Title: The Hallowed Ones (The Hallowed Ones #1)
Author: Laura Bickle
Release date: September 25, 2012
Publisher: Graphia
Pages: 320
Source: Bookstore
Reading level: YA
Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her in this dystopian tale with a philosophical bent. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die. She smuggles him into her family’s barn—at what cost to her community? The suspense of this vividly told, truly horrific thriller will keep the pages turning.
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.
What others have to say about The Hallowed Ones:
Scribbles & Wanderlust’s review: “I applaud Bickle. I applaud her for making me afraid of the dark this week, for making me happy that I’m not living near cornfields now, and for bringing terrifying vampires back into young adult literature.”
Miss Literati’s review: “Even though we were freaked out and disgusted at certain parts in the novel, we just couldn’t put it down!”
Winter Haven Books’ review: “The Hallowed Ones has scared the ever living daylights out of me and I LOVED it! If you are looking for that creepy Halloween read look no further!”
Series:
The Hallowed Ones (#1)
The Outside (#2) – September 3, 2013
I love scary vampires but nothing can ruin your book experience faster than being bored. I’m not 100% sure this one is for me but I am intrigued.
Boredom can definitely make a story hard to enjoy…at least the vampire portrayal was creepy and well done.
Nice honest review, Katie! 🙂
I picked this one at around Halloween last year because of positive reviews, too. But then I never did read it. I’m sad to hear this one wasn’t so spookey as you were hoping for. I was hoping for some spookiness, too. I will definitely keep your thoughts in mind when I finally get around to reading it (which could be Halloween!).
Thank you for always being honest and sad to hear it bored you. For me this book kept me drawn in with a feeling of tension with a light layer of creepiness and spiced with gory scenes.
I hope book 2 will be a better experience for you 🙂
Oh no, I am so disappointed.. but I am glad I read your review. First, I am disappointed that you found it to be boring.. I can’t stand that in books.. but also glad you mentioned the whole gory parts because I CANT CANT read or watch or listen to any gory stuff.. I get sick to my stomach.
great review!
– Juhina @ Maji Bookshelf
I’m glad I came across this review. It’s always great to here multiple opinions on a certain book, and I’d mostly heard good ones from this book. Getting bored while reading is the worst. I’m sorry to hear that it wasn’t that scary either. Thanks for the honest review 🙂
Good review. I like the cover and description. Seems like an interesting book.
I have an extreme love of Halloween, it’s seriously my favourite time of the year, so I might check this one out. 🙂
-Bee
huh… really torn now.. to read.. or not to read? Sounds interesting enough to give it a try sometime. Dunno if I will add it to top of TBR pile though.
I really loved Katie! She thought for herself, questioned what she was taught which was a brave thing to do considering she was raised in a very strict community, and she acted on her personal opinions. She kept the whole story together for me, and I really liked her.
The peak into her world was so interesting.