction. This new series will transport readers to an enchanted sci-fi world of secrets, intrigue, and spellbinding romance.

First of all, I just want to comment on how beautiful this cover is! It also encapsulates the setting of the book, and I love how it includes her dog! This book had a unique plot concept. I've read numerous alien romances, and they normally follow the same plotline. The heroine will get abducted by the bad guys and then rescued by an alien that she ends up falling for. It's kind of like the Hallmark Christmas movies, you know it's the same plot every time, but you still enjoy the journey. This book was different. The heroine, Corinne, does get abducted while searching for her father in the Montana wilderness, but not in the usual way. She is "abducted" by the ships AI system, Joanna, during maintenance to the ship. The ships captain and only resident, Del, is none too thrilled about this, because he is trying to enjoy his solitude. But, every human that comes on board is registered in the system and he is not allowed to release them. But, since the ship was down for maintenance during Corinne's abduction, she is allowed to switch places with her father. As, he was abducted first and was actually registered in the system. So, they have to keep a human on board, but now it is Corinne. This book parallels Beauty and the Beast in this way, and in a couple of other ways. The ship is stationed above the Montana wilderness, and never actually ventures to space in this book, so even though she is abducted, it's not a full abduction.

Del is an alien, so of course he has alien features. He is covered in fur, so I assumed this was his "beastly" form, and he would have another form like the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. I was mistaken though. Even though this book parallels Beauty and the Beast, it's more about Del's story and personality than his looks and form. Del is struggling with some inner demons, so he comes off as unfriendly and abrasive. Corinne is just trying to survive and get through her days on the ship. I enjoyed Corinne and Del's characters, as I felt that they were genuine and well rounded. I also enjoyed Joanna. She was a bit spunky and sweet, even if she was the ship's computer, she felt like her own unique person.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys alien romance! If you enjoy slow burns, this is a great book as well. I am excited to delve more into the budding relationship between Del and Corinne.

Katie Jane Gallagher is the author of the Beauty and Her Alien series, the BBNYA finalist Specter and The Gold in the Dark. Her stories feature relatable, realistic characters who get swept up in extraordinary events. An avid reader of genre fiction, she has a self-proclaimed affinity for the best sorts of trash.

Born and raised in Illinois, Katie currently lives in Connecticut with her stupendous, half-human half-neanderthal husband and their dopey boxer dog. She graduated magna cum laude from Connecticut College in 2012, with a bachelor’s degree in Chinese language and literature and a minor in history.