House of Hollow

Absolutely beautifully eerie modern dark fantasy - similar to some other novels I've read this year, this book explores creepy, unsettling themes while also not shying away from the realities of our world. I love the characters, their exploration into womanhood, the writing, the interactions, the plot, the pace...everything. Maybe modern dark fantasy has become a vibe I ever so excitedly lean toward? This book was dark, it was creepy, and it was littered with so many gems that it's a book I can see myself reading again. An absolute WIN for April, my dears, I think nothing can surpass. Wowww.

Actual rating: 4.5/5 stars

Stacks of Strange Book Club Pick: MayPeppathon 2021: mixed reviews, trope you dislike, horror, & savage main characterBuzzword-a-thon May Pick: House or Home

I absolutely adored this book. House of Hollow was so hyped in my circle of bookish friends, and it started off so strong I was scared I wouldn't like the direction it went. But trust me it didn't disappoint.

House of Hollow is an urban fairytale inspired by the Grimm brothers that is straight up unputdownable. There was always something pulling me in whether it was the writing, the mystery, or the action. I always wanted to keep reading. We follow the three Hollow sisters who disappeared New Year's Eve 10 years prior. A month later the three girls reappear out of thin air, naked, with no memory of what occurred, and with a moon shaped scar at their base of their throats. Nobody could figure out what happened to them and theories about what could have possibly occurred started swirling on the internet for years to come. The girls came back changed which impacted their family forever. In present day we follow the youngest sister, Iris, and her other sister Viv as they begin investigating the recent disappearance of their oldest sister, which is reminiscent of what happened to them years ago.

The biggest thing that stood out to me in this book was obviously the writing. It was so lyrical and whimsical but is a horrifying way. The way the prose was string together was beautiful but also gross and terrifying at the same time. The writing also incorporated a lot of nature elements which I really loved. I know some people think the writing was repetitive, but I think it was just the perfect amount.

Krystal Sutherland was able to create one of the creepiest and unsettling books I've read. The way she twisted things we generally see as beautiful and innocent into demonic and grotesque was stunning. I was actually anxious while reading this which is not something I feel often when reading.

Within only a couple hundred pages, there were so many layers backed into this book. There was the extremely horrifying mystery, grief, and sister relationships. This story is absolutely brilliant in the way it was woven together, and I just loved every second of reading it. The ending had me absolutely shook and mind blown! This book is incredibly haunting, and it will definitely stick with me for a long time.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons Books, Krystal Sutherland, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger warnings: blood, gore, violence, murder, attempted murder, death, death of a loved one, self-harm, suicide, body horror, attempted sexual assault, PTSD, and alcoholism

Picked up the book over the holidays, and finished it in a weekend. This book was incredibly good! The dark fantasy was well-executed. There was a constant suspense, and all pieces of plot are weaved harmoniously. Loved the ending. Wish there's a series of this story.

DNF at 35%.

Cool cover and that's about it. I felt like reading something on the gothic side but the obnoxious teenage voice totally killed the mood.

YA is not really for me, but I enjoyed the atmosphere of this. The epilogue was a bit of a let down, but otherwise this was fine. Kept seeing reviews of people saying they did not expect where this story was going, but I was not really surprised at any point, so idk what i did wrong.

Now, while it was a really good book, I had to scale down my rating based on how long it took to read this book. I will give it 4 stars for that.

But it was insane and I kind of guessed the different bits and pieces but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the end.

Spoilers...




Oh and Tyler, my heart goes out for him... Murdered AND skinned

⭐3.75 ⭐
It was good. The ending was not expected but left me satisfied.

So, I badly wanted to love this one, because a lot of my fave BookTubers have rated it really highly, but I didn't click with it. Which is not a really helpful review, I know. Put your critical thinking hat on, Raynor; use your words; why didn't you click with it? Idk, just didn't feel it in my waters, luvvies. Soz.

this. was. breathtaking.

also this was recommended to me by my co-worker who also recommended it to my entire freshman class and like ?? i get that it's ya but damn!! it was some scurry shit!!

so beautifully written yet so harrowing at the same time.

this is definitely horror. bordering on body and/or gross out horror. if you think you can stomach it i plead with you to read it as soon as you can!

I've had this on my TBR for a while now so I was really excited when Destiny agreed to buddy read it with me. While it's not a new all time favorite I did end up liking this one. 

First off I have to talk about the cover. It's stunning!! The cover is what initially drew me to this book and then I read the synopsis and I was sold. It took me a minute to get into it because something about the writing just felt weird although I couldn't really tell you what that something was. After a little while though it fully sucked me in and had me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out where the author was going. I had so many theories some of which were true and some not so much. 

This book is very descriptive but it's done in a way that doesn't go overboard and completely gross you out. I did have some issues with this book but can't really go into details about it because it's kind of spoilery so I will just say I needed more of somethings. I'm pretty sure this is a standalone novel so I wasn't happy with that cliffhanger ending. It wraps up the events of this book but it ends in a way that suggests a follow up being possible which if that's the case I would be happy about it but like I said I don't think there is another book but if I am wrong please let me know. 

Overall I really liked this book but I needed more for me to fully love it and I definitely want to read more by this author.

