Review - Hallowed (Unearthly #2) - By Cynthia Hand

Hallowed

Unearthly #2

By Cynthia Hand

hardcover, 403 pages

Published January 17th 2012 by HarperTeen

Goodreads  |  Buy It  |  Author's Site

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves 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.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

**May contain spoilers if you have not yet read Unearthly or Hallowed. Read at your own risk!**

My Review Breakdown

STORY/PLOT: 3/5
CHARACTERS: 3/5
WRITING: 3/5
ENDING: 4/5
COVER: 4/5
FINAL SCORE: 17/25 = 4 Cupcakes

My Rating: SIMPLY DELECTABLE!!!

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WHY I WANTED THIS BOOK: I read Unearthly last year and really enjoyed it; so I continued with the series and wasn't disappointed.

STORY/PLOT: The world building is very good in this series. Hand has a unique approach to how her angels are that is different enough to distinguish it from other angel series out there. I also like that she can have heaven, hell, and even God in the book but it never becomes religious or preachy. Clara's story is an interesting one, and being a teenage girl is difficult enough, let alone being an angel-blood and having to fulfill a purpose! There really aren't any scenes where the story lags, there's pretty much action happening on every page which is great because it kept me really engaged. I like where all of the characters are at the end of the book as well. The story line is well developed though I do feel that it jumps in time too much; like one chapter ends the next begins weeks to maybe a month or more in the future. It doesn't take from the story at all but I think if there weren't these gaps it would be even better to see the dynamics of the relationships between characters.

CHARACTERS: It's been a year since I read Unearthly so at first it took me a bit to get back into the characters. Clara's character is very likable if not maybe a tiny bit predictable. She is a very real character; easy to put yourself in her shoes and see why she reacts and acts the way that she does. Tucker is definitely swoon worthy as well; and Christian, I'm not sure why, but I have my guard up about him. Hopefully this is unfounded but for now, I just don't know! I also had a lot of trouble connecting with Michael. This might be the only character/writing that I wasn't head over heels for. It'll be interesting to see if he's in book 3. And then there is Samjeeza. I know, I know, he's a Black Wing *gasp* but holy freaking hell (no pun intended...) his sorrow makes ME want to cry! He is such a tragic character, but I really feel for him. He pulls me in when he's not supposed to! Well, actually, I guess that is what he's supposed to do, right? hee hee...

WRITING: I like Hands' writing style for its simplicity and ease. It's a pleasure to read and is engaging. There were a lot of times where I'd be flying through page after page and then something stops me. A quick sentence, fleeting and minute, but it grabs me. This is what I love and crave! There weren't any parts that seemed forced or rushed. Everything tied together very neatly and I really like her dialogue. There were a few things that I definitely felt were easily predictable, and then there were others that weren't at all (like say, Jeffery and his purpose? Nuff said.)

ENDING: The ending was perfect and left plenty of room for book 3!

COVER: The covers on both Unearthly and Hallowed are absolutely gorgeous. I don't know what it is about them, but they really pull me in. I literally sat and just stared at the cover for a good couple of minutes before opening to the first page! The only thing that kept me from giving this a perfect score, is that there is something that isn't connecting in the models face for me. It's beautiful and it works, but I don't get the sadness that I would like to get when looking at the cover.

WHAT I HOPE FOR IN BOOK 3: I would love for Clara to give her and Tucker a 2nd chance. I am curious to see what happens with Jeffery as well since he is M.I.A. Also I am curious to see how Clara and Billy's relationship is; if it grows and blossoms or if Clara has trouble looking up to her as a motherly figure. It'll be interesting to see how Stanford goes for Clara and Angela, and what Angela's purpose is. I can't wait to see how Clara and Christian handle the new found knowledge of what they really are.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Holy crow, this book rocked my world! If you love angels, love triangles, and action you need to read this series. You won't be sorry!

