Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - House of Hollow

This book was definitely full of surprises for a plot that seemed like it would be fairly predictable at first glance. The writing was beautiful but I felt that the beginning dragged a little bit. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone fond of dark fairytales.

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wikikapusta's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

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bookbelle5_17's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Review of House of Hollow

By: Krystal Sutherland

Iris and her older sisters Viv & Grey disappeared for 31 days when visiting their grandparents in Scotland, but when they came back, they weren’t the same. They looked different and they now had a special ability to put people under their spell. They also don’t remember what happened. One day Grey goes missing, so Iris and Viv go searching for her as they piece together what happened to them all those years ago.

A dark modern fairytale with themes of sisterhood weaves through this novel about the Hollow sisters and what happened to them when they disappeared. It is creepy and undeniably atmospheric as you feel unsettled along with Iris, because everything is only revealed bit by bit. It made me intrigued to know what happened as I turned each page. The graphic descriptions of the rotting plants, beautiful white flowers, and ants creeping directly out of their flesh is eerie and shivering inducing. There is one point where it is thrown up by one, so be warned if you don’t have a strong stomach, it might be gag worthy. Iris is a good protagonist as she is someone, who is still innocent, but not entirely naïve. She’s likable and not annoying, taking action, when necessary, but still hopeful for them as she tries to stay loyal to her divided family. The character of Tyler started out as annoying, but I grew to like him as a secondary character. I didn’t hate any characters as they were all sympathetic, though they might not have made the best choices. There was a twist during the climax that I thought was really good and Sutherland built it up rather nicely. I didn’t read this in the Spring (maybe in the evening) or Autumn, but it does feel like a perfect read for those seasons

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battysbooks's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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thyroyalreader's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I’m not a horror fan, but the last few chapters of this book made it worth it!!!

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ericageorge91's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book was okay. I liked how dark it got towards the end. That was interesting.

That being said, I was really annoyed in the beginning and middle. I was intrigued about the story, but the sister codependency was…something else. I also didn’t care for the “Me and my sisters were sooo beautiful. We’re all tall, blonde, and thin, and sooo beautiful. And we have such a huge appetite and eat all the time but are still so tall, skinny, and sooooo beautiful” of it all. That was so boring to me. There is not a single chapter that goes by where their beauty is not mentioned. This book is a constant swing between, “Does Iris want to be her sister or fuck her? News at 11.”

Umm, this book is disgusting. Literally disgusting. You’ll see various descriptions of dead, rotting things that sometimes involves insects. I just…Tender is the Flesh didn’t seem all that bad compared to this 🤢

I’m a little confused about some things. Like, I feel like there were moments when the main character was trying to have her feminist moment like, “Ugh, isn’t it sad how men can be such creeps?!” But then…your sisters literally walk around bewitching, touching, and kissing people without their consents so…..🤨

I’m also a bit confused as to their background story? The other spirits in the Halfway seemed like catatonic and didn’t do shit. Why were they so different? And Grey was just this murder-savvy little girl? What? Are they all older? I just wish that story was developed more. There was so much buildup and I expected more explanation of what tf was happening.

TW: Attempted kidnapping, bullying, sexual assault (forceful kissing/lip biting), physical abuse (hands on throat, a slap), suicide, drug use, alcoholism, binge eating (in a magical related sense but still), murder, attempted rape,

Rep: Sapphic MCs (lesbian and bi/pan)

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