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

Title: Sparks

Author: Laura Bickle

Series: Anya Kalinczyk, #2

My rating: 4.5 of 5

(Book read from May 29th to June 7th, 2013.)

Summary:

 

 WITHOUT A TRACE 

Anya Kalinczyk is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern, who holds down a day job as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department - while working 24/7 to exterminate malicious spirits haunting a city plagued by unemployment and despair. Along with her inseparable salamander familiar, Sparky, Anya has seen, and even survived, all manner of fiery hell - but her newest case sparks suspicions of a bizarre phenomenon that no one but her eccentric team of ghost hunters might believe: spontaneous human combustion.

After fire consumes the home of elderly Jasper Bernard, Anya is stunned to discover his remains - or, more precisely, a lack of them; even the fiercest fires leave some trace of their victims - and she is sure this was no naturally occurring blaze. Soon she’s unearthed a connection to a celebrity psychic who preys on Detroit’s poor, promising miracles for money. But Hope Solomon wants more - she’s collecting spirits, and in a frantic race against time, Anya will face down an evil adversary who threatens her fragile relationship with her lover, her beloved Sparky’s freshly hatched newts, and the wandering souls of the entire city.

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

 

Sparks is the second book in the Anya Kalinczyk duology. And this was such a great sequel, I wish there were more books, but still I'm happy with it & the ending :)

Anya is a Lantern, so she sees & can devour ghosts. She's also an arson investigator, and a ghost hunter. And not to forget her faithful sidekick - Sparky. Ok, I'll start with him, I absolutely love & adore Sparky. I wish I had one :) Sure, he's a salamander, so that means everything electrical will be doomed ;) even my pc, but still, I absolutely loved him! I also loved that he was such a big part of the story, much bigger then in the previous book, I loved that we learn a lot more about him & salamanders in general, and I loved the "relationship" between him & Anya.

And I really liked Anya as a character in this book! She's one kick-ass heroine, at least when she wants to be ;) So, don't make her mad, and especially don't mess with Sparky ;) She's really smart, would do anything she can to help those she loves, as well as any innocent, and most of all I love that she sticks to her principles.

As for the secondary characters, I liked them all. Mostly they're the same ones from Embers, although there were some interesting additions, and the one I have to mention is definitely Charon. He was such an intriguing character. And the villain, well she was quite evil, I really loved to hate her!

As for the story, it was so, so great! I love it the way Laura Bickle can weave a story that's a perfect combination of the paranormal, mythology & science, as well as mystery, that will keep you gripped until the very end. So, yeah, I'm a big fan of Laura's books & her writing style, and I can't wait to read her next book (even though that one is part of another series).

I also loved learning more about the supernatural world & the mythology in this book, and the questions raised about it & Anya in Embers were answered here. So, yeah, I was quite happy with the result, and I totally loved this book and everything about it!

If you're a fan of urban fantasy, as well as interesting supernatural worlds mixed with mythology, as well as science, then this is a book for you, and I highly recommend it!

Challenges:

2013 TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Books-In-A-Series Reading Challenge

 Don't Let It End Reading Challenge

Title: The Hallowed Ones

Author: Laura Bickle

 

Series: The Hallowed Ones #1

My rating: 5 of 5

(Book read from my PB copy in October.)

Summary:

If your home was the last safe place on earth, would you let a stranger in?

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 Elders’ rule and secretly brings the stranger into her community—but what else is she bringing in with him?

 

My Thoughts on the Book:

Ok, so where to start, it's been so long since I've reviewed a book, but I have to say that The Hallowed Ones is one creeptastic book. I just finished it yesterday, I read it in only 2 sittings, and I loved every second of it. Definitely the perfect Halloween read!

First of all, I have to say that this isn't my first book read from this author. I've read Embers, which I enjoyed a lot, and I've read Dark Oracle (which she wrote as Alayna Williams) which I loved so much, so of course I was expecting this book to be really good, but even with all of that, I was surprised by The Hallowed Ones. 

