"The Outside" by Laura Bickle

Title: The Outside

Author: Laura Bickle

Series: The Hallowed Ones, #2

 

 

 My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read on October 3rd-5th, 2013.)

Summary:

The world is not what it once was. Two thirds of the population has been killed by a plague of vampires, and the survivors hide out in isolated territories - both protected and trapped by forces beyond their undestanding.

 

Exiled from her Amish community and shunned for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival, Katie enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two "English" friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers wherever they can find them - but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise, the threat of starvation.

 
 And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

 
 In this thrilling sequel to The Hallowed Ones, it's up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves. But what will she have to leave behind in return? 

 

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

The Hallowed Ones was one of the best books I read in 2012, so I was really looking forward to this sequel. And was The Outside everything I expected? Yes & no. I expected to be great, since everything Laura Bickle writes is unique & imaginative & interesting, and in that aspect I was right, but what I was surprised about was the way the story developed, it was not what I expected, but I still loved it.

What I missed was that I didn't find this story as mysterious & eerie as I did with the 1st book, but I should've expect that, since the secret was out ;) Still, there were some great run-for-you-life moments, and overall I found this story quite interesting & intriguing, but I won't go into details.

 

What I especially loved was that the author created the opportunity for Katie to experience Rumspringa in a way, as well as to have some fun, and to squeeze in some every day romance in it. I loved so much that she did that for Katie & Alex, it was like she delivered this amazing gift to them, as well as to me.

  

Saying all that, even though The Outside wasn't as creeptastic as The Hallowed Ones was, it was still amazing book that I loved, and I loved the way it wrapped up the story, and I know I'll enjoy reading this duology again, so I highly recommend it!

 

 

 

Challenges:

 

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

2013 Spooktacular Paranormal Challenge