YA Review: The Outside by Laura Bickle

Title: The Outside (The Hallowed Ones #2)

Author: Laura Bickle

# of Pages: 325

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Publication Date: September 3rd, 2013

Source: Library

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…
After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—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 edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?

My Verdict

I was afraid the book might skip a large period of time and pick up somewhere in the future, but thankfully things picked up right where they ended in The Hallowed Ones. Katie, Alex, Ginger, and their trusty horse named Horace are now stuck outside of the Amish settlement, battling the vampires each night to survive another day.  

With all the background information out of the way, and Katie no longer living at home, I loved that we were able to focus more on just Katie, Alex, Ginger and their relationships.

• Katie- is such a strong character it's impossible not to love her. She doesn't let anyone tell her what to do and always makes decisions based on her heart. 

• Alex- is smart, incredibly brave, and so protective of Katie. I love how he always calls her Bonnett, so cute.

• Katie & Alex- For a couple that was never supposed to be together they sure are perfect for one another. Even though they share vastly different beliefs, I love that Alex respected Katie's ways and though he didn't agree with them, he never tried to change her. 

• Ginger- I really enjoyed getting to know more about Ginger and how she loved Katie as her own daughter. 

Thankfully, this book wasn't as bloody and gory as the first one. There were still a few gruesome scenes but they were farther and fewer between, as well as a lot easier to skim over than last time. 

While the ending does well to wrap things up in a satisfying way overall, I still feel there was more to be learned about this world, a few questions unanswered. Let's just say I was more than a little disapointed to find out there will not be a book three ="( 

YA Review: The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

Title: The Hallowed Ones

Author: Laura Bickle

# of Pages: 320 

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Publication Date: September 25th 2012

Source: Purchased

Level: Young Adult

Rating: 4 Hearts

Synopsis

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

In this captivating thriller, an Amish settlement is the last safe haven in a world plagued by an unspeakable horror…

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

My Verdict

I have so many feelings raging inside me on this one! It was suspenseful, it was terrifying, it was gruesome, it was hopeful, it was... truly unique! I knew little about the plot going in except it was about an Amish girl and possibly the end of the world.

The story is about Katie, an Amish girl with a large heart, and strong opinions both of which lead her into a lot of trouble throughout the book. I really loved Katie. She was so genuine; I loved that unlike others in her community who followed the words of the Elders so blindly, Katie actually thought about things. She always had good intentions in mind, and did what she believed to be right in her heart.

I always find it fascinating to read about the Amish culture. While there is so much outside influence in this story, we still get to learn a lot about traditional Amish practices and beliefs. In other books about the Amish that I've read, the language they use really grated on my nerves, but besides the use of "ja" the author didn't make it seem like gibberish.

Major violence warning on this one!! Honestly I would say 18+ the gore is so bad. I had seen it called suspense, not horror, so I wasn't expecting the amount of blood and guts that I got but Make. No. Mistake. this is horror! There was A LOT of blood and gore and let me tell you the author sparred no details. Literally, the most disgusting things I've ever read. Even when I tried to skim over passages, there was so much detail and it went on for so long, I ended up reading things I wish I hadn't. This was definitely the biggest downfall of the book in my eyes. I just don't see why the author had to be so graphic.

Overall, I loved the mystery, suspense, and romance that The Hallowed Ones provided. But the bloody violence is not easily ignored. Let's just say I'm both excited and terrified of reading the next book in the series.