Wednesday 8 February 2012

Book Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand.


Product details:
Publisher:
Paperback, 403 pages.
Release date: January 2nd 2012.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: 12+
Series: Unearthly #2.
Other Books in Series: Unearthly.
Source: Received from publisher for review.

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.


 Please note: This is a review of a second-in-a-series book. There may be spoiler for the previous book in the series in this review.

In Unearthly angel-blood Clara Gardner had to choose between her heart or her destiny.  Now in Hallowed, the highly anticipated second installment in Cynthia Hand’s captivating angel trilogy, Clara not only has to deal with the consequences of her choice and the impact it has on the lives of those around her, she also has to deal with something much worse when her visions show that she’s going to lose someone she loves, and soon.

If Unearthly made you swoon, then Hallowed may just make you cry. Don’t worry, there are still lots of swoony moments, Tucker fangirls, but essentially Hallowed is an emotional read that sees Clara dealing with a whole lot of heartbreak as her vision plays out.  She’s conflicted in matters of the heart too, and drawn towards Christian, who in this book understands her better than anybody. He’s the one that there for her through all her hardships, the one who never leaves her side.  In Unearthly Clara couldn’t deny that her heart belonged to Tucker, but she’s known all along that her purpose and her destiny lies with Christian, and this makes for some very interesting reading when it becomes clear that Christian isn’t going to give up on her without a fight.

I think a lot of people wrote Christian off in Unearthly as being ‘just another perfectly pretty YA boy’ but I knew he was so much more than that, and now I feel totally vindicated. So, has anyone else joined Team Christian now, or are you all still on the side of the hot cowboy? Clara has a difficult choice to make. I wouldn’t want to be in her shoes. Actually, maybe I would…!

So there’s relationship drama, but there’s a lot of serious stuff in this book too, with dark themes and family drama that will leave your heart feeling a little heavy at times.  You will feel for Clara in this book, and for what she has to suffer through. There are still plenty of light-hearted moments, and Clara’s snark and witty dialogue are ever-present, but this is a book with sadness at its heart, and not everything or everyone has a happy ending.

As always Hand’s beautiful prose is a joy to read, and with plenty of unexpected plot twists and surprising revelations here she successfully avoids the dreaded second book slump which so many YA series seem to suffer from.  Hallowed is a wonderful follow up to Unearthly and I can’t wait to see how things turn out for Clara and her love triangle situation, her brother Jeremy who has all sorts of stuff going on, and her friend Angela, who I still don’t trust 100%, when the third and final book in the series releases next year.

12 comments :

  1. I cried buckets! Wasn't expecting it to be so emotional.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I admit, I did write Christian off in the first book. But, and I'll deny it if you spread this, I really though he shined in this one. We really get to see what his personality's like, his feelings and he felt real. But that doesn't mean he has the right to Clara, dammit! :K

    I cried cos of the sads. I couldn't handle it. I'm really hoping that book three is just as powerful but goes in the direction I'm hoping for.

    Lovely review, L!

    - Asher (from Paranormal Indulgence)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am with you on team Christian I totally jumped ship with this book.
    I know what you mean about Angela - I have my suspicions there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Me!! *raises hand* I officially switched teams after reading Hallowed! I really hope they will end up together, Christian was so cute! It's not like a don't like Tucker anymore but I think Christian will be better for Cara...

    And . omg I cried so much, it was a phenomenal book!

    ReplyDelete
  5. This one made me cry for sure--I'm so glad you loved it too, Leanna. I love Tucker so much, but I'm afraid I switched teams after this book, too!

    ***

    Australian YA author Rebecca shares her favorite romantic book scene at The Midnight Garden!

    ReplyDelete
  6. "In Unearthly Clara couldn’t deny that her heart belonged to Tucker, but she’s known all along that her purpose and her destiny lies with Christian"

    YES! That's what I love about this series. The words "love triangle" don't really fit because it's so much more than that for the three of them. Beautiful review Leanna, I'm glad you were vindicated for your Christian love in this book!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Leanna. I was one of those people who wrote Christian off. Now I am paying for that. I actually love him now. Seriously, that boy. This book is so frustrating! I still love Tucker, but I can't help it. Christian is amazing too. I can't decide. I am no team, and I don't think that's ever happened to me before... Awesome review!

    ReplyDelete
  8. I felt this book was so much emotional! I cried! Loved the review :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Oh maaaan. I am SO Team Tucker, but the more I read about Hallowed, the more scared I become that I'll shift over to Team Christian. I mean, it's brilliant that she's written such a fantastic love triangle, but... but.... TUCKER!!! :( Agh, I cannot freaking wait to read this. Terrified of this emotional ending, but I NEED to read this asap. Amazing review!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm so afraid to read this book after all of the warnings of tears and scenes that will make me want to betray Tucker :P I'm happy to hear there's more talk about Clara's brother. I liked his character and he was up to some stuff in the first book. I don't 100% trust Angela either.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Glad to hear this is a good follow-up. I like Christian and totally didn't write him off...although my heart does belong to Tucker. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I heard this one is much darker and unfortunately, I let my e-galley expire before I could finish it. :( I'm glad that it is a good second in the series and it didn't disappoint you. Hopefully I can pick up a copy soon!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate it!

If you are a book blogger and have taken the time to comment, I will make sure to come visit your blog and return the favour. :)

Please note: This blog is now an award free zone. Thanks to everyone who has awarded the blog in the past.

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
Related Posts with Thumbnails View My Stats