Hallowed (Unearthly #2) by Cynthia Hand Summary: 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.
Source: I purchased a Kindle copy.
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Review:
Warning: This review will include spoilers from Unearthly, book one in the series.
Hallowed was fantastic. The plot in Unearthly took some unexpected turns and left me with more questions than answers, while Hallowed took everything I thought I knew and turned it all upside down. It was even more unpredictable than the first book.
I absolutely loved that Clara chose Tucker in Unearthly. I enjoyed their moments together, mostly because I loved him as a character and preferred him over Christian. I hated that Clara’s purpose wasn’t fulfilled, but I appreciated that Tucker, the good guy with a lazy smile and humor, “won” when everything said he shouldn’t have. However, I was curious as to what would happen next as a result of Clara not only failing to achieve whatever her visions told her, but what might happen after discovering that Christian was also an angel blood and not in need of saving anyway.
Unearthly had a few uncovered secrets regarding Clara’s heritage, but Hallowed was filled with them. Clara’s mom hid so much from her, throughout her life. Clara pushed her mom to open up often, but it was never until just when she had no choice but to know that Clara was finally told something. It was frustrating, but in a good way because I sympathized with Clara. Angela was a big help, as she was in the first book, but I was happy to see that other avenues of finding out about angel life were available.
Clara’s relationship with Tucker was extremely strained in Hallowed. She wanted to keep him safe, especially in regards to the cryptic visions she was having, but also from all of the dangers involved with the Black Wings. I had no idea what would happen between them, but it made me sad to witness all of the tension. I really understood Clara’s pain because it wasn’t a simple issue with a simple solution. Choosing Tucker went against her purpose. And even more visions pointed to Christian being by Clara’s side. But why? Although, I admit that Christian grew on me a lot in Hallowed. I think I initially disliked him because he was THAT guy who was perfect and charming. But after finding out he was also an angel blood, it all made sense and he ended up being a lot more relatable and complicated and mysterious than I would have imagined. I felt just as conflicted as Clara in regards to her future. I really love Tucker, but something told me that the simplicity of loving him and enjoying him was not the plan at all for Clara. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.
Hallowed was incredibly sad and bittersweet, but ultimately amazing. I can’t give any details away, but I didn’t expect it to be so sad and leave me feeling traces of that sadness long after putting it down. Clara’s empathy and the sorrow she felt for the Black Wings had something to do with it, but the angel heritage, Clara’s mom’s past, and Clara’s brother’s attitude all contributed to the overall feeling. And Clara’s vision, standing without Tucker and feeling her own sorrow was certainly a major part of the overall emotional impact of the story. It kind of hit me in the gut when I didn’t expect to grow so emotionally attached to all of the characters.
I enjoyed Hallowed. It was better than the first book, as it was more complex, and I’m anxious to pick up the final book. I would definitely recommend the series. It’s a lot more interesting than I ever imagined it would be.
