The Hallowed Ones, Laura Bickle
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Supernatural Thriller
Publication: 9/25/2012, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Source: I received an advanced reader's copy (ARC) from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: If your home was the last safe place on earth, would you let a stranger in?
In this captivating thriller, an Amish settlement is the last safe haven in a world plagued by an unspeakable horror…
Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers are free to experience non-Amish culture before officially joining the church. But before Rumspringa arrives, Katie’s safe world starts to crumble. It begins with a fiery helicopter crash in the cornfields, followed by rumors of massive unrest and the disappearance of huge numbers of people all over the world. Something is out there...and it is making a killing.
Unsure why they haven’t yet been attacked, the Amish Elders make a decree: No one goes outside their community, and no one is allowed in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man lying just outside the boundary of their land, she can’t leave him to die. She refuses to submit to the Elder’s rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?
My Review: It's not often that a novel takes me totally by surprise the way this one did. The Hallowed Ones is a unique take on the post-apocalyptic sub-genre, offering the reader a world overrun by ravenous, frightening, vampiric creatures, and introducing us to a heroine whose innocence and lack of knowledge regarding the outside world is as refreshing as it is infuriating.
This book was at times chilling and intense, and at others, a thoughtful look at religion, freedom, and the need to question authority. Laura Bickle is a masterful storyteller. Katie is a sympathetic, determined protagonist. She's driven and strong despite an upbringing that teaches her to behave and do as instructed. She's aware of what she's been told to do and she's aware of what is right. The fact that she's willing to put her life on the line to do what is right endeared her to me.
I've never read her Anya Kalinczyk series but after reading The Hallowed Ones it has earned a place high on my TBR list. If you're looking for something a little bit scary and whole lot amazing, this book is for you.
2 comments:
Sounds like an interesting book! Thanks for the review :)
Is the girl on the cover catching butterflies (or fireflies or something)? Or is it a weird-looking hat? I can't stop staring at the .. thing she's holding instead of focusing on the review. :D
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