My Thoughts: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

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.


** eARC received from Netgalley**




Unearthly by Cynthia Hand was one of the first books I bought last year. Which is important to note because I knew virtually nothing about it. I was simply drawn in by it's gorgeous cover. It did however, sit on my self for months before I got around to reading it. Unearthly was a wonderful novel and you can read all about why I loved it here.

For those of you who have read Unearthly you know that there is a a huge revelation in it and that it ends with a bit of a cliff hanger (like most books do). So you can imagine that I was pretty eager for the sequel-Hallowed. I enjoyed Hallowed just as much as I enjoyed Unearthly, however, I experienced a lot more sorrow and bouts of tears in this novel than I did it's predecessor, which would explain why Hand initially titled the novel Sorrowful. But don't let the prospect of sadness keep you from reading this book.

When I first began reading Hallowed I quickly went to that place of readers delight (as corny as that sounds). I started reading and I remembered how much I love Hand's writing and her skill in weaving a story that is a joy to read. What I really appreciated about Hallowed was even through the sad parts (which were plenty), I never once rolled my eyes. I never once thought "well that was pointless." Which is a huge feat for me, as I often think that about the parts that make me feel like crying. But that never happened.

I suppose I should talk about the story a little-which is hard seeing as Hallowed is a sequel and I don't want to give anything away. Hallowed begins essentially where Unearthly leaves off. Clara is still trying to determine exactly what her purpose was, and she now is plagued by nightmares of a place and the sorrow of the black wing that tried to kill her and her mother. Clara is also confused about the growing friendship she has with Christian.

I have read here and there, that Hallowed had caused some people to switch from Team Tucker to Team Christian. Myself I think they are crazy! How on earth can you switch sides, when Tucker is simply amazing.  I would find myself grinning at the Tucker/Clara moments. I got all giddy when Clara would be awed by how much she loved Tucker. I got all warm and gushy inside. Which I think is testimony to how great a writer Hand it. I enjoyed reading about how Christian and Clara's relationship shifts however, and I liked how Hallowed was able to delve deeper into how their fates were intertwined, but I will always and forever be a Team Tucker.

If you liked Unearthly, I can guarantee you will like Hallowed. It has everything that Unearthly had and more: Character development, world building, romance. What more is there to ask for? It was a fantastic read and once again I am eager for the next installment.

~Happy Reading Everyone!