Reviews with content warning for Gore - The Hollow Places

There's at least one image in this book that will haunt me. The slow creep of dread is immaculately done, the cosmic horror is top-notch, and Simon and Carrot have just enough genre awareness to feel intelligent and reasonable, without feeling frustratingly detached from events. Highly recommended to anyone who 1) likes otherworldly horror or 2) finds taxidermy unsettling.

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radtj's review

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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.

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tiredcreature's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

4.5

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keiraonyxraven's review

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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.

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tarfishy's review

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

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speakingspirit's review

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adventurous challenging dark tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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nikey_view's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

This is the 2nd book of T.Kingfisher that I've read. The first one is The Twisted Ones and it has such a strange and mysterious vibe but I remember that I'm confused of the end of the story but I really like the vibes of the book. And with this book, The Hollow Places, it has the same vibes but I think I enjoyed this more than TTO. The Willow World is freaking creepy and depressing and I like the taxidermy things in the Museum and I love the characters -especially Kara and Simon, their friendship was on point- even there isn't much characters development on it. And even though the Willow World remain as mystery and it slightly bothering me bcs I am freaking want to know how and why it exist!!

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planreadrepeat's review

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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.

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