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saffic's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
As someone who has no sense of smell, this book was rough.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Infidelity, Death of parent, Vomit, and Child death
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Suicide, Sexual harassment, and Kidnapping
While there is no incest in this bookangievansprang's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book was so fantastic. I was in quite a reading rut before picking this up, and I feel thoroughly cured and refreshed now. I could hardly put this down, the plot was so compelling. Though this is not marketed as a mystery or a thriller, I found those aspects of the story to be very strong. The descriptive writing has described scents almost hitting you at the back of the throat as a reader, and the twists in the plot were awesome. I would definitely recommend this book if you like horror! Such an inventive and creative genre.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, and Body horror
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Death of parent, and Suicide
Minor: Child death, Animal death, and Kidnapping
cturn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
3.0
Characters - 8
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 5
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
CAWPILE score - 6.7
Atmosphere - 7
Writing - 7
Plot - 7
Intrigue - 5
Logic - 6
Enjoyment - 7
CAWPILE score - 6.7
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death of parent, Child death, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Kidnapping
Moderate: Suicide, Alcohol, Addiction, Drug use, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Self harm, and Sexual assault
zonnestraal's review against another edition
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? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
I don't read a lot off horror, but I do read fantasy, so this book was right up my alley. It wasn't to predictable, although some plottwists didn't seem that twisty to me. I borrowed this book from the library so it had the smell of old perfume and dusty pages. There was also a suspicious stain. It fitted really well with the contents of the book since a lot of smells and suspicious fluids are mentioned. I loved it. This book was a quick read, with beautifull descriptions. I didn't like the epilogue, it made it more open ended and I don't like open endings so I'll pretend it doesn't excist. On that not this is what I want to say: Poor Tyler Yang.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Gun violence
Moderate: Gore, Vomit, Child death, Sexual harassment, Kidnapping, Grief, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying and Alcoholism
aseel_reads's review
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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Gore, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Alcohol, Bullying, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Kidnapping, Sexual violence, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, Body horror, Child abuse, Suicide, Stalking, Death, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
thebiblioboo's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Kidnapping, Vomit, Suicide, Death, Gore, Grief, Medical content, Medical trauma, Murder, Sexual content, Stalking, Violence, and Child death
bzliz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Big trigger warning for body horror.
Ten years ago, Iris and her two sisters went missing for a month. Now her eldest sister Grey is missing again and has left clues for Iris and Vivi to be able to find her- or her body- because something from their forgotten past is coming back to haunt them.
The only reason I can’t give this five stars is because of how easily I was able to predict the two major twists. The imagery was so beautiful and disgusting that I could really feel Iris’ fascination, obsession & revulsion. My favorite character ending up being Cate. Although she is a deeply flawed, haunted woman, I came to understand her controlling tendencies and her big heart. I’m not a mother but I believe only a mother could climb a mountain of trauma and still find love on the other side.
I spent several hours after I finished this book thinking about it and how I would rate and review it. It’s been a while since I needed to sit with something for a while to gather my thoughts, which is a point in its favor.
Ten years ago, Iris and her two sisters went missing for a month. Now her eldest sister Grey is missing again and has left clues for Iris and Vivi to be able to find her- or her body- because something from their forgotten past is coming back to haunt them.
The only reason I can’t give this five stars is because of how easily I was able to predict the two major twists. The imagery was so beautiful and disgusting that I could really feel Iris’ fascination, obsession & revulsion. My favorite character ending up being Cate. Although she is a deeply flawed, haunted woman, I came to understand her controlling tendencies and her big heart. I’m not a mother but I believe only a mother could climb a mountain of trauma and still find love on the other side.
I spent several hours after I finished this book thinking about it and how I would rate and review it. It’s been a while since I needed to sit with something for a while to gather my thoughts, which is a point in its favor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Vomit, Gun violence, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Alcoholism, Drug use, Drug abuse, Alcohol, and Eating disorder
I’ve tagged eating disorder as a potential content warning. Although the behavior is caused by a different condition, the Hollow sisters (get it?) do engage in binge eating behaviors. Their continued description of being thin in defiance of how many calories they must consume daily could be triggering for someone struggling with their own disordered eating.lujisa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Child death, Murder, Blood, Kidnapping, and Body horror
Moderate: Gun violence
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews. I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not. Find me here: https://linktr.ee/bookishmillennial
Wow, this was ... quite the ride! This creeped me the f*ck out so I'd say it was a successful piece of horror work! I had read Krystal Sutherland's romances previously, so this was an intriguing change of page from that.
Admittedly, I didn't see the ending coming, and I kind of love that for me!? I feel like I could sympathize with Iris's feelings of confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety throughout the book because of my oblivion regarding the big reveal in the final pages of the story. I felt I could fully take in the mystery and the angst that Iris felt.
