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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’ll be honest, I needed The Hollow Ones as soon as I found out that it was by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan because The Strain Trilogy is one of my all-time favorite series. That being said, I definitely thought The Hollow Ones lacked the magic of The Strain Trilogy, but it was still very enjoyable nonetheless!
Before I even get into the review of this one, I want to make it clear that Brittany Pressley absolutely nails the narration for this one. She definitely enhanced my experience of this one.
This story opens up with a bang. FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke is called to a gruesome crime scene with her partner Walt Leppo. When Odessa watches her partner attempt to murder one of the victims, she has no choice but to fire. Odessa recalls some strange changes that happened right after she shot her partner, but it must’ve been her senses playing tricks on her.
I loved the whole police procedural set up that we started with. It was very much high stakes, and I was very much invested in the whole supernatural storyline. However, that came to a crashing halt in the second portion of the book when we meet Hugo Blackwood. I still can’t really wrap my head around his character because he’s purposefully mysterious and obtuse…but to the point that I felt like it detracted from the story line.
I have a love/hate relationship with Odessa and this boils down to her denial of the supernatural even when she is faced with the supernatural. I understand always wanting concrete evidence and explanations for everything but at some points I did feel that this was to her detriment when it came to this specific case.
One of the characters that I really loved in this story was Earl. We were privileged to read both his present and past timelines. It was refreshing reading about a Black man as an FBI agent in the 1960s and the racial implications of that. He had run ins with racist local jurisdictions and the KKK. I felt that his POV breathed life into this story.
My biggest criticism of this book was Blackwood. The first half of the book did a fantastic job of straddling the whole police procedural and supernatural realm, but once Blackwood got involved, I think the waters were muddied too much for my taste.
One last thing that is in true del Toro and Hogan fashion in that they do not hold back from the gruesome scenes. There are definitely some incredibly graphic murder scenes in this one, so just keep this in mind.
Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing an ALC through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Before I even get into the review of this one, I want to make it clear that Brittany Pressley absolutely nails the narration for this one. She definitely enhanced my experience of this one.
This story opens up with a bang. FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke is called to a gruesome crime scene with her partner Walt Leppo. When Odessa watches her partner attempt to murder one of the victims, she has no choice but to fire. Odessa recalls some strange changes that happened right after she shot her partner, but it must’ve been her senses playing tricks on her.
I loved the whole police procedural set up that we started with. It was very much high stakes, and I was very much invested in the whole supernatural storyline. However, that came to a crashing halt in the second portion of the book when we meet Hugo Blackwood. I still can’t really wrap my head around his character because he’s purposefully mysterious and obtuse…but to the point that I felt like it detracted from the story line.
I have a love/hate relationship with Odessa and this boils down to her denial of the supernatural even when she is faced with the supernatural. I understand always wanting concrete evidence and explanations for everything but at some points I did feel that this was to her detriment when it came to this specific case.
One of the characters that I really loved in this story was Earl. We were privileged to read both his present and past timelines. It was refreshing reading about a Black man as an FBI agent in the 1960s and the racial implications of that. He had run ins with racist local jurisdictions and the KKK. I felt that his POV breathed life into this story.
My biggest criticism of this book was Blackwood. The first half of the book did a fantastic job of straddling the whole police procedural and supernatural realm, but once Blackwood got involved, I think the waters were muddied too much for my taste.
One last thing that is in true del Toro and Hogan fashion in that they do not hold back from the gruesome scenes. There are definitely some incredibly graphic murder scenes in this one, so just keep this in mind.
Thank you to Hachette Audio for providing an ALC through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you NetGalley and Hachette for a copy of the audiobook ARC of The Hollow Ones by Chuck Hogan and Guillermo del Torro. The story follows an FBI agent looking for answers as to why her partner went suddenly crazy while int he middle of investigating a shooting. The exposition for the strange occurrences reach back into the past (way back to the 1500s and forward) for snippets that feed the modern day story. The story follows many thriller, horror and FBI tropes, including its action packed pace. The story; however, is compelling and earns a four-star review from me as a result of the narration.
I have been trying to finish this audiobook for months. At just about 50% through it, I think it's about time I finally call it quits.
