virtualdragonkitty's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I really loved this story, even if at times the pacing felt weird. It was fun reading a book about a zombi apocalypse from the eyes of the animals
Content Warnings
Minor: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Death, Gore, and Vomit
starrysteph's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
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? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
We’ve all read zombie apocalypse stories focused on the survivors - the hardy group of humans fighting for a better new world.
But what if nobody made it out?
What if every human was infected?
What if the only survivors - were other animals?
That’s what goes down in the opening scenes of Hollow Kingdom, and we’re left to follow human-adoring crow S.T. and his bloodhound sidekick Dennis as they navigate the wake of tragedy, try to figure out what happened, and rescue other domestic animals.
This book had the curious ability to make me laugh out lou and roll my eyes at the raunchy absurdity, but also weep in a ball on the couch.
We do mostly follow S.T., but we also get beautifully-crafted chapters between his narratives from all sorts of different animals. Though sometimes a little cheesy and -and often romanticizing animal interactions - these interludes were some of my favorite parts of the novel.
At times the plot became too repetitive without seeming to move forward. It felt like large sections of the novel could have been chopped without a loss, and that made my reading experience a little antsy. The humor also occasionally rubbed me the wrong way. I also didn’t love the measly background we got around the cause of the zombie infection. It’s a trope that bothers me.
Overall though, I enjoyed this journey. Be prepared for some heartbreak, folks. Especially if you are an animal lover like me.
CW: animal death, human death (all ages), gore, body horror, violence, animal cruelty, cannibalism, confinement, vomit, drug use, suicide, ableism, sexism, fatphobia, war, Harry Potter references
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Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death of parent, Gore, Fatphobia, Drug use, Child death, Confinement, Vomit, Suicide, Ableism, Sexism, War, Cannibalism, Death, and Body horror
mcribsy13's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Honestly I laughed and cried for a goofy zombie apocalypse book but with pets, there is so much heart. Great camping read. A perfect "Beach Read" for my horror buff out there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cannibalism, Gore, Grief, Vomit, and Animal death
aardwyrm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
When you go high concept, you have to nail it. There are moments that veer too saccharine or too gruesome where the balance fails, but overall, the Hollow Kingdom sticks that landing. ST's voice wobbles from time to time, but he draws you in anyway. The post-apocalyptic adventure log is a forgiving genre. Come for the touching moments, stay for the nightmarish body horror. The book falls into a few amateurish pitfalls, namely that main characters have deaths and sacrifices mourned and treasured while nameless side characters fall by the wayside immediately forgotten, and the clumsy attempts to shoehorn science into what is clearly a supernatural change, but ST and friends carry you past.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Medical content, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Drug use, Excrement, Gore, Grief, Terminal illness, Cannibalism, Vomit, and Violence
bodiesinbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Death, Fatphobia, Grief, Violence, and Vomit
Minor: Alcoholism, Cancer, Cannibalism, Car accident, Child death, Cursing, Excrement, Medical content, Racism, and Suicide
jourdanicus's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Death, Gore, and Cursing
Moderate: Confinement, Excrement, Vomit, and Violence
Minor: Cancer, Drug use, and Xenophobia
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