Limonessa's Reviews > Hallowed
Hallowed (Unearthly, #2)
by
by
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 here on GR 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 (view spoiler)
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 here on GR 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 (view spoiler)
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.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Hallowed.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
May 27, 2011
– Shelved
November 4, 2011
–
Started Reading
November 4, 2011
–
51.61%
"Another big flashing sign on top of somebody's head and NOBODY is looking at it."
page
208
November 4, 2011
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-11 of 11 (11 new)
date
newest »
message 1:
by
Steph
(new)
-
rated it 5 stars
Nov 04, 2011 10:41AM
I can't wait for your review!
reply
|
flag
I'm really in no hurry to read this. After Vinaya's review and now yours, I think I'm going to wait a year a while.
You really could see Clara being a "Triplare" (That's what they're called, right?) from a mile away. As soon as Hand put that in the book, I went "It's only a matter of time until Christian ends up being one too." And then I read a couple of pages and threw the book at the wall.
Great review, Lisa. I also had problems with the mythology (view spoiler) and I also felt bad for Jeffery.