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dovewrites's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
3.5 - 4. The writing is of good quality and I appreciated that the author managed to keep the tone despite the book being set in modern times. This book has an incredible fairy-tale quality and it’s impressive that mentions of social media and the sims 4 did not disrupt that feeling. The explorations of femininity and the grotesque were very compelling and exciting to read in a YA novel. The character building was so interesting, I’ve read that some people feel like Iris is bland but I think she’s supposed to be, she is so intimately linked to her sisters and especially to Grey- she has no self- until the end, when we see a glimmer of her becoming something more. My only grips are that the Americanisms did disjoint me a little and If this book is a stand-alone why was the ending written like it’s setting up for a second book?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Vomit, Child death, Child abuse, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Toxic relationship, Sexual assault, and Self harm
r1vana's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Strangeness only bred strangeness, and it felt dangerous to tempt fate, to invite in the darkness that seemed already naturally drawn to us.
This book had me on edge the whole time.
The plot twist was completely unexpected. Mind blowing.
Never seen or something like this before. Even though the chapters were “short”, it did kept me hanging.
The cover is beautiful. And the plot is dark, twisted and mysterious. I would probably guessed the plot, if I didn’t binged this book.
I really enjoyed how the author brought the Halfway aka the place between life and death.
It did remind me of Stranger Things; the parallel world.
When it comes to characters we see the three sisters: Grey, Vivi and Iris:
"My sisters. My blood. My skin. What a gruesome bond we shared."
One day, all three of them disappeared for a month and when they come back, their life, the town and their parents were never the same.
The town taught that they might be dark witches. Their father realizes that their daughters are not the ones he raised. And the girls do not have any memory of their “previous” life.
Now, in present time, all three Hallow sisters are different:
Grey is a really popular model
Vivi is in a music band and loves women
Iris is in high school and is shown as quiet and loner-ish.
I love the bond they share. They can understand each other’s feelings and can locate where the others are….
The plot had me engaging. But the characters seemed unfortunately bland. Maybe it’s bcz it’s only in Iris’s pov.
I did like Tyler’s character. He grew on me.
I wished we had a chapter with the “few years later”.
TW: bullying; PTSD; self harm and alcohol consummation; kidnapping; murder; blood; nudity
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Self harm
waytoomanybooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
House of Hollow is a gorgeously written, dark and twisted fairytale set in modern-day Scotland. Iris knows she and her two sisters haven't been normal since they were kidnapped as children. She is determined to figure out exactly who took them, what happened to them, and why they seem to have otherworldly powers. Iris leads readers on a nightmarish journey: through magic doors, coming face-to-face with the walking dead, cursed kisses, and long-lost family members.
This book is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! It's a fast, fun read, but you should definitely check out trigger/content warnings before reading as the book can get fairly graphic in its depiction of gruesome imagery. If you like Stranger Things, you'll like this book.
This book is totally out of my wheelhouse, but I'm so glad I gave it a chance! It's a fast, fun read, but you should definitely check out trigger/content warnings before reading as the book can get fairly graphic in its depiction of gruesome imagery. If you like Stranger Things, you'll like this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical trauma, Sexual harassment, Body horror, Sexual violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Blood, Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Sexual assault, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Torture, and Toxic friendship
lyssb's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Stalking, and Body horror
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Gun violence, Death of parent, and Stalking
Minor: Rape, Sexual harassment, Sexual assault, Addiction, Alcohol, Gun violence, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Drug abuse, Alcoholism, and Vomit
taranim's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book is probably one of the scariest I’ve read, but not in the typical horror way. It’s scary in a folkloric way, in a way that terrifies a deep human instinct within us. I really enjoyed it, even if it’ll give me nightmares for weeks.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Murder, Sexual assault, Vomit, and Kidnapping
bookishkale's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I am not one for horror, but 'tis the season, am I right? I picked up House of Hollow on Libby this past week for a little spooky season read, and it did not disappoint! I had fun reading it!
First of all, I enjoyed all of the characters! I found them endearing, and I was desperate to know what happened to the Hollow sisters, where did they go so long ago? Vivi is a little grating at the beginning but I really enjoyed her character in contrast to Grey and Iris by the end of the book. Vivi is also queer, but it's done in a super casual way, which is nice to see every once in a while. Tyler is a highlight, and he adds a great dynamic to Vivi and Iris as they search for their sister. Iris' characterization makes so much sense. She's the youngest of three girls, the older two were rambunctious and rebellious, and in turn, Iris was quiet and well in order. She grapples with her identity vs her sisters, wanting to be like them, but also, trying to find herself. She's not naive like the book almost makes her out to be, since she is not as cool and interesting as her older sisters, but I never found her to be. She's the smartest one in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this world through her eyes. Her character growth by the end was well worth it. One of the best narrators I've read in a while.
