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marissacelina's review against another edition
4.0
This was more than scary... This was definitely closer to thriller and mystery. The novel was told from a 15-year old girl's perspective, I will admit at first I was skeptical considering I didn't know if I was going to identify with her as much. Turns out Dawson's writing didn't make me feel like I was being squashed into a 15 year old's mind. This book did lag a bit towards the middle when there was a small gap between introducing us to the characters and when Lis is truly in danger. But for the sake of the ending, this novel deserves 4 stars because the ending was close to brilliant. Dawson did not hold back for these poor characters and I liked that!
There is a part in this novel that did surprise me. When Lis and her new little group of friends do something pretty cruel to the stereotypical beautiful yet mean popular girl. I was pretty shocked that again, Dawson did not hold back on any part. Of course there is romance in this and it's pretty sweet. Either way, the book was good and perfect for a stand-alone. It ended greatly and I particularly liked how thriller and creepy it was. Truly. 4 stars for this bad boy!
IF you liked this review, check out more on my blog where I review YA and other genres!
http://keepcalmandloveboooks.blogspot.ca
There is a part in this novel that did surprise me. When Lis and her new little group of friends do something pretty cruel to the stereotypical beautiful yet mean popular girl. I was pretty shocked that again, Dawson did not hold back on any part. Of course there is romance in this and it's pretty sweet. Either way, the book was good and perfect for a stand-alone. It ended greatly and I particularly liked how thriller and creepy it was. Truly. 4 stars for this bad boy!
IF you liked this review, check out more on my blog where I review YA and other genres!
http://keepcalmandloveboooks.blogspot.ca
nitzanschwarz's review against another edition
3.5
Hollow Pike was a big surprise for me. I admit I didn't quite know what I was walking into when I bought the book. I knew the synopsis was damn intriguing, and the purpleness of it was so eye-catching, so I got it. But between the moment I bought it and the moment I read it, there was a gap of about a year, and I'm now quite angry at myself for it because this was quite a good book, and I recommend you give it a try.
First of all, Hollow Pike is almost divided into a contemporary part, and a paranormal part. The first part of the book mostly deals with Lis, the main character, dealing with school life, picking "sides" and fighting bullies. Lis ran from her last school because she was bullied. Now she's in Hollow Pike, and she realizes it might all happen again. There are streaks of creepy bits, and hints of what might happen, and her dreams are chill-inducing, but it's almost contemporary.
Then comes the second part, which is a lot more paranormal, with more witchcraft, intrigue, and a murder investigation. More along the lines of what the synopsis promises, actually.
I'll be completely honest with you guys for a moment; Hollow Pike is not one of my usual reads. It's low on romance, which is one of my "musts" in a book, and the characters are younger than I usually read about. But there are so many good things about this book that I was able to enjoy it regardless.
First of all there were Delilah, Kitty, and Jake, the group of "freaks who are so freaky they're cool" in the school. Nobody messes with these three, and they demand almost as much respect and attention as the mean, popular crowd. Delilah and Kitty are lovers, and Jake just has something cool about him that I loved so very much.
Second, this book just keeps you guessing and on your toes. Who's the murderer? Is it one of her friends? someone from school? her boyfriend?... I had a suspicion which turned out to be right on this regard, but I was still jumping from that one to the rest of the cast the entire read, praying it won't be someone I love.
This book was, quite honestly, creepy. Which I seriously loved. From Lis's dreams, to the ravens, to the murder, and the person/s behind it, it was very creepy. I also loved that this book ended on the note of; maybe she's a witch, maybe she's not. It's not about witches, exactly, but more about Lis growing into herself and becoming the person she needs to be. And if she can also cast spells and see the future in her dreams on the way? that's just a bonus ;)
The only problem I had with this book was that sometime's Lis's character felt a bit inconsistent. She was so scared that she ran from her last school because of bullies, but here she fights them and turns into this strong I-won't-let-them-beat-me person. True, she reverts back to the running option when everything seems too bleak, but mostly she acts a lot stronger than I would expect her to so soon.
