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A review by moonspire
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
4.5/5
House of Hollow is an otherworldly tale of three sisters and how the world feasted on their strange, seemingly unnatural disappearance when they were children. I’ve always preferred the dark, twisted versions of fairytales—haunting yet enchanting, they have a way of demanding attention that will leave you wanting for more. This book is exactly like that, it’s definitely laced with something, I can’t put it down. As the mystery behind the Hollow sisters’ disappearance and the madness behind their ethereal beauty unravels, the more I was drawn to the story.
It kind of reminds me of cosmic horror and magical realism at the same time—two of my favorite genres, that’s why I adore it so much. The Halfway also reminds me of The Upside Down from Stranger Things, both places are devoid of life and harbors the scent of decay and death. The writing in this book elevated my experience of reading, the vivid descriptions made me feel like I was actually inside of the settings. The descriptions, particularly of scents, were also done so well to establish the otherworldly atmosphere of the book.
As much as I love it, I couldn’t give it a 5-star rating because some of the narrative got a little repetitive, and some points weren’t exactly stitched in properly. Aside from that, I can find no more fault in this book, maybe I’m also quite biased because I love it so much!
It’s hard to pull off a story like this that will grip your readers from start to finish. The ending wasn’t what I expected but it was still enough to conclude the story. I like how it ended on a mysterious note, because it leaves space for speculation, but I’m also not opposed to a sequel (if there is one).
This has been a very mystical and at some point kind of emotional read for me, I also have 2 sisters like the main character, Iris, and I can empathize with what they’re feeling. Overall, House of Hollow is surely one of my favorite books for this year, and I’ll surely read it again. Highly recommended if you want to venture into a mysterious, dark, and mystical genre!
House of Hollow is an otherworldly tale of three sisters and how the world feasted on their strange, seemingly unnatural disappearance when they were children. I’ve always preferred the dark, twisted versions of fairytales—haunting yet enchanting, they have a way of demanding attention that will leave you wanting for more. This book is exactly like that, it’s definitely laced with something, I can’t put it down. As the mystery behind the Hollow sisters’ disappearance and the madness behind their ethereal beauty unravels, the more I was drawn to the story.
It kind of reminds me of cosmic horror and magical realism at the same time—two of my favorite genres, that’s why I adore it so much. The Halfway also reminds me of The Upside Down from Stranger Things, both places are devoid of life and harbors the scent of decay and death. The writing in this book elevated my experience of reading, the vivid descriptions made me feel like I was actually inside of the settings. The descriptions, particularly of scents, were also done so well to establish the otherworldly atmosphere of the book.
As much as I love it, I couldn’t give it a 5-star rating because some of the narrative got a little repetitive, and some points weren’t exactly stitched in properly. Aside from that, I can find no more fault in this book, maybe I’m also quite biased because I love it so much!
It’s hard to pull off a story like this that will grip your readers from start to finish. The ending wasn’t what I expected but it was still enough to conclude the story. I like how it ended on a mysterious note, because it leaves space for speculation, but I’m also not opposed to a sequel (if there is one).
This has been a very mystical and at some point kind of emotional read for me, I also have 2 sisters like the main character, Iris, and I can empathize with what they’re feeling. Overall, House of Hollow is surely one of my favorite books for this year, and I’ll surely read it again. Highly recommended if you want to venture into a mysterious, dark, and mystical genre!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Gore
Moderate: Murder
Minor: Child death