mayabayacat's review against another edition
5.0
LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK!! There was an added narrator in this book that wasn’t in the first and I thought that was an interesting choice but it all came together so beautifully. I wish this was a three book series, mostly because I am sad it is over!! Sid and Nirrim are now a favorite couple of mine.
naturalpeaches's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
tandewrites's review against another edition
4.0
An eARC of this book was received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Hollow Heart was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, even though I only found out about and read the first book a week before requesting the ARC. This book is narrated by Nirrim, Sid, and a third narrator, so I’m going to split this review into each of their perspectives. This review will also contain untagged spoilers for The Midnight Lie, but all The Hollow Heart spoilers will be tagged as such.
Nirrim
At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful.
I did not realise how much I loved Nirrim for her heart until I experienced her without it. I had a complicated time with her narration, sometimes even uncomfortable. On one hand, I support her wanting to roleplay as a god as she uses her powers and this newfound inner strength to seek revenge by any means possible. It can be exciting to see a heroine completely lose touch with herself and give into an ambition, and I liked reading the exploration of Nirrim losing herself and realising that she maybe didn't know who she was in the first place.
On the other hand, a lot of her words and actions didn’t feel like her and I found myself pining for the Old Nirrim more often than not. Her situation were painful, but her actions were more so, and I read on while being both conflicted and compelled.
I also found myself wishing that the absence of Sid in her narrative would lead to a deeper development of the characters who returned from the first book, but Nirrim’s plot line felt very central to her quest for vengeance.
Sid
Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.
This book and my heart and all the stars on this review are owned by Sid. In the first book, she was confident and untouchable. In this, we’re introduced to her more serious and vulnerable side as she pines both to love and be loved. Her storyline focuses both on discovering what caused her mother’s ill health - poison, not sickness - and how she can fix her relationship with both of her parents. It’s exactly what I wanted from a continuation of her story and I fell in love with her character all over again.
I also want to acknowledge that I had no idea that this duology was set in the same universe or shared characters as an original trilogy, so I want to praise Rutoski for creating something that didn’t make me feel as if I was missing out on something else (although I will be reading the original trilogy as soon as possible).
The God
The third narrator of this book is a character known as The God until the final few moments, and it took until then for me to realise what their role was in the narrative. A majority of their chapters were dedicated to telling the backstories of characters and the history of the island that were hinted about in the first book, but didn’t get the chance to be developed. We learn more about the beginnings of the island before the gods fled, Nirrim’s parentage, and a few more moments about Raven’s life that aren’t essential to the narrative, but just nice to know as extra information.
These three storylines don't merge until around 70% (maybe later) of the way into the book. This disjointed structure is the main thing that stopped me giving this book the same five star rating as The Midnight Lie as switching back and forth between three seemingly unrelated narratives was quite jarring for me. It also meant that the first half of the book felt very slow paced and drawn out, and that a very eventful finale to the duology felt rushed, told by the most convenient rather than the most impactful narrator.
Overall, I would give this book 4 stars, maybe even 3.5 stars. It was imperfect, but still wonderful in more places than I can list. Learning more about this world and the history and the magic system was a delight as well as the exploration of compulsory heterosexuality and being a lesbian, both things which I think are rare to find in a fantasy. The writing style was simple but effective, but I did feel unsatisfied by the ending. I also missed the relationship between Sid and Nirrim, the thing that made me fall in love with The Midnight Lie.
The Hollow Heart was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, even though I only found out about and read the first book a week before requesting the ARC. This book is narrated by Nirrim, Sid, and a third narrator, so I’m going to split this review into each of their perspectives. This review will also contain untagged spoilers for The Midnight Lie, but all The Hollow Heart spoilers will be tagged as such.
Nirrim
At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful.
I did not realise how much I loved Nirrim for her heart until I experienced her without it. I had a complicated time with her narration, sometimes even uncomfortable. On one hand, I support her wanting to roleplay as a god as she uses her powers and this newfound inner strength to seek revenge by any means possible. It can be exciting to see a heroine completely lose touch with herself and give into an ambition, and I liked reading the exploration of Nirrim losing herself and realising that she maybe didn't know who she was in the first place.
On the other hand, a lot of her words and actions didn’t feel like her and I found myself pining for the Old Nirrim more often than not. Her situation were painful, but her actions were more so, and I read on while being both conflicted and compelled.
