740 reviews for:

Hallowed

Cynthia Hand

3.98 AVERAGE


2023 reread!



Warning: This review will include spoilers from Unearthly, book one in the series.

Hallowed was fantastic. The plot in Unearthly took some unexpected turns and left me with more questions than answers, while Hallowed took everything I thought I knew and turned it all upside down. It was even more unpredictable than the first book.

I absolutely loved that Clara chose Tucker in Unearthly. I enjoyed their moments together, mostly because I loved him as a character and preferred him over Christian. I hated that Clara’s purpose wasn’t fulfilled, but I appreciated that Tucker, the good guy with a lazy smile and humor, “won” when everything said he shouldn’t have. However, I was curious as to what would happen next as a result of Clara not only failing to achieve whatever her visions told her, but what might happen after discovering that Christian was also an angel blood and not in need of saving anyway.

Unearthly had a few uncovered secrets regarding Clara’s heritage, but Hallowed was filled with them. Clara’s mom hid so much from her, throughout her life. Clara pushed her mom to open up often, but it was never until just when she had no choice but to know that Clara was finally told something. It was frustrating, but in a good way because I sympathized with Clara. Angela was a big help, as she was in the first book, but I was happy to see that other avenues of finding out about angel life were available.

Clara’s relationship with Tucker was extremely strained in Hallowed. She wanted to keep him safe, especially in regards to the cryptic visions she was having, but also from all of the dangers involved with the Black Wings. I had no idea what would happen between them, but it made me sad to witness all of the tension. I really understood Clara’s pain because it wasn’t a simple issue with a simple solution. Choosing Tucker went against her purpose. And even more visions pointed to Christian being by Clara’s side. But why? Although, I admit that Christian grew on me a lot in Hallowed. I think I initially disliked him because he was THAT guy who was perfect and charming. But after finding out he was also an angel blood, it all made sense and he ended up being a lot more relatable and complicated and mysterious than I would have imagined. I felt just as conflicted as Clara in regards to her future. I really love Tucker, but something told me that the simplicity of loving him and enjoying him was not the plan at all for Clara. Of course it couldn’t be that easy.

Hallowed was incredibly sad and bittersweet, but ultimately amazing. I can’t give any details away, but I didn’t expect it to be so sad and leave me feeling traces of that sadness long after putting it down. Clara’s empathy and the sorrow she felt for the Black Wings had something to do with it, but the angel heritage, Clara’s mom’s past, and Clara’s brother’s attitude all contributed to the overall feeling. And Clara’s vision, standing without Tucker and feeling her own sorrow was certainly a major part of the overall emotional impact of the story. It kind of hit me in the gut when I didn’t expect to grow so emotionally attached to all of the characters.

I enjoyed Hallowed. It was better than the first book, as it was more complex, and I’m anxious to pick up the final book. I would definitely recommend the series. It’s a lot more interesting than I ever imagined it would be.

What a beautifully written story! Yes, this book contained one event that was so very sad, but it was extremely well-handled. There were also some revelations that were surprising, and yet almost expected.

Clara is growing up and gaining the maturity, courage, and strength she needs to battle the Black Wings. The love triangle between her, Tucker, and Christian was also nicely done, although sad. You know that triangles always result in someone getting their heart broken, and that was no different here. Regardless, I really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the conclusion!

4 1/2 stars - This is a great series! I really didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I have been, but this is great. The love triangle is very well written. There is none of the sappy, whiney teen-agnst stuff, just real emotion. The final part of the book hits very close to home for me, and I thought Hand dealt with it very well. She hits all the pain and emotion without it being too heavy for a teen reader who may not have experienced what Clara goes through. But there is so much truth, that teens (or anyone) who've gone through that will recognize the honesty of the writing. Very well done, and I look forward to the next installment!

I love love love this series!!!!

Ich wusste wahrlich nicht, was mich in diesem Band erwarten würde und vielleicht war es auch ganz gut, denn ansonsten hätte ich es abgebrochen.