Also, the message at the end was a little cheesy, but well suited for the age group of this book.
Lastly, I've got to give huge kudos to James Dawson, who wrote an entire book from a girl's perspective while being a man, and making it sound believable and natural. Way to go, dude!
First of all, Hollow Pike is almost divided into a contemporary part, and a paranormal part. The first part of the book mostly deals with Lis, the main character, dealing with school life, picking "sides" and fighting bullies. Lis ran from her last school because she was bullied. Now she's in Hollow Pike, and she realizes it might all happen again. There are streaks of creepy bits, and hints of what might happen, and her dreams are chill-inducing, but it's almost contemporary.
Then comes the second part, which is a lot more paranormal, with more witchcraft, intrigue, and a murder investigation. More along the lines of what the synopsis promises, actually.
I'll be completely honest with you guys for a moment; Hollow Pike is not one of my usual reads. It's low on romance, which is one of my "musts" in a book, and the characters are younger than I usually read about. But there are so many good things about this book that I was able to enjoy it regardless.
First of all there were Delilah, Kitty, and Jake, the group of "freaks who are so freaky they're cool" in the school. Nobody messes with these three, and they demand almost as much respect and attention as the mean, popular crowd. Delilah and Kitty are lovers, and Jake just has something cool about him that I loved so very much.
Second, this book just keeps you guessing and on your toes. Who's the murderer? Is it one of her friends? someone from school? her boyfriend?... I had a suspicion which turned out to be right on this regard, but I was still jumping from that one to the rest of the cast the entire read, praying it won't be someone I love.
This book was, quite honestly, creepy. Which I seriously loved. From Lis's dreams, to the ravens, to the murder, and the person/s behind it, it was very creepy. I also loved that this book ended on the note of; maybe she's a witch, maybe she's not. It's not about witches, exactly, but more about Lis growing into herself and becoming the person she needs to be. And if she can also cast spells and see the future in her dreams on the way? that's just a bonus ;)
The only problem I had with this book was that sometime's Lis's character felt a bit inconsistent. She was so scared that she ran from her last school because of bullies, but here she fights them and turns into this strong I-won't-let-them-beat-me person. True, she reverts back to the running option when everything seems too bleak, but mostly she acts a lot stronger than I would expect her to so soon.
Also, the message at the end was a little cheesy, but well suited for the age group of this book.
Lastly, I've got to give huge kudos to James Dawson, who wrote an entire book from a girl's perspective while being a man, and making it sound believable and natural. Way to go, dude!
awxhhlilla's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Violence, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Grief, Blood, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, and Murder
lo_oneill's review against another edition
5.0
I feel like this book has been a little bit of a guilty pleasure, and let’s face it who doesn’t love a guilty pleasure read! I love YA books and have done for a long time, but there are books that I loved more as a teenager than I do now as an adult and this feels like if I had of read it at 15/16 I would have LOVED this book, but as someone in their twenties now there were aspects that did feel like they were aimed at the younger element of YA readers (unlike the other two Dawson books that I adored – Clean and Cruel Summer – which definitely felt more targeted at the older element of YA readers).
One of the things that makes Dawson such a wonderful author is the diversity that she brings to her novels. So often in mystery driven YA novels the characters are all white, straight, cis with characters deviating from that having a tokenistic feel. This is completely not the case with Dawson’s writing, in Hollow Pike people of colour take central roles (including bi-racial characters), two of the female characters are in a relationship without feeling the pressure to define their sexuality, one of the male characters’ sexuality is ambiguous and all of these things are done without making it the defining feature of their character. It is just who they are and I love that.
