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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Interesting
This book for me started off slow, it didn't get really good until 150-200 pages in. However once I passed that threshold I couldn't stop reading lol
I'm onto the second book the echoed realm I can't wait to see the adventure kai and Maya embark on ! I need to know more of this dreamwalking!!!!!
This book for me started off slow, it didn't get really good until 150-200 pages in. However once I passed that threshold I couldn't stop reading lol
I'm onto the second book the echoed realm I can't wait to see the adventure kai and Maya embark on ! I need to know more of this dreamwalking!!!!!
3/5
The Hollow Gods is a blend of contemporary fantasy, mystery, and a tiny bit of horror. Although the story was interesting at points, overall this book was just okay to me. The centerpiece here is the mystery, and there weren’t any reveals that were too shocking or engrossing. I did, however, enjoy Miya and Kai’s storylines, and the themes of mental health present through this book are interesting.
So let’s start out with this book’s strengths. Kai and Miya’s story lines were interesting, and watching their interactions was easily the best part of the book for me. Kai is roguish, resentful, and violent but also uses those traits to cover his fragility. He’s abrasive but never abusive; it the classic bad boy trope but it’s done well.
Miya on the other hand is plagued by depression. She starts off the story on academic probation, dealing with feelings of listlessness. Despite her depression, when push comes to shove she’s a tough character who isn’t easily dismissed.
Our third main character, Mason, is a new oncologist dealing with anxiety after suffering the loss of a patient.
You might be sensing a trend in the main characters. This book deals with many elements of mental illness, both individually and collectively. From a mental health perspective, I found Mason’s plot line to be the most compelling as he struggles to processing and overcoming trauma. The mental health issues and mass hysteria seen in other characters is present in the story, but the resolutions of those elements aren’t addressed as directly.
The mystery also went in a direction I wasn’t necessarily anticipating, which was nice. On the downside, there were also no reveals that shocked me. This story front loads a lot of information, and much of the book is about getting enough context to see where that information fits in. Because you’re still trying to piece everything together as the mystery comes to a resolution, the story isn’t as impactful as it could have been.
Another thing to note is that Mason’s storyline is pretty isolated. Apart from the mental health elements, it felt like the weakest of the three to me. There was very little in that storyline that impacted the larger events of the story, and I’m left wondering if it was truly necessary.
Overall, a decent book but didn’t quite scratch the mystery itch I was hoping for. Kai and Miya’s character interactions were really fun though. The horror elements also could have been a lot stronger. With that being said, this book is solid for a debut and I look forward to seeing what other works A. J. Vrana produces.
I received an advanced copy for review through NetGalley. Thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
The Hollow Gods is a blend of contemporary fantasy, mystery, and a tiny bit of horror. Although the story was interesting at points, overall this book was just okay to me. The centerpiece here is the mystery, and there weren’t any reveals that were too shocking or engrossing. I did, however, enjoy Miya and Kai’s storylines, and the themes of mental health present through this book are interesting.
So let’s start out with this book’s strengths. Kai and Miya’s story lines were interesting, and watching their interactions was easily the best part of the book for me. Kai is roguish, resentful, and violent but also uses those traits to cover his fragility. He’s abrasive but never abusive; it the classic bad boy trope but it’s done well.
Miya on the other hand is plagued by depression. She starts off the story on academic probation, dealing with feelings of listlessness. Despite her depression, when push comes to shove she’s a tough character who isn’t easily dismissed.
Our third main character, Mason, is a new oncologist dealing with anxiety after suffering the loss of a patient.
You might be sensing a trend in the main characters. This book deals with many elements of mental illness, both individually and collectively. From a mental health perspective, I found Mason’s plot line to be the most compelling as he struggles to processing and overcoming trauma. The mental health issues and mass hysteria seen in other characters is present in the story, but the resolutions of those elements aren’t addressed as directly.
The mystery also went in a direction I wasn’t necessarily anticipating, which was nice. On the downside, there were also no reveals that shocked me. This story front loads a lot of information, and much of the book is about getting enough context to see where that information fits in. Because you’re still trying to piece everything together as the mystery comes to a resolution, the story isn’t as impactful as it could have been.
Another thing to note is that Mason’s storyline is pretty isolated. Apart from the mental health elements, it felt like the weakest of the three to me. There was very little in that storyline that impacted the larger events of the story, and I’m left wondering if it was truly necessary.
Overall, a decent book but didn’t quite scratch the mystery itch I was hoping for. Kai and Miya’s character interactions were really fun though. The horror elements also could have been a lot stronger. With that being said, this book is solid for a debut and I look forward to seeing what other works A. J. Vrana produces.
I received an advanced copy for review through NetGalley. Thanks to BooksGoSocial and the author. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
This was surprisingly good! I enjoyed every moment. Kai is a fuckin weirdo though, I don’t know how to feel about him yet.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Hollow Gods is an adult fantasy horror novel about a town with a troubling history of women disappearing.
I really appreciated the horror aspect in this fantasy novel, as it's a genre that is not often explored. It's also well-written, with characters and dialogue that feels real. The storyline is well crafted and plotted.