Den ersten Band fand ich wirklich wundervoll, wenngleich er nur knapp die volle Punktzahl bekommen hat, denn etwas fehlte immer noch. Bei Band zwei kann ich einfach nicht aufrunden, sondern muss bei dieser Wertung bleiben, denn zum Ende hin hat es mich immer weiter enttäuscht, sodass ich froh war, es endlich beendet zu haben.

Es beginnt damit, dass der Sarkasmus und die Stellen, über die man immer wieder so herzlich lachen konnte, gänzlich fehlten und wenn "lustige" Stellen auftraten, so empfand ich diese eben nur als erzwungen. Man muss zwar dazu sagen, dass dieses Buch nun eher eine traurige Wendung der Geschichte erzählt und diese Trauer immer über allem schwebt, aber ich kann sie nicht so ernst nehmen oder mit der Person trauern, tauchen immer wieder diese gekünstelten Witze auf, die ich selbst nur flach fand. Zudem wurde der Schreibstil zum Ende hin immer kitschiger.

Auch bei den Charakteren hat sich viel verändert. Sie haben alle natürlich eine Wandlung durchgemacht, aber jeder fing an mich zu nerven. Bis zum Schluss mochte ich Tucker auch noch sehr, aber was er dann tat. Wie kann er es nur so einfach verzeihen, auch wenn er sie liebt? Christian ist manchmal ganz in Ordnung, erscheint mir aber auch sehr auf das Schicksal und sich selbst zu vertrauen, ein bisschen arrogant zu sein. Und dann erst Clara, die nicht aufhören kann zu weinen, auch wenn es viel in ihrem Leben gibt, was sich ändert, aber es hört einfach nicht mehr auf und sie wandelt sich zu diesem typischen Mädchen aus Jugenbüchern, weshalb vieles sehr vorhersehbar ist, und sagt dies sogar selbst. Kann man das dann noch ernst nehmen? Angela, welche auch nur am Anfang so richtig vorkommt, was mir ganz lieb war, ist mir auch etwas unsympathisch geworden. Vielleicht ist es aber auch nur eine Stimmung von mir.

Die Geschichte an sich steckt auch voller "Offenbarungen", die man sich alle schon hatte denken können, aber ich dachte eben, dass diese zu offensichtlich sind. Eben typisch Jugend-Mädchen-Buch. Das war auch bei der Liebe und einigen anderen Dingen so. Macht sie bezüglich eben jener Liebe nicht genau dies, was sie in Band eins nie hatte tun wollen, etwas wogegen sie sprach?

Wie ich sagte, wandelte sich die Geschichte zu Kitsch und zu diesen typischen Klischees, wodurch ich mich nur immer wieder fragen konnte, was mit dem Buch geschehen ist. Die Autorin scheint sich dieser Klischees auch vollkommen bewusst zu sein, denn sie nennt sie immer wieder im Buch an sich. Clara bemerkt dies recht oft selbst und die beste Beschreibung war einfach, dass ihr Leben einer "Seifenoper" gliche.

Dennoch gab es ein paar schöne Stellen, die die anderen jedoch nicht neutralisieren. Leider. Den dritten Band werde ich dennoch lesen, um zu sehen, wie die Geschichte beendet wird, denn momentan habe ich keinerlei Vorahnungen mehr, wie es noch nach und in Band eins gewesen war.

Cool. Much better then the first one. She is still confusing and still so many secrets but like how some questions get answered and the plot thickens!! Definitely read the next one! I'm in it for sure now!

Loved Hallowed just as much as I loved Unearthly, which is totally surprising and lovely all at the same time. The atmosphere is perfect, the writing is spot-on (and often so so funny) and I just adored it.
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epilieaspiechick's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH: 18%

I think I waited too long I think to start book 2 of this series because I couldn't get into the story. I'll try this series again someday. 
adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I still liked it but not as much as the first book. I do think it's a pretty good second book though, it never got boring as second books have a tendency to be. On to part three!