Reviews with content warning for Violence - Dom sióstr marnotrawnych

6.5/10. This book wasn't what I was expecting, however I will still try my best to judge it for what it was rather than what it isn't. What I was expecting was something similar to The Last Tale of the Flower Bride which I had read less than two months ago. They have some similarities, namely focusing on beautiful girls, traditional femininity yet mysterious and otherworldly beauty, and danger. But where Flower Bride was a slow burn mystery that was moody, dreamy and gothic, House of Hollow is a fast paced, action filled adventure. I was completely surprised by the faster pace of this book as well as it's modern and current setting, with references to social media (Instagram, Reddit, Twitter) and pop culture. I was definitely expecting something slower and more dark fairy-tale-like, and didn't know it was a horror novel.

We follow the youngest of the Hollow sisters, Iris, who lives with her mother, Cate, and is a studious highschooler. Her middle sister Vivi is a rock star and her eldest sister Grey is a highly successful fashion designer and model. As children, the three disappeared on New Year's Eve and reappeared a month later with no explanation, but their eyes had changed colour and they seemed to have some magical/super-natural abilities. This highly unsettles their father, Gabe Hollow

who tries to kill them as children.

Back in the present day, Vivi is in town with her band to perform and spends the day with Iris. Grey, who is flying in from Paris, isn't replying to their messages and misses the show. Concerned, the two girls go to look for her, picking up Grey's boyfriend Tyler along the way, however a strange man wearing an animal skull is hunting them, and the supernatural elements around them are becoming impossible to ignore.

I liked the opening as we learn just how the Hollow sisters are different from others: that they are beautiful, seem to have powers of compulsion as a sort of "mind-control," that their skin and kisses seem to drug others. I wish we would've seen the more unsettling everyday horror and have it build, but that would be asking for a different novel, one like The Midwich Cuckoos or Salem's Lot where aliens or vampires infiltrate a town and we explore the strangeness and growing paranoia of the humans around them. This is somewhat explored with Gabe Hollow but I would've loved to see more of it, though this is limited as the story is from Iris' first-person perspective.

I do think that Gabe is a really sympathetic villain when you consider how terrifying it must have been for him. In another world, he and Cate could've easily been protagonists or POV characters, as the troupe of horror children is common, as it juxtaposes the usual softness we think of with children and parents, motherhood particularly.

I do agree with a comment from talvinovels's review that Sutherland's can get a little repetitive, always refering to the girls, their beauty and their power when controlling someone as "intoxicating." The writing didn't grip me so it lost some tension but I still listened or read on to find what happened next. I liked the ending and if you are able to engage sooner, perhaps without my misconceptions about what the book would be like, this would be a very exciting ride. Some violence, blood and gore is also included:

plants growing inside characters under their skin and in their throats, plants growing from corpses, carving runes into skin, and the idea of "wearing skin" and skinsuits.

Ending discussion:

The ending took the "changeling" route. I suppose the only two options where if the sisters had been, as children, either changed but still themselves, or totally replaced. I like that Iris and Vivi didn't know what they were, and I can understand Grey's motivations and how she sees herself as a protector of them, her duty as the eldest. She's cut throat and ruthless. She has heart, she cared for her sisters and Tyler, but ultimately she has lost her humanity along the way. As I mentioned in an earlier spoiler, Gabe is a sympathetic villain and his motivations are also understood, though with time, years spend in the Inbetween, he also become darker as well. Cate's acceptance of Vivi and Iris as they are is surprising, but she may have been suspecting it since they returned and a few years have passed since Grey told her. Tyler's offscreen death felt very under developed however with the epilogue, we can see there is some sequel bait in the works with his story.

Content Warnings

brooklyn_el's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

Content Warnings

leontyna's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Content Warnings

willowxrose's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

laneysix's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

maskihaan's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Content Warnings

ivulikkivulik's review against another edition

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fast-paced

3.25

The plot twist was kinda what I thought and expected

Content Warnings

stewartj0421's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was SLOW. I definitely struggled to get through this at times, yet the story itself always made me pick it back up. I knew the ending would be worth it, and it was. I must add that there were an abundance of editing errors that should not have made it into the final print of the book.

Content Warnings

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