The Hallowed Ones: A Quick Read Review

The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

What if your home was the last safe place on earth? Would you let a stranger in?

Where to begin? There's so much in this book that any review could quickly become a spoiler so if I seem a little vague... that's why. Just trust me. Review:

When I started this book I wasn't so sure about it. It's got a lot of religious tones being that the main character, Katie, is an Amish girl. So I was like "oh no. what have I gotten myself into? Not another religious read." However, Laura Bickle amazes. This book, with it's religious tones, is not about religion, not about God, not about the evil place called Hell. Sure - those things are mentioned, but that's not the "meat and potatoes" of the book. The book is about the end of the world. Some say it will end in fire or ice... not Laura. I thought when she mentioned the.... we'll call it contagion... the contagion that was taking over the world that these people would turn into zombies. WRONG AGAIN. (so it's not zombies. okay? which is good because those things terrify the beejesus outta me.)

You're probably like "what are you talking about Amber? Clarify!" I can't. I can't clarify because it would ruin the whole story. But it's a CHILLING story that will make you question how you thought we would end. The book will make you question everything you thought you knew about sacrifice and being strong. I thought I was strong before I read this book. I have nothing on Katie. Katie is a warrior and gives us all hope that we can survive absolutely anything that is put in our path (for whatever reason you choose to believe).

Katie lets a stranger into their hallowed ground during the spread of the contagion. Will he be her savior or her destroyer? I'm not sure yet, but he's hot.

This book will make you a little scared to sleep without the lights on until you get through it. Is that a bad thing? NO. It's amazing to have a book touch you so deeply to the core that it intertwines in your daily life and The Hallowed Ones does that.

Amazing writing.

Amazing character detail.

Amazing story building.

Absolutely Amazing ending.

10 out of 5 stars. Seriously. Go buy this book. You won't be disappointed and then you'll even have a sequel to read, because there's another book that follows called The Outside that I can't wait to start. You'll thank me later.

If you STILL don't believe me, you can read an excerpt HERE

About the Author:

Laura Bickle’s professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams). Laura lives in Ohio with her husband and six mostly-reformed feral cats. THE HALLOWED ONES is her first young adult novel.

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Synopsis:

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.