Fighting Fate

"Our purpose on this earth is not one single even,

an accomplishment we can check off a list.

There is no test.

No passing or failing.

There's only us,

each moment shaping who we are,

into what we will become"

--Cynthia Hand, Hallowed

Genre: YA Paranormal

Publisher: Harper Teen, 403 pages

Publication Date: January 17th, 2012

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Goodreads Description

For months Clara Gardner trained to face the fire from her visions, but she wasn't prepared for the choice she had to make that day. And in the aftermath, she discovered that nothing about being part angel is as straightforward as she thought.

Now, torn between her love for Tucker and her complicated feelings about the roles she and Christian seem destined to play in a world that is both dangerous and beautiful, Clara struggles with a shocking revelation: Someone she loves 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.

My Thoughts

Ug. I think I made it through about 70 pages before I started crying...Fail. I've read this before mind you. I knew what was going to happen. What does happen. I still cried like a baby...multiple times. Shoo, what is Boundless going to do to me?! Eesh. Anways, IF YOU HAVE NOT READ UNEARTHLY PLEASE BE AWARE OF SPOILERS FROM IT...THANK YOU :)

This book is a doozy. An emotional roller coaster. Clara is trying to figure out what is next after her initial vision and purpose that still is unresolved. What really was the reason of the fire and her and Christian meeting? We better find out in Boundless because this unknown purpose is killing me slowly. I loved this sequel to Unearthly. We find out so much more about angel lore and Black Wings. Samjeeza is a great addition to this already amazing cast of characters. Everything new we get to learn about this world is amazing. It is just fantastic.

More than that though we are buckled in to the front seat of what is Clara's emotional ride throughout this book. Tucker is still her boyfriend. She loves him but Christian is not going away. I'm gonna delve into my understanding of this love triangle right off the bat. I have conflicting feelings. So I love Tucker; so much more the second time around...in Unearthly. For some reason in Hallowed he annoys me a bit. I don't know what it is. He seems a little too insecure and needy and I get it...I GET IT. If I were him and I saw Clara hanging out with Christian as a friend knowing the underlying purpose of their relationship is to be together, I would be really threatened, too. Very understandable. But I still just couldn't formulate and maintain the feelings for him that I did in Unearthly. 

Christian, however, totally stole my heart even further in Hallowed. The first time I read Unearthly, I was 100% the captain (and maybe sole member) of Team Christian. My second time reading Unearthly, Tucker grew on me a bit more than he did initially. I was debating switching teams after reading Unearthly for the second time...BUT, on my second reading of Hallowed I knew I was right the first time around. I just adore Christian.  Christian is so quiet and unassuming that I just wanted him and Clara to both cut the shit and talk and figure things out. I understood Christian's viewpoint more in Hallowed. In Unearthly, yeah, maybe he should have realized it was Clara...but he didn't, how could he have? And him blowing her off at points could have just been his way of trying to fulfill his purpose to his mystery girl. So really, in a way he was being faithful to Clara the entire time...he just didn't know it was her. And he's not pushy. He just waits on the sideline, a presence whenever she needs it. Sometimes she does, sometimes she doesn't. And he respects that. He doesn't force anything on her. 

I feel Tucker does this sometimes. Especially towards the end, he needs her to constantly tell him she chose him. I get where Clara is coming from too. She wants her own choice. I would too. But it's not as if Christian is a dud and they have no chemistry. Their chemistry is undeniable and I wanted so badly for her to just wise up and realize maybe he is the better choice for her. I really feel like Clara doesn't give Christian the chance he deserves after realizing he is an angel-blood, too. I felt like she said she loved Tucker more than actually feeling it. I found myself getting annoyed at points because I felt like she was fighting too hard to make it work instead of just letting it be and seeing if it could outlast whatever angel drama there was going on. I think she was being stubborn by holding on to something that might not have been there anymore and not letting herself feel all that could be going on with Christian. Does that make sense? I have no idea if what I'm thinking actually is being translated properly. 

This book is not only about romantic love, the love of one's family is also so completely prevalent in this book it takes your breath away at some points. The love that Clara and Jeffrey and Maggie all share is just beautiful. They have been through so much and really stick by one another. I am not gonna lie, like I said before I was bawling at multiple points. This book is just so good! The writing is spectacular and you just feel enveloped by the story. I am actually tearing up a little bit right now just thinking of the dynamic between the Gardners. It just reminds me so much of my own family and how much we would do and sacrifice for one another. Its just beautiful.

With this love triangle, again, comes the discussion of choice versus destiny. The plot twists and turns and we find out so many things I never would have guessed. I also picked up a few things the second time around that I feel might be foreshadowing for Boundless...but I'll let you know :)  I have no idea how this series will end and what the actual design of it all needs to be. I am dyyyyying to find out the reason behind all of this!! I need to know what the purpose of Clara and Christian are. I want to see them kick some ass. I want to see what happens next!! Eep!! On to Radiant!!

Favorite Quotes

“There's nothing more inspiring than the complexity and beauty of the human heart.”

“I’ve learned that a storm isn’t always just bad weather, and a fire can be the start of something. I’ve found out that there are a lot more shades of gray in this world than I ever knew about. I’ve learned that sometimes, when you´re afraid but you keep on moving forward, that’s the biggest kind of courage there is. And finally, I’ve learned that life isn’t really about failure and success. It’s about being present, in the moment when big things happen, when everything changes, including myself.” 

“You have made my life into something so extraordinary, you can't even know.”