Mundie Moms

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Book Review: HALLOWED by Cynthia Hand


Published by: Harper Teen
To Be Released on: 1/17/12
Series: 2nd in the Unearthly series
5 stars: I Loved It
Pre-Order from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound

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. -quoted from Goodreads

Wow! This is how an angel series should be written! This sequel is AWESOME, and Cynthia Hand once again proves why her angel series is by far my favorite one. Her writing isn't just flawless, it's down right beautiful. The prose that Cynthia writes in is incredible. It's truly moving and emotionally binding. Meaning that through out the entire story I felt like I was emotionally connected to Clara and all that she deals with, and she definitely deals with a lot in this story. I felt like that pacing was perfect for this sequel and the plot was fascinating, because it's unpredictable. I knew that obviously something was going to happen in this book that would leave me in tears and boy did it ever, but I clearly wasn't expecting THAT ending! There wasn't even a hint about what was going to happen.

Oh Tucker... Tucker... Tucker. Wait, that should be Christian... Christian.... Christian. Or maybe I should just go with Clara, because honestly, this is one love triangle I have fallen head over heals in love with. There's only been a few times where I've truly been torn with a love triangle, and this is one of them. It's not often you get to read/meet two well written leading guys who are truly a perfect match for Clara, but like many love triangles, it has to end in heartache for someone. I went back and forth with the guys in Unearthy, but Tucker ended up winning me over a bit more, and this time Christian won me over a little bit more. I could seriously list all the things I adore about both of them, and I'm still frustrated that I can't decided who I like more. I admit that with the end of Hallowed I truly feel that the decision Clara makes is for the best. *gasp* Here's the thing about most love triangles, they rip your heart out no matter what team you're on!

Poor Clara really goes through a lot in this book, and I loved how the different, and sometimes unexpected characters stepped up to the plate to give her some much needed advice and at times comfort. Clara truly shines in this story. She has a lot she has to deal with and she has some extremely tough decisions to make, not just about Tucker and Christian, but about her destiny and her choices. I can only imagine what it's going to lead up to for her in the next installment. She is truly a remarkably tough character. I LOVE her family! I adore her mother and how protective she is and the role she plays in her daughters life. There's a lot more we find out about her mom and their angel mythology in Hallowed. Some things surprised and other things made a lot of more sense to me.

This is really killing me with keeping this spoiler free, because there is so much to discuss with this book! It's seriously fabulous! How can I not love it? It has a beautiful mountain setting, there's a beautifully crafted romance, an enticing angel lore, well written characters and of course my favorite, a few "minor" surprises. If you loved Unearthly, you'll love Hallowed. You might be a bit shocked at some of the things that happen, but you'll end up falling in love with Cynthia's writing even more. It's a fantastic sequel, and Cynthia doesn't hold back on the heartache, plot twists, exciting revelations, and swoon worthy kissy scenes. I like that everything that happens in this series happens for a precise reason, and I'm looking forward to finding out what is in store for Clara in the next installment of this series. If you haven't already, go pick up Unearthly and then pick up your copy of HALLOWED next month when it's out!


It's a Winter Wonderland

This video is just AWESOME! Check out some of our favorite YA author singing, Winter Wonderland:

2011 Mundie Moms Favorites: Stand-Alones from Established Authors


It's day 6 of our 2011 MM Favorites and today we're featuring our top 10 favorite Stand-Alones from established authors. As we said before, as much as we love a good series, we also love a good stand-alone. There's been some fabulous stand-alone releases this year. Here's our favorites from 2011:
  1. Fateful by Claudia Gray
  2. The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
  3. Prom & Prejudice by Elizabeth Eulberg
  4. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann
  5. Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
  6. Between The Sea & Sky by Jaclyn Dolamore
  7. Notes from an Accidental Band Geek by Erin Dionne
  8. Will Work for Prom Dress by Aimee Ferris
  9. The Time Traveling Fashionista by Bianca Turetsky
  10. Ten Things We Did by Sarah Mlynowski

What were some of your favorite stand-alones from this year?

Thoughtful Thursday: Macy's A Million Reasons to BELIEVE Campaign


Make A Wish Foundation- This is an organization that's become nearer and dearer to my heart as I've had two friends of mine who's children have been diagnosed with cancer this year. This organization is one that brings much needed hope & cheer to the children and their families who bravely and courageously fight against terminal and life threatening diseases on a daily bases.

Make-A-Wish Foundation & Macy's have teamed up for A Million Reasons to BELIEVE- This heart warming campaign benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was inspired by the infamous "Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus."

* Now through DECEMBER 24th you can drop your letters off for Santa at any Macy's Santa Mail Box and Macy's will donate $1 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, up to $1 MILLION!

* For each letter that was received on Dec. 9th, National Believe Day, Macy's doubled their $1 donation per letter.

* You can create your letter here as well as find out more information about this charity, and download Macy's Believe-o-Magic application.

All the information mentioned in this post was found on Make-A-Wish/Macy's Believe page here.

I don't know about you guys, but the kid in me is off to write a letter to Santa. You're never too old to believe, especially when it comes to granting the wishes of children in desperate need of one.

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