Guest Review & Giveaway: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed
Series: Unearthly, Book 2
Author: Cynthia Hand
Genre: Paranormal Romance, Young Adult
Source: bought
Published: January 2012 by HarperTeen

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.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are.

Reviewed By: Flo Kizza (Co-Founder of Book Nerds Across America)

I first read Unearthly (Flo’s review) back when it came out in January 2011. I quickly fell in love with the world that Cynthia Hand beautifully creates and describes, the folklore behind the angels – and Tucker Avery! I was eager to continue Clara's story to see where it would go, but unfortunately Hallowed just kept getting pushed further and further down in my TBR pile. So I jumped at the chance to do this guest review for The Book Vixen when she offered it.

Hallowed starts us off in the middle of a new vision that Clara is having. Just like with Unearthly, I was drawn into the story right away because of how Hand makes Clara's world come alive with the easy, dreamlike quality of her writing. The beauty of the prose is that this quality is retained in the visions as well as in the depiction of Clara's every day life.

In this book we are introduced to several new characters, but my favorite part was learning new things about characters we knew before. It was wonderful to get new information about, as well as glimpses into, the minds and struggles of Jeffrey, Clara's mom and Christian. I also enjoyed the surprise revelations that we learn along with Clara. These give the angel lore more substance and plunge Clara deeper into this world.

The tension comes from the fact that while she is getting plunged deeper into this world, she is fighting all the way. Fighting to live as normal a life as she can. Fighting for her relationship with Tucker. And as she fighting for her relationship with Tucker, her relationship with Christian is developing and taking on a life of its own – and yes, she is fighting that, too. Meanwhile, you have Angela, her foil in many ways, who is obsessed with all things angel and loves gathering facts and practicing skills.

What I love most about these books is that they center around Clara's purpose – and with her angel blood comes a specific purpose. But, in reality, this is a wonderful allegory for anybody reading the book. We all wonder the same things Clara does – what is my purpose in life? My destiny? Can I fight it? Can I change it? What happens if I fail? So we relate to this story because we are journeying right alongside Clara, in the story of our life purposes.

I flew this book when I reading it – pun intended. :) It made me smile and it made me cry. One thing's for sure: I will not wait as long to read Boundless, the third and final book in the this trilogy, as I did to read Hallowed.

Flo’s Rating:

    

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One lucky winner will receive a print copy of Hallowed by Cynthia Hand. Good luck to all who enter!

• No purchase necessary.
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• Giveaway ends 9:01 pm (Pacific Time) on 4/9/2013.

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