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The Outside by Laura Bickle

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Title: The Outside

Series: The Hallowed Ones, book 2

Author: Laura Bickle

Genre: Paranormal YA

Publisher: Harcourt

Date of Publication: September 3, 2013

Number of Pages: 320

Cover Artist: Shane Rebenschied

Book Description: One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…

After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

And yet through this darkness come the shining ones: luminescent men and women with the power to deflect vampires and survive the night. But can these new people be trusted, and are they even people at all?

In this edge-of-your-seat thriller, it’s up to one Amish girl to save her family, her community, and the boy she loves . . . but what will she be asked to leave behind in return?

Praise for The Outside:

 “Top-notch. . . . A horror story with heart and soul.”
—Kirkus, starred review

“At once horrifying, hopeful, and hauntingly beautiful, this gorgeous read with its rich textures and spine-tingling suspense kept me glued to the pages in utter fascination. Laura Bickle is a master storyteller.”
—Darynda Jones, NY Times Bestselling author of The Darklight Series

Add The Outside to your Goodreads shelf!
 
Buy It Now: BN ~ Amazon Print ~ Amazon Kindle ~ IndieBound ~ Powells ~ BooksaMillion ~ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt


CHECK IT OUT! 
The Hallowed Ones, the first book in the series, is on sale in August! The Kindle version is $1.99 right now.
Buy it now on Amazon Kindle!

 Title: The Hallowed Ones

Series: The Hallowed Ones, book 1

Author: Laura Bickle

Genre: Paranormal YA

Publisher: Harcourt

Date of Publication: September 25, 2012

Number of Pages: 311

Book Description: 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.


The Hallowed Ones - 5 out of 5 stars
Growing up in an Amish community, Katie is looking forward to Rumspringa for a real taste of the Outside world. Her and childhood friend Elijah have everything planned out that they want to do before going back to the Plain community to give up their childhood ways and get married. But a series of strange events send Katie's life into an uncontrolled spiral. Strange things are happening, people are disappearing, and Katie must decide if she should trust herself and do what is right or listen to the Elders and ignore everything, hoping it will go away.

As you can see from my five-star rating, I really, really liked this book. Katie is not fearless, but despite her fear she does what she believes is right. Throughout the story she is constantly searching for something to justify or confirm her community's faith. She realizes that she is not perfect, which makes her feel guilty, but she can't help but question how God's will fits into the horrific events taking over her life. She is young and innocent and has an appealing quality to her that made me want her to keep fighting against the Elders even though she would eventually get caught. I loved her sweet, innocent relationship with Elijah and was rooting for them from the beginning, but then later was hoping something more would come of Alex. I look forward to finding out more about him in the next book.

Not having ever read a book set in the Amish world, I was not really sure what to expect. But I thought the author did such a wonderful job of building up the world the story was set in. Katie's day to day life and the activity within the community was so eloquently described, I felt I could literally step into the pages of the book, and the writing was alluring and descriptive.

I guess I should mention at some point that this is a horror story, and at times a bit gory. However, the horror aspect did not overshadow the rest of the storytelling. I felt there was a good balance in the story and am looking forward to the next one to find out what happens.

See all my reviews

Praise for The Hallowed Ones:

"This is a book to make you fear the shadows--a horrifying and gruesome tale of faith, and things that blink red eyes in the night. I began reading in the daylight, and read on into the late hours, leaning close, biting my lip. I could not look away; I was obsessed. Katie is an unbreakable soul."
—Lauren DeStefano, New York Times Bestselling author of the Chemical Garden Trilogy

"What an eerily believable, unique story! I can't stop thinking about it--or shivering."
—Melissa Marr, New York Times bestselling author of the Wicked Lovely Books

"Tight pacing, suspenseful scenes, Wow! moments of tension, and exposure into a world I knew little about, The Hallowed Ones is an exciting, terse read. . . . Laura Bickle's debut novel for young adults has quickly become my favorite dystopian novel of 2012. . . . It left me wanting more, so much more."
—readergirlsblog.com

"Readers will find it hard to put down this suspenseful, scary, compulsively readable adventure."
—Kirkus Reviews

"Katie's an original character, and her thoughtful rebellion makes her an interesting addition to supernatural fictions's gallery of strong heroines."
—Bulletin
 

About the Author: Laura Bickle’s professional background is in criminal justice and library science, and when she’s not patrolling the stacks at the public library she’s dreaming up stories about the monsters under the stairs (she also writes contemporary fantasy novels under the name Alayna Williams). 

Laura lives in Ohio with her husband and six mostly-reformed feral cats. 

www.laurabickle.com 
 
https://twitter.com/Laura_Bickle

https://www.facebook.com/Author.Laura.Bickle





 

August 22 www.leeanna.me
September 19 www.immortylcafe.com
September 26 cabingoddess.com
 
 
 
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Comments

  1. Laura Bickle13 August 2013 at 09:35

    Thank you so much for hosting me today, Sheri! I'm so happy that you enjoyed THE HALLOWED ONES! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. laura thomas13 August 2013 at 17:23

    I tried to get on this tour but it filled up so fast! I adored Laura's Anya series and I must have these! She always has such awesome covers and I know I'm going to have a fabulous reading experience, Again!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Laura Bickle13 August 2013 at 17:46

      Thank you SO MUCH, laura! You made my day! I hope that you enjoy THE OUTSIDE. :-)

      Delete

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