Review: Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand

Young Adult
Hardcover, 416 pgs.
Published January 17th, 2012 by HarperCollins
Source: Publisher

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. 

Many of you already know that Unearthly is my favorite angel book I've read so far.  It still is but Hallowed did not disappoint!  I think if I had read them closer together I may have found myself a bit disappointed in some plot twists, but as it was I ended up feeling pretty happy with how the story progressed!

The first bit of the book felt a bit slow and I found myself wishing the story would take off already.  And then it did and I did not put the book down after that!  There were plenty of twists and turns and while a few things were easy enough to see coming because of hints most of the things totally surprised me!  Part of that may have been because it's been a year since I read the first one though...


I mostly really like Clara.  She occasionally does things that annoy me but I can see her starting to mature and grow as a character.  I think that this book was just the beginning of some realizations for her and in the next one she'll grow even more.  


Christian really grew on me in this book.  I don't think I really loved him after Unearthly, but I'm starting to love him.  I really don't want to get into too much about him or Tucker though because I don't want to spoil anything for you guys!  


I really really love this series and I highly recommend it if you haven't already picked it up.  I cruised through this book like it was nothing and am dying for #3!  There's a mystery left in this one and I can't wait to solve it!


5/5 stars


Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.  All opinions expressed are my own and I was not paid or influenced in any way.
I read an ARC of this book and the final version may vary.

Torment by Lauren Kate

Details: Hardcover, 464 pgs.
Published: September 28, 2010 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers

isbn: 0385739141 (ISBN13: 9780385739146)

Reading Level: Young Adult

Received from:  Won in a contest

Series: Fallen #2

This is the second book in a series.  If you haven't read the first book then don't read the description and review of this one! 

 

Description: 

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

 

My Thoughts:

I'm going to start with the negative first.  And this is just something I've been noticing more and more and it bothers me more and more, but what is up with teenagers and their lack of communication?!  Why can't they just talk things out?!  Now, I know that that is probably how teenagers are to a certain extent, but I really felt like Luce spent the little amount of time she had with Daniel fighting with him.  She didn't just trust him.  Now I realize that it was hard to see things from her point of view solely because we know more then she does, but I still got irritated a few times and I very nearly skipped to the back to make sure everything worked out.  I didn't though.  I struggled through those few rough spots and tried to keep in mind that she doesn't know everything so she's going to make rash decisions.

Other then that I really enjoyed this book.  Luce ended up in a different school this time, and different it is!  It gave us an opportunity to learn more about Angels and Demons, Good and Evil, and all that.  But there are still a lot of unanswered questions that we'll find out in the future.  

We also met some fabulous new characters and even a new hot guy.  Of course I wasn't cheering for him because Luce and Daniel are meant to be together, but I still liked this new guy a lot and I hope we'll see a lot more of him in the future.  

Overall I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing where the author takes it.

 I give it 4/5 moons.

 

You can find Lauren Kate at her Website | Twitter