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3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"The Hollow Ones" by Guillermo del Toro is a twist on a classic story of cop vs mystery, where who "the bad guy is" isn't clear... or even a human being.
I was intrigued by this book and was excited to listen. I have loved Guillermo de Toro's stories in the past and have found stories such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Shape of Water" to be fascinating. He is known for violence in his stories, but in a way that blends into intense historical fiction story lines. With that being said, I thought I was ready to read this book but it was too violent for me off the bat. The killing of children is a little too much for me. Are there readers who will read this book and love it? Of course. I just wasn't the best reader of this story and books aren't always "one size fits all."
Narrator was fine and the story seemed compelling. Would recommend to readers who have a stronger stomach.
I was intrigued by this book and was excited to listen. I have loved Guillermo de Toro's stories in the past and have found stories such as "Pan's Labyrinth" and "The Shape of Water" to be fascinating. He is known for violence in his stories, but in a way that blends into intense historical fiction story lines. With that being said, I thought I was ready to read this book but it was too violent for me off the bat. The killing of children is a little too much for me. Are there readers who will read this book and love it? Of course. I just wasn't the best reader of this story and books aren't always "one size fits all."
Narrator was fine and the story seemed compelling. Would recommend to readers who have a stronger stomach.
I’m giving up on this one halfway through. The beginning was more or less interesting, but I mostly wanted to continue because this is the second book I’ve come across that is releasing this year and inspired by Algernon Blackwood. I thought it would be an interesting comparison. However, the pacing was odd and just got worse once John Silence finally showed up. And then we got to talking about other religions and... it’s just not very culturally sensitive.
The Hollow Ones is the start of what appears to be a new series by Del Toro and Hogan after the success of their Strain trilogy. I both read and listened to the book and to get this out of the way, it was a strange experience given the changes to the book’s main character after the publishing of the ARC. The main character is originally named John Silence, a direct homage to the Algernon Blackwood detective. In the final version of the book, the character is named Hugo Blackwood as an homage and to separate the character from the Algernon Blackwood creation.
The book itself starts on an absolutely terrifying opening scene in which a spree killer attacks his family and the public and is killed by Odessa, an FBI agent. At the moment of his death, her partner goes crazy and attacks a surviving child with a knife before being shot by Odessa. It’s a shocking opening and sets a bar for energy the book fails to recreate.
This isn’t to say it is a boring book. We are introduced to Blackwood, a mysterious character also related to a 60 year old lynching case in the deep south. Throughout the book we learn about the history of Blackwood (who also appears in scenes set in the 16th century) and his mission. Needless to say, there are supernatural underpinnings both to him and his adversaries.
The book is relatively short and moves along at a good pace. The main plot is sewed up nicely, but it is certainly open to a series. Whether this is in another trilogy or an even longer series will probably be based on the authors and the success of this book.
It isn’t perfect, but it is very entertaining. Especially for a quarantine read or an early Halloween treat, Del Toro and Hogan give us an easy to read book that is a ton of fun.
A note on the narration. It is perfectly acceptable, but the narrator isn’t terribly skilled at differentiating characters beyond vocal pitch. Accents are rather cringeworthy. It is perfectly acceptable, but it certainly doesn’t add to the book.
Thank you to Netgalley to providing an audio and ebook version for review.
The book itself starts on an absolutely terrifying opening scene in which a spree killer attacks his family and the public and is killed by Odessa, an FBI agent. At the moment of his death, her partner goes crazy and attacks a surviving child with a knife before being shot by Odessa. It’s a shocking opening and sets a bar for energy the book fails to recreate.
This isn’t to say it is a boring book. We are introduced to Blackwood, a mysterious character also related to a 60 year old lynching case in the deep south. Throughout the book we learn about the history of Blackwood (who also appears in scenes set in the 16th century) and his mission. Needless to say, there are supernatural underpinnings both to him and his adversaries.
The book is relatively short and moves along at a good pace. The main plot is sewed up nicely, but it is certainly open to a series. Whether this is in another trilogy or an even longer series will probably be based on the authors and the success of this book.
It isn’t perfect, but it is very entertaining. Especially for a quarantine read or an early Halloween treat, Del Toro and Hogan give us an easy to read book that is a ton of fun.
A note on the narration. It is perfectly acceptable, but the narrator isn’t terribly skilled at differentiating characters beyond vocal pitch. Accents are rather cringeworthy. It is perfectly acceptable, but it certainly doesn’t add to the book.
Thank you to Netgalley to providing an audio and ebook version for review.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Murder
Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette for the advance listening copy of this one, and to Grand Central Publishing for the ARC!
I'll be honest. I saw del Toro's name, and that's all I saw. Don't need any more information, you got me, and I am sure to love it. Spoilers, I did.
Everything changes for Odessa Hardwicke when she is forced to turn her gun on her partner who gets suddenly violent during the apprehension of a rampaging murderer. It's completely justified, but Odessa must ride a desk until a full investigation is conducted. During this time, she is tasked with returning personal items to a retired officer who is dying. The agent suggests she find a mysterious figure called John Blackwood, who may know something about that fleeting thing Odessa thought she saw jumping around before she shot her partner.
I had so much fun listening to this book. It was a lovely companion to my hours of Animal Crossing these past couple of weeks. As mentioned before, I'm a huge del Toro fan and was sold at his name alone, but the world building, demonic lore, and suspense of this one kept me fully enthralled to the end.
I was so happy to be able to do it on audio. Brittany Pressley did an excellent job. I often lose the thread of stories narrated by men, and Pressley did a great job giving life to not only Odessa, but the other characters (primarily male) as well.
This one's already out, so if you're like me and itching for those spooky Halloween vibes, give this one a go. Check your local, indie bookseller or check with your library to snag a copy.
First, I have to say how fast paced and fun this was to listen to. I started it yesterday morning and listened in one sitting. I was sucked in and definitely entertained. That being said, this wasn't really an original idea as the synopsis made it sound.
Let me explain a little on how I rate books, many people do not read my profile, so here it is:
For ☆☆☆ I
Enjoyed reading
Found some minor plot holes
Thought character development needs some work
Felt world building is lacking
Would recommend
Am unlikely to read again
Will likely read next in series
Highlight a few memorable points
Found some minor plot holes
Thought character development needs some work
Felt world building is lacking
Would recommend
Am unlikely to read again
Will likely read next in series
Highlight a few memorable points
So for a four star read, those same points are elevated a bit; five stars, highest level of those points. Make sense?
For The Hollow Ones, I am stuck between three and four. The character development in here was excellent. You don't only see the characters' strengths but also their faults and weaknesses. We feel the pain they go through and their desperation. However, I felt the world building was a bit lacking and maybe that will come in the next story (hopefully).
Originality is not really this story's forte. I've seen Fallen in the 90s and it had a very similar premise. But that didn't take away from the enjoyability of the story itself. I read A LOT so I am always looking for a fresh idea and this was sitting under the heating lamp for a couple hours.
There are a few memorable spots I can't stop thinking about and I won't post there here with risk of spoiling but I can't stop thinking why a grown man would want to eat dried out meatloaf.
3.5 stars rounded up