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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
belacqua's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
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
3.5
sashamiller's review against another edition
3.0
Started off very slow, and there were a couple subplots that seemed entirely unnecessary. A few chapters had me completely spooked (hence the 3/5 for making me feel something!), but quickly went back into rather repetitive, mundane storytelling with no stakes. So much potential for a captivating read, but the ending fell short.
lyriclorelei's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
Good creepy fun, I had other plans that slowly didn't happen as I kept listening to know what would happen next.
arkrayder's review against another edition
3.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Saga Press for the ARC in exchange for this review.
This was an entertaining and unique read. Inspired by a line from Algernon Blackwood’s “The Willows”. It’s a fairly fast paced book and keeps the readers attention glued to the page, to find out what happens next to the two characters Kara and Simon. To say who or what the antagonist is in this book, would I think, take away from Kara’s and the readers slow realization of what is happening. Suffice it to say that it is a different horror here. And the story really works well because of it.
This was an entertaining and unique read. Inspired by a line from Algernon Blackwood’s “The Willows”. It’s a fairly fast paced book and keeps the readers attention glued to the page, to find out what happens next to the two characters Kara and Simon. To say who or what the antagonist is in this book, would I think, take away from Kara’s and the readers slow realization of what is happening. Suffice it to say that it is a different horror here. And the story really works well because of it.
lizzy_reads_4_4's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
gemi1y's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-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? No
3.0
maymother21's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
5.0
gangoose's review
adventurous
dark
hopeful
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? No
4.0
rtwack's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The pacing was slow, almost unbearable, and I found myself most of the time skimming the pages waiting for it to get back to the “Hollow Places” and the not the struggles of the main character’s divorce or her trying to wrap her head around the only interesting thing that’s come up in like 2 or 3 chapters. But I feel like this was redeemed with the story’s captivating ending. It was tense, and emotional, and had a very nice resolution and the author’s note only added to the feel of the ending, like a journey’s end type feel. The center of the story is based around a taxidermy museum that is run by the main character in her uncle’s stead, and the little coffee shop connected to it where she ends up befriending the resident barista, and in the author’s note she explains how she drew inspiration for the idea of the museum from various museums she’s visited throughout her life, each one listed by name, and how The Black Hen, which is the coffee shop in the story, is based off her own resident coffee shop, Café Diem, where she goes to write and enjoy the company of the staff, whom she also dedicated this book to. At first my biggest complaint was how the “Hollow Places” was never elaborated or explored as much as I expected and hoped for, but in the end I feel it’s not so much a lack of world building but trying to preserve the mystery of this strange dimension that the characters stumble into, and it works, because I’m frustrated I want to know more about it and that sense of frustration is what kept me hooked throughout the story even when I felt like it was dragging on too much for me to finish properly. In the end, it was a captivating story and a nice homage to the author’s roots, and how she drove inspiration from said roots and Algernon Blackwood’s “The Willows” to craft this story it what drove this book home for me, along with its satisfying ending.