Cels Reviews: Cynthia Hand's - "Hallowed"

Even after all the months of training to face the fire from her visions and fulfil her purpose, part-angel Clara made a choice that may have permanently  altered, not only her destiny, but Christian’s as well. As if dealing with senior year, a failed purpose, blackwing attacks and being torn between two guys isn’t hard enough, now she finds herself bombarded with a whole new set of visions. Visions with the shocking revelation that someone close to her will die in a matter of months. Just how much can one girl handle, even if she does have kick-butt angel powers? With a future more uncertain than ever, the only thing Clara can be sure of is that the fire was only the beginning.

If you have already been swept away by the first in the series “Unearthly”, you may be feeling the same sense of apprehension that I was with approaching the second instalment. Well don’t. Hand has again crafted a beautiful tale that will have you falling for the amazing cast of characters all over again and soaring along with a plot that raises the bar even higher.

In fact this also should come with a warning label: “entering this world of delights will leave you breathless with a racing pulse and dreams filled with smouldering hot angels and mortals alike”. Just like our protagonist Clara, Hallowed has a more grown up feel than Unearthly as we approach not only a whole new branch of issues and revelations that will leave you on the edge of your seat, but the loss of a loved character that will have you reaching for the tissues.

Not only has Hand firmly put her stamp on the angel sub-genre, she gifts us with characters that are some of the most realistic and honestly flawed that I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. Hallowed is darker and more adult than its predecessor, yet despite the darker context it’s not overly morbid and you will surprisingly walk away feeling light in spirit. The glimpse of Clara’s emerging maturity certainly helps chase any lingering sense of morbidity away.  And for those of you who have been dying to know the answers to those burning questions, you will get your wish and a few more fresh new ones to ponder. If you have Hallowed on your wishlist and you haven’t read Unearthly, I highly recommend you read it first. Trust me it’s worth the extra wait for the whole experience.

My only negative was that I was hoping to see Jeffery take on a larger role and to find out just some of the secrets he has been hiding, the ending does give me hope that this may just be around the corner though and plenty of theories on just what Clara will find herself facing next. And don’t be surprised if Team Edward and Team Jacob are replaced with Team Christian and Team Tucker. Just sayin’.

Hallowed- Cynthia Hand

Harper Collins

395 Pages

ISBN:978-0-7322-9261-4