Reviews with content warning for Grief - Hollow Kingdom

Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

19 reviews

leweylibrary's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-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? Yes

4.5

I had a hard time getting into this book--S.T.'s voice was a bit too abrasive to the point of being unbelievable--but then it somehow morphed into the book I really needed to read right now?

The human world is a mess. We are absolutely a cancer, so it was nice escaping the human world (and seeing them crumble no less) and living among only animals--even if it was in apocalyptic circumstances. I absolutely adore Dennis, that loveable oaf, I kept picturing him as Fang from HP (which is fitting given the multiple HP references in the book). It seemed to me that the book focused on the importance of connecting to nature. That's where humans went wrong and how they triggered the virus. It's what the reader does through S.T.'s narration, and it's how the animals who are left band together to survive in this new reality, regardless of their previous place in the food chain.

What really made this book so great for me right now in particular were the tidbits here and there that made me smile and bolstered me. In times of Roe v. Wade's overturning, the quotes about the strength of females and the need to fight opposition hit me so extra hard.

I'm not sure if I'll read the sequel, but I sincerely appreciate this book and it's timely presence in my life ❤️

Quotes:

"You know so much, Onida." "I have nine brains--which never stopped growing--three hearts, and I can regenerate my arms; but mostly, it's because I'm female." Female. Well, shit. Admittedly, I had limited knowledge of them, that they had always seemed omniscient and formidable to me. (69)
I felt a powerful pang of relief that I wasn't female. It seemed that being female meant to be prey, even among your own species. (79)
Life is not the same once you've learned just how deeply a tree can feel. (117)
"Don't shackle yourself to an ideal. Always go with the tide; listen for guidance. Creativity is not a uniquely human trait. Creativity is everywhere, in the barb of every feather and each audacious sapling. To err is what's human... Humans marked their distinction with their mistakes. A creature can be heartbreakingly powerful and loving while also being a destroyer of worlds. You are mistaken in thinking they are the only rational animals. What you were looking at is just a chapter in their story, one they narrated. Perhaps... There is still a whole book for us, many chapters ahead. You must have all. Float with the tide. Trust that She knows what She is doing. We must listen to Her through Aura, Echo, and Web. Onida has spoken." (206)
I got starstruck in the site of a snowy owl, because, I mean, Harry Potter. (209)
I cannot recommend this to you enough: find something that you believe in, right down deep in the depths of your silvery plumage, and then throw your heart at it, blood and valves and veins and all. Because I did this, the world, though brambled and frothing at the mouth, looked more vibrant; blues were bluer, and even the fetid puddles that collected under rusting cars tasted as sweet as summer wine. (231)
Her name translated as "Survivor," But she told me she didn't like it much. I asked her why and she said because she is a female and all females are survivors so it was massively redundant. (233)
Elephants command attention. But their size is not what makes the heart skip a beat. It's how they walk with the world's weight on their shoulders, sensitive, noble, their hearts pulsing and as wide open as the great gray leaves that are their ears. MoFos used to say that an elephant never forgets and until this very moment, I hadn't understood what that really meant. An elephant's memories don't reside in organ or skin or bone. They live closer to tree time than we do, and their memories reside in the soul of their species, which dwarfs them in size, is untouchable, and lives on forever to honor every story. They carry stories from generations back, as far as when their ancestors wore fur coats. That is why, when you are close to an elephant, you feel so deeply. If they so choose, they have the ability to hold your sadness, so you may safely sit in the lonely seat of loss, still hopeful and full of love. Their great secret is that they know everything is a tide--not a black tide but the natural breath of life--in and out, in and out, and to be with them is to know this too. And here they were, suddenly lifting the weight of our sadness for us, carrying it in the curl of their trunks. We all sat together in our loss, not dwelling, but remembering. For an elephant never forgets. (271-72)
This was the one thing we could control. When you have the power to stand up to oppression, you must. (275)
Time with the elephants had strengthened me and I'd remembered myself. The crow in me had loyalty and passion. The MoFo in me, hope. I was about to unleash a motherfucking hurricane. (275)

Content Warnings

mcribsy13's review against another edition

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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

aardwyrm's review against another edition

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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

ferlintokezeirquizes's review against another edition

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emotional funny sad

3.25

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chelseahart's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful tense fast-paced

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

5.0

I loved the main character's voice in this. Between shifting from domestic life to wild, balancing curiosity with self-preservation, and challenging his own biases, ST shows us this scary world in a determined and hopeful light.

I've always loved animals, with crows topping the list. If you feel at all similar then I highly recommend this book! It brought me to tears at moments and it made me laugh a bit too (two of my favorite things for a book to do to me!) I felt it to be fast-paced, with enough descriptors to make vibrant images without bogging down the narrative.

I found out about this book by seeing the sequel in-adore which I almost bought instantly before realizing it wasn't a stand alone. After enjoying Hollow Kingdom so much, I'll definitely go back for that next book!

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bodiesinbooks's review against another edition

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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

cryptid_crow's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny tense 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? Yes

4.5

Wow, what a book! I've never seen the zombie apocalypse handled like this, and it was very refreshing. Sad as fuck at times, but refreshing.

That being said,

the tie in to "addiction to technology" and screens was eyeroll worthy for me.

Thus the 4.5 instead of 5.

Content Warnings

ehawk's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny 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? Yes

5.0

Content Warnings

nxclx's review against another edition

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adventurous funny sad fast-paced

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

4.25

This book was recommended for a Pisces, and I don't know if all Pisces will enjoy it, but I thought it was very enjoyable and hilarious. S.T. is a mofo and a crow, and while there was a part around 75% that kinda lost me, I got pulled back in and loved the ending.

Also, read the warnings.

Content Warnings

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