I love apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic books, but only a few of them that I've read really freaked me out, and The Hallowed Ones is one of them. It was so creepy & eerie, the writing style was so amazing, that it will capture you from the first page, and not let you go until you finish it, even a little after that.

As you probably know, it's set in an Amish community, so we follow Katie's life & dreams at the beginning of the book. We really get to know her through the book, so she's a well-developed character that I really love. She's brave & smart & always does what she thinks & knows is right, not what everyone else says she should do. Although I don't know a lot about the Amish community, except a little I've seen on tv, I'm guessing that Laura captured the life well, and I got really connected with Katie, and her "journey" through out the book.   

I stay away from spoilers before I read a book, so I didn't know if this is a book about zombies or vampires or something else, but it was amazingly done, & they were just so creepy & freaky & some of the scenes were just so gory, which I don't mind, but yeah, it creeped me out. 

So, something happens outside, and they don't know exactly what, so there's the mystery of it. I really liked Alex as a character, I thought he was both cool & sweet. I have to admit that at first I really liked Elijah, he was sweet, actually both he & Katie were sweet together, but after everything that happens, he changes, and although I felt for him, I really started to dislike him, and in the end I hated him. Huh, I didn't realise until now that what Katie felt for him, I did, too. I guess this was a little spoilerish, sorry, but yeah, Laura Bickle has done an amazing job with this book, and this is exactly what I meant about connecting to Katie as a character. Another character I have to mention is the Hexenmeister - he was really interesting & intriguing character, who knows his stuff ;)

The pacing of the book was perfect. It wasn't slow, but if you expect a lot of action, there isn't a lot, but it was perfectly paced with a sense of eeriness & suspense through out the story. And the ending, about how the darkness came in, that totally surprised me, so we have a twist here, too.  

So, The Hallowed Ones is a unique, apocalyptic, paranormal story, that's full of suspense, mystery, creepiness, eeriness, sadness, a dash of romance & also a little heart-breaking story, that's perfectly woven together, that you won't be able to put it down, and will make you hunger for more.    

Do I recommend The Hallowed Ones? Absolutely. It's definitely one of the best books I've read this year! Would I read it again? Yes! Would I read the sequel? Definitely. The Hallowed Ones is now one of my favs, so the sequel The Outside will be one of my most expected 2013 books! Until then, I'll just have to busy myself with some of the author's other books ;) As for you, if you love scary or apocalyptic books, grab yourself a copy, 'cause The Hallowed Ones is a must-read!

Challenges:

100+ Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2012

2012 Books Won Challenge

1st in a Series Challenge 2012

Ready, Set, Review-a-Thon

Title: Embers

Author: Laura Bickle

Series: Anya Kalinczyk, Book 1

Summary:

Truth burns.Unemployment, despair, anger - visible and invisible unrest feed the undercurrent of Detroit's unease. A city increasingly invaded by phantoms now faces a malevolent force that further stokes fear and chaos throughout the city.Anya Kalinczyk spends her days as an arson investigator with the Detroit Fire Department, and her nights pursuing malicious spirits with a team of eccentric ghost hunters. Anya - who is the rarest type of psychic medium, a Lantern - suspects a supernatural arsonist is setting blazes to summon a fiery ancient entity that will leave the city in cinders. By Devil's Night, the spell will be complete, unless Anya - with the help of her salamander familiar and the paranormal investigating team - can stop it.Anya's accustomed to danger and believes herself inured to loneliness and loss. But this time she's risking everything: her city, her soul, and a man who sees and accepts her for everything she is. Keeping all three safe will be the biggest challenge she's ever faced.

My rating: 3 of 5

My thoughts on the book:

I liked this book! The story was interesting & I loved Sparky! I didn't really connect with Anya & the other characters, but I still enjoyed the storyline & the writing style, so I'll probably try the sequel, too! 

Challenges:

• 100 Books In A Year Reading Challenge 2011
• A to Z Challenge 2011 
• Alphabet Challenge 2011  
• A-Z Reading Challenge 2011 
• 1st in a Series Reading Challenge 2011 
• Horror & Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011
• Books Won Challenge 2011
• New Author Challenge 2011