Reviews tagging 'Murder'

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

263 reviews

lvosler21's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Death, Drug use, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting

featherinthewind's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I read this book in one sitting. It was like I couldn’t get enough and I needed more. It was sickening and suspenseful with the perfect mix of horror and mystery.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

thenevermore's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Blood

Moderate: Child death, Suicide, and Murder

redefiningrachel's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious medium-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? It's complicated

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Stalking, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Bullying, Drug abuse, and Drug use

snowydaze's review against another edition

adventurous dark fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol

goatsrsexy's review against another edition

dark medium-paced

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

3.5

This book was definitely full of surprises for a plot that seemed like it would be fairly predictable at first glance. The writing was beautiful but I felt that the beginning dragged a little bit. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone fond of dark fairytales.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Child death, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder

Minor: Body horror

r1vana's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

Strangeness only bred strangeness, and it felt dangerous to tempt fate, to invite in the darkness that seemed already naturally drawn to us. 

This book had me on edge the whole time.

The plot twist was completely unexpected. Mind blowing.

Never seen or something like this before. Even though the chapters were “short”, it did kept me hanging.

The cover is beautiful. And the plot is dark, twisted and mysterious. I would probably guessed the plot, if I didn’t binged this book. 

I really enjoyed how the author brought the Halfway aka the place between life and death. 

It did remind me of Stranger Things; the parallel world.

When it comes to characters we see the three sisters: Grey, Vivi and Iris:

"My sisters. My blood. My skin. What a gruesome bond we shared." 

 

One day, all three of them disappeared for a month and when they come back, their life, the town and their parents were never the same. 

The town taught that they might be dark witches. Their father realizes that their daughters are not the ones he raised. And the girls do not have any memory of their “previous” life. 

Now, in present time, all three Hallow sisters are different:

Grey is a really popular model

Vivi is in a music band and loves women

Iris is in high school and is shown as quiet and loner-ish.

I love the bond they share. They can understand each other’s feelings and can locate where the others are…. 

The plot had me engaging. But the characters seemed unfortunately bland. Maybe it’s bcz it’s only in Iris’s pov. 

I did like Tyler’s character. He grew on me. 

he didn’t have to be skinned alive and death tho… and also the plot twist?! Grey killing the old Hallow sisters in order to take their place… that was so F-up…

I wished we had a chapter with the “few years later”.  

TW: bullying; PTSD; self harm and alcohol consummation; kidnapping; murder; blood; nudity

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Self harm, Blood, Kidnapping, and Murder

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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol

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!!!

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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)

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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