The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

Title: The Hallowed Ones
Series: The Hallowed Ones #1
Author: Laura Bickle
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Pages: 320
Source: eBook

Summary from Goodreads:
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.

Review

The Hallowed Ones came highly recommended from my blogging bestie Kay, and I have to say that it did not disappoint. This is the first book that I have read about the Amish community and I admit that I was a little enraptured by it. Their way of life is obviously very different from my own so I loved reading about it. Throw in a vampire apocalypse and you’ve got one pretty un-put-down-able book.

I really liked Katie and I was glad that she wasn’t afraid to question things and find her own path. She was different than the others in her Amish community - more free-thinking, less obedient, and unafraid of change. When people start disappearing from the local town, she is not so quick to follow the guidance of her Elders. And when a boy shows up injured at their fence, she is unwilling to let him die. Then when she learns of the true horrors stalking the night, she can no longer go back to her peaceful life. Katie’s secrets grow bigger and she grows more distant from her community. Worse, she sees the truth her Elders won’t admit to. This is what this book is really about – Katie’s journey and the growing threat of the vampires.

Just to be clear, the vampires are not the main event of this story; more so a constant threat. But make no mistake, their presence is definitely felt. There are some seriously bone chilling moments in this book, especially toward the end. And I think they play a bigger role in the sequel (but I haven’t read the synopsis yet – surprise, surprise).

Bottom Line

The Hallowed Ones already stands out from the YA pack by taking place in an Amish community but I think Laura Bickle wrote the perfect story to go along with the setting. It was suspenseful and ominous. And I really enjoyed following Katie's personal journey and am looking forward to reading The Outside. I definitely recommend this one!

Graduation Day (The Testing #3) by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: Graduation Day
Series: The Testing #3
Author: Joelle Charbonneau
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: June 17, 2014
Pages: 304
Source: ARC, ALA

Summary from Goodreads:
In book three of the Testing series, the United Commonwealth wants to eliminate the rebel alliance fighting to destroy The Testing for good. Cia is ready to lead the charge, but will her lethal classmates follow her into battle?

She wants to put an end to the Testing
In a scarred and brutal future, The United Commonwealth teeters on the brink of all-out civil war. The rebel resistance plots against a government that rules with cruelty and cunning. Gifted student and Testing survivor, Cia Vale, vows to fight.

But she can't do it alone.
This is the chance to lead that Cia has trained for - but who will follow? Plunging through layers of danger and deception, Cia must risk the lives of those she loves--and gamble on the loyalty of her lethal classmates.

Who can Cia trust?
The stakes are higher than ever-lives of promise cut short or fulfilled; a future ruled by fear or hope--in the electrifying conclusion to Joelle Charbonneau's epic Testing trilogy. Ready or not…it's Graduation Day.

The Final Test is the Deadliest!

Review

Graduation Day was the perfect conclusion to the The Testing series. Cia is tested yet again, but this time she isn't just trying to prove herself for the sake of her own life. This time, the future of the Commonwealth and that of future testing candidates, hinge on the decisions that Cia makes.

Exciting, suspenseful, unpredictable - these are just a few of the words I would use to describe this series. I have enjoyed it immensely. As I said in my review of The Testing, I love books with tests in them and I loved rooting for Cia throughout this journey. I think she is great. She is smart and strong, as well as grounded and good. And she is relatable. She questions herself, admits when she needs help, and stays true to her upbringing and true to herself. I loved watching the way her mind works, seeing how she comes to decisions, and watching her grow and rise to the occasion. My only reservation is that Cia can be so logical that sometimes the emotion doesn't come through.

In Graduation Day it is up to Cia to stop the rebellion. And to do that she needs to learn to trust. Cia is tested until the very end, therefore Charbonneau left me guessing until the very end. If you think you've got this book figured out, think again. Graduation Day is not without its share of surprises. You never know quite what the other characters are going to do or why. But things end well for this series, fitting even. And all loose ends are tied up.

Like the two books previous, there was never a dull moment in Graduation Day. I highly recommend this series to fans of dystopians, strong heroines, and gripping plots.

ARC REVIEW: Independent Study (The Testing #2) by Joelle Charbonneau

Title: Independent Study
Series: The Testing #2

Author: Joelle Charbonneau

Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers

Release Date: January 7, 2014

Pages: 310, Hardcover
Source: ARC obtained at BEA

Summary from Goodreads:

In the series debut The Testing, sixteen-year-old Cia Vale was chosen by the United Commonwealth government as one of the best and brightest graduates of all the colonies . . . a promising leader in the effort to revitalize postwar civilization. In Independent Study, Cia is a freshman at the University in Tosu City with her hometown sweetheart, Tomas—and though the government has tried to erase her memory of the brutal horrors of The Testing, Cia remembers. Her attempts to expose the ugly truth behind the government’s murderous programs put her—and her loved ones—in a world of danger. But the future of the Commonwealth depends on her.

---

• I am just loving this series so much! I thought The Testing was super intense but in a fun, I-don't-want-to-put-this-book-down kind of way and Independent Study was very much the same! Cia passed The Testing and is now a student at The University, but the tests are far from over. She still has to fight for her spot and a lot of people want her to fail. The story was just so addictive!


• I think Cia is just great. She is so easy to root for. She is super smart, but not just book smart, she's perceptive too. She's just as capable as everyone else, if not more so, and I love it. I love watching her kick butt and prove to everyone just how awesome she is. But I also love that she is an honorable person. She stays true to her morals and earns the respect of others.


• Joelle Charbonneau knows how to engage readers with her writing. She sure got my attention. I was always anticipating what would happen next, constantly questioning the motives of other characters. You never really knew what was coming or how things would turn out and I loved that about this book. 

---

•  I don't really have any complaints. I really enjoyed this sequel.

---

Independent Study is a nice follow-up to The Testing. Cia is in the thick of things at The University and must prove herself every day, keeping consistent with the fast-pace and high stakes of the first book. Meanwhile, readers learn a bit more about the government and the key players. I really enjoy books like this, and Independent Study was no exception. Can't wait for the next one!