The Hallowed Ones:
The Outside (2)
by Laura Bickle
Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult, Horror, Dystopia
Published: Sept 2013
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Pages: 325
Summary: "One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…
After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.
And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?
In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?"
After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.
And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?
In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?"
Review: While I loved the first book (The Hallowed Ones) of the series, this one
was a bit of a letdown. Still decent enough and well worth reading,
but I felt that a lot of the excitement and thrill level of the first
book was lacking here.
We start off with Katie and company on the road, heading north. Somewhere between the two books they must have had some scary run-ins with the vampires since they are more knowledgeable about how to avoid them. Sadly, we do not get to experience those moments. A lot of the book takes place during the daylight so there is not much action.
The best scene, while very mellow, takes places in a store. We get a glimpse into Katie and Alex's personalities before the world changed for the worse. I still love Katie in this book. She is strong and has a good set of principles she lives by. While she may have had issues back in her Amish communities, their values help her be true to herself. Alex is the same way. sweet, caring, protective but he has his own ideals to live by. So great characterization still going on!
The letdown: the "trick" of defeating/surviving that they learn. When I read bout it, my mind was just repeating: "Really? Seriously?" So pass on that concept. Unique or not I didn't care for it. So in the end, I like the characters, and the series as a whole, but this novel just didn't grab me the way the first book did. "
We start off with Katie and company on the road, heading north. Somewhere between the two books they must have had some scary run-ins with the vampires since they are more knowledgeable about how to avoid them. Sadly, we do not get to experience those moments. A lot of the book takes place during the daylight so there is not much action.
The best scene, while very mellow, takes places in a store. We get a glimpse into Katie and Alex's personalities before the world changed for the worse. I still love Katie in this book. She is strong and has a good set of principles she lives by. While she may have had issues back in her Amish communities, their values help her be true to herself. Alex is the same way. sweet, caring, protective but he has his own ideals to live by. So great characterization still going on!
The letdown: the "trick" of defeating/surviving that they learn. When I read bout it, my mind was just repeating: "Really? Seriously?" So pass on that concept. Unique or not I didn't care for it. So in the end, I like the characters, and the series as a whole, but this novel just didn't grab me the way the first book did. "
Almost 4 stars but not quite there...
I like reading books like this one. It sounds really good. I haven't read it yet but I hope the Amish girl can save her family.
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to read to find out more...There is happiness and tragedy both in this book.
DeleteWhat an interesting combination! Zombies and Amish people? It's so bizarre that it makes me want to read this series. I'll definitely have to look into it:)
ReplyDeleteZombie/Vampire things, yes. I was very skeptical of the concept but it is also what drew me in.
DeleteI love these kinds of books. What an interesting concept - Zombies and Amish!
ReplyDeleteIt was a unique concept I ended up liking.
DeleteI love Katie in the first one. She always thought independently and I loved the Amish way.
ReplyDeleteToo bad this wasn't as awesome.
Lovely review :)
It was still good, they just added some things that were less than appealing and the creep factor was not as strong.
DeleteI haven't heard of this series before, and it sounds really interesting! It's a shame that this one doesn't seem to be as thrilling as the first one but I'd like to read them anyway. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThey are both still worth the read. Don't misunderstand my review. A 3 1/2 is still good by my standards or rating. Above average but not great.
DeleteGreat review. I haven't heard of this book.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds very interesting and I love the creepy cover! :)
ReplyDeleteI do too. It was actually this cover that drew me to the series in the first place.
DeleteI havent read the first book yet, but after reading your review, i really want to!
ReplyDeleteThe first book is wonderful! This one is good too.
DeleteThanks for the review. I hadn't heard of this book before. Have you read any other books by her?
ReplyDeleteI read the first book which is linked in the review.
DeleteI don't think I've ever heard of an Amish take on the vampire apocalypse and this is book two in a series. Sorry, I just think it's really cool. I'm always up to try reading new things and I haven't read a good vampire story in a while.
ReplyDeleteThis was such a different combo but I loved it in the end! I hope if you read them that you enjoy them too.
DeleteHeard great things about this series :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to read,thank you for the honest review :)