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lsparrow's review
4.0
So many things that I am drawn to in fiction - young adult fiction + vampires+ insular religious community.
ermanem's review
It didn't end up being something that I wanted to finish. It took awhile to get into and I lost interest.
gnomecat5's review
4.0
I had sworn off vampires books buttttt this one was ok mostly because there was no forbidden love story between a poor pathetic human and a sparkling vampire. This one was pretty enjoyable.
amycrea's review
4.0
The premise is goofy--a teenage Amish girl must come to terms with a vampire infestation near her religious community--but you know what, it was a really fun read. I got some insight into the Amish world, and I got some fun with vampires. Also, the protagonist is a strong, smart female, which is a bonus.
b33dubs's review
3.0
While it's good to see some evil, compelling vampires again (for all we don't see much of them in the book itself), the rest of this book just felt weird. Particularly the end, which was very wham, bam, thank-you-ma'am. Don't know quite how to feel about it.
weweresotired's review
4.0
See the full review on Short & Sweet Reviews.
Here's my biggest complaint about this book: it ends. I pretty much devoured this book over a few days of breaks and downtime at work, and I really really want more books in this series, right now. The next book is slated to be out in fall 2013, and I pretty much can't wait for it. I want to know what happens to Katie, and her community, and her faith. I am impatient and I do not approve.
The Hallowed Ones was a very quick read, and even scenes that lingered over the quiet way of life in the Amish community didn't drag the pacing down for me. This probably won't be true for every reader, but I personally liked how the story was drawn out. All of the quiet, peaceful times made the tense, scary moments work even better than anticipated. And oh, boy, are there some scary moments that really hammer home the idea that no one is safe. There is a much higher amount of gore and violence in this book than I would have expected.
There are some series where I've wanted to stop reading simply because I couldn't stand the main characters, but I never felt like that with this book. I think, however, that some of the other characters could have been a little better developed. I had a hard time getting emotionally invested in many of them, which is probably what keeps this from being a real five-star rated book for me. That emotional connection seems to be key for the makings of a perfect book, for me.
Here's my biggest complaint about this book: it ends. I pretty much devoured this book over a few days of breaks and downtime at work, and I really really want more books in this series, right now. The next book is slated to be out in fall 2013, and I pretty much can't wait for it. I want to know what happens to Katie, and her community, and her faith. I am impatient and I do not approve.
The Hallowed Ones was a very quick read, and even scenes that lingered over the quiet way of life in the Amish community didn't drag the pacing down for me. This probably won't be true for every reader, but I personally liked how the story was drawn out. All of the quiet, peaceful times made the tense, scary moments work even better than anticipated. And oh, boy, are there some scary moments that really hammer home the idea that no one is safe. There is a much higher amount of gore and violence in this book than I would have expected.
There are some series where I've wanted to stop reading simply because I couldn't stand the main characters, but I never felt like that with this book. I think, however, that some of the other characters could have been a little better developed. I had a hard time getting emotionally invested in many of them, which is probably what keeps this from being a real five-star rated book for me. That emotional connection seems to be key for the makings of a perfect book, for me.
joyousreads132's review
3.0
The last few pages of this book saved it from an almost inevitable rant/review. I'm oddly looking forward to reading the next one.
kaitrosereads's review
3.0
The Hallowed Ones got some pretty amazing reviews back when it first came out. I read a handful of them and immediately went out and bought the book. I figured it would be the perfect scary read for Halloween. Sadly, while it was scary at a few parts, it was actually kind of boring for the most part. I was really disappointed with The Hallowed Ones.
I’ll start with the good: the vampires. These vampires are not sparkly and they are not going to fall in love with you. They are going to eat you. There is nothing human left about these vampires. They cannot be saved and if you happen to run into one, there is a more than likely chance that you are going to die. They are brutal and creepy and my heart started pounding every time I thought one might pop up. I was terrified of these guys!
As for the characters, they were both good and bad. Katie was a strong character but not in a physical way. She was mentally strong. She grew up in a community where she was taught not to think for herself just to listen to her Elders. Their word was law. However Katie couldn’t just blindly accept everything they said, especially when it meant harming others. She questioned everything and even though it was hard for her, she made her own decisions. Physical strength isn’t everything and I was greatly impressed with Katie as a character.
The reason I gave The Hallowed Ones three stars is this: I was bored. There were only a handful of times when I was actually really interested in the story. Most of the book I just wanted to be through with it so I could move on to something better. I really liked the Amish part of the story, getting to see how they live and know more about them but I wanted more vamps. I went into The Hallowed Ones expecting this bloody, gory, non-stop murder spree and it was so not that. Honestly if you know not to expect that from The Hallowed Ones you will probably enjoy it more than I did.
Warning: there is very graphic content in The Hallowed Ones. If you can’t handle descriptions with lots of gore, don’t read this one. While there are only a few really bad parts, it’s enough to make you sick to your stomach. I actually kind of loved that about The Hallowed Ones but I know a lot of people won’t.
Overall, The Hallowed Ones was a very interesting take on vampires and the story has a lot of promise. There is going to be a sequel and while I didn’t love this one, I will be checking that one out. Hopefully I will get more of my bloody, gory, non-stop murder spree in that one.
I’ll start with the good: the vampires. These vampires are not sparkly and they are not going to fall in love with you. They are going to eat you. There is nothing human left about these vampires. They cannot be saved and if you happen to run into one, there is a more than likely chance that you are going to die. They are brutal and creepy and my heart started pounding every time I thought one might pop up. I was terrified of these guys!
As for the characters, they were both good and bad. Katie was a strong character but not in a physical way. She was mentally strong. She grew up in a community where she was taught not to think for herself just to listen to her Elders. Their word was law. However Katie couldn’t just blindly accept everything they said, especially when it meant harming others. She questioned everything and even though it was hard for her, she made her own decisions. Physical strength isn’t everything and I was greatly impressed with Katie as a character.
The reason I gave The Hallowed Ones three stars is this: I was bored. There were only a handful of times when I was actually really interested in the story. Most of the book I just wanted to be through with it so I could move on to something better. I really liked the Amish part of the story, getting to see how they live and know more about them but I wanted more vamps. I went into The Hallowed Ones expecting this bloody, gory, non-stop murder spree and it was so not that. Honestly if you know not to expect that from The Hallowed Ones you will probably enjoy it more than I did.
Warning: there is very graphic content in The Hallowed Ones. If you can’t handle descriptions with lots of gore, don’t read this one. While there are only a few really bad parts, it’s enough to make you sick to your stomach. I actually kind of loved that about The Hallowed Ones but I know a lot of people won’t.
Overall, The Hallowed Ones was a very interesting take on vampires and the story has a lot of promise. There is going to be a sequel and while I didn’t love this one, I will be checking that one out. Hopefully I will get more of my bloody, gory, non-stop murder spree in that one.