The Outside - Book Review

The Outside (The Hallowed Ones #2)
by Laura Bickle

What is it about:
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?

What did I think of it:
I will confess: I'm a total fan piggy when it comes to Laura Bickle. Her books are among my absolute favorites and The Hallowed Ones topped my Top Pearls list of 2012.

That being said: How can one not be totally in love with books as good as The Hallowed Ones, no matter who wrote it? So I can safely say The Outside was one of the most anticipated releases of 2013 for me. I've been counting the months ever since reading The Hallowed Ones for the first time.

And it was totally worth the wait!

The Outside is amazing!

It's full of heartbreak, danger, doubt, love and hope. I feared for Katie, cried with her and for her, and her struggles to stay alive and to stay true to herself kept me up way past my bedtime.

I love how Laura Bickle shows the harsh reality of staying alive in a world filled with darkness. Katie has to make some difficult choices and this doesn't come easy. She knows that whatever choice she makes will have consequences that she will have to live with for the rest of her life, how ever long or short that might be.

I also like how the subject of faith is handled in this book. Faith is an important factor in Katie's life, still Laura manages to keep this book from turning into a sermon, she balances Katie's faith with Alex's more practical approach of things. I loved the relationship between Alex and Katie: it's not the instalove that is common in many YA books, but it's believable and sweet.

So yeah: I totally adore and love this book and it will be reread and treasured. I'm sad this is already the last book in this series, but I'm looking forward to reading lots more stories by Laura Bickle, because I'm certain each one will be a winner.

Why should you read it:
It's an utterly beautiful and intense post apocalyptic YA read.