For the plot, this is where I docked points. I loved that the story was centered around the three girls and their relationship with each other. I have two older sisters, so Iris, I get you. The book does not shy away from the grotesque body horror elements that a story like this needs. I just felt the pacing was off, I don't know how to explain it. I felt like the last half of the book was fantastic, but the beginning is a little slow. I just feel like it takes too long to get where they were going and the plot suffers a bit from that. But overall, everything ties up in the end, (really well, might I add!), and that's really all that matters to me. I did predict one of the mysteries, but for the question of the Hollow girls... I wasn't expecting it, and it was really well done! I applaud the choice! I think this story could have been better if Sutherland upped the age range for this book, and just went all in, no whammies.
And I cannot end this review without gushing about the imagery! Krystal Sutherland does a fantastic job of putting you right there with Iris as she experiences these horrific events. I was obsessed with each disgusting thing that she describes. I had to gag at some points because it was so realistic. I'll be thinking about the imagery in this book for a while. The book wraps you up in this nightmare with them, as it swallows you whole.
Overall, highly recommend this book for the spooky season! I'd avoid it if you can't handle any amount of horror. I can handle some so I think this book is fine if you like to watch the occasionally scary movie with friends but don't watch anything scary by yourself. It's mostly just super creepy, but I know people can be super sensitive to things! This book does not shy away from the creep factor. Be sure to check out the rest of the trigger/content warnings for this book!!
I look forward to what Krystal Sutherland releases next!
First of all, I enjoyed all of the characters! I found them endearing, and I was desperate to know what happened to the Hollow sisters, where did they go so long ago? Vivi is a little grating at the beginning but I really enjoyed her character in contrast to Grey and Iris by the end of the book. Vivi is also queer, but it's done in a super casual way, which is nice to see every once in a while. Tyler is a highlight, and he adds a great dynamic to Vivi and Iris as they search for their sister. Iris' characterization makes so much sense. She's the youngest of three girls, the older two were rambunctious and rebellious, and in turn, Iris was quiet and well in order. She grapples with her identity vs her sisters, wanting to be like them, but also, trying to find herself. She's not naive like the book almost makes her out to be, since she is not as cool and interesting as her older sisters, but I never found her to be. She's the smartest one in the book and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing this world through her eyes. Her character growth by the end was well worth it. One of the best narrators I've read in a while.
For the plot, this is where I docked points. I loved that the story was centered around the three girls and their relationship with each other. I have two older sisters, so Iris, I get you. The book does not shy away from the grotesque body horror elements that a story like this needs. I just felt the pacing was off, I don't know how to explain it. I felt like the last half of the book was fantastic, but the beginning is a little slow. I just feel like it takes too long to get where they were going and the plot suffers a bit from that. But overall, everything ties up in the end, (really well, might I add!), and that's really all that matters to me. I did predict one of the mysteries, but for the question of the Hollow girls... I wasn't expecting it, and it was really well done! I applaud the choice! I think this story could have been better if Sutherland upped the age range for this book, and just went all in, no whammies.
And I cannot end this review without gushing about the imagery! Krystal Sutherland does a fantastic job of putting you right there with Iris as she experiences these horrific events. I was obsessed with each disgusting thing that she describes. I had to gag at some points because it was so realistic. I'll be thinking about the imagery in this book for a while. The book wraps you up in this nightmare with them, as it swallows you whole.
Overall, highly recommend this book for the spooky season! I'd avoid it if you can't handle any amount of horror. I can handle some so I think this book is fine if you like to watch the occasionally scary movie with friends but don't watch anything scary by yourself. It's mostly just super creepy, but I know people can be super sensitive to things! This book does not shy away from the creep factor. Be sure to check out the rest of the trigger/content warnings for this book!!
I look forward to what Krystal Sutherland releases next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Self harm, Sexual assault, Blood, Body horror, Grief, Kidnapping, Medical content, Mental illness, Misogyny, Stalking, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Vomit
Moderate: Death of parent, Eating disorder, Bullying, Death, Child death, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Alcohol, Drug use, Drug abuse, and Emotional abuse
l0ve2h4te's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Self harm
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Sexual harassment, Child death, and Vomit
rebeccajost's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Gore, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Murder, Stalking, Bullying, Child death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Alcohol, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Vomit, Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Drug use, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, and Grief
modernmatilda's review
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
(Review from 2022)
Still the BEST book in the universe.
--
(Review from 2021)
•BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR•
•
•
•
Yes, I know it's May. But listen, it's going to be practically impossible for any book to just wander into my life and beat this one out. It was absolutely WILD and GORGEOUS and HAUNTING and CREEPY and PERFECT.
•
•
First off, spooky cottagecore, twisted fairytale, unreliable protagonist is an entire vibe right now and I can't get enough. Just when I thought no book could fill the "Wink Poppy Midnight" void in my heart, here comes Iris and her sisters. How Krystal Sutherland left my head scrambling even after the book was closed is just *chef's kiss*. The characters were astonishing, the fantasy-nature fashion was mesmerizing, and the atmosphere, the ATMOSPHERE, was so good I'm in tears just thinking about it.
•
•
Plus, is there anything more haunting and fascinating than random creepy doors in the middle of the woods?
Still the BEST book in the universe.
--
(Review from 2021)
•BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR•
•
•
•
Yes, I know it's May. But listen, it's going to be practically impossible for any book to just wander into my life and beat this one out. It was absolutely WILD and GORGEOUS and HAUNTING and CREEPY and PERFECT.
