3.52 AVERAGE

ofbooksncupcakes's profile picture

ofbooksncupcakes's review

4.0

I'm no stranger to the name Guillermo del Toro having been a fan of his movies for years now, although I have to say this is the first time I'm reading a book written by him.

The Hollow Ones is a melting pot of horror and the supernatural with healthy dose of action to keep the reader or in my case the listener glued throughout the narration. I have enjoyed this book tremendously and I think besides being an engaging story, Brittany Pressley narrator extraordinaire made the book came alive. She is brilliant and wonderful, her voice is perfect for this book.

Thanks NetGalley for this advance copy of the audiobook, the views above are all of my own.

I'm no stranger to the name Guillermo del Toro having been a fan of his movies for years now, although I have to say this is the first time I'm reading a book written by him.

The Hollow Ones is a melting pot of horror and the supernatural with healthy dose of action to keep the reader or in my case the listener glued throughout the narration. I have enjoyed this book tremendously and I think besides being an engaging story, Brittany Pressley narrator extraordinaire made the book came alive. She is brilliant and wonderful, her voice is perfect for this book.

Thanks NetGalley for this advance copy of the audiobook, the views above are all of my own.
dark 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: Complicated
adventurous 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

An interesting mystery, predictable twist, and awkward dialogue are some of the things that this book is. The story was mostly enjoyable with some moments that actually invoked some fear into me. Some of the characters I found myself really connecting to, especially Agent Solomon. The mystery that drives this whole plot was easily solved with certain chapters that I felt should have been later or not even in the book. The dialogue is very awkward from start to end. It just seems like characters are interrupting each other constantly in the middle of conversations. But with these complaints I will still be interested in reading the next book in this strange series.
dark mysterious tense fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

I liked this book just fine actually, but from a personal note I have seen this genre/character dynamic in other novels and television shows a lot, the straightforward cop, FBI agent, detective, etc. partners with an expert in the paranormal, sometimes who themselves has paranormal abilities to solve paranormal crimes. I give the two stars because I don't feel like the book tries that hard to differentiate itself from others of similar style. However, there was enough mystery left at the end that I may want to read the next one when it comes out, but I am hoping for more character development for Odessa.

ay man, por dónde empiezo kksjajs, en general, me gustó el libro, me pareció que la trama era interesante, hubieron cosas que tal vez merecían un mejor desarrollo pero aún así, hasta el 90%, pensaba darle 4 estrellas.

ahora, ¿por qué no lo hice? pienso que todo se fue al carajo en esas últimas páginas. esperaba MUCHO MÁS del final. la trama que iba desarrollando y donde los llevó me intrigaba bastante, qué iba a pasar con ese personaje, cómo iban Blackwood y Odessa a resolver esa situación, PERO, y es un gran pero, metieron la pata en ese final. para empezar, hay varias cosas que suceden y no quedan del todo claras el cómo las resuelven, los detalles son muy banales, dejan mucho qué desear. entiendo que Blackwood lleva más de 400 años haciendo eso y deba estar acostumbrado a esa clase de sucesos, pero de nuevo, ES EL FINAL, lo mínimo que esperaba era algo épico, algo que quizá le costara un poco más, una escena donde él y *ese* demonio tengan su enfrentamiento; también estaba la bruja, la señora esa que estaba haciendo el ritual, no me quedó claro que le pasó a ella (tal vez me distraje con las ansias de saber qué pasaba y omití esa parte lol). ahora pasemos a la escena de Odessa, de la cual también esperaba mucho más. su encuentro con el hueco fue muy... insuficiente? no sé cómo describirlo. pienso que los autores pudieron haberle sacado más provecho a la escena de ella y el hueco pretendiendo ser ese personaje importante para ella, e igualmente, pudieron haber ahondado en el pasado de este personaje en esta situación, pero no lo hicieron. respecto a lo que pasó después de esto mmm primero debo decir que no esperaba tal final para *ese*personaje, pero teniendo en cuenta su situación, tiene un poco de sentido el porqué ha sido así. no sé cómo hablar de lo que sigue sin soltar spoilers, entonces lo único que voy a decir es que hay ciertas cosas que sucedieron que me parecieron un tanto mediocres.

para resumir, la trama de la historia tenía el potencial para sus 5 estrellas, hubieron muchos aspectos y dudas que se pudieron haber desarrollado y/o resuelto a lo largo del libro pero los autores simplemente no lo hicieron, y todo empeora cuando se llega al final. una cosa más, la duología se llama "Las cintas de Blackwood" las cuales hicieron aparición dos veces en todo el libro y no se les dio un uso que pudo haber hecho que la trama fuese un poco más interesante. mis expectativas para el próximo libro son un tanto bajad y, sinceramente, espero que ahonden más en los aspectos que no desarrollaron en este.
alwroteabook's profile picture

alwroteabook's review

4.0

This was an enjoyable romp, the characters were good and the setting was interesting. The story revolved around three characters, set in three different time periods over 500 years or so. To be honest though, there was absolutely nothing about the story that I hadn't heard before, and while I liked it, I'm not sure I'll continue with the next book. The narrator, on the other hand, was terrific, and definitely a saving grace.

I thought this was a super fun read!
I would suggest not reading the book/cover synopsis; I think it gives too much away (as most tend to in my opinion). This is a supernatural thriller, read and see where it takes you.
If you must know something: 
Odessa is a rookie FBI agent that ends up involved in a horrific crime where she has to do the unthinkable. Afterwards she is confused as to what really happened, what she actually saw, and if she still has a job with the FBI. While trying to figure it all out she meets a retired FBI agent and things become even more bizarre.