Review 130. Cynthia Hand – Hallowed.

Title: Hallowed.
Author: Cynthia Hand.
Pages: 403.
Published: January 17th 2012 (first published January 1st 2012). 
Publisher: HarperTeen.
Sort: Part two of ‘Unearthly’
Review part one: Unearthly.

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.

Rating:

This book was even better than the first one. There is much more action and less Tucker obsession. It was fast-paced and I liked the plot. There was a twist I suspected, but some things still managed to surprise me.

Clara’s life is changing drastically when she has another vision. Someone she loves is going to die and there is nothing she can do about it. She is afraid that it’s Tucker, and that is when she transforms into a stalker. She creeps to his house to watch him sleep in the night (Twilight anybody?) I understand why she is protective, but this was so weird. The only thing I liked about it was the fact that Clara knew she was acting creepy and we get a lot of Clara-Tucker time! Tucker stole my heart. He is so sweet and I love how he handles the situation.

Clara also has two stalkers on her own. Christian and Samjeeza (the Dark Wing from Unearthly) Christian is sure about their destiny together and Clara is doing her best to ignore him. That is hard when Angela decides to start an Angel club, where they keep each other updated. He keeps popping up and Tucker is getting annoyed. I was mentally shouting at Christian to back off and there were several moments I wished I could smack him. I understand that it is hard for him, but he just has to fight against it like Clara.

Like things aren’t hard enough already; Jeffrey is acting strange and her father shows up after all those years, revealing old secrets. What I appreciate is the fact that there is no information dump. We slowly get information about Sam and the purpose of Angels on earth. I still find Cynthia’s take on Angels unique. 

I can’t wait to see what is going to happen in the last book.

“I’ve learned that a storm isn’t always just bad weather, and a fire can be the start of something. I’ve found out that there are a lot more shades of gray in this world than I ever knew about. I’ve learned that sometimes, when you´re afraid but you keep on moving forward, that’s the biggest kind of courage there is. And finally, I’ve learned that life isn’t really about failure and success. It’s about being present, in the moment when big things happen, when everything changes, including myself.”