Hallowed by Cynthia HandExpected Publication Date: January 17th, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Page Count: 416 pages
Format: ARC
Source: Gifted from Crystal at Elegantly Bound Books
My Rating:
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.When a friend asked me if I wanted her extra copy of Hallowed I didn't hesitate to scream "YES" a million times at the computer. I then realized I also had to respond to the email. Either way, I'm SO excited I got a chance to read this one early, it was amazing and much better than Unearthly! Hand did an awesome job continuing Clara's story, I laughed, I cried, I swooned!
Clara ends up being a much more interesting character this time around, and someone I could really relate to. She goes through a lot of struggles trying to figure out her purpose, and Christian becomes a prominent part of her life. We see a lot more of Christian in Hallowed which I actually really liked! Christian is such a sweetheart, I'm definitely conflicted about whose side I'm on! Jeffrey is a huge enigma throughout the story too! I kept wondering where he was during that fire, and his increasingly hot-tempered attitude makes it seem like some dark things are going on inside him.
I actually spoiled myself on a Teaser Tuesday when it came to the person dying, but it was still a ridiculously sad moment for me! I was wiping away tears throughout the last 1/4th of the book or so! Seriously, I was bawling my eyes out! I always love a book that can evoke so much emotion that it makes me cry. The rest of the story was amazing, I really enjoyed everything that happened. Some things are revealed that really had me excited, and a lot of events unfold in a way that has me dying for the third book!
If you haven't read Unearthly yet, you should really go out and get yourself a copy, just so you can read Hallowed. It's not every day that I enjoy a sequel more than the first book, but I really loved this one!! I can't wait to find out what Hand has in store for Clara in the third book, but I really don't want to wait! If you love books about angels and the paranormal with some romance thrown in, you'll definitely love Hallowed.
