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A review by zaynah_bookstagram
The Hollow Gods by A.J. Vrana
4.0
So this was definitely an interesting read for me.. I am a big reader of fantasy, particularly YA, and this book was definitely a little different as it merged horror and fantasy together.
Starting with the positives, I really enjoyed reading from these three multiple perspectives. They all had their own unique voices despite the book being written in the third person. Each character's chapter often ended on a cliffhanger that made me keep reading and reading! Having Mason's perspective was nice as we got to read from the perspective of a medical professional trying to rationalise and make sense of this situation and understand it from a psychological perspective.
The whole book had this eerie vibe running through it which was creepy but I loved it! As someone who has suffered from sleep paralysis in the past I found those scenes especially chilling...!
I love reading books immersed with mythology and folklore, and the author did a great job of creating this myth/legend in a small town setting that felt reminiscent of a thriller movie.
SPOILERS - the identity of the dreamwalker became obvious to us once we heard Annabelle tell the story of a girl finding a wolf in the woods and feeding/nursing him back to health, but it was still fun to go along this journey of mystery and discovery with our characters!
However, one of the aspects of this book I did not so much enjoy was the insta-love romance. I loved Kai's character and the banter between him and Miya, I also understand why their romance was portrayed in this way but I just wish there had been more build-up/slow burn.
The ending also felt a bit rushed to me and I was left slightly confused as to what had actually happened and the time period we were in.
Overall though I enjoyed this read and look forward to seeing whats next for this series! Thanks to Book Sirens for allowing me the opportunity to read and review a free ARC!
Starting with the positives, I really enjoyed reading from these three multiple perspectives. They all had their own unique voices despite the book being written in the third person. Each character's chapter often ended on a cliffhanger that made me keep reading and reading! Having Mason's perspective was nice as we got to read from the perspective of a medical professional trying to rationalise and make sense of this situation and understand it from a psychological perspective.
The whole book had this eerie vibe running through it which was creepy but I loved it! As someone who has suffered from sleep paralysis in the past I found those scenes especially chilling...!
I love reading books immersed with mythology and folklore, and the author did a great job of creating this myth/legend in a small town setting that felt reminiscent of a thriller movie.
SPOILERS - the identity of the dreamwalker became obvious to us once we heard Annabelle tell the story of a girl finding a wolf in the woods and feeding/nursing him back to health, but it was still fun to go along this journey of mystery and discovery with our characters!
However, one of the aspects of this book I did not so much enjoy was the insta-love romance. I loved Kai's character and the banter between him and Miya, I also understand why their romance was portrayed in this way but I just wish there had been more build-up/slow burn.
The ending also felt a bit rushed to me and I was left slightly confused as to what had actually happened and the time period we were in.
Overall though I enjoyed this read and look forward to seeing whats next for this series! Thanks to Book Sirens for allowing me the opportunity to read and review a free ARC!