HALLOWED

Readers who enjoyed the steadfast characters, plotting and romance of Unearthly (2010) can expect more of the same in this equally satisfying sequel.

Picking up after the fire in which she rescued rodeo star Tucker, discovered that Christian (the boy from her dreams) is an angel like her and failed to fully realize her “purpose” as an angel, Clara Gardner faces her senior year with a new set of problems. She’s started having a different set of dreams, which reveal that someone close to her is about to die. As she tries to piece together clues and a new purpose from the dreams, she must also be on constant watch for the evil fallen angel (known as a Black Wing) Samjeeza. Although it’s clear which direction Clara’s increasingly petulant younger brother, Jeffrey, is heading, occasional literary and pop references (“First rule of Angel Club, you do not talk about Angel Club”) keep the first-person narration snappy. As in the first novel, unexpected twists lead to surprising revelations (this time helping Clara learn more about the lives of angels and her own special angel qualities), and the incessant conflict between destiny and free will drives Clara’s actions—and heart.