With Hallowed, just like with Unearthly, I find myself closing the book with a huge flashing question mark on top of my head. The general feeling is that yes, I did enjoy the book, but my mind is spinning so hard with questions and doubts that I'm really having a hard time savoring the good nuances of the story. I'm bugged.
Some of the questions that I was left with after Unearthly have undeniably been answered but many more have joined the group of the unanswered ones.
In Hallowed we find Clara dealing with the consequences of the events of Unearthly and the whole story revolves around her getting another disturbing vision. We witness a progressive change and development in the Clara/Christian/Tucker relationship/triangle and we widen - or complicate - our understanding of the angel world.
On the one hand, while I immensely enjoyed how the author managed the infamous love triangle and some other very delicate parts of the story which were really touching and heartbreaking - and it was so clear the author must have lived personally such a situation, it was so well described and detailed - on the other hand, there were some fundamental parts which put my logical skills to the test and I still feel like l'm lacking the tools, missing vital info to give sense to this world Cynthia Hand has created.
It all has to do with the free will/predestination issue, the visions, the purpose, the war, the angels themselves. We know very little about it all and I find it distressingly confusing. It has been argued that all this will be hopefully cleared in the sequel/s to Hallowed, but frankly, I cannot give a rating to this book based on the hope that things will be clear in a year or two. For me it's just not enough because while I can accept cliffhangers and mysteries and secrets, I have a harder time with the rules that regulate an effective world-building.
Aside from this, I wasn't very impressed with the predictability of the story. For most of the questions I asked myself at the end of Unearthly, I saw the answer coming from a mile away, especially the one in which I was wondering about Clara's missing parent.
Furthermore, there are some points which still just don't make sense: why is nobody paying attention to Jeffrey? He must be one of the unluckiest guys in YA history because really, nobody seems to care about him. Why isn't Clara asking Angela more about what she did in Italy? Where the hell is Tucker in the middle part of the book? Poof!
Clara, thy name is OBLIVIOUS. And usually, that's my name but in this case, you beat me girl.
Once again, I find myself wishing this author had written a story without a paranormal element in it.
Some of the questions that I was left with after Unearthly have undeniably been answered but many more have joined the group of the unanswered ones.
In Hallowed we find Clara dealing with the consequences of the events of Unearthly and the whole story revolves around her getting another disturbing vision. We witness a progressive change and development in the Clara/Christian/Tucker relationship/triangle and we widen - or complicate - our understanding of the angel world.
On the one hand, while I immensely enjoyed how the author managed the infamous love triangle and some other very delicate parts of the story which were really touching and heartbreaking - and it was so clear the author must have lived personally such a situation, it was so well described and detailed - on the other hand, there were some fundamental parts which put my logical skills to the test and I still feel like l'm lacking the tools, missing vital info to give sense to this world Cynthia Hand has created.
It all has to do with the free will/predestination issue, the visions, the purpose, the war, the angels themselves. We know very little about it all and I find it distressingly confusing. It has been argued that all this will be hopefully cleared in the sequel/s to Hallowed, but frankly, I cannot give a rating to this book based on the hope that things will be clear in a year or two. For me it's just not enough because while I can accept cliffhangers and mysteries and secrets, I have a harder time with the rules that regulate an effective world-building.
Aside from this, I wasn't very impressed with the predictability of the story. For most of the questions I asked myself at the end of Unearthly, I saw the answer coming from a mile away, especially the one in which I was wondering about Clara's missing parent.
Furthermore, there are some points which still just don't make sense: why is nobody paying attention to Jeffrey? He must be one of the unluckiest guys in YA history because really, nobody seems to care about him. Why isn't Clara asking Angela more about what she did in Italy? Where the hell is Tucker in the middle part of the book? Poof!
Clara, thy name is OBLIVIOUS. And usually, that's my name but in this case, you beat me girl.
Once again, I find myself wishing this author had written a story without a paranormal element in it.
That's disappointing - I had the same feeling when I finished Unearthly, and with all the glowing reviews for Hallowed I assumed it was because my questions would all be answered.
ReplyDeleteI'm also disappointed to see that Tucker disappears in the middle of the book - isn't that what happened to Christian in the middle of Unearthly? And I was hoping to find out more about Angela's trip to Italy in Unearthly! She was so mysterious about it. And poor Jeffrey - obviously something was going on with him (I thought he might have received his purpose) and to hear that he continues to be neglected is upsetting.
After all the glowing reviews, it's nice to hear the other side of the coin, so I'm better prepared. Thanks for the honest review!
Kelly
Radiant Shadows
Thanks Kelly, you might not be bothered at all who knows. Let me know!
ReplyDeleteGreat review Lisa. I agree that I wish we had more intel on the reason for the angels and purpose. But I think it,s coming in book 3 - well hopefully or we'll all going to be pissed haha.
ReplyDeleteGreat review. Hopefully your questions will be answered in the next book.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for stopping by our blog :)
-leslie
Heidi, I have to admit that the love triangle wasn't all that bad, it's actually one of the few bearable ones. I guess all will be revealed in the third book...
ReplyDeleteOH NO! I'm so sad that you didn't like this book as much as you hoped, Lisa! :( I agree that when Tucker went missing for so long, I kept wondering where he was too, and my head was DEFINITELY spinning when I finished reading this book! (In all honesty, I crying so much LOL!) But I think that how Cynthia Hand handled the love triangle was one of my favourite things too, especially since it's so hard to tell which book she'll end up with unlike many other love triangles out there! :)
ReplyDeleteThank you SO much for the awesome honest review, Lisa! I always love to read opinions from the other side of the spectrum because it helps give me more perspective! :) <3
Mimi, you're too kind :D We'll see what happens with the next book...
ReplyDeleteI haven't read Unearthly or Hallowed but I recognise the covers because they seem to be every where online.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a shame when a middle book in a series turns out to be more of a filler book and by the end you feel like you still don't know what's going on.
Mands
I just bought this book and I plan on reading Unearthly and Hallowed as soon as it comes in. I have a feeling that I'm going to enjoy it, but now I'm scared that I'm going to be left with too many questions to be completely happy with it. :(
ReplyDeleteOld follower, loyal commenter.
Rebecca, I surely hope you'll enjoy the books a lot!
ReplyDeleteI wish you could have enjoyed this more, Lisa, but I'm glad you still found some of it good! I liked it quite a bit myself, but I also had a few irksome issues with the story. Nice review! :)
ReplyDeleteSam @ Realm of Ficton
Great. I hope the cliffhanger is violence inducing. I guess we'll see. Very helpful review Lisa. :)
ReplyDeleteThis follow up to Unearthly was just as lovely as the first. As much of this book has to do with Clara being torn in both directions of the love triangle, it can seem like it would be any other YA novel out there. The difference here, both of the guys involved are really, really great in so many ways that it becomes heart wrenching. It’s easy to see why Clara is having trouble deciding what to do and who to open herself up to. Adding in the fact that she knows that someone she loves is going to die soon and it complicates her world even more.
ReplyDeleteGreat book! It was just as good as the first one. I can't wait to read the third book in this series.
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