Review: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

I loved this book so much. And I'm gonna try my best to write an awesome review. But I might talk too much. Sorry in advance :D Or not really. Cause I really do need to talk of this book. Because it was epic. And awful. And perfect. So I'm going to start by thanking Lauren DeStefano for letting me know about this book; and then for picking me as the winner to get an ARC copy of it. <3 THANK YOU, LAUREN! <3 I am so happy that I won it. Cause, well, it was perfect, and you all need to read it. :)

Lets talk about the cover first. The cover of The Hallowed Ones is gorgeous. The colors is pretty, the girl is pretty, and I just love it. But it doesn't say much about the book. Well, okay, it does. With the bonnet and the raven. But it is not a book about ravens. But there are ravens in it, creepy ones. The bonnet plays a huge part, though. But mostly it's vampires. A different kind of vampires than you all know of. These are awful. And murderous. And so well done I couldn't help but love them.

This book is kind of an Amish book. And I must admit, I don't really like the Amish much. I mean, I don't mind them, I think they do sound awesome and such. I just could never ever live like that. Ever. But it does seem beautiful, in a way. The book starts out a bit slow, but it get's so much more exciting almost right away. We get introduced to the Amish way and people, and I did like that. In a way.

Our main character is Katie. And I adored her. At first she seems like just another Amish person, with the same beliefs and attidude. But Katie is so much more. She turns out to be more English than Plain. And I loved that so much. Katie is such a interesting person. She changes a lot. Which I loved. Even though I wouldn't want to be Amish, I must admit that I did somewhat enjoy reading about it all. Cause it's different than other books I have read. And it made it more special, in a way.

There was this one thing I didn't like much in the book though. And that was Katie and Elijah's relationship. I mean, yes, they are teenagers. And I shouldn't care about it at all, cause I'm being a hypocrite, kind of. But I did mind. A bit. Because I didn't like Elijah. He was an asshole. But maybe he wasn't like that before the end of the Outside world. Maybe he was better. But I do believe he would have ended up the way he did either way. And I don't think Katie would fit with him at all.

But I also understood why it all had to be a part of the book. Because it did make sense. And I think it made Katie a better person. So I can't really hate it. But I do hope some things will happen to Elijah in book two. Pretty please? ;) Anyway. What I also loved in this book were the dogs. Like Sunny. A pregnant one. And omg. They were just adorable. But at the end of the book, I was wondering what would happen to them. Cause, gahh. It is a cliffhanger. But it is such a good one.

Other characters I liked in this book was Mrs. Parsall or just Ginger. I adored her. She is older, and the only English person in the Amish community. She doesn't live there, but she was visiting when some stuff happened, and needed to stay. I felt so sorry for her most of the time. But I also thought she was so strong as well, plus she's really kind and awesome. I adored her. Cannot wait for more of her. :)

Anyway. Gonna talk about the plot now. Cause, well, the plot is the best thing ever. Won't talk too much about it, because I don't want to spoil everything for you. :) But the story in The Hallowed Ones is amazing. Something is happening in the Outside world, to the English people. And the Amish don't mind much, cause it ain't happening to them. And I can sort of understand that. But still. But some of the Plain people were still Outside when the disaster hit. So Katie and Elijah goes looking for them.

And I won't say what happens. But oh, it is all kinds of awesome. It was even more awesome when Katie went alone. That was scary and exciting and so perfect. Sigh. I loved this book. Katie finds out what is really happening Outside, but the Elders won't hear of it. They don't tell all the others who live there. No one is to know anything. And that is the biggest danger of all. Cause something awful is out there, waiting in the dark. Something hungry.

And omg. It is done so perfectly. It reminds of vampires. And I guess they are. At first it seemed like they were just killing and eating, but it turns out they are a lot smarter than that. And I loved what happened near the end. Okay, it was awful and horrible. But I still loved it. Cause it was awesome. And written so well. As you can read in the summary, Katie smuggles an injured man inside. And that is an awesome plot twist. It was the thing I loved the most. Alex.

I loved hearing his story, and I just loved every scene he was in. He is a love interest. And I was so in love with him. Sigh. Need more Alex. A lot of things happens with him. And I loved them all. Loved Alex and Katie together. They were perfect. And different. But that is why I adored it. I loved that he called her Bonnet. It was so sweet. Not sure what else to say. Don't want to spoil some things..

But I will say that I hated the Elders in this book. Old men with power. God, I hate those kinds. They were just so awful and cruel and gah. Hated them. I loved Herr Stoltz, though :D He was awesome. And he had sort of a big part in this book. Sigh. I just need more of it all. Of everything. The Hallowed Ones is a scary book. It is creepy, and full of horror. But it is also sweet. And it is exciting, and you won't be able to put it down. I wasn't. One of the best things is that the writing is perfect. I'm picky about that ;p

Not sure what else to say. Just that I loved this book so much, and must now pre-order a few copies. Cannot wait to re-read it ;p And I am dying for the sequel. Cause there will be one. In a year o.O So long. But still. Cannot wait for it. Cause The Hallowed Ones ends with a big cliffhanger. But it is also happy. In a way. And I loved the ending. So good. Sigh. I just need more. :)

If you do not own an ARC of this book, then you must pre-order it right now! Cause you all need to read this amazing book when it comes out. It will be worth it. I promise. Everything is perfect about it. Thank you again, Lauren, for giving it to me. <3 And thank you to Laura for writing this perfect book. :)

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Update: Newer and better review of the book can be found here.