It's going to be really hard not to gush about how great HALLOWED was, especially as a follow-up to Cynthia Hand's debut novel, UNEARTHLY. Again, we get more of the unusual paranormal element - angels - and we also get to read more about the fight between Good and Evil (in this case, the angel-bloods against the Black Wings, those angels who've fallen). 
 I continued to adore the characters: Clara, Tucker, Christian, Angela, and Wendy. Not to mention the secondary characters and everyone new whom we are introduced to in this book. I started out in UNEARTHLY in love with Tucker. He's a good ol' boy with a good heart, the kind that makes you want to melt right into your shoes. Christian was nice, but standoffish and while it was an interesting triangle, I knew which team THIS girl was rooting for. 
 But now that Cynthia Hand delivers more and more twists and surprises, I'm not sure! She took everything I thought I knew in UNEARTHLY and changed the game on me. Well done, Cynthia. WELL DONE. 
 I really liked the play on the Good vs. Evil bit, it was exceptional. Hand is really good at writing villains; I liked Samjeeza even when I despised him. Maybe because I pitied him so much, but Hand writes him as this powerful, menacing creature who is somehow still just really sad & pathetic. You can tell he wants salvation, but he's just so proud. 
 Cynthia hand is an expert at drawing out the reader's emotion and twisting it around her finger. I often found myself near tears, or laughing aloud throughout HALLOWED. So much is going on in this novel, I was unsure where it would turn next. I love when I'm surprised! I can honestly say there wasn't one predictable thing about it. 
 There isn't a ton of action in HALLOWED, so if you're looking for that, you'll be disappointed. What I think HALLOWED is, is a dynamic follow-up, a setting of the stage if you will, for what is to happen in book three. I wish I could tell you more, but that would spoil pretty much everything, so I'll leave you with this: get your tissues and be prepared to experience every emotion!