Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed

Author: Cynthia Hand

Series: Unearthly #2

Release Date: January 17^th 2012

Number of Pages: 416

Publisher: HarperCollins

Source: NetGalley

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.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike.

I really enjoyed the first book of this series, so when I saw that the sequel was available on NetGalley I had to have it. I love the story Cynthia Hand created and I simply couldn’t wait to know what would happen to Clara. After the first book, I was really curious to see where the story would go. I was a little scared that the sequel wouldn’t live up to the first book in the series, but I have to say I wasn’t disappointed. I love where she took the story.

One of the thing I really loved about this book is seeing a little more of Christian. This book made me team Christian all the way. Tucker really annoyed me in this book. I was more excited when Clara was with Christian. Christian simply was more mature than Tucker in this book, which is something I like in a male character (as long as they don’t sound like a forty years old man, instead of a seventeen years old mature man, of course.) The love triangle is getting more present in this book, but I really like how Cynthia Hand is really making them both really as great for Clara, making it really hard for us to decided who she should be with.

I love the interaction between Clara and her mother. We learn a lot more about her and his father, and it explains a lot about who she is. Her mother has been keeping secrets forever from her children, so seeing her revealed some of them to Clara and her brother was interesting. I really can’t wait to see where all this new information will get both siblings (because yes, I’m really curious about her brother too!)

Cynthia Hand did a marvelous job at writing this sequel. Where many authors fail to impress with their sequel, this one really amazed me. I already can’t wait to read the third book!