CATCHALL
I loved Unearthly. It was, easily, one of the best books I have ever read. But if I loved Unearthly, I LOVED LOVED LOVED Hallowed. I actually finished it in one day, not at like three in the morning, because I literally DID NOT PUT IT DOWN. Ever. Until I finished it. And I enjoyed every single second I was reading it, whether I was laughing or crying or something in between.
(Also, my boyfriend read this book and he totally loved it, even though he would never admit it. But he definitely did.)
THE HEROINE
CLARA GARDNER
Clara remains one of my favorite heroines to date. I love her so much. She's strong and human and isn't afraid to make the hard decisions. I love the way she's always ready for anything, whether she herself knows it or not. She's a fantastic girl who actually does things. I grew to love Clara more in this book even more than I did in Unearthly, and I loved her quite an awful lot then.
THE LOVE INTERESTS
CHRISTIAN PRESCOTT
I'm sorry, darlings, and I love you all, but I have to say that I'm totally Team Christian here. I think in this book it's pretty much impossible not to fall in love with him--he's so sweet, and so perfect, and so always there. I love the way we get to know him so much better in this book. Christian fascinates and intrigues me, and he has a story to tell too. Most assuredly one of my favorite characters, and I'm really looking forward to him in book three.
TUCKER AVERY
Well, it isn't that I don't love Tucker, because I do. I completely love Tucker. I just love Christian more. Tucker is very sweet in this book, although I'll admit at times he got on my nerves and I kind of wished I could slap him. But those moments were rare and don't detract from my overall feelings for him. He's a solid character, but unfortunately I felt I didn't see as much as him as I might have wanted to.
THE (REALLY HOT) BROTHER
JEFFREY GARDNER
I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love Jeffrey. I think he's my favorite character in this series, much as I love Clara, Christian, and Tucker. He has a mystery surrounding him that's incredibly intriguing and I always find myself wanting to know more about him. Can we have a novella or something told from his point of view, please? I really want to know more about him, and the place he was standing at at the end of Hallowed left me breathless. I want to know more, and I want to know more now.
THE MOTHER
MARGARET GARNER
I liked Clara's and Jeffrey's mother infinitely better in this book, although I still felt that she tried to hold too much information back from them when they really should have known. But overall, I was impressed with the way she was portrayed in this book.
THE VILLAIN
SAMJEEZA
Samjeeza is back to play the bad-guy role in Hallowed, yet he never feels overused or outworn. He's a fantastic villain who goes far deeper than what he seems to be on the surface, not a boring and flat two-dimensional character. He also seems to have a story untold, a story I'd love to hear.
THE PLOT
Oh, how I loved the plot of this book. It was fantastic and magnificent.
Romance. Danger. Testing.
Cliché-sounding, I know, but totally true in a non-cliché way.
Every moment something was happening. Something emotional, something intense, something magical and completely new. There was so much anticipation in the book I literally suffered breathing struggles in some places.
Some of the events shocked me, some pleased me, some made me squeal out loud and bounce up and down with extreme excitement.
We also discover some new things in this book about angels and Nephilim. A few of these revelations completely shocked me, but some of them I could sort of see coming a little. We learn something in particular that I suspected from the beginning, but then I was thrown into even more surprise but yet another similar but also different revelation. I can't stay one step ahead all of the time, and yes, I like it that way. I enjoy being surprised.
But every single moment had one thing in common: I loved them all. Even if there were a few moments I maybe didn't like as much, which is completely possible, I don't actually remember them, which goes to show that they were unimportant anyway.
The plot was excellent and kept me on an insane emotional roller coaster. I was literally a wreck by the end of this book, but in a good way. I loved all of the emotional moments, even the ones dealing with generally unpleasant topics. Everything about the plot was beautiful.
THE ROMANCE
CLARA AND CHRISTIAN
It is no secret that I love Clara and Christian together. I think that they are a beautiful couple. The way their romance is developed in this book is also so smooth and lovely--it fits together like the pieces of a puzzle and is just perfect. It doesn't feel forced or fake, but completely natural in every way. It develops slowly but sweetly, growing in potency as time went by. It was absolutely convincing, and I adored it completely.
CLARA AND TUCKER
I also love Clara and Tucker together, because I can. I simply don't love them together as much as I love Clara and Christian. Still, this was a beautiful romance also. They had disagreements but got over them, and they weren't so sickly perfect that it got old too fast. Their relationship really developed in this book as opposed to Unearthly, and it was very nice to see that. I love the way they are together and how much they genuinely care for and love each other.
THE WRITING
Hand's writing continues to blow me away. Clara's voice was lovely in Unearthly, but it really matures and further improves in Hallowed. The description is beautiful and lush but still sounds conversational enough and not overly forced or stiff. I love the way Clara sounds like an ordinary teenage girl and not some sixty-year-old woman trapped in a young girl's body. The writing is flawless and I am left with no complaints, just a jaw dropped in admiration and amazement and shock.
THE ENDING
Wow. That was a mean way to end the book, but only because now I have to wait for months before I get to find out what happens next! I felt breathless by the time Hallowed was finished. The ending was absolutely perfect, though, all mean cliffhangers aside. I wouldn't have changed a thing about it. It was the absolute best ending possible. I could only guess about half of it, but the parts I could guess I was supposed to, and the rest of it was the surprise I had been eagerly awaiting.
WRAPUP
I'll be reading Untitled, of course! That's not even a question! Of course I'm reading it. I can't wait to see the title and the cover. I'm sure it will be as amazing as both Unearthly and Hallowed. Of this I have no doubt. I am insanely eager for the next book and am practically already counting the days. Oh, Unearthly book the third, please arrive sooner!
(On a side note, I think this may be the longest review I've ever written, which of necessity says a little something about the amazingness of this book.)
FINE.
