Hallowed by Cynthia Hand Review

"For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves 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.

In this compelling sequel to Unearthly, Cynthia Hand captures the joy of first love, the anguish of loss, and the confusion of becoming who you are."

Yes, this is another book from my to-reads. It has been a long, long time since I'd read the first book (similar to the previous book I'd reviewed). Anyway, Hallowed is the sequel to Unearthy and is written by Cynthia Hand. Obviously, I thought Unearthly was good (can't remember, because it has been a long time since I'd read the first book), so I added the second to my to-reads list.

Boy, Hallowed is not exactly what I'd dreamed of. Yes, I particularly enjoy the mythology and inner dynamics of angels vs. demons, but Hallowed... Well, let me start explaining about the world.

There are Black Wings (fallen angels) and White Wings (angels serving Heaven). No demons... At least, not yet. (It hasn't turned into one of those episodes from Supernatural). And then there are the half-breeds. Or the Nephilim. One could easily (or not) remember that these are descendants from angels. The Book of Enoch proclaims them as monsters (at least, that I can recall), and God is said to had killed them with Noah and the Ark. Anyway, the world building is strong, and I can easily understand it. Simple world (or complicated, depending on which character you are). 

So that part doesn't fail. But it is the cheesiness of the book that gets to me. Some parts of the book doesn't flow very easily, and there is a lot of rough bumps in the ride. There are parts (like the revelation about Christian) that are truly, truly rough. That part especially doesn't fit in, and wow, it really... hits. I mean, hurts. 

I could go on about Christian for the next five pages, but I'm deciding not to. Because I have a lot of opinions on it, and I'm running out of time. Simply said: I don't like Christian. There are inconsistencies in his character, and I don't really like how he keeps secrets from Clara. Maybe it is for the greater good, but... Ahh! It is so annoying and irritating. 

The ending is greatly anticlimactic. Some characters are simply plot devices, and they don't really expand the story. (I'm not going to reveal which ones.)

So...

Overall, Hallowed should had been a great read. Instead, it really falls short of my expectations. Such a shame. Such a shame.

Rating: One out of Five