Reviews with content warning for Sexual assault - House of Hollow

While horror isn't really my thing, this book was incredibly well written. I particularly liked the descriptions that Sutherland gave. They provided a strong sense of rotting darkness throughout the book with novel phrases I'd never heard before.

And the twist of them not be chased by something that hides in the dark, but being the thing that hides in the dark was excellent. That they killed the three little Hollow girls, stole their bodies, then left them, unburied, as they took over the Hollow sisters' lives. I especially liked the line that Grey called out to the Hollow sisters for help, and they listened, because Grey was a little girl too. And the masked killer haunting them is actually the Hollow's father, coerced by their unholy magic to suicide, and refusing to pass on so that he can finally bring down his children's killers? Chef's kiss. I loved the detail of him finding his children's discarded bodies in the Halfway place, and making graves for them to finally rest. I have a particular fondness for protagonists putting everything they have into fighting a big bad, just to find out that they were the bad they were fighting. And the characterization of our protagonist in this book as a mousy bookworm who just wants to escape the weirdness of her past adds to the twist.

A well-written book, with unlikeable characters that only adds to the ultimate payoff.

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accio_bookworms's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Beautiful imagery, I enjoyed the author’s writing. There were some slow parts and I did predict some parts, but it was well-structured and there were some surprises. If you like sisterly bonds, Stranger Things-esque vibes, a bit of gore and powerful, confident women then you’ll probably enjoy this book.

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aseel_reads's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious 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 liked this a lot more than I thought I would. This was super eerie and creepy and even with all the vibes, the plot actually managed to close itself properly, which is really impressive

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hann_smc's review

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Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I genuinely loved this as a modern take on Celtic folklore. I'm typically not a horror person, but I think this was really well done. Some of the body horror stuff made me cringe but I'm easily made to cringe, so that's a low bar.
I am absolutely a sucker for sibling love / loyalty. I'll eat that shit up every time and this book was no different. Seeing the lengths that these sisters would go to to protect each other, even while arguing / disagreeing and at times not knowing if the others would do the same for them? Chef's kiss.

I absolutely cannot believe how long it took me to realize Gabe was the masked man. There were so many clues leading up to the reveal and she still got me

That being said, there were a few things I didn't like, in terms of characterization. To be honest though I think most of them are personal preference more than like ACTUAL problems with the story.
1.

I think the kiss with Iris and Tyler was unnecessary. We already saw with the broken pinky that Iris had an unhealthy obsession with wanting to be exactly like Grey. I feel like the kiss felt more like a betrayal to her sister than an obsession with wanting to be like her. It just didn't hit me the way I think it was meant to.

I think Iris should grow up and forgive Grey. I said what I said. I knowww that part of the growth was her realizing she didn't actually want to be just like Grey and that she can be strong without the violence. But idk, Grey would and did do everything for her sisters. And even with them abandoning her she would do it all over again, because it was the only way to save them. It feels different than a narcissist who requires you to be grateful and takes it out on you when you're not. She saved her sisters and will live her life alone if that's the consequence.

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mads_17's review

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dark mysterious

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

If you liked this book I would recommend We have always lived in the castle. So eerie, creepy and amazing.

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eldane's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny mysterious sad 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? Yes

5.0

I’m in shock. This was so beautiful, so decadent, so harrowing. It’s been a while since I’ve been impressed with a YA book. This does a fantastic job of building tension and solving mysteries until you’re dying (bad pun) to learn what’s going on. I also love how complicated the characters are, in that Grey is obviously not a good person, but she is an eldest sister trying to protect her little sisters. You can’t necessarily blame her for wanting to protect her family, but the fact that she killed innocent girls and stole their identities? Yucky. Bad. And she gets off with no consequences other than losing her family and boyfriend? Actually, maybe those are valid consequences for someone like her. Ugh. So juicy. And the symbolism was immaculate. The skin motif? I’m sobbing, crying, throwing up. And the fact that Iris’s love for Grey is all twisted and corrupted? And the Halfway and the in-betweenness? “A perpetual state of decay”? I’m not okay.

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lovehavi's review

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3.0

this was a really fun read, i enjoyed the second half a lot better. iris' pov was compelling and i think what stood out was how she's arranged past and present in order, which kept the mystery alive. appreciate that this actually attempted to get gore right and true, and had a cool supernatural world to introduce that usually you don't get so convincingly. sometimes the descriptions of characters was a bit overboard and corny as shit lol 'she smelled like the south of france and sex' what does that even MEAN. the characters were interesting as a concept but at times superficially trope-y. my problem was largely the pacing, weird incest-y vibes from the sisters (?????), and that at times characters lacked depth (really? comedy relief asian guy

who dies

? in this day and age?) but also that it's weirdly dismissive of consent to the point where it's jarring to watch blatant non-consensual kisses occur and have virtually no retrospection beyond 'whoopsie'. if this was the point the author was trying to make, i don't disagree but i think it fell short / could have used more attention.

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