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A review by netflix_and_lil
The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro
3.0
R rated Skulduggery Pleasant vibes anyone?
I didn't know what to expect from del Toro's written work; for the most part, its story was engaging, it's writing was competent at worst, expert at best and the setup was superb - maybe one of the best opening chapters I've read this year. Unfortunately, my enjoyment was marred by the overabundance of timelines and character perspectives, which stretched the characters too thinly across the story. Hugo Blackwood, while at first seeming like a potential favourite new character, seemed to flip-flop between morals and priorities; one of my favourite things about immortal characters are their code of ethics, developed over many years and making them very stance in their views. Blackwood was just too changeable for my liking.
Like many of del Toro's films, The Hollow Ones lacks a satisfying conclusion, apparently just ending when it ran out of pages. I understand this will be part of a series, which I will likely return to; but a book should be able to stand on it's own, and while it's supernatural elements were intriguing, it didn't hit the mark for me.
I didn't know what to expect from del Toro's written work; for the most part, its story was engaging, it's writing was competent at worst, expert at best and the setup was superb - maybe one of the best opening chapters I've read this year. Unfortunately, my enjoyment was marred by the overabundance of timelines and character perspectives, which stretched the characters too thinly across the story. Hugo Blackwood, while at first seeming like a potential favourite new character, seemed to flip-flop between morals and priorities; one of my favourite things about immortal characters are their code of ethics, developed over many years and making them very stance in their views. Blackwood was just too changeable for my liking.
Like many of del Toro's films, The Hollow Ones lacks a satisfying conclusion, apparently just ending when it ran out of pages. I understand this will be part of a series, which I will likely return to; but a book should be able to stand on it's own, and while it's supernatural elements were intriguing, it didn't hit the mark for me.