by Laura Bickle
Series: Hallowed Ones #1
Genres: Paranormal
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Rating:
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?
I was dying to get my hands on the Hallowed Ones and patiently waited for it to be released in eBook format since I set a goal to only buy eBooks in 2012. I even entered contests to win it! Grrr! I was so thrilled when I saw it on B&N and consumed this on Halloween Day. What a perfect read for All Souls Day. Bickle’s novel blends the Amish world with the vampire world in this post-apocalyptic novel and I loved every minute of it. The first in the Hallowed Ones series this offered up some horror, fascinating characters and set the stage for things to come.
The tale begins when we meet Katie, a young Amish girl on the verge of Rumspringa. She is daydreaming about her adventure when a helicopter crashes into the cornfields. As she calls for help and attempts to save those inside, she sees the pilot pulled back into the cockpit by a thing with glowing red eyes. When the outside world fails to send help and two Amish boys fail to return home at the end of the work day, the small settlement realizes something is dreadfully wrong. Unsure what has happened, the Elders order the gates closed. No one goes in or out. Katie finds an injured young man by the fence and the tale that unfolded kept me riveted.
The plot was fantastic, but Katie made the tale come to life. I really adored this bright, young woman with a weakness for coca-cola and comic magazines. Her world is turned upside down, yet she hungers for truth and despite fear of God, the Elders and her family her own moral compass steers her. She struggles with Gelassenheit (God’s will) and at times does things to save her people despite the fear of being banished. Alex, the young injured man was interesting, and I am looking forward to getting to know him more. Ginger, an English woman, separated from her family and trapped on the farm was a strong, silent presence. She helped remind us how truly different the Plain folk were from the outside world. Elijah, the young Amish man she is intended for had me wavering in my feelings for him. I loved the Hexenmeister and found both him and his role fascinating. The two love interests in Katie’s life were very different and each represented a different path. The romance was sweet and felt genuine.
The world-building was dark and horrifying. From the first few pages, I was enthralled and could not put this book down. While there are no new elements, Bickle cleverly weaved the Amish, religion, and vampires into a tale that I will not soon forget. I liked her straightforward writing style, and grasp of the characters. The suspense was constant as she slowly revealed revelations as the tale demanded them. The tale ends on a cliffhanger. The tale felt finished, but the ending did pose questions and left a few unanswered. What will happen to Katie and her friends? What is happening outside? How did the vampires come to be? I simply cannot wait to read the Outside book two in this series.
I highly recommend the Hallowed Ones to fans of suspenseful horror and fascinating characters. So grab a flashlight, cuddle under the covers with enjoy! The Outside is scheduled to release in the fall of 2013.
Anatea Oroz
I’m really excited to read this one. I’ve never read a book about Amish people, and your high rating is really making me want to read it right now. Great review!
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
Samantha
I’ve been reading some really great reviews for this book lately!! I can’t wait to read it myself 🙂 Great review as always!!
kimbacaffeinate
Oh noooo… it was very suspenseful and I was scared but there is no real gore.
kimbacaffeinate
Thanks Lily ..enjoy it !
kimbacaffeinate
Hehehe..i am excited that peeps loved it as much as me, and you are right it had just enough religion to make it believable and not preachy.
Nick
Eeeeepppppp! I’m SO SO freaking happy that you loved this, Kim! 😀
This is one of my favorite reads of last year and when I see someone I know loves it too, I get a little overexcited (as I’m sure you’ve already figured out)
Your paragraph on the characters is spot-on! I especially loved how you described Katie. She was so awesome. I loved her! 😀
I agree with you! The book does leave you with tons of questions but in a way that has you anticipating the next book. I’m glad it didn’t have one of those awful cliffhangers.
I need more Alex! >.<
Love the review, Kim! Do excuse my “shrieky tone” in this comment!
Happy New Year, Kim! 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful year ahead! May it be filled with tons of happiness and tons of books! <3
kimbacaffeinate
Squeeeeee… your excitement has me excited all over again about the book, and yes we need more Alex!! Happy New Year Nick!!
kimbacaffeinate
I really adored her, so strong spirited! Thanks and Happy New Year!
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo i cannot wait to read your review and get excited all over again! Happy New Year Kara!
kindlemom1
I loved this one too! I loved everything about it that you did. It really was a great tale. Very dark, very detailed and very creepy. It was fantastic!
Great review Kimba!
kimbacaffeinate
I cannot wait for book two!
Sally
Ooooh wow- I love the sound of this one!
Creepy, thrilling, with dark world- building and great characters? I need to get this book!
Great review 😀
kimbacaffeinate
Oh Sally you must read this ..it was creepy good!
