The Hollow Tours Mega Review: Hallowed and Everneath

Title:  Everneath

Author:  Brodie Ashton

Format: Ebook

Length:  384 pages

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Age Range:  Young Adult

Rating:  5 stars

Last spring, Nikki Beckett vanished, sucked into an underworld known as the Everneath, where immortals Feed on the emotions of despairing humans. Now she's returned- to her old life, her family, her friends- before being banished back to the underworld... this time forever.

She has six months before the Everneath comes to claim her, six months for good-byes she can't find the words for, six months to find redemption, if it exists.

Nikki longs to spend these months reconnecting with her boyfriend, Jack, the one person she loves more than anything. But there's a problem: Cole, the smoldering immortal who first enticed her to the Everneath, has followed Nikki to the mortal world. And he'll do whatever it takes to bring her back- this time as his queen.

As Nikki's time grows short and her relationships begin slipping from her grasp, she's forced to make the hardest decision of her life: find a way to cheat fate and remain on the Surface with Jack or return to the Everneath and become Cole's.  -Goodreads

Title: Hallowed

(Unearthly #2)

Author: Cynthia Hand

Format: Ebook

Length:  242 pages

Publisher:  Harper Collins

Age Range:  Young Adult

Rating:  5 stars

.

For months part-angel Clara Gardner trained to face the raging forest fire from her visions and rescue the alluring and mysterious Christian Prescott from the blaze. But nothing could prepare her for the fateful decisions she would be forced to make that day, or the startling revelation that her purpose—the task she was put on earth to accomplish—is not as straightforward as she thought. Now, torn between her increasingly complicated feelings for Christian and her love for her boyfriend, Tucker, Clara struggles to make sense of what she was supposed to do the day of the fire. And, as she is drawn further into the world of part angels and the growing conflict between White Wings and Black Wings, Clara learns of the terrifying new reality that she must face: Someone close to her will die in a matter of months. With her future uncertain, the only thing Clara knows for sure is that the fire was just the beginning.

Described by Richelle Mead as “utterly captivating,” Unearthly received outstanding reviews, garnered accolades from New York Times bestselling authors, and was named an Indie Next Pick. In this heart-wrenching sequel, Cynthia Hand expertly captures the all-consuming joy of first love—and the agony of loss. This beautifully woven tale will appeal to fans of Lauren Kate, Becca Fitzpatrick, and Aprilynne Pike.    -Goodreads

When I decided to take on the task of this double review, I had no idea that  that these two decidedly different works would lead me on journeys which would end at the same destination...love.

 Hallowed

This is she continuation of the story that started in "Unearthly."  Clara has grown both in her power and in her love for Tucker.

The problem?

That love, and the decisions that she has and continues to make as a result of it seem to be at odds with her "purpose."

O.k., so we figure love versus duty.

No biggie...right?

Well...not until you take into account the fact that she is an angel, Tucker is human, someone's dying soon, there's a war for good and evil on the horizon, and Christian.

It's All About the Relationships

1. Tuck, Carrots, and Christian

The driving force behind this story has to be the relationships that are so masterfully crafted by the book's authoress.  This is not the type of tale that leaves its reader free to pick a side. This fact is never more irksomely true than when it comes to the love triangle of Tucker+Clara+Christian.

At the start of the book, you couldn't be happier for Tuck and Carrots, but by midway Christian steals the show and you're all his.

2. Clara and Mom

I was really happy to see that Mrs. Gardener really opened up to he daughter this time around.  This was one of the few YA reads that didn't suffer the blight of 'absentee parenting' that seems to be the going trend.  The scenes that they share are some of the best and most heart-felt of the story. We get to see a mom who is allowed to be a mom in every sense of the word, and that is a truly beautiful sight.

3. Friends

This was one of the few areas of the story that kind of just went flat.  Where in "Unearthly," there was a lot of Clara and her friends.  This book seems to deal mainly with the boys, living the time with the girls to...unless of course, if you count Angela, who just gets annoying after a while.

4. Jeffrey 

Clara's brother spends the majority of the book alone.  His character seems to get lost amid all the happenings in "Life According to Clara.

This book is as slow paced as the movie "Titanic," and promises to capture your heart in much the same way.  This is the story of honor, duty, purpose, free will and most of all love.

Everneath 

Everneath is a fresh look at the dark side.  The Underworld to be exact.

This is for the most part a retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth with a little Osiris, Orpheus, and Eurydice  thrown in for good measure.

When the book starts, you think that Nikki and Cole are in looove.  

That is until you realize that he's FEEDING on her essence.

That's right folks.  He's a hungry servant of  hell and she's lunch.

The problem?

Lunchtime is in hell and the main course wants out.

If you are looking for a fast-paced read that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is the read for you.  This is the book in which the reader is clear to take a side.  Good versus evil, light versus dark, white knight versus dark horse, Cole or Jack, Everliving or certain DEATH.

Don't be fooled into thinking that one side is safer than the other.  Each comes with a price.

This book is clear proof that sometime the road to love can take a girl straight to hell.

These two great reads stand as proof that whether you choose the high road or the low, the best thing about finding true love is the journey.

 

This tour is brought to you 
                     by: