Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Title: Hallowed
Author: Cynthia Hand
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: January 17, 2012
Series: Unearthly #2
Links: Amazon | Goodreads
Source: NetGalley

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 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.