The beginning was not for me and it took me a long time to get properly started, but once I did the rest was a breeze. The story doesn't explain everything but let's you wonder about the details, although at some parts I felt like more of this could be used on the mystery and less on mundane details such as how can this widowed mother afford to send her three daughters to a private school while living in an upper class neighborhood and working as a nurse. (This also made me wonder why the author chose to use this setting at all, as it really didn't play a part in the plot.)

The mystery itself felt refreshing, as I have never read anything like it and did not see the twist coming!

Talk about family drama! The sister relationship was strong and powerful. There were so many secrets to uncover as well. All the while fighting off unnatural entities. I really liked the storyline and the characters. The body horror was good as well.

I don't know what I was expecting by the end of this book, but I did NOT anticipate such an ending and finale. I'm internally crying

I had really weird dreams the whole time I was reading this book.

What can I say, I love a creepy fairytale-ish story with body horror and weird plants. Sometimes the pacing was weird and I felt like it for sure could have gone deeper but it was a fun ride.

- some of the horror elements in this were excellent. would love to read more pure horror writing by this author
- Some really beautiful imagery especially a few pages in chapter 24.
- one mystery was not solved and that I feel had the potential to make the book even creepier or more interesting and felt like a missed opportunity/I would have liked to know!! This is a spoiler so I will not say what it was
- definitely some indulgent and gaudy writing that is fun if you let it be or annoying if you want to be annoyed (this was fun for the most part although in a few parts made it drag slightly).
- did not realize before starting it that this is considered YA - nothing against YA but it explains some things.

enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. if you like stranger things, I think you should check it out but it is more fantasy horror than sci-fi horror. some really good creepy description. was a little slow/repetitive at the beginning but definitely recommend!

Shooked

That was an absolutely DELIGHTFUL way to end this year in reading!!!!!!!!! A FANTASTIC book to end a FANTASTIC year!!!!!!!!!

Listened to this one in the car. Enjoyed the last quarter of the book as the pace sped up and things were wrapped up. I found parts of the story repetitive. And the ‘she was so very very beautiful' thing got a bit old.

This is one of the most unsettling, unnerving books that I've read.

It's utterly exquisite. The sentences drip with atmosphere, and absolutely everything has a sense that if you scratch the surface then a multitude of dead and / or crawling objects are going to emerge.

The plot follows the Hollow Sisters, who disappeared on an open empty street in Edinburgh when they were children, only to reappear a month later with no memory of where they'd been.

Everyone they meet has sense that something isn't quite right about them, and this pursues them throughout their lives.

People die inexplicably, after having met them. Theirs a fascination of death very literally in the air, and a mystery that no-one can answer about all of it - least of all the girls themselves.

Until the oldest sister suddenly disappears, and the remaining two are bound by something deeper than blood that demands they find her.

This book is exceptional. It's not filled with horror and gore, but the sense of horror and unease are on every page.

If you like a good mystery, sentences and places that come alive with incredible detail to description, and with a supernatural tinge around its edges, you'll love House of Hollow.

What an excellent book though it did leave me with answers which frustrates me endlessly

This was a pretty okay read!

I loved the atmosphere and the overall plot. As a whole it was original and interesting.

This story was way too overhyped though so I think I got my hopes up for what it could have been but it missed the mark.

The ending was predictable and the ending was too abrupt and skipped over some major resolution.

If you want a quick, mindless, atmospheric read, this one is definitely for you!

This book was amazing. I loved how the writing style was flowery but witty. I also loved how everything in the book was so aesthetically pleasing. The plot twists were unexpected but not pulled out of nowhere. They fit into the story organically and I was wondering how I didn't see it coming. Honestly, a great book to read for autumn and goth aesthetic with a good spooky and dark plot.

went into this knowing nothing but I did not expect body horror... yeah I'm gonna have nightmares for a couple nights

3.5

this was a case of, “did i read the same book everyone else did?” because i saw friends raving and expected the same reaction but... i'm sad to report that i was largely disappointed by this

i will say, first and foremost, that i really enjoyed the spooky parts. i'm not big on blood and gore, but the b&g in this mixed with the thriller aspect properly spooked me in a good way – i felt thrilled and even a little scared to turn the light off at night, but also not permanently traumatized for life. i think that's my personal happy medium when it comes to anything scary or that involves body horror, so i'm pleased with that.

i'm also pleased with how sutherland handled the narrative of three sisters and the consequent dynamics, no matter where they grew up. i think each sister, in personality and actions and words, embodies key parts of being the eldest, middle and youngest sister and these complex dynamics are really well played out without being cringe-y and obvious. as an eldest sister who would once upon a time do anything for her younger, that part really struck me.

however, my disappointment largely lies in the “twist”, which was obvious to me from the second the characters were introduced on the backside. i don't know if that's the author's intention, or if they were trying to be clever, but for me i knew the twist from the back of the book summary and spent the entire book praying that the twist was going to be more spectacular than what it was. unfortunately, it was predictable and there were way too many hints dropped in i guess not the best way for me to personally enjoy it, but in retrospect it's kind of neat to see all the bread crumbs there (har dee har).

also i had a hard time switching between the urbanity and lighthearted rapport of the sisters and then suddenly blood and gore. i'm not saying that thrillers have to be 100% serious or 100% goofy, but the transitions between the two felt clunky and sometimes the effect of some of the funny or serious parts were lost on me because of it.

feeling uber conflicted about this book because, like i said, i liked the spook i got, but i have many (many many many) gripes with how the plot was executed