Reviews tagging 'Fire/Fire injury'

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

85 reviews

beckyremillard's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Iris Hollow disappeared over a decade ago along with her sisters, only to mysteriously reappear in the same spot a month later with no memories of the missing time. Now her sister, Grey, has disappeared again. And there seems to be more going on than anyone expected. 

The story was good but I wouldn’t say anything was shocking. I guessed most of what was happening. 

It’s definitely gory at times but I prepare for that possibility when starting a horror book. Check content warnings but if that’s a concern of yours, you may want to avoid this book. 

Also, I feel that fantasy and horror are apt descriptions of the story, but it’s not really an LGBTQIA+ story. Yes, the main character is bisexual and one of her sisters is lesbian, but that is mentioned only once or twice and isn’t relevant to the main horror/fantasy plot. It assists in creating diverse characters but don’t go into this expecting it to be an LGBTQIA+ story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Murder, Violence, Blood, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide, and Fire/Fire injury

aftgtrash's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad 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? N/A

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Body horror, Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Child death, Kidnapping, and Blood

Moderate: Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping

Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Car accident

ocean's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

I love the writing of this book and the story really pulled me in. I couldn’t put it down! Loved the mysterious, gory, floral, decaying vibes. Didn’t love the way the author writes mental health issues. I looked at some of her other work and I didn't like how disability was represented either. It’s safe to say this author prefers to use disability and mental health issues as thematic elements to add to the story, rather than actual representation. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Suicide, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Death of parent, Gore, Medical content, Stalking, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, and Violence

Minor: Car accident, Forced institutionalization, Ableism, Addiction, Animal death, and Death

emilyrainsford's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.5

"When one was scared, the hearts of the others knocked. If you cut us open and peeled back the skin, I was sure you'd find something strange: one organ shared, somehow, between three girls."

Three little girls disappear at midnight one New Year's Eve. A month later, they turn up naked but unscathed in the exact same spot with no memory of what happened to them. But then their hair turns white, their eyes dark, and strangeness seems to follow them. What really happened to Grey, Vivi and Iris Hollow all those years ago? And when a mysterious figure in a bull skull mask starts appearing, Iris realises she's going to have to find answers she's avoided her whole life...

Whew this one is quite intense for an apparently "YA" book. The main character might be a teenager but this book really doesn't hold back on the creep factor. I'm talking fetid corpses, ants crawling from wounds, a tree seeping pus. The writing is designed to create that skin crawling feeling even in sentences that could have been innocuous - see example at the top.

This story is essentially a modern fairytale of the dark Grimm variety. It's not quite "fantasy" but neither is it pure realism. The atmosphere is cloying and very well done. There were a couple of times I regretted reading it at night time ha!

Along with all the mild body horror and grossness, this one carries a pretty heavy trigger warning for child death. While off page, I found this the hardest part of the book to handle so heads up. Younger readers without kids of their own might struggle with this less than I did.

If I had to compare it to anything else, the book that kept coming into my head was Follow Me to Ground by Sue Rainsford. The humid fecundity of the atmosphere really reminded me of that book.

There's a slightly ambiguous ending - it almost feels like there could be another book but I don't know if that's the plan or if it's one of those books that just leaves things open to your imagination.

Overall this book was slightly uncomfortable but deliberately so and quite masterfully done. I think it's a book that will stick with me and serve as a yard stick for creepy reads to come.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Vomit, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Fire/Fire injury

mcdal's review against another edition

5.0

Sometimes carrion flowers and vomit and crimes against nature is actually something that can be so personal 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Sexual violence, Sexual harassment, Suicide, Vomit, Body horror, and Child death

Moderate: Animal death, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicidal thoughts

I know I put vomit in the content warnings but please for the love of god, if you have emetophobia, enter this book with great caution or not at all cause there is A LOT of vomit

emily_mh's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

4.5. I was REALLY pleasantly surprised by this one. It was super spooky and mysterious, and Sutherland's prose was beautiful and descriptive. I loved the focus on the sisters and their relationship. Also, the ending was incredibly satisfying. I will say there was a little too much retrospective monologuing on Iris' part. Also,

the kiss between Tyler and Iris was so unnecessary! It completely undermined Iris' character, who up until this point was completely dedicated to Grey. If she truly was dedicated, she wouldn't have kissed her boyfriend

!!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Sexual assault, Death, Vomit, and Death of parent

Moderate: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Stalking, Drug use, Suicide, Child abuse, Cursing, Body horror, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Violence, Child death, Kidnapping, Grief, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Misogyny, Animal death, Pedophilia, Trafficking, Sexual harassment, Panic attacks/disorders, Infidelity, Sexual violence, Car accident, Excrement, Physical abuse, Bullying, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Self harm, Sexism, Mental illness, Ableism, Fire/Fire injury, and Gun violence

HP reference. Moderate warnings for loss of a loved one, missing child, drowning, self injury, insects. Minor warnings for stillbirth, internalised misogyny.

jhaneveauguste's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Death of parent, Drug use, Gore, Stalking, Suicide, Gaslighting, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, and Death

asha_m's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious slow-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? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror and Gore

Moderate: Death of parent, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Suicide, Vomit, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

leaf_arrow's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Grief, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Murder, Medical content, Eating disorder, Death of parent, Bullying, Alcoholism, Sexual assault, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Addiction, and Abandonment

violetsonata93's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I loved this book with all my heart. I savored every minute of reading it. Every sentence is harrowingly beautiful and haunting, really beautifully crafted, balancing the horror with the beauty in a masterful way. A true gothic and modern fairy tale. It would probably not be everyone's cup of tea, but for the ex-emo girl millenial that I am, it was everything I wanted it to be and more. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Mental illness, Vomit, Gun violence, Violence, Murder, Child death, Suicide attempt, Stalking, Body horror, Blood, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, and Grief