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bookbelle5_17's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Review of House of Hollow
By: Krystal Sutherland
Iris and her older sisters Viv & Grey disappeared for 31 days when visiting their grandparents in Scotland, but when they came back, they weren’t the same. They looked different and they now had a special ability to put people under their spell. They also don’t remember what happened. One day Grey goes missing, so Iris and Viv go searching for her as they piece together what happened to them all those years ago.
A dark modern fairytale with themes of sisterhood weaves through this novel about the Hollow sisters and what happened to them when they disappeared. It is creepy and undeniably atmospheric as you feel unsettled along with Iris, because everything is only revealed bit by bit. It made me intrigued to know what happened as I turned each page. The graphic descriptions of the rotting plants, beautiful white flowers, and ants creeping directly out of their flesh is eerie and shivering inducing. There is one point where it is thrown up by one, so be warned if you don’t have a strong stomach, it might be gag worthy. Iris is a good protagonist as she is someone, who is still innocent, but not entirely naïve. She’s likable and not annoying, taking action, when necessary, but still hopeful for them as she tries to stay loyal to her divided family. The character of Tyler started out as annoying, but I grew to like him as a secondary character. I didn’t hate any characters as they were all sympathetic, though they might not have made the best choices. There was a twist during the climax that I thought was really good and Sutherland built it up rather nicely. I didn’t read this in the Spring (maybe in the evening) or Autumn, but it does feel like a perfect read for those seasons
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
battysbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Suicide, and Blood
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Vomit, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol
feedmefiction's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, and Abandonment
thyroyalreader's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I’m not a horror fan, but the last few chapters of this book made it worth it!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Stalking, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicide, Blood, Grief, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
ericageorge91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was okay. I liked how dark it got towards the end. That was interesting.
That being said, I was really annoyed in the beginning and middle. I was intrigued about the story, but the sister codependency was…something else. I also didn’t care for the “Me and my sisters were sooo beautiful. We’re all tall, blonde, and thin, and sooo beautiful. And we have such a huge appetite and eat all the time but are still so tall, skinny, and sooooo beautiful” of it all. That was so boring to me. There is not a single chapter that goes by where their beauty is not mentioned. This book is a constant swing between, “Does Iris want to be her sister or fuck her? News at 11.”
Umm, this book is disgusting. Literally disgusting. You’ll see various descriptions of dead, rotting things that sometimes involves insects. I just…Tender is the Flesh didn’t seem all that bad compared to this 🤢
I’m a little confused about some things. Like, I feel like there were moments when the main character was trying to have her feminist moment like, “Ugh, isn’t it sad how men can be such creeps?!” But then…your sisters literally walk around bewitching, touching, and kissing people without their consents so…..🤨
I’m also a bit confused as to their background story? The other spirits in the Halfway seemed like catatonic and didn’t do shit. Why were they so different? And Grey was just this murder-savvy little girl? What? Are they all older? I just wish that story was developed more. There was so much buildup and I expected more explanation of what tf was happening.
TW: Attempted kidnapping, bullying, sexual assault (forceful kissing/lip biting), physical abuse (hands on throat, a slap), suicide, drug use, alcoholism, binge eating (in a magical related sense but still), murder, attempted rape,
Rep: Sapphic MCs (lesbian and bi/pan)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Drug use, Miscarriage, and Sexual assault
Minor: Physical abuse
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- 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
House of Hollow is a gorgeously written, dark and twisted fairytale set in modern-day Scotland. Iris knows she and her two sisters haven't been normal since they were kidnapped as children. She is determined to figure out exactly who took them, what happened to them, and why they seem to have otherworldly powers. Iris leads readers on a nightmarish journey: through magic doors, coming face-to-face with the walking dead, cursed kisses, and long-lost family members.
This book is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! It's a fast, fun read, but you should definitely check out trigger/content warnings before reading as the book can get fairly graphic in its depiction of gruesome imagery. If you like Stranger Things, you'll like this book.
This book is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! It's a fast, fun read, but you should definitely check out trigger/content warnings before reading as the book can get fairly graphic in its depiction of gruesome imagery. If you like Stranger Things, you'll like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
nikenacs's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
[Book club - November 2022]
Not the biggest fan of this in the beginning, but it really won me over in the end. A tad too YA for my taste, but that's a me problem. Had I read this in my teenage years, I would have been absolutely /obsessed/.
The strong part of this book is definitely the finale, or generally everything that takes place after the hospital. This is where everything that has been laid out before really pays off. The main strong point of the book is that Sutherland is fantastic at describing surroundings, smells, sounds, sensations, all her horrors feel very tangible. The mix between strange natural beauty and body horror worked very well.
Unfortunately, this strongly descriptive style also felt like one of the main downsides to me. The book is VERY Tell, Don't Show, and I felt like very obvious things were being spelled out for me again and again. I could see most plot points/twists coming a mile away. Maybe this is a YA thing, though, and I really am just a little too old already. The pacing was odd in some places as well.
Overall, it didn't wow me, but it was pretty good. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if it hadn't been for the book club, but I'm glad I did.
Not the biggest fan of this in the beginning, but it really won me over in the end. A tad too YA for my taste, but that's a me problem. Had I read this in my teenage years, I would have been absolutely /obsessed/.
The strong part of this book is definitely the finale, or generally everything that takes place after the hospital. This is where everything that has been laid out before really pays off. The main strong point of the book is that Sutherland is fantastic at describing surroundings, smells, sounds, sensations, all her horrors feel very tangible. The mix between strange natural beauty and body horror worked very well.
Unfortunately, this strongly descriptive style also felt like one of the main downsides to me. The book is VERY Tell, Don't Show, and I felt like very obvious things were being spelled out for me again and again. I could see most plot points/twists coming a mile away. Maybe this is a YA thing, though, and I really am just a little too old already. The pacing was odd in some places as well.
Overall, it didn't wow me, but it was pretty good. I probably wouldn't have stuck with it if it hadn't been for the book club, but I'm glad I did.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, and Grief
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism and Alcohol
gingergothicc's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was absolutely incredible. Haunting and dark with just the right mix of mystery thrown in. I wish there was more!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Suicide, Blood, Kidnapping, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
timelord10's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book instantly gripped me with its faster-paced, mysterious beginning, but then when it slowed down, I started to get bored. I know the author was trying to build suspense, but I feel like nothing really happened for too long. But then when they went into the Halfway , the story picked up again, and it was super interesting. I kind of figured out all of the plot twists tho which was kind of disappointing.
My favorite part of the book was the writing. It was so beautiful and eloquent. I love when she would use like more uncommon words for things that have a more common word that could have been used. It really showed that she is great at what she does since she didn't use more hackneyed words. My favorite character was Tyler, and the one thing I didn't see coming was his death. It made me so sad :( I know this book is supposed to be a standalone, but after reading that epilogue, I NEED more. Overall, I good book, and I was glad I enjoyed it despite not being a fan of horror.
My favorite part of the book was the writing. It was so beautiful and eloquent. I love when she would use like more uncommon words for things that have a more common word that could have been used. It really showed that she is great at what she does since she didn't use more hackneyed words. My favorite character was Tyler, and
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, and Alcohol
jamilasreadingspace's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This was not the book for me. I really liked the premise of the book and found it quite original. Maybe I just had the wrong expectations but I did not like the execution or writing style. It felt like the plot and mystery was not explained enough and the gory details were explained way too often in excruciating detail. Honestly I found this book a bit.. gross. But that could be me. I do have to see that I did really like the ending and I did not expect it at all, but it went a bit too fast in comparison to the rest of the book which was a bit slow.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Violence and Alcohol