Most of the book takes place as Vivi and Iris are on the run from a man in a bone mask, who has been actively stalking them and their older sister Grey for some time now. Iris is 17, Vivi is 19, and Grey is 21; ten years ago, they returned home after going missing for 31 days (they vanished without a trace!). It has been the talk of the town, but things were immediately different upon their return. They lost their father Gabe Hollow, their mother Cate Hollow was noticeably distant, and Grey and Vivi ended up leaving home quite young, with Iris all alone with her co-dependent mom Cate (who does not like to be called "mom"). When Grey goes missing, Vivi and Iris reach out to Tyler Yang, Grey's ex-boyfriend, to help them follow the breadcrumbs and see where she has disappeared to.
I felt the subplot of the romantic connection between Iris and Tyler was unnecessary; I know a lot of people enjoy ex's sibling tropes or forbidden romances, but it's just not my thing, and I felt uncomfortable with a 22-year-old man being romantically involved with a 17-year-old minor.. Anyway!!! Tyler was goofy and I appreciate a bit of levity in a horror story, but I don't particularly vibe with the epilogue regarding his hinted ending. Look, all that for some dude? Couldn't be me!
The sisters did feel a bit like cardboard cutouts of characters I have seen before plenty of times: an elusive, enigmatic, stunning, has-it-all bohemian lifestyle model and oldest sister, Grey; the outspoken rockstar and hardass sapphic middle sister, Vivi; the reclusive, introverted, wallflower youngest sister, Iris. Once I got to the ending, I realized that these archetypes actually made a lot more sense. However, getting to know each of them in the 90% before then was a bit of a snooze.
The relationship between Cate and Iris felt suffocating and insufferable, but I am probably projecting because my mom was extremely strict when I was a teenager, so I simply hated that for Iris. It is a LOT to have a parent like that. Anyway, even though I felt the middle part of this book flopped and was a chore to get through, I mostly thought this was clever - folktales and fantasy mixed their way in with horror in this story about sisters, secrets, and uncovering who you really are, and I will read more from KS in the future!
Wow, this was ... quite the ride! This creeped me the f*ck out so I'd say it was a successful piece of horror work! I had read Krystal Sutherland's romances previously, so this was an intriguing change of page from that.
Admittedly, I didn't see the ending coming, and I kind of love that for me!? I feel like I could sympathize with Iris's feelings of confusion, uncertainty, and anxiety throughout the book because of my oblivion regarding the big reveal in the final pages of the story. I felt I could fully take in the mystery and the angst that Iris felt.
Most of the book takes place as Vivi and Iris are on the run from a man in a bone mask, who has been actively stalking them and their older sister Grey for some time now. Iris is 17, Vivi is 19, and Grey is 21; ten years ago, they returned home after going missing for 31 days (they vanished without a trace!). It has been the talk of the town, but things were immediately different upon their return. They lost their father Gabe Hollow, their mother Cate Hollow was noticeably distant, and Grey and Vivi ended up leaving home quite young, with Iris all alone with her co-dependent mom Cate (who does not like to be called "mom"). When Grey goes missing, Vivi and Iris reach out to Tyler Yang, Grey's ex-boyfriend, to help them follow the breadcrumbs and see where she has disappeared to.
I felt the subplot of the romantic connection between Iris and Tyler was unnecessary; I know a lot of people enjoy ex's sibling tropes or forbidden romances, but it's just not my thing, and I felt uncomfortable with a 22-year-old man being romantically involved with a 17-year-old minor.. Anyway!!! Tyler was goofy and I appreciate a bit of levity in a horror story, but I don't particularly vibe with the epilogue regarding his hinted ending. Look, all that for some dude? Couldn't be me!
The sisters did feel a bit like cardboard cutouts of characters I have seen before plenty of times: an elusive, enigmatic, stunning, has-it-all bohemian lifestyle model and oldest sister, Grey; the outspoken rockstar and hardass sapphic middle sister, Vivi; the reclusive, introverted, wallflower youngest sister, Iris. Once I got to the ending, I realized that these archetypes actually made a lot more sense. However, getting to know each of them in the 90% before then was a bit of a snooze.
The relationship between Cate and Iris felt suffocating and insufferable, but I am probably projecting because my mom was extremely strict when I was a teenager, so I simply hated that for Iris. It is a LOT to have a parent like that. Anyway, even though I felt the middle part of this book flopped and was a chore to get through, I mostly thought this was clever - folktales and fantasy mixed their way in with horror in this story about sisters, secrets, and uncovering who you really are, and I will read more from KS in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Stalking, Kidnapping, Grief, Suicide, Gore, Death, Abandonment, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Murder, Death of parent, Child abuse, Bullying, and Blood
justina_moniz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Suicide, and Kidnapping