The story follows a young FBI agent named Odessa sent on a mission with her partner to bring in a man acting his own family. Something about the mission is off, though, and it quickly goes sideways. (I'd say that it has dire consequences for Odessa, but that would imply that the consequences meant anything to the story at all). Running parallel to her story are flashbacks to another agent named Solomon who, decades in the past, was sent to investigate lynchings. Both Solomon and Odessa's paths cross, and a monster enters the foray.
There's an underlying sense of humor to this whole story, as if it doesn't quite take itself seriously. I admire this in instances such as the name for the monster, which is absolutely hilarious. Other times, it sucks out all the tension of a story that is intended to be at least a little bit of a supernatural thriller. I'm intrigued by the mystery and a part of me still wants to know how it all ends, but again: there's no tension, so ultimately I can't be bothered to stick around long enough to find out. And that's another thing: I'm 50% through this audiobook and I still have almost no idea what's going on. I still feel like I'm stuck in the exposition. I'm all for slow openings, but this is kind of ridiculous.
To end on a positive note, I did appreciate the choice of narrator. Her voice reminds me of the person who narrated The Flight Attendant (and no, they are not the same voice actors, I checked). The voice actor of The Hollow Ones does an excellent job embodying the character of Odessa for me, and also varies her tones/inflections well enough that always can tell which character is speaking.
The story follows a young FBI agent named Odessa sent on a mission with her partner to bring in a man acting his own family. Something about the mission is off, though, and it quickly goes sideways. (I'd say that it has dire consequences for Odessa, but that would imply that the consequences meant anything to the story at all). Running parallel to her story are flashbacks to another agent named Solomon who, decades in the past, was sent to investigate lynchings. Both Solomon and Odessa's paths cross, and a monster enters the foray.
There's an underlying sense of humor to this whole story, as if it doesn't quite take itself seriously. I admire this in instances such as the name for the monster, which is absolutely hilarious. Other times, it sucks out all the tension of a story that is intended to be at least a little bit of a supernatural thriller. I'm intrigued by the mystery and a part of me still wants to know how it all ends, but again: there's no tension, so ultimately I can't be bothered to stick around long enough to find out. And that's another thing: I'm 50% through this audiobook and I still have almost no idea what's going on. I still feel like I'm stuck in the exposition. I'm all for slow openings, but this is kind of ridiculous.
To end on a positive note, I did appreciate the choice of narrator. Her voice reminds me of the person who narrated The Flight Attendant (and no, they are not the same voice actors, I checked). The voice actor of The Hollow Ones does an excellent job embodying the character of Odessa for me, and also varies her tones/inflections well enough that always can tell which character is speaking.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
*** BOOK REVIEW ***
3 ⭐'s out of 5
(in my star system 3 = enjoyable and liked/ glad it was read).
Let me start off by saying this book is highly cinematic , which is very understandable, coming from these guys, and it's not a bad thing. I could easily see this being retooled for the theater (post pandemic of course),or Netflix.
The content of the story was spooky/creepy so it hit the mark, this being spooky creepy season and all. The plot was unique and enjoyable, while not going too far over the top. I really enjoyed Agents Solomon and Hardwicke, and am intrigued by where they are going to take Blackwood in further installments . Overall it was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to their future endeavors.
3 ⭐'s out of 5
(in my star system 3 = enjoyable and liked/ glad it was read).
Let me start off by saying this book is highly cinematic , which is very understandable, coming from these guys, and it's not a bad thing. I could easily see this being retooled for the theater (post pandemic of course),or Netflix.
The content of the story was spooky/creepy so it hit the mark, this being spooky creepy season and all. The plot was unique and enjoyable, while not going too far over the top. I really enjoyed Agents Solomon and Hardwicke, and am intrigued by where they are going to take Blackwood in further installments . Overall it was an enjoyable read, and I look forward to their future endeavors.
Dark and very creepy, I see this as a horror mystery, where dark forces work with humans to cause and solve crimes. The reason I like mysteries is that they are intense but not too intense. This one is definitely a mystery to read during the day with the lights on!
Another stellar pairing of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, who brought us The Strain Trilogy. This book is in the same genre as their previous books, thriller mixed in with Sci-Fi.
For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2020/07/31/the-hollow-ones-book-review/
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
For my full review, please visit my blog at: http://obsessedbookaholic.com/2020/07/31/the-hollow-ones-book-review/
Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes