A Note:

6/2/13

I once told myself: IF I am accepted into grad school, this blog would no longer be updated. As it turns out, in April, I received news of my acceptance for the Fall 2013 semester, where I will attain a Master's degree of Science in Nutrition.

Running a blog, as many of you may already know, is a demanding side job once the excitement wears off. And once I fell out of the blogging community's loop (have you SEEN how many blogs there are now? Wow!), it was like the kiss of death. Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get into a blogging routine once this happened due to the disconnect I felt from the community.

So I took a break. I struggled with the loss and with missing my blog. And then I realized I didn't have to run Book Faery to still be a book reviewer; I could read my books and post reviews online. I'm still a book review blogger, just not in the traditional sense.

I'll still be online. You can chat with me on Twitter, where I'll be posting links to my reviews and talking books. I'll also be posting links to nutrition articles. And if you'd like to connect with me where I guarantee I will post reviews, just add me as a friend on Goodreads.

So that's all, folks! It's been a fun and amazing journey, and I thank you all for listening to my thoughts about books. I hope we all can keep in touch elsewhere :)

Tori

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Alice Review: Hallowed by Cynthia Hand

Paperback: 448 pages
Price: AUD$24.99
ISBN: 9780732292614
Released: 1st January 2011 (Aus)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Author's Website: http://cynthiahandbooks.com/
Buy it: Fishpond
Obtained: Bought
Genre: YA, Romance, Paranormal
Series: Unearthly
Book Order:
1. Unearthly (my review)
2. Hallowed
3. TBA
Summary: Clara Gardner knew that as a part angel she would one day have to fulfill her purpose, rescuing Christian from a forest fire...what she never considered was what might happen if she were to fail.

Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend Tucker, Clara must deal with the repercussions of what happened the day of the fire as the two boys vie for her heart. And, as she is drawn further into the world of angels and part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain after a shocking revelation, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning...  

My Rating:
My Opinion: God, where do I start? You know that whole thing where the sequels aren't really ever as good as the first book? I was so worried that this would apply to Hallowed and that I wouldn't like it, but that is so not true. This book blew me away.

Unearthly and Hallowed are in my top ten of 2011 list because they are both so good.

What saddens me is that I really can't go in too deep with this review because of spoilers! I would love to discuss so many awesome things with you guys but most of you haven't read this yet and won't for at least a month! I was lucky enough to spot this in Kmart early. :)

Cynthia Hand writes beautifully; she describes places, Clara's emotions, thoughts and the dialogue clearly and beautifully. Her writing is very pleasant to read and the imagery is vivid. That's what I enjoy about it-- you can almost see it like a movie in your head. 

For those of you who have read Unearthly, you'll know about the big plot twists and questions left behind in the first book; well, some of those questions (as in, What the hell was Jeffrey doing? and Christian or Tucker?!?!) are answered, some of them not (like, Who is Angela's secret Italian boyfriend!?). Oh, and there are a few big surprises in this book that completely knocked me off track, but I definitely liked one of them.

So the plot leaves off a few weeks after Unearthly ended and it's about Clara going back to school and having to deal with the big Christian or Tucker question. Tucker of course is not happy to learn that Christian believes that he and Clara are destined other and Clara feels guilty every time she hangs out with Christian, even though she and him are now friends.  She's also having these visions of a funeral and we find out whose it is towards the middle, which left me extremely sad.

I love it when I'm emotionally invested in a book because it makes the reading experience so much better, you know? Well wow, this book was one big emotional roller coaster. Some bits made me smile a lot, others had me clutching the book tightly and wondering if our brave protagonists would survive and others? A few tears may have slipped out during a few moments. This book isn't as funny as its predecessor but only because it's a lot more serious. This is about Clara growing up and deciding her future and coping with a huge loss as well as a gain. Clara really shows maturity here and it made me admire her more.

My verdict: The ending of this book had me in tears but also gave me hope. A definite page-turner, Hallowed is a must-read that needs to be at the top of everyone's TBR pile when it comes out in January!

Happy New Year's, guys! In my little corner of the world (aka Australia) it's New Year's Eve RIGHT NOW and we've only got five hours of 2011 left. I hope you guys are enjoying your holidays (skiing, snowboarding, swimming, surfing, eating huge amounts of food, etc) and that the new year will treat you all well. ~Alice xx

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