I also found myself wishing that the absence of Sid in her narrative would lead to a deeper development of the characters who returned from the first book, but Nirrim’s plot line felt very central to her quest for vengeance.
Sid
Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.
This book and my heart and all the stars on this review are owned by Sid. In the first book, she was confident and untouchable. In this, we’re introduced to her more serious and vulnerable side as she pines both to love and be loved. Her storyline focuses both on discovering what caused her mother’s ill health - poison, not sickness - and how she can fix her relationship with both of her parents. It’s exactly what I wanted from a continuation of her story and I fell in love with her character all over again.
I also want to acknowledge that I had no idea that this duology was set in the same universe or shared characters as an original trilogy, so I want to praise Rutoski for creating something that didn’t make me feel as if I was missing out on something else (although I will be reading the original trilogy as soon as possible).
The God
The third narrator of this book is a character known as The God until the final few moments, and it took until then for me to realise what their role was in the narrative. A majority of their chapters were dedicated to telling the backstories of characters and the history of the island that were hinted about in the first book, but didn’t get the chance to be developed. We learn more about the beginnings of the island before the gods fled, Nirrim’s parentage, and a few more moments about Raven’s life that aren’t essential to the narrative, but just nice to know as extra information.
These three storylines don't merge until around 70% (maybe later) of the way into the book. This disjointed structure is the main thing that stopped me giving this book the same five star rating as The Midnight Lie as switching back and forth between three seemingly unrelated narratives was quite jarring for me. It also meant that the first half of the book felt very slow paced and drawn out, and that a very eventful finale to the duology felt rushed, told by the most convenient rather than the most impactful narrator.
Overall, I would give this book 4 stars, maybe even 3.5 stars. It was imperfect, but still wonderful in more places than I can list. Learning more about this world and the history and the magic system was a delight as well as the exploration of compulsory heterosexuality and being a lesbian, both things which I think are rare to find in a fantasy. The writing style was simple but effective, but I did feel unsatisfied by the ending. I also missed the relationship between Sid and Nirrim, the thing that made me fall in love with The Midnight Lie.
charlottee96's review
4.0
I loved this ending to the series. In book 2 we really get to see a different side to both Sid and Nirrim.
badbitchk's review against another edition
3.0
i loved the story and the journey that sid and nirrim went on for their love, to heal from their wounds, and to learn more about themselves. i also found it interesting the exploration of what and who we would be without compassion.
BUT i did not like the way slavery was handled in the book. i know that the backstory for sid’s family comes from another series which i avoided reading for the exact same reason. i just dont like the idea of a former slave owner having a relationship with the person they enslaved. that plot disgusts me and i did not like it’s continous mention throughout. the portrayal of the aftermath of being freed from slavery and colonization just wasnt done properly
BUT i did not like the way slavery was handled in the book. i know that the backstory for sid’s family comes from another series which i avoided reading for the exact same reason. i just dont like the idea of a former slave owner having a relationship with the person they enslaved. that plot disgusts me and i did not like it’s continous mention throughout. the portrayal of the aftermath of being freed from slavery and colonization just wasnt done properly
labocat's review against another edition
3.0
At the end of Midnight Lie, I didn't actually know that it was part of a wider universe, and it felt separate enough to just be fun cameos and that I didn't feel like I was missing anything by not having read them. Hollow Heart does not let you forget for a second that it's connected to a previous series. It feels like an author's reluctance to fully leave a beloved cast of characters behind, but the problem with that is that it always drags down the current cast and their plot. And it certainly does here; Sid's return and investigation feels like stalling, like an epilogue to whatever story was told about her parents, and taking away from really finding out anything about her. It's especially stark because Nirrim's side is marked by the cold lack of compassion, which would be really interesting if it had a chance to really contrast with anything, but it doesn't. I feel like so much time was spent trying to catch the people who hadn't read the other series up with who Kestrel and Arin were and why we should care that it left little time for it to be Nirrim and Sid's story. Add in a plethora of flashbacks without any dialogue punctuation, and we're in for a confusing ride.
ladyknightkaci's review against another edition
dark
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I loved the Midnight Lie, but I was very disappointed by the Hollow Heart. I wish it was a standalone instead of a duology. That being said, The Midnight Lie was a fantastic novel 10/10 would recommend.
lrgluck's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
sammy234's review against another edition
2.0
The Hollow Heart was a very disappointing follow up not only to the first book in the Forgotten Gods duology, but to one of my favorite trilogies of all time, the Winner's Curse series. And that's because I couldn't stand Sid or Nirrim at all, when in the previous book I actually found them book quite likable.