Melissa's Eclectic Bookshelf
This one sounds awesome…maybe I’ll wait to pick it up though until closer to book 2s release if it really has a cliffhanger
kimbacaffeinate
Happy New Year Lisa, and while this has horror, its more along the suspense and paranormal lines..so yeah you should so try this!!
kimbacaffeinate
Hehehe..i laughed at your confession because i am the same way! I love going to Lancaster, we went four of five times each summer since we lived in south Jersey. I also love Shipshewana in Indiana. I use
to imagine living their as a child..
You have to read this…it is crazy good!
Turning the Pages
I’ve been flirting with the idea of borrowing this one from my library for the past week or two now after reading your review I think I’ll have to put it on hold. 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
Ooo yes..you love monsters and creepy things..so yep, you Need to read this!
Too Fond
Happy New Year, Kimberly! All the best to you in 2013–may you read lots of wonderful books! 🙂
kimbacaffeinate
thanks Beth you too!
kimbacaffeinate
I loved Katie too..i cannot wait for book two!!
kimbacaffeinate
agreed no sparkle here!
Christy (Love of Books)
Omg, seriously.. I’m going to strangle freaking disqus. This is that last time I’m going to try this…… I loved this book so much. I love how the vampires were truly scary creatures not to be messed with.
kimbacaffeinate
Sweet…i cannot wait to hear what you think!
kimbacaffeinate
ooo squee i am jelly you still get to experience it!
Steph, The Readingista
This sounds like a read that I would be head over heels for. I love the setting. Thanks for the great review. I am adding it to the TBR right now!
kimbacaffeinate
Step outside your reading zone there are amazing books to discover!
Maja (The Nocturnal Library)
Oh, wow, I feel so guilty for not reading this sooner! It sounds wonderful, and after all those glowing reviews, such wonderful words from you are just the push I needed. The plot sounds wonderful, but I love that Katie is such a strong, memorable MC. Wonderful review as always!
kimbacaffeinate
thank you Maja and I am jelly you still get to experience it for the first time!
GRgenius
In answer to the opening question…no! In answer to will I be checking this one out…now that is a resounding YES! Certainly sounds different than other books out there right now and with a blend of pop culture interest to mix things up, I’d say it definitely has potential. Thanks for the heads up on this one…happy reading!
kimbacaffeinate
Awesome..i cannot wait to hear your thoughts when you read it!
Candace's Book Blog
This sounds really good. I have a hard time with horror, I scare easily but some things marked as horror I don’t find scary at all, so it’s hard to know. I guess if it gets super intense and suspenseful I might scare more just cause I’m on the edge of my seat. I’m not sure if I’ll read this, but you have me thinking that I might have to give it a try…
kimbacaffeinate
This is suspenseful, and not straight up horror (no real gore) ooh but you should read it with your Mom!
Kristilyn Robertson
Yeeees! This was SUCH a good book! Everything was perfect and I loved that it wasn’t too heavy handed with the religion. I also loved the characters and can’t wait to see what they do in the next book. Oh, and I loved how the vampires weren’t totally there, but the fear was. This was a book that scared me at night! But such a great read. 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
Jennifer
holy baby jesus this sounds good! Confession: I am obsessed with Amish stuff. When we go to PA on Sundays to visit SO’s youngest, they live next to/around an Amish community, so we see them all the time. They create traffic jams! I also love reading about them, watching shows about them. I DON’T KNOW WHY.
Anyway, this book sounds fabulous and sort of reminiscent of the movie The Village, too. In a way. Adding to my GR list like right now.
Jenea Whittington
Wasn’t Katie awesome?.?.. I am really happy you enjoyed this so much. :). Wonderful review.
Aurian
I have this one on my shelves, but as you describe it with words as horror, dark, horrifying, I don’t want to read it anymore …
Pnrurbfantasyreviews
This sounds great. I’m not usually a horror fan but I do read a few, I’ll be adding this to my pile, thanks to you. Happy New Years, muffin!
karina
Happy New Year, sweetie!!! I’ve got this book in my pile and really glad you gave it such high rating! 🙂
Barbara Walker
I adored this one! When I read it as an advance copy, there had been no announced sequel, so you can imagine how I felt. lol Laura was kind enough to put me out of my misery and tell me that one was coming though. 🙂 Katie is one of my favorite female characters from last year, you just explained why perfectly – if anyone doesn’t want to read it after reading your review, they never will. lol It’s an awesome book, peeps!!
Bookluvrs Haven
I have this one on my to read list, and hopefully I can grab a copy and read it for myself soon enough. Great review!
Lily
Stacey Joy Netzel
This is so different from anything I’d usually read, and yet your review totally has me wanting to read it. Thanks, and Happy New Year!