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mockingjay's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
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
5.0
vidalikestoread's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
bookish_leslie's review against another edition
4.5
Hollowpox was a bit darker than the previous two books in this series, which makes sense, as that’s typical of a series like this as it progresses. This book was better than the first one, for me, though not quite as good as the second. Don’t get me wrong: it was still amazing, and I devoured it quickly. Like its predecessors, it was breathtakingly imaginative and magical. I just think that it hit a little too close to home, perhaps.
Having just come through a pandemic in the real world recently, it was a bit hard to read about an epidemic in a book. While the “diseases” and symptoms were quite different from each other, the Hollowpox epidemic in the book still played out in much the same way that the real-life Covid pandemic did: spreading confusion, fear, and panic, with very few answers from official sources. The resulting division that arose out of that fear and panic in the book, and what people did with that fear, felt awfully familiar to real life in recent years. In the book, one man in particular was able to prey on people’s fear and incite them into dangerous, angry-mob behaviour. Sound like anyone you might know?
There were also obvious parallels to the many forms of bigotry, racism, and discrimination that exist today. But there were also poignant moments in which characters showed what it meant to care for others and speak up for what was right in the face of discrimination and corruption. All in all, this book ended up being quite an interesting social commentary and exploration of prejudice and fear.
What was especially wild to me is that the book was published in early 2020, just before the pandemic started, but the way Townsend wrote about the Hollowpox epidemic was like she’d already lived through something similar! It was very prescient and a bit eerie, if I’m honest.
Given some of the heavy topics in Hollowpox, I definitely appreciated the humour that was sprinkled in throughout the book. “I’m wearing Whimsé by De Flimsé for Himsé" totally cracked me up, for example, as did this line from Frank the vampire dwarf:
Having just come through a pandemic in the real world recently, it was a bit hard to read about an epidemic in a book. While the “diseases” and symptoms were quite different from each other, the Hollowpox epidemic in the book still played out in much the same way that the real-life Covid pandemic did: spreading confusion, fear, and panic, with very few answers from official sources. The resulting division that arose out of that fear and panic in the book, and what people did with that fear, felt awfully familiar to real life in recent years. In the book, one man in particular was able to prey on people’s fear and incite them into dangerous, angry-mob behaviour. Sound like anyone you might know?
There were also obvious parallels to the many forms of bigotry, racism, and discrimination that exist today. But there were also poignant moments in which characters showed what it meant to care for others and speak up for what was right in the face of discrimination and corruption. All in all, this book ended up being quite an interesting social commentary and exploration of prejudice and fear.
What was especially wild to me is that the book was published in early 2020, just before the pandemic started, but the way Townsend wrote about the Hollowpox epidemic was like she’d already lived through something similar! It was very prescient and a bit eerie, if I’m honest.
Given some of the heavy topics in Hollowpox, I definitely appreciated the humour that was sprinkled in throughout the book. “I’m wearing Whimsé by De Flimsé for Himsé" totally cracked me up, for example, as did this line from Frank the vampire dwarf:
“I bit a man at the supermarket last week!’ Dame Chanda gasped. ‘Frank!’ ‘Oh, it was just a nibble,’ he said, with a wave of his hand. ‘I sent flowers.’”
I also enjoyed hearing about the Deucalion’s Great Sulk. In fact, the Deucalion was one of my favourite characters. Nurse Tim was kind of a hoot. And, of course, there was the always cheery Miss Cheery. Townsend seems to have a knack (ha!) for keeping the tone somewhat light and appropriate for children (and sensitive adults, like me), despite dealing with dark and dangerous themes and events.
I also enjoyed watching Morrigan’s growth in this book. I could see how
I think what I liked most about this book (and the rest of the series) was how exciting and magical and engrossingly readable it was. There was always something compelling happening, and I've felt pulled through all of the stories in this series, even though they’re long. Better yet, this great pacing and plot development hasn't happened at the expense of character development, because many of the characters have also been written with a lot of depth. I can’t wait to get my hands on book #4.
emmasdrg's review against another edition
4.0
an amazing world and fanatic characters !! I loved the book even if at the beginning it was hard to understand the story because i read the volume 2 in May 2020 !!
I can’t wait to see where Morrigan will take us in the next volume !!
(i loved Ezra Squall the villain he has a great potential and i can’t wait to see more of him !!)
I can’t wait to see where Morrigan will take us in the next volume !!
(i loved Ezra Squall the villain he has a great potential and i can’t wait to see more of him !!)
gdaly18's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
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
nclarke84's review against another edition
4.0
We’re now into book 3 of the Nevermoor series and theres a multitude of additional characters and magical events to explore - including ghostly hours and the dreaded Hollowpox.
There’s a lot to love with this series and Townsend’s seemingly endless imagination is truly a treat to uncover.
I didn’t enjoy this novel perhaps as much as the first two instalments, perhaps due to the parallels with the coronavirus pandemic - I don’t want to relive it thanks and fantasy is supposed to take us away from the real world!
Nevertheless, with so much potential going forward, I’m sure this series is going to hit big in the years to come. I expect to see this series on the big screen in the near future! 3.5 stars for novel but 5 stars for worldbuilding!
There’s a lot to love with this series and Townsend’s seemingly endless imagination is truly a treat to uncover.
I didn’t enjoy this novel perhaps as much as the first two instalments, perhaps due to the parallels with the coronavirus pandemic - I don’t want to relive it thanks and fantasy is supposed to take us away from the real world!
Nevertheless, with so much potential going forward, I’m sure this series is going to hit big in the years to come. I expect to see this series on the big screen in the near future! 3.5 stars for novel but 5 stars for worldbuilding!
etc85's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75