Review: 4/5 for Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Hardcover, 403 pages

Published January 17th 2012 by HarperCollins Publishers
Source: Netgalley
Buy the book! Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

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.

I was so excited to start this book. Unearthly was riveting to me and left me very anxious to see where Hand went with this story line in Hallowed. The concept was familiar, but yet so different than other angel plots. Needless to say, this book does not disappoint.

In this installment of the series the reader really gets to know the characters better and watch a surreal "coming of age" story. Christian proves to be steadfast as always in Clara's life and his qualities absolutely shine through in Hand's writing. Tucker actually won me over in this book. Hand allows the reader to see deeper into his mindset and personality and I came to highly respect him. Clara's mother also impressed me in this book. In Unearthly she was just a small part to the story to me, but in Hallowed she became so much more. She does have a higher importance in the book and carries this elements gracefully. She elegantly flows through life-changing events and gives her children the necessary advice to follow in her footsteps. Her role is absolutely breath-taking and heart-breaking. Samjeeza and the Black Wings are more prominent and the story with them will intrigue readers. I can't wait to read more reviews to see what they think of their history and possible future.
I saw the most transformation and growth in Clara though. There were already high expectations for her in life and Hallowed reveals those are only the tip of the iceberg. While still maintaining the innocence about typical teen problems (I'll explain in the next paragraph), she hurls herself heroically through difficult situations that makes many adults cringe. Clara is tested on many levels and manages to keep her head held high. Outlining her from the beginning to the end of the book, there is a dramatic rise in Clara's awareness and strength. It was an amazing transformation to witness.

The plot in this book is done really well in my opinion. Some things just seem to magically fall into place sometimes, but I usually understood why it simply had to be done that way. With the heightened presence of Samjeeza in the book, the sense of danger is also ever present in various forms. Sometimes it is a physical one that shakes things up and other times it is merely thought of them that causes change. However, it is not necessarily the evil that will keep readers attention for a majority of the book. Clara and her relationship with her mother is a constant and emotional road throughout the book. Outside all other events that happen in the book it will bring readers to their knees, because it did me. I realize that because of events in my life I am biased about the situation, so not everyone will have the deep connection that I felt to it. However, I am pretty sure most will feel like they are walking in Clara's shoes and experience everything with her.
Now, my peeve for the book. I understand the need for the love triangle and its plot line. Hand's telling of one in this series is particularly one I enjoy. However, in Hallowed it goes over the top in several ways. Clara is growing up quickly, but it is a little too quickly in this area in my opinion. She is having to battle one of the ultimate forms of evil, but yet also deal with teenage problems in romance. The first is innate for her and she exceeds in it. The second she struggles with because she does not have enough of "herself" left to concentrate on how to best deal with it. The result? Several incidents of teenage angst that had me pining for the end of the scenes. I wanted to shake her, tell her to just suck it up, and walk on. Was some of this was necessary in the book? Absolutely. I simply wish it was not to the extreme that it felt.

Overall, this is an excellent addition to the series. Unearthly set high standards for Hand in my book, but Hallowed is very much worth every laugh and tear I shed while reading it. It didn't quite meet up to my expectations, but it shows that the series and Hand are a force to be reckoned with in YA.

Review: 4/5 for Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hereafter by Tara Hudson

Hardcover, 404 pages

Published June 7th 2011 by HarperCollins
Source: Gift from my good friend, Marla @ Starting the Next Chapter
Buy the Book: Amazon : B&N : Goodreads

From Goodreads:

Can there truly be love after death?
Drifting in the dark waters of a mysterious river, the only thing Amelia knows for sure is that she's dead. With no recollection of her past life—or her actual death—she's trapped alone in a nightmarish existence. All of this changes when she tries to rescue a boy, Joshua, from drowning in her river. As a ghost, she can do nothing but will him to live. Yet in an unforgettable moment of connection, she helps him survive.
Amelia and Joshua grow ever closer as they begin to uncover the strange circumstances of her death and the secrets of the dark river that held her captive for so long. But even while they struggle to keep their bond hidden from the living world, a frightening spirit named Eli is doing everything in his power to destroy their newfound happiness and drag Amelia back into the ghost world . . . forever.

Loved, loved the idea behind this book. I was so happy to read it from Ameilia's POV, the ghost's side. It seems like there's not many written in that direction or I just don't get my hands on them often enough. This is a great ghost story with a side of attraction and intrigue.
You can't help but love these characters. Amelia grows throughout the book and it's an interesting journey to watch. She only stumbles a few times because she'll get meek and a little timid. Joshua I adored. He's an all-around good guy that lets little phase him. I'm sure he'll win more than a few hearts more. Eli. Eli is a snot bag. I didn't care for him from the beginning and the rest of the book only confirmed it. He does help the story along, but that is his only redeemable trait. Believe it or not, I like that in character. So annoying or aggravating, but makes the book flow well.
The plot flows like a roller coaster. Slow in spots, twists and little turns, then flies trough at the end. It has just enough to keep you caught up in it. I do have some issues with the idea of Amelia and Joshua's relationship. Without going into too much detail, it's too unrealistic in too many ways. I like the way it's written, just not so fond of the idea of it. The last few chapters are absolutely addictive. So much is wrapped up in a short amount of time. When you hit the end, you sit back and just stare at it...I know this won't be appealing to everyone, but I think in this case it works out pretty well.