VeganCleopatra

The Hallowed Ones is a story about vampires overtaking the world and the impact on a particular Plain Folk (Amish) community. It was easy for me to envision their society as I grew up in Pennsylvania and have spent time in communities featuring Amish. Their reluctance to preach or recruit the "English" to their way/religion I can very much appreciate, which probably is why I was able to tolerate the religious aspect in the book better than most. However, I will note that I was in no way expecting so very much religion. Katie is a good character, conflicted about the Plain Folk ways, especially after events she witnesses due to the vampire drama. I appreciated that she was questioning, although she still repeatedly mentioned religious aspects of the society. I loved her rebellion, especially with the "outsider".

The vampires in The Hallowed Ones are of the creepy variety, super creepy. They are described as spider-like on top of the glowing red eyes and the whole blood-sucking thing. Let's just pile on the creep-factor, eh Bickle? I appreciated the genuine creepy parts....although I felt there should have been a few more for a better rounded vampire book.

The ending was disappointing, although I did like Katie's ultimate decision. The ending was vague, is there supposed to be a sequel? You are left with no knowledge as to what happens with the vampires, with the entire world or with Katie. If there isn't a sequel it will prove even more frustrating.

*Note* One aspect of the story involves Katie breeding a dog in order to sell the puppies, something she does frequently. While I disagree with even this, I did appreciate that Katie was nurturing rather than greedy. HOWEVER, puppy mills are a MAJOR problem in the Amish community and I felt it would have been better left out of the story or properly represented.