If you like reading horror or fantasy, try reading The Hollow Gods!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I really appreciated the horror aspect in this fantasy novel, as it's a genre that is not often explored. It's also well-written, with characters and dialogue that feels real. The storyline is well crafted and plotted.
If you like reading horror or fantasy, try reading The Hollow Gods!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
My friend told me the author's newest book, Wildblood was on Netgalley a few months ago, and that she's Serbian so obviously I ran to request it. Then I saw it was a companion book to this duology so, obviously, I had to read it first.
The story takes a while to get going, so I totally get the people who dropped it early, but I think it's worth sticking with, if you have the patience.
The atmosphere is heavy with a capital H, this worked for me though, because I felt like I was also walking through a creepy forest of doom along with the characters the entire time.
Some scenes had my heart beating fast like in the scariest thrillers, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
When that story got rolling, I was completely enthralled, needing to know what would happen next, if they'd solve the mystery and come out unscathed.
As a whole, the second half of the book was better than the first, and really hard to put down. As for the first half, I'd say the first third was the slowest so if you make it past that you're in for a treat.
We have three PoVs we follow, that of Miya, Kai and Mason. They each have a role to play and were all interesting in their own way. But I gotta say, in those beginning chapters, Mason's perspective was the most intriguing to me.
The Serbian used in the book was so fun to me, like little Easter eggs. Every time Kai would ask who Gavran is I'd giggle, because I know what that word means and who that character is, but I won't spoil it for people who don't. Also, the author's name being Vrana...I see you.
There were a few other characters with Serbian names like Sashka Lavović and Vuk. Vuk being a wolf shifter was the icing on the cake, it's so on the nose, but it's something I actually don't mind compared to mermaids being called Sirena in other books and/or movies. Also, fun fact, Sashka is a nickname for the name Aleksandra in Serbian.
There were some expressions A.J. Vrana used that I thought were super adorable, like the "chubby hamsters" line, or Ama calling Miya a "peanut". There were more, those are just some off the top of my head.
I have quite a few lines highlighted, but since I read this through Hoopla I wasn't able to screenshot them, so I'll have to get a physical copy at some point to properly annotate.
Leaving the romance for last because it's one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved seeing Kai and Miya falling for each other, the way they joked around and took care of one another, I can't wait to see more of that in the next books.
The ending wrapped everything up nicely, so you could stop reading at this book if you wanted to, or continue with book two if you want to see more of this world, like I do. I was a bit scared it wouldn't be wrapped up and we'd be left on a huge cliffhanger, even though I literally have the second book ready but still!! Either way, I'm glad I don't have to wait to jump back in, and then jump in again.
Give this series a chance okay!! It may surprise you.
The story takes a while to get going, so I totally get the people who dropped it early, but I think it's worth sticking with, if you have the patience.
The atmosphere is heavy with a capital H, this worked for me though, because I felt like I was also walking through a creepy forest of doom along with the characters the entire time.
Some scenes had my heart beating fast like in the scariest thrillers, and the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
When that story got rolling, I was completely enthralled, needing to know what would happen next, if they'd solve the mystery and come out unscathed.
As a whole, the second half of the book was better than the first, and really hard to put down. As for the first half, I'd say the first third was the slowest so if you make it past that you're in for a treat.
We have three PoVs we follow, that of Miya, Kai and Mason. They each have a role to play and were all interesting in their own way. But I gotta say, in those beginning chapters, Mason's perspective was the most intriguing to me.
The Serbian used in the book was so fun to me, like little Easter eggs. Every time Kai would ask who Gavran is I'd giggle, because I know what that word means and who that character is, but I won't spoil it for people who don't. Also, the author's name being Vrana...I see you.
There were a few other characters with Serbian names like Sashka Lavović and Vuk. Vuk being a wolf shifter was the icing on the cake, it's so on the nose, but it's something I actually don't mind compared to mermaids being called Sirena in other books and/or movies. Also, fun fact, Sashka is a nickname for the name Aleksandra in Serbian.
There were some expressions A.J. Vrana used that I thought were super adorable, like the "chubby hamsters" line, or Ama calling Miya a "peanut". There were more, those are just some off the top of my head.
I have quite a few lines highlighted, but since I read this through Hoopla I wasn't able to screenshot them, so I'll have to get a physical copy at some point to properly annotate.
Leaving the romance for last because it's one of my favourite parts of the book. I loved seeing Kai and Miya falling for each other, the way they joked around and took care of one another, I can't wait to see more of that in the next books.
The ending wrapped everything up nicely, so you could stop reading at this book if you wanted to, or continue with book two if you want to see more of this world, like I do. I was a bit scared it wouldn't be wrapped up and we'd be left on a huge cliffhanger, even though I literally have the second book ready but still!! Either way, I'm glad I don't have to wait to jump back in, and then jump in again.
Give this series a chance okay!! It may surprise you.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
dark
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
This felt a little too slow for me. There were too many characters to keep track of at the beginning. I was also so very confused.