Friday 9 March 2012

Review: Hallowed - Cynthia Hand

In the dream, there's sorrow.  I feel it over everything else, a terrible grief that chokes me, blurs my sight, weighs down my feet. I walk through pine trees up a gentle slope. It's not the hillside from my vision, not the forest fire, not anyplace I've seen before. This is something new.

Part-angel Clara is still reeling from the choice she was forced to make amidst the vicious forest fire of her nightmares. Now, torn between her love for Tucker and a destiny that will separate them, Clara is faced with another shocking revelation: someone she loves will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows is that the fire was just the beginning.

Unearthly Series:
Unearthly
Hallowed
Radiant (Novella)

Boundless (This has already been released in the US but there is currently no UK release date)


Visit Cynthia Hand's website for more information

Review:
I really loved Unearthly when I read it last year so I couldn't wait to get my hands on Hallowed and I think I actually enjoyed the sequel even more! Clara's whole family are having to deal with the fallout from events at the end of the first book. Having chosen Tucker over Christian Clara is waiting to find out what will happen now that she has failed her purpose. Will she be given a second chance or will she be punished for failing? She is also facing the horrific fact that someone she loves is going to die and there is nothing that she can do to save them so her emotions are all over the place.

Hallowed takes you on a real emotional roller coaster and at times was a gut wrenching read - I have to admit to shedding more than a few tears when I was reading it which just goes to show how completely Cynthia Hand had sucked me into her story. I enjoyed learning more about the angel-bloods and there were a few fab twists thrown in that I would never have spotted coming. The story is more character driven than action packed but that didn't stop it from being an addictive read that I didn't want to put down for a minute. I've come to care so much for these characters and feel invested in their lives.

I'm not usually a big fan of love triangles and in the first book I didn't like Christian at all so was a firm member of Team Tucker. I'll confess that Christian really grew on me in this book though, as a fellow angel-blood he understands Clara in a way that Tucker will never be able to and I really liked the way he was constantly there for her throughout this book. She really needed his support and I was pleased he was there to give it to her. However, I'm still the biggest Tucker fan - I love the fact that he is so normal and come on girls don't we all love a swoon worthy cowboy? It isn't easy for him to cope with Clara's angel-blood status and the fact that will have a big impact on both their lives. In a way it would probably be easier for Clara and Christian to be together but I'm really keeping my fingers crossed that Tucker wins the girl at the end of the series. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens in the next instalment to know for sure.

There seem to be a lot of YA angel books around at the moment but this series is up there with the best of them. Cynthia Hand has a beautiful and captivating writing style and I can't recommend both Unearthly and Hallowed highly enough. I'll be the first in the queue when the next book comes out and can't wait to spend more time with Clara and her family. If you're a fan of Unearthly then you'll love Hallowed even more and if you haven't started this series yet what are you waiting for?

Source: Received from Egmont in exchange for an honest review.

Other Reviews:
If you have reviewed this book on your blog please leave a link to your review in the comments & I'll add the link here.

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