A review by selendrea
The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

The Hollow Places is an creative foray into the imagination of T. Kingfisher, where taxidermy is beloved and willows pose an insidious threat. I admire the uniqueness of this book's plot, but unfortunately found the pacing to be almost unbearable.

The plot of this book drags in several sections, particularly near the middle of the novel. Kingfisher has the tendency to repeat lines/phrases over and over again. If I took a shot for every time the main character indicated that they were making jokes to stop from losing their sanity and feeling terror, I'd have blacked out. The characters spend vastly more time mulling over what the portal world is than actually exploring it, and this wasn't particularly engaging.

Both Kara and Simon
(and even the Bible journal's narrator)
spoke exactly the same way. Some jokes here and there are fine to allow for a brief relief, but the incessant need to shoehorn in humor became repetitive and frustrating. It deteriorated any atmospheric tension that had previously been built up in the novel. How can I take anything seriously when the characters are literally making Yo Mama references?

I think marketing this novel as horror does it a disservice. While it did have some interesting fantastical themes and scenes, I don't particularly believe the portal world was well fleshed out or imposing enough. Perhaps Kingfisher's quirky writing just didn't land with me, but I struggled to finish this one.
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