In her debut novel, Unearthly, Cynthia Hand left this reader spellbound and begging for more of her writing and her characters. As many people do, I entered Hallowed with a bit of trepidation--will the sequel live up to its predecessor (because so many don't)? After flying through the pages of Hallowed, I am happy to report that Hallowed does not suffer for a moment from the dreaded middle book syndrome and Ms. Hand's writing and story will continue to enthrall readers. 
 The first thing that will catch any readers eye is the Clara has morphed into a much more confident person. Gone is the Clara who we felt sorry for most of the time with her clumsy nature and carrot-orange hair. In her place is a much more confident and relaxed Clara whom we can fall in love with. She seems a bit pre-occupied at times with her blossoming romance with fabulous boyfriend Tucker, but I can forgive her that because I happen to LOVE him. :) 
 The love triangle that we glimpsed in Unearthly becomes a bit more pronounced than it was previously. The tension soars between Tucker and Christian and their attachment to Clara. I tend to flip-flop a lot on love triangles, but I'm here to tell you that I liked Tucker in Unearthly and I LOVED him in Hallowed. There is a lot going on with these two boys and I don't even pretend to know which one is better for Clara in the long run. I did appreciate Christian more in this book so I suppose there's a chance that he'll win me over in book #3...but I think a piece of my reader heart will always belong to Tucker. 
 If you enjoyed Unearthly, then you can't miss this sequel! Cynthia Hand's writing is spot-on wonderful and her angel story continues to supply a perfect blend of romance, action, and tension (and not just romantic tension--family tension, friendship tension, etc.). While Hallowed is definitely a middle book, it stands on its own as a wonderful novel, avoiding the stagnation of so many middle books. It keeps you engaged in and entranced with the world and characters while piquing your interest in the final installment.