The Outside was the sequel and the conclusion of duology series that was started with The Hallowed Ones. I loved that book and was charmed with the idea of Amish life blended with the horror set-up of people turning into vampires, that was almost like zombie plague. At the end of that book, Katie, and English boy he saved, Alex, and Katie's friend, Ginger, were going Outside after being shunned away by the Elders.Katie, Alex, and Ginger walking on The Outside, trying to head out North, was quite captivating. It felt like end-of-the-world and there were only three of them (with their horse Horace) while they tried to survive from any sudden vampire attacks. The tone was suspensful and eerie; I was put on the edge of my seat. The best moment here would probably when they discovered the priest with snakes and the Animal Farm. The book also didn't shy away from violence. The vampires WERE scary, they were viscious and didn't have any reluctance to kill humans. And the result of one being infected by the vampire virus was often heartbreaking. Case point: Ginger and this young Vietnamese girl. Circumstances forced people to kill the infected loved ones. It was brutal and I got choked up several times.I still wasn't too conviced about Katie and Alex though -- their romance was lukewarm at best. I didn't know if this issue was because it was Young Adult book (I definitely couldn't imagine it as hot and sizzle) or because the situation didn't really cater for gradual progress of falling in love.My issue about the book would be all the discussions about faith and religion. Compared to book 1, the religious tone was heavier here. At times, it also become some sort talk about religion vs. science, especially when Katie and Alex met the group that might have answer to fight the vampire virus. It was just slightly bit too much for a book that I expected to become a horror urban fantasy. It didn't annoy me much to dampen my experience -- I still loved reading it but, personally, it did make it less loveable that the first book.
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