A review by starrysteph
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland

dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh, I LOVED this. House of Hollow was dark, delicious, and disgusting. It was packed with captivating writing, intriguing characters, and a delightfully unsettling atmosphere.
 
Sisters Iris, Vivi, and Grey have always been a bit strange. When they were children, they vanished … appearing 31 days later, unharmed but physically altered. Now 17, Iris has no memories of where they went or what happened. But bizarre energy follows the trio, alongside curious powers of compulsion and intoxication. When eldest sister Grey goes missing once again, Iris has to investigate her past and uncover the truth of their childhood experience.
 
It had all the enchanting elements of a dark fairytale mixed with supernatural horror and an overarching mystery. The pacing was so quick and the energy so high that I couldn’t help but read it in one sitting. 
 
House of Hollow was … dark. I could almost smell the stench of rot, and I shivered at the depictions of bugs and mold and gore. I could vividly picture Grey’s designs and the unsettling, otherworldly scenes. 
 
Outside of the horror elements, themes of grief & loss, family & sisterhood, and devotion are explored. 
 
I’m glad I read this as an adult … because if I had read this as a teenager, I would have been absolutely insufferable. 
 
If you like stories with:
→ Twisted fairytales
→ Sisters that are violently devoted to each other
→ Liminal, otherworldly spaces
→ Queer representation
→ Recovering mysterious memories
→ Vivid body horror & decay
 
…Then pick this up.
 
Not-quite-content-warnings: several Harry Potter references and reptilian overlord/illuminati jokes.
 
CW: body horror, death (incl. child death and death of a parent), gore, blood, suicide, murder, violence, kidnapping, grief, injury, sexual assault, stalking, bullying, gun violence, alcohol, medical content, mental illness, self harm, gaslighting, torture, psychosis, eating disorder, animal death, panic attacks, pedophilia
 
(I received a free copy of this book; this is my honest review.)