The novel does a great job at introducing you to the characters and building up their stories in a way that is easy and not too onerous to get through, there are no points where it feels like the story isn’t moving at good pace to accommodate back story. And the overarching theme about facing your fears and finding your voice in the face of adversity is nicely achieved. The journey through the story is done with originality (comparisons could be drawn to The Craft movie but that is mostly because of the witchcraft elements) and dances over the contemporary YA/Thriller/Horror genre in an engaging way. I spent the entire book going “oh I know who done it and this is why”, only in the next chapter to think someone else was behaving suspiciously and change my mind on who done it – every time with complete conviction that I was right.
Dawson has an incredible way of building the world around you, I found myself smiling and laughing at points (out loud because I forgot that I was reading a book in public) to feeling the fear and paranoia of Lis in a way that only the most skilled authors can pull off. The pacing of the book was perfect, all building in a way that drew the reader in and you could see that the story had been well plotted with nothing feeling like it was filler and unimportant to the plot in any way.
Juno Dawson has become one of my favourite authors and I wait with bated breath to see what her next story will be. So far this is my third Juno Dawson novel in three weeks, so I may give another author a go now, but I worry that I will judge the next book too harshly because Dawson really does set the bar high. I am officially a fangirl, there I said it!
One of the things that makes Dawson such a wonderful author is the diversity that she brings to her novels. So often in mystery driven YA novels the characters are all white, straight, cis with characters deviating from that having a tokenistic feel. This is completely not the case with Dawson’s writing, in Hollow Pike people of colour take central roles (including bi-racial characters), two of the female characters are in a relationship without feeling the pressure to define their sexuality, one of the male characters’ sexuality is ambiguous and all of these things are done without making it the defining feature of their character. It is just who they are and I love that.
The novel does a great job at introducing you to the characters and building up their stories in a way that is easy and not too onerous to get through, there are no points where it feels like the story isn’t moving at good pace to accommodate back story. And the overarching theme about facing your fears and finding your voice in the face of adversity is nicely achieved. The journey through the story is done with originality (comparisons could be drawn to The Craft movie but that is mostly because of the witchcraft elements) and dances over the contemporary YA/Thriller/Horror genre in an engaging way. I spent the entire book going “oh I know who done it and this is why”, only in the next chapter to think someone else was behaving suspiciously and change my mind on who done it – every time with complete conviction that I was right.
Dawson has an incredible way of building the world around you, I found myself smiling and laughing at points (out loud because I forgot that I was reading a book in public) to feeling the fear and paranoia of Lis in a way that only the most skilled authors can pull off. The pacing of the book was perfect, all building in a way that drew the reader in and you could see that the story had been well plotted with nothing feeling like it was filler and unimportant to the plot in any way.
Juno Dawson has become one of my favourite authors and I wait with bated breath to see what her next story will be. So far this is my third Juno Dawson novel in three weeks, so I may give another author a go now, but I worry that I will judge the next book too harshly because Dawson really does set the bar high. I am officially a fangirl, there I said it!
bezarue's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Idk why this gripped me so much but it really did. The high school scenes were a little too real. Probably should have read it a while ago for full impact, but nonetheless a good story
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
4.0
This is the sixth book from Chrissi Cupboard month which I completed in June of this year. After reading James Dawson’s other excellent young adult novels, Cruel Summer and Say Her Name, I was eager to read Hollow Pike, which was his debut. I found it to be a stunning read, physically and literally speaking with beautiful cover art and images inside that fit with the theme of this novel perfectly. Our main character is a teenager called Lis London who has suffered from bullying in her previous school and when it opens, is travelling to a town called Hollow Pike, to stay with her sister for a while and attend a new school where she is desperately hoping she can fit in and escape the problems of her past. Despite escaping from her tormentors, Lis is having terrifying nightmares, where she is alone in a forest and someone is trying to hurt her. On arriving in Hollow Pike, it becomes more eerie when she recognises the forest of her nightmares in the small town. Lis also finds out that the town has a history for practising witchcraft in the past, and as she eases into her new school and is integrated into the “popular” crowd, learns of a small group that are ostracised for being a bit “freaky,” and are accused of being witches.