•
•
First off, spooky cottagecore, twisted fairytale, unreliable protagonist is an entire vibe right now and I can't get enough. Just when I thought no book could fill the "Wink Poppy Midnight" void in my heart, here comes Iris and her sisters. How Krystal Sutherland left my head scrambling even after the book was closed is just *chef's kiss*. The characters were astonishing, the fantasy-nature fashion was mesmerizing, and the atmosphere, the ATMOSPHERE, was so good I'm in tears just thinking about it.
•
•
Plus, is there anything more haunting and fascinating than random creepy doors in the middle of the woods?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Drug use, Death, Self harm, Vomit, Gore, Emotional abuse, Child death, Blood, Alcohol, Suicide, Violence, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Murder, Medical trauma, Medical content, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death of parent, and Body horror
vigil's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
what a simmering disappointment. to get the positives out of the way, the atmosphere of the book is crafted masterfully. the descriptions are lush and the writing style is clear and concise while still being beautiful to read. the character work was mostly okay (except in iris, and a bit in vivi who i'll get to later) and i think grey hollow is the shining example of that. she is easily the smartest, cruelest, and most interesting character in the book, and balances it out by being incredibly compassionate, and protective of her loved ones, her sisters. for the first 200+ pages this book had me.
oncethey entered the halfway place my interest began to wane. tyler, who is so unremarkable i forgot to include him in the list of bad character work, is trapped in an evil horrid body horror filled place with iris, who has no discernible personality. i did not care about them individually and i definitely didn't care about them together. everything about this portion of the book is so repetitive that any of its earlier unnerving atmosphere immediately dissipates from how often your told how unnerving it is.
iris hollow is a shell of a character and waste of a protagonist. she has no character traits aside from being the victim in everything somehow, having her only friend be her mother, and she's not like other girls (namely her sisters, and the popular girls). she has a dissonant picture of morality, especially her own that does not line up with her actions. she chooses (along with vivi, who is barely a character as well) to condemn her elder sister grey for her actions that she a). went along with, b) actively chose to forget about in order to ignore her own culpability, c) continuously benefits from, even as the book ends. i bring this up because for a large portion of the book it had allowed space for ambiguity, power, and for girls to be unlikable, inaccessible, and the like without condemning them. which why i thought the black and white thinking on display was a waste for a book like this. especially when the main character is either culpable, or actively benefiting from the things grey has done. tossing aside your most interesting character like this was not a narrative choice that i enjoyed nor one that enriched the book imo. where's her introspection about that, orhow her not acting and allowing a TEN YEAR OLD to defend her instead of getting off her ass led to her death. it makes the oddest choices on when to gloss over something and when to nail it down, usually in the most nonsensical ways.
it has representation, if you could even call it that. iris is bisexual, and vivi is a lesbian. there is no romantic plot for really any of the sisters, yetiris manages to makeout with her missing-possibly dead sister's boyfriend while vivi gets??? nothing??? the only hint we get at iris liking girls aside from a hamfisted mention of it in the narrative is a mention of a spin the bottle game played in the past, which leads to a kiss which it almost immediately portrayed in negative light, with a girl who later becomes one of her tormentors.
all in all, this book fell off hard for me towards the end. the plot twist was ultimately unsatisfying in its execution and easily predictable. i'm more disappointed by this one than other ones, because it had excellent potential, especially for the first 200 pages. everything after that after that is just a waste. i think my largest complaint is that sutherland set up a plot that is not fully suited to the genre that it’s in (YA) and would have been a better richer the narrative as an adult or even new adult book.
once
iris hollow is a shell of a character and waste of a protagonist. she has no character traits aside from being the victim in everything somehow, having her only friend be her mother, and she's not like other girls (namely her sisters, and the popular girls). she has a dissonant picture of morality, especially her own that does not line up with her actions. she chooses (along with vivi, who is barely a character as well) to condemn her elder sister grey for her actions that she a). went along with, b) actively chose to forget about in order to ignore her own culpability, c) continuously benefits from, even as the book ends. i bring this up because for a large portion of the book it had allowed space for ambiguity, power, and for girls to be unlikable, inaccessible, and the like without condemning them. which why i thought the black and white thinking on display was a waste for a book like this. especially when the main character is either culpable, or actively benefiting from the things grey has done. tossing aside your most interesting character like this was not a narrative choice that i enjoyed nor one that enriched the book imo. where's her introspection about that, or
it has representation, if you could even call it that. iris is bisexual, and vivi is a lesbian. there is no romantic plot for really any of the sisters, yet
all in all, this book fell off hard for me towards the end. the plot twist was ultimately unsatisfying in its execution and easily predictable. i'm more disappointed by this one than other ones, because it had excellent potential, especially for the first 200 pages. everything after that after that is just a waste. i think my largest complaint is that sutherland set up a plot that is not fully suited to the genre that it’s in (YA) and would have been a better richer the narrative as an adult or even new adult book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Blood, Cursing, Grief, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Vomit, Body horror, Child death, Death, Gore, Sexual harassment, and Suicide