Mini Reviews of Sequels: The Unbound, Three, The Outside, & Split Second

The Unbound (The Archived #2) by: Victoria Schwab (Jan. 2014)
368 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Suspense/Thriller/Fantasy
Publisher: Hyperion
Source: Bought
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Mini Summary: "Imagine a place where the dead rest on shelves like books. Each body has a story to tell, a life seen in pictures that only Librarians can read. The dead are called Histories, and the vast realm in which they rest is the Archive." After the traumatizing events of the last book Mackanzie Bishop is back. She must fight her nightmares, figure out why people are vanishing, try to keep her job as a keeper along with her memories, and all while being a normal average girl on the outside.

My Mini Review: Victoria Schwab never dissapoints, her writing is just as magical in the sequel as it was in The Archived. The Unbound may have been a little slow at times, but it didn't matter, my attention never wavered. The Unbound is a strong sequel, one of the strongest I have ever read, and the best part, there isn't a big cliff hanger at the end. I admire Mac, the MC, even more in this installment, I still love Wes, and I liked the minor characters, new and old. I was cheering on Mac like my life depended on it. I definitely want more and I hope the third one does end up getting published. The only part of this novel I wasn't a fan of... it needed even more Wes time.

Three (Article 5 #3) by: Kristen Simmons (Feb. 14)
384 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Dystopian
Publisher: Tor Teen
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
**This review may contain minor spoilers of the previous books.

Mini Summary: Ember and Chase once again try to find safety and refuge in Three, the last book of the Article 5 trilogy. After finding the safe house destroyed they must find a new place to stay. Three finally is revealed and Ember will finally get the chance to really fight back.

My Mini Review: The Article 5 trilogy ended strong with Three. The first book was really good, the second book was okay, and this book left me feeling very satisfied. We get a lot more sensible and somewhat romantic interactions between Chase and Ember, which I enjoyed immensely. The plot was paced in such a way that I could just feel the tension rising between everyone in the novel and myself. There were also some very exceptional fight scenes and a great big rebellious stand. I don't regret reading this series. It's a young adult dystopian I enjoyed a great deal.

The Outside (The Hallowed Ones #2) by: Laura Bickle (Sept. 2013)
325 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Horror/Survival
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon
**This review may contain minor spoilers of the previous book.

Mini Summary: Katie is kicked out of her Amish community and must survive with her two friends in a world dominated by a plague of vampires.

My Mini Review: I feel that The Hallowed Ones really deserves more attention than it is getting, and this sequel, The Outside, only reaffirmed those feelings in me. The book starts off strong and ends strong. I really liked the different relationships this story has to offer, maybe even better than the first. There is a lot of action to keep you entertained. Not to mention there are very unique vampires (nothing like what you have probably read before in young adult literature), and how people come to find a way to deal with the vampires is just as unique. Give these books a chance. They are superb.

Split Second (Pivot Point #2) by: Kasie West (Feb. 2014)
360 pages
Genre: Young Adult/Paranormal
Publisher: Harper Teen
Source: The Library
Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Mini Summary: Addie is having a hard time dealing with her life since her parents divorce, since she chose the path she had to take. Ever since then her world has become even more complex. Addie's ability has started acting up, she runs into a boy she feels like she should know, and finds out that her friend may be able to bring back her lost memories she so desperately wants and maybe even needs.

My Mini Review: Is it even possible for me to love Kasie West more than I already do? She once again wrote a story so enthralling and characters so real that I can't seem to get enough. If you loved Pivot Point then you will love Split Second, no doubt in my mind. Not only do we get some much needed and somewhat hilarious and painful Trevor and Addie time, we also get some Laila time. Did I mention we also get introduced to another wonderful boy besides Trevor? Well we do, and his name is Connor. (He is a love interest for Laila not Addie, calm down.) I couldn't read Split Second fast enough. It was full of good twists, great friendships, and a perfect ending. What are you waiting for?

Review: The Hallowed Ones by: Laura Bickle

The Hallowed Ones by: Laura Bickle (#1)

320 pages

Genre: YA/Horror

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Source: The Library

Purchase: Barnes and Noble | The Book Depository | Amazon

Goodreads Summary: 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.

My Review

   

Why aren’t more people reading this?! I’m serious. If you are shying away from the Hallowed Ones you really shouldn’t. Don’t let the Amish part of this book make you nervous about reading it, I know sometimes reading about topics you are unsure of can be unsettling, but don’t let that keep you from reading this. I’ve never read an Amish book before, but I read an amazing review of this book so I gave The Hallowed Ones a chance, and it was totally worth it.

I’m still on a book high after finishing The Hallowed Ones yesterday. It was that good. It was fascinating, dark, chilling, and just plain awesome. I was worried the religious parts of the book would be a turn off for me, but they weren't, not even a little bit, they enhanced the book. The life of the Amish was interesting and the topic of what exactly the definition of faith is was unexpected and welcomed. Oh and this is definitely a horror book, and a darn good one at that. This is kind of a longer review, so if you bow out now I don't mind. Basically I go on to talk about how The Hallowed Ones rocked my world and that you should read it as soon as possible. Now carry on.

The characters are complex and easy to relate to. The main character, Katie, is so real, strong, and full of emotions. Bickle does a great job at showing us Katie’s struggle with her beliefs when something dark starts affecting the “Outside” which makes her start to question everything she has ever known. Her parents are present, which is different than a lot of young adult novels and a very nice different. Her friend who she grew up with is not what I was expecting. The young man Katie brings in from outside, saving his life, is Alex, and he shares with her ideas and things that are new and intriguing to Katie. The Amish elders are in charge of the Amish community, they have the last say in what goes on in the community, and how they handle the situation of the danger brewing on the outside is scary and crazy and believable. All the characters are just so…good.

I think one of the most important and interesting parts of this book is the relationships that are present. They are abundant and unique. During the course of the book Katie is challenged to figure out her relationship with old friends, her family, God, the guy from the outside, the elders, and the jealousy she starts feeling towards a fellow girl in her community. It’s intense and awesome and real and above all, really fascinating.

The pacing of the plot is spot on. The gory scenes dealing with the darkness is beyond gruesome. I refuse to talk about the darkness going on “Outside” because I don’t want to ruin anything and I want you to read this yourself, but I will say that it’s creepy good. The plot twist is a perfect “my mouth hung open” moment. This book really did surprise me in every good way imaginable. I could keep giving this book praises all night but I think you get the point.

Read The Hallowed Ones, preferably sooner rather than later. Just do it. If you don’t end up liking it I apologize in advance, but I really doubt I need to. It's not a perfect book, but it's really really close.