Our heroine hasn’t really got the character to be part of the Mean Girls Brigade however, and finds herself warming to the group on the outside, three friends called Jack, Delilah and Kitty, who accept Lis into their fold when Queen Mean Girl Laura turns on Lis for attracting the attention of Danny, who she is determined to snare for herself. In a pivotal moment in the story, tragedy strikes when some teenage pranks go badly wrong and Lis and her new friends find themselves ensnared in a murder mystery that proves very dangerous for all the teenagers concerned. Lis’s nightmares meanwhile are becoming more vivid and intensely disturbing – could they be a premonition for what is to come? And can Lis find out what exactly is going on in Hollow Pike before those nightmares become a reality?
James Dawson certainly knows how to get into the adolescent mind, and writes a terrific ghost story for young adults that is full of thrills and chills and completely unputdownable. As a debut novel, it is an accomplished piece of writing that I’m certain will be loved by teenagers the world over. It deals with a lot of difficult issues, like sexuality, the damaging effects of bullying on an individual, and the importance of friendship and support. In essence, it is a book that urges you to feel comfortable in your own skin, encouraging individuality, the power we all have to just say “no,” and assurance that we don’t have to follow the crowd like a sheep but can be our own person with our own rights and opinions. I also loved that the author explored the issue of sexuality which I feel is often looked on as a taboo subject in other young adult novels or just not recognised/mentioned. I’m very excited to see what this author does in the future as I’m sure that his talent will capture the hearts and minds of all younger readers.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.com
Our heroine hasn’t really got the character to be part of the Mean Girls Brigade however, and finds herself warming to the group on the outside, three friends called Jack, Delilah and Kitty, who accept Lis into their fold when Queen Mean Girl Laura turns on Lis for attracting the attention of Danny, who she is determined to snare for herself. In a pivotal moment in the story, tragedy strikes when some teenage pranks go badly wrong and Lis and her new friends find themselves ensnared in a murder mystery that proves very dangerous for all the teenagers concerned. Lis’s nightmares meanwhile are becoming more vivid and intensely disturbing – could they be a premonition for what is to come? And can Lis find out what exactly is going on in Hollow Pike before those nightmares become a reality?
James Dawson certainly knows how to get into the adolescent mind, and writes a terrific ghost story for young adults that is full of thrills and chills and completely unputdownable. As a debut novel, it is an accomplished piece of writing that I’m certain will be loved by teenagers the world over. It deals with a lot of difficult issues, like sexuality, the damaging effects of bullying on an individual, and the importance of friendship and support. In essence, it is a book that urges you to feel comfortable in your own skin, encouraging individuality, the power we all have to just say “no,” and assurance that we don’t have to follow the crowd like a sheep but can be our own person with our own rights and opinions. I also loved that the author explored the issue of sexuality which I feel is often looked on as a taboo subject in other young adult novels or just not recognised/mentioned. I’m very excited to see what this author does in the future as I’m sure that his talent will capture the hearts and minds of all younger readers.
Please see my full review at http://www.bibliobeth.com
greatlibraryofalexandra's review against another edition
4.0
This is probably a 3 star book, but I’m giving it a 4. It’s a bit more juvenile than Dawson’s other work and is clearly an earlier novel, but it reminded me so much of a Buffy episode, and it had strong “Heathers” vibes as well.
chloereadsbooksyoutube's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 STARS
This was fun! It wasn't the most well-written book ever, and some parts made my skin cringe, but overall the story was fun, the big 'reveal' was very good and I had a good time with it!
This was fun! It wasn't the most well-written book ever, and some parts made my skin cringe, but overall the story was fun, the big 'reveal' was very good and I had a good time with it!
xmoonpoetry_'s review against another edition
No voy a calificar este libro pues no lo termine, pero lo poco que leí (cinco capítulos) me han quitado las ganas de continuar con la lectura de esta historia, a pesar de que tenía muchas ganas de leerlo desde hace tiempo pero lamentablemente no fue lo que esperaba