https://celebrityreaders.com/2021/11/02/the-hallowed-ones-by-laura-bickle/

4 stars — Interesting look at the Amish. No idea how accurate it is, especially considering that is has been altered at least a bit to accommodate the horror aspects of the story. But it still wasn’t a bad look at the religion necessarily. You got to see the good bits, the community, the simplicity. And you could tell that while Katie was interested in the Outside world, and maybe didn’t quite fit in all of it, she wasn’t resentful so much as it just wasn’t quite the right fit for her spunky personality.

I was surprised by the level of anger she displayed at times. But it was really a weird situation, what with the end of the world eh? I think that while the Elders and Bishop ended up being not good in this situation, I’m not sure that it would have gotten that bad if they hadn’t been tested beyond their simple life, you know?

There were some seriously gruesome bits, and some seriously scary bits, but at least it wasn’t the whole story. In some ways it was also the story of Katie growing up, and how she was dealing with the disappointment of no Rumspringa.

I enjoyed Alex. At times he was a bit callous in his words, but I don’t think he meant any harm…he was just insensitive without thinking about it. I kind of wished that we’d gotten to know him a bit better. He was really very much a side story, and I’m not sure who he was. But I enjoyed their talks together.

Elijah, like the Elders/Bishop, did not fare well with the end of the world. It can bring out the best and the worst, and he ended up on the worst side.

For some reason I didn’t figure out the mystery before the end…I was thinking in another direction, but now it seems so obvious.

Loved the Hexenmeister and all that weird folklore that went along with it.

So yeah, was so glad I enjoyed it! I’m curious about the next book, but I have a feeling that this book is enough for me.