Nirrim has had her compassion stolen by a god, so she goes from this sweet, brave character to this totalitarian dictator in the blink of an eye, and I just couldn't connect with her anymore. There was no room for character development, either positive or negative, because all her actions were influenced by the curse that was put on her. By the end, she magically becomes a good person again, and everything is supposed to be great, even though she murdered so many people in her quest for vengeance.
If she had become a villain through natural means, I would have found her story arc more interesting. I would have loved if she had still possessed compassion, but slipped further and further into becoming just like the people who once oppressed her because of her single minded desire to ruin those that had hurt her. (if you want to read a book that shows a really brilliant devolution of a once moral character, I'd recommend The Poppy War)
As for Sid, I just found her so dense and annoying. She has two loving parents and lives a life of privilege, but resents them for not perfectly understanding her thoughts and feelings that she hides from them. She feels jealous that she hasn't had "adventure" like Kestrel and Arin, and just ignores the fact that although a lot of crazy things happened to them, most of their lives were full of terror and suffering.
Her mother was sentenced to death at a labor camp by her own father, and her father's parents were slaughtered and then he became a slave for most of his youth. Not to mention the fact that Sid just goes off, steals a ship, and has an adventure, and no one stops her and restricts her or makes her come home. All of her character development was basically just realizing that her parents never forced her to do anything, and she just did what she thought they would want and then resented them for it... based off of nothing. It was so frustrating.
Speaking of Kestrel and Arin, I was so annoyed that Sid's nanny tried to poison Kestrel (A very Victoria Holt type of plot twist), and Arin just decided not to kill her because it would hurt Sid's feelings and because he understood her motive. That's so out of character for Arin, not to mention the fact that Kestrel is the queen of their country. Someone tried to assassinate her and they just shrugged their shoulders like it was no big deal. I mean, honestly, this book sometimes read like bad fan fiction.
The original trilogy is still amazing, but this duology ended up being really underwhelming for me.
Two stars.
Nirrim has had her compassion stolen by a god, so she goes from this sweet, brave character to this totalitarian dictator in the blink of an eye, and I just couldn't connect with her anymore. There was no room for character development, either positive or negative, because all her actions were influenced by the curse that was put on her. By the end, she magically becomes a good person again, and everything is supposed to be great, even though she murdered so many people in her quest for vengeance.
If she had become a villain through natural means, I would have found her story arc more interesting. I would have loved if she had still possessed compassion, but slipped further and further into becoming just like the people who once oppressed her because of her single minded desire to ruin those that had hurt her. (if you want to read a book that shows a really brilliant devolution of a once moral character, I'd recommend The Poppy War)
As for Sid, I just found her so dense and annoying. She has two loving parents and lives a life of privilege, but resents them for not perfectly understanding her thoughts and feelings that she hides from them. She feels jealous that she hasn't had "adventure" like Kestrel and Arin, and just ignores the fact that although a lot of crazy things happened to them, most of their lives were full of terror and suffering.
Her mother was sentenced to death at a labor camp by her own father, and her father's parents were slaughtered and then he became a slave for most of his youth. Not to mention the fact that Sid just goes off, steals a ship, and has an adventure, and no one stops her and restricts her or makes her come home. All of her character development was basically just realizing that her parents never forced her to do anything, and she just did what she thought they would want and then resented them for it... based off of nothing. It was so frustrating.
Speaking of Kestrel and Arin, I was so annoyed that Sid's nanny tried to poison Kestrel (A very Victoria Holt type of plot twist), and Arin just decided not to kill her because it would hurt Sid's feelings and because he understood her motive. That's so out of character for Arin, not to mention the fact that Kestrel is the queen of their country. Someone tried to assassinate her and they just shrugged their shoulders like it was no big deal. I mean, honestly, this book sometimes read like bad fan fiction.
The original trilogy is still amazing, but this duology ended up being really underwhelming for me.
Two stars.