A review by narcissia
Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

4.0

I adored Unearthly, and couldn't wait to start reading Hallowed. The story picks up shortly after Unearthly's conclusion, with the characters dealing with some of the fallout and questions leftover from the fires. Clara is still a pretty great character. She's conflicted. She knows what she wants but is worried that she can't have it, or isn't meant to have it, or that it wouldn't be fair to others if she did have it. She is confused by everything that has happened. Christian kinda aggravated me in this one because I felt like he was taking advantage of Clara's confusion a little bit to suit his purposes, though he also is there for her as a friend when it's needed. I just question his motivations. Angela is still the same, curious and excitable and a little pushy. Jeffrey is angsty. Tucker is still amazing, but doesn't have quite the same presence that he did in Unearthly, which I missed. A lot. But I suppose it does help for Clara to spend more time with her thoughts and feelings in this one and less time fishing and kissing with Tucker.

The plot in this one is driven partially by Clara's new vision. She must figure out what it means, who it's about, how it could potentially relate to her purpose, and once she does figure it out, she has to deal with what that means for herself and her family. The other part of the plot is about Clara's internal struggles with her confusion and feelings regarding how she handled her previous vision and what her angel status means for the future of her relationship with Tucker vs. her lustful feelings toward Christian, who is like her and may be a large part of her purpose. There are a few revelations revealed in this installment as well - some that I saw coming, some that I didn't, and some that left my heart aching for these characters.

I definitely liked Hallowed, but I did miss the Clara + Tucker cuteness that took place in Unearthly. The way that this one ended left me anxious for the next book. There's not a cliffhanger, but it leaves so much for me to worry about for Clara that it's still enough to drive me a little bit crazy! I am excited to see how it all is taken care of in the future, and I hope that I won't have my heart broken. If you enjoyed Unearthly, then you'll probably love Hallowed as well.