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brashknuckles's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Mad creepy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Body horror, Child death, Death, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
radtj's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
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? No
5.0
Chilling and adventurous with relatable main characters! The atmosphere the author creates is intense! It definitely left me with a foreboding feeling after reading some parts. The ending was also very comforting. I felt like this book had everything I love in a horror story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity, Body horror, Death, and Gore
keiraonyxraven's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
5.0
This was my first book by T. Kingfisher and it most certainly won’t be my last! I finished The Hollow Places with 24 hours of it being delivered to my door and I have immediately purchased two more books by this author.
I am a huge horror fan so I often find myself bored or giggling at even the most “terrifying” horror. I always thought I was just desensitised, but I am in awe of the authors ability to create a world with inhabitants and events so genuinely unsettling. I tore my way through this book and I was shocked at the genuine eeriness and uncomfortable feeling the writing caused within me. When I say I was checking the shadows in my room between every other line, I am not over exaggerating and I LOVED every second!
The storyline and plot itself is not something I wish to delve into. To experience the full effect of this horror, going in almost blind is by far the best option and the blurb provides you with all the information you need.
Regardless, this book will most certainly leave a lasting impression on my brain and I have no doubt in my mind that T. Kingfisher will become a firm favourite horror author of mine from now on. I highly highly recommend The Hollow Places for any horror fan who is seeking that skin crawling, adrenaline pumping, “you are not alone” feeling.
I am a huge horror fan so I often find myself bored or giggling at even the most “terrifying” horror. I always thought I was just desensitised, but I am in awe of the authors ability to create a world with inhabitants and events so genuinely unsettling. I tore my way through this book and I was shocked at the genuine eeriness and uncomfortable feeling the writing caused within me. When I say I was checking the shadows in my room between every other line, I am not over exaggerating and I LOVED every second!
The storyline and plot itself is not something I wish to delve into. To experience the full effect of this horror, going in almost blind is by far the best option and the blurb provides you with all the information you need.
Regardless, this book will most certainly leave a lasting impression on my brain and I have no doubt in my mind that T. Kingfisher will become a firm favourite horror author of mine from now on. I highly highly recommend The Hollow Places for any horror fan who is seeking that skin crawling, adrenaline pumping, “you are not alone” feeling.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Torture
cwerber's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Damn.
1. I should not have finished reading this so late at night.
2. I am *really* unnerved right now.
3. That was a really an excellent and scary book.
1. I should not have finished reading this so late at night.
2. I am *really* unnerved right now.
3. That was a really an excellent and scary book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, and Death
Minor: Body horror and Violence
gondorgirl's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Body horror, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Panic attacks/disorders
There is a LOT of taxidermy.planreadrepeat's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The book starts with a lot of funny or zany bits. Lulling you into thinking everything is going to be great and why is this tagged as horror? The middle is fantastically terrifying and makes you wonder if “everyone dies the end” is next. The end has you feeling relieved. Not optimistic and happy but whew. I like suspenseful horror like this. Kingfisher ties together a little Poe, some Lovecraft, and some good dry humor that would make Douglas Adams proud.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, and Death
tays_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, and Child death
Minor: Vomit, Blood, Infidelity, Mental illness, and Self harm
aylasultana's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use and Infidelity
akallabeth's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
another 3.5, maybe. weirdly enough, the horror in this worked better for me than <i>the twisted ones</i>, but the non-horror stuff worked worse.
the actual horror novel plot setup (based on algernon blackwood's <i>the willows</i>, this time) was really interesting and unsettling, and the scares felt better distributed throughout the story. you're still left with some unanswered questions, but it works with the nature of the plot. and while this won't be keeping me up at night, there were definitely scenes that made me shudder.
i just didn't care for any of the characters much, and the humour just didn't gel with the rest of the story for me. i don't mind humour and horror being mixed - it can definitely work if all the elements are right - but here... just didn't work for me. too pop-culture referential, maybe. i haven't had this issue with kingfisher's works that aren't set in 'our' world. i will say that this bothered me much more in the first like, quarter of the story - once the plot kicked in more, i noticed it less. but i noticed it.
(i will also admit that there was one petty-ish thing that drove me nutsss - carrot, the protagonist, is mind-numblingly slow on the uptake regarding one particular plot element, and every time it came up i wanted to tear my hair out. i didn't find her to be a dumbass <i>overall</i> but this one thing is SO clearly signposted to the reader SO early on, and she doesn't figure it out until like fully 80% into the story.)
no regrets on reading this and i would say it's worth checking out if the premise appeals - whatever its faults i found it very readable, much like <i>the twisted ones</i>. i do think i may go back to kingfisher's purer Fantasy stuff for a bit, though.
the actual horror novel plot setup (based on algernon blackwood's <i>the willows</i>, this time) was really interesting and unsettling, and the scares felt better distributed throughout the story. you're still left with some unanswered questions, but it works with the nature of the plot. and while this won't be keeping me up at night, there were definitely scenes that made me shudder.
i just didn't care for any of the characters much, and the humour just didn't gel with the rest of the story for me. i don't mind humour and horror being mixed - it can definitely work if all the elements are right - but here... just didn't work for me. too pop-culture referential, maybe. i haven't had this issue with kingfisher's works that aren't set in 'our' world. i will say that this bothered me much more in the first like, quarter of the story - once the plot kicked in more, i noticed it less. but i noticed it.
(i will also admit that there was one petty-ish thing that drove me nutsss - carrot, the protagonist, is mind-numblingly slow on the uptake regarding one particular plot element, and every time it came up i wanted to tear my hair out. i didn't find her to be a dumbass <i>overall</i> but this one thing is SO clearly signposted to the reader SO early on, and she doesn't figure it out until like fully 80% into the story.)
no regrets on reading this and i would say it's worth checking out if the premise appeals - whatever its faults i found it very readable, much like <i>the twisted ones</i>. i do think i may go back to kingfisher's purer Fantasy stuff for a bit, though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Body horror, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
bdingz's review
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Creepy and fun at the same time—just what I so often want out of horror.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death
Minor: Infidelity and Animal death