READ THIS IF YOU LIKED: Angel Burn & Angel Fire by L.A. Weatherly, Hush,Hush, Crescendo & Silence by Becca Fitzpatrick, Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton, Fallen Angel by Heather Terrell

Super Sequel Special - Part 1

With the end of 2011 rapidly approaching I wanted to do a post that will focus on the amazing sequels that are set for publication in 2012 - just so we can all get our Wish Lists updated! I'll be breaking it up into parts over the next few weeks starting with the earlier releases and working our way deeper into 2012. I focused mainly on the ones I've already read, so if there are any not listed here feel free to post them in the comments section to let everyone know what else is coming out in the new year!


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TITLE: Hallowed
SERIES: Unearthly #2
BY: Cynthia Hand
Hardcover, 320 pages
PUBLICATION DATE: January 17, 2012

What happened in book 1: In the beginning there's a boy standing in the trees...

Clara Gardner has recently learned that she's part angel. Having angel blood run through her veins not only makes her smarter, stronger, and faster than humans (a word, she realizes, that no longer applies to her), but it means she has a purpose, something she was put on this earth to do. Figuring out what that is, though, isn't easy.

Her visions of a raging forest fire and an alluring stranger lead her to a new school in a new town. When she meets Christian, who turns out to be the boy of her dreams (literally), everything seems to fall into place - and out of place at the same time. Because there is another guy, Tucker, who appeals to Clara's less angelic side.

As Clara tries to find her way in a world she no longer understands, she encounters unseen dangers and choices she never thought she'd have to make - between honesty and deceit, love and duty, good and evil. When the fire from her vision finally ignites, will Clara be ready to face her destiny?



What to expect in book 2: 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, 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.


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TITLE: Darkness Falls
SERIES: Immortal Beloved #2
BY: Cate Tiernan
Hardcover, 400 pages
PUBLICATION DATE: January 2, 2012

What happened in book 1: Nastasya has spent the last century living as a spoiled, drugged-out party girl. She feels nothing and cares for no one. But when she witnesses her best friend, a Dark Immortal, torture a human, she realizes something's got to change. She seeks refuge at a rehab for wayward immortals, where she meets the gorgeous, undeniably sexy Reyn, who seems inexplicable linked to her past.

Nastasya finally begins to deal with life, and even feels safe - until the night she learns that someone wants her dead.

Cate Tiernan, author of the popular Sweep series, returns with an engaging story of a timeless struggle and inescapable romance, the first book in a stunning new fantasy trilogy.

What to expect in book 2: Nastasya has lived for hundreds of years, but for some reason, life never seems to get any better. She left her spoiled, rich girl life to find peace at River's Edge, a safe haven for wayward immortals. There, she learned to embrace River's Edge, despite some drama involving the sexy Reyn, who she wants but won't allow herself to have. But just as she's getting comfortable, her family's ties to dark magick force her to leave.

She falls back into her old, hard partying ways, but will her decision lead her into the hands of a dark immortal? Or will it be her first step to embracing the darkness within her?






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TITLE: A Million Suns
SERIES: Across the Universe #2
BY: Beth Revis
Hardcover, 400 pages
PUBLICATION DATE: January 10, 2012

What happened in book 1: Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into a brave new world of spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no computer malfunction. Someone - one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship - tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn't do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed's hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there's only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

What to expect in book 2: Godspeed was fueled by lies. Now it is ruled by chaos.

It's been three months since Amy was unplugged. The life she always knew is over. And everywhere she looks, she sees the walls of the spaceship, Godspeed. But there may just be hope: Elder has assumed leadership of the ship. He's finally free to enact his vision - no more Phydus, no more lies.

But when Elder discovers shocking news about the ship, he and Amy race to discover the truth behind life on Godspeed. They must work together to unlock a puzzle that was set into motion hundreds of years earlier, unable to fight the romance that's growing between them and the chaos that threatens to tear them apart.

In book 2 of the Across the Universe trilogy, NewYork Times bestselling author Beth Rivas mesmerizes us again with a brilliantly crafted mystery filled with action, suspense, romance, and deep philosophical questions. And this time it all builds to one mind-bending conclusion: They have to get off this ship.