House of Hollow

3.5 starsThe House of Hollow is a unique folk horror story that deals with nature, death, beauty, and decay. The story revolves around sisters Iris and Vivi searching for their missing sister Grey. There’s also a whole mystery surrounding their childhood where they went missing for a month and miraculously came back with no memories of what happened to them. So they say.Despite the intriguing premise, things don’t really start to pick up until the second half. The first half is spent looking for Grey and it’s quite obvious where she is and how to find her, but the sisters are quite slow to the uptake which was frustrating. It’s also very predictable who the villain is. The second half is when things get really freaky and dark though. I was satisfied with the reveal and how the story ended. Overall, The House of Hollow is a dark fairy tale that really hits its stride in the second half.

Not all things are as they seem.I first must say, I want another book!!!! I will riot!!!Okay, now that I said that, oh my goodness I was right to have this as a most anticipated read of 2021.We follow three sisters, who share more than just a scar.This book was amazing, a sisterly bond, super creepy and like a Grimm fairy tale, and much more.I dealt with cluster migraines while reading this, and everything my head didn’t hurt I had to read. I needed to know just like Iris.A dark fantasy, with lots of twist and turns, what would you do for your sisters? A five out of five, and I have a feeling this is going to be a favorite for 2021. 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

"They were very good at cultivating their own mystery like gardeners, coaxing the heady intrigue that ripened around them into the shape of their choosing."Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous.But now, ten years later, Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time. But when her older sister, Grey, goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues as to what might have happened, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. They aren't the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realize that the story they've been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home."I had once thought she was beautiful—and she probably still was, if you couldn’t see past the veneer of her skin to the pool of venom stagnating beneath."House of Hollow is a dark and twisted mystery that focuses equally on beautiful veneers and the rot underneath...including the sisters that this book is centered around. The book's description for Grey's fashion line actually fits this book quite well: Hollow’s couture has been described as a fairy tale meeting a nightmare inside a fever dream.Throughout the novel, you spend less time connecting to the sisters and more time trying to puzzle out just what the heck is going on...and it's fitting that way. As another reviewer so aptly stated: "These sisters are as much a mystery to themselves as they are to the world, so in a way, we as the readers are just along for the unnerving journey."Recommended for fans of the dark, the twisted, the weird, and the eerie.

What an outstanding darkly gothic novel. I wanted this family to be whole again and not so fractured after the three young Hollow girls went missing but as you read on you’ll discover that that never was a possibility. The characters ponder a bewildering sense of self, how others see them and continue to question what exactly happened that night they went missing. Does anyone hold the answers to the truth?The three main characters’ are the the Hollow sisters, with Grey being the eldest and a supermodel, Vivi the middle child is tattooed and plays in a band and Iris the youngest, is still in high school ; determined to finish unlike her sisters. They are all so uniquely different from when they first went missing to when they returned. Their formerly blue eyes are now black, their once dark hair, now almost white and they seem to have unspoken strange abilities that are never discussed. Their parents were so distraught during their month long abduction, only to be found alive and naked right where they disappeared from.Their father grows increasingly mad, thinking that these are not his same children. His mental health is deteriorating. As the girls get older, their relationship with their mother begins to suffer and they move out sooner than they should be leaving; Iris, the youngest still at home. With Grey having absolutely no relationship with her mom. What really happened?But despite being apart; the girls can sense each other by feeling, the ability they gained after their abduction and of course by keeping in regular contact. But when Grey goes missing, they don’t know if it’s related to an obsessed fan or possibly to the night they went missing all those years ago.

House of Hollow – 2.5/5 (rounded up to three for Goodreads)By Krystal SutherlandI genuinely wanted to like this book more than I did. The cover is enchanting and sent out vibes of a dark horror novel – which sadly it just was not.I felt this story was full of clichés – even the description of beauty was a the most overused stereotype in the world. Pale, thin, blonde and willowy. I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly rolled out of my head.I felt like this book was rushed out and not paced. The world building could have been magical, but I felt that the author was in such a rush to complete the book, it just wasn't explored.I was expecting some sort of dark Faerie tale, but I found that the certain horror elements of the tale were missing, whilst others were overused! I mean, all we ever heard about was the half man half bull with the skull mask who stank of the rotting earth.It just fell short of my expectations, for a YA horror maybe I just expected too much?

I am so torn upon completing this book. The writing is steeped in intense imagery and mythology; the plot is intelligent and beguiling... Yet I hit the mother of all reading slumps at 30%.Our main protagonist, Iris, was by no means the biggest/loudest/largest character - Usually, a book would of been written from someone like Grey's perspective - and I enjoyed this change of pace."They set off into the world, both bound for the glamorous, exotic futures they'd always known they were destined for. Which is how I found myself alone, the only Hollow left, still struggling to thrive in the long shadows they left behind. The quiet, bright one who loved science and geography and had a natural flair for mathematics. The one who wanted desperately, above all else, to be unremarkable."It would be impossible to review this book without commenting on the bond between the sisters. As one of two sisters, I can honestly say there is nothing I would not do for my sibling. We may not always see eye to eye, but she is my best friend in the world. However, we - Like the Hollow sisters- are like 'chalk and cheese.'Grey, the eldest, "knew her power and brandished it forcefully. She was sexy, dark and dangerous.Vivi "was the opposite. She tried to banish her beauty. She shaved her head, pierced her skin, inked the words F*** OFF! across her fingers..." We know that Iris differed once again. Which brings me to my next question; How can siblings differ so drastically despite having the same nature and nurture?Anyone who has read my previous reviews will know that I am intrigued by the psychology behind character's (read: people's) back-stories, and how trauma can affect who we are as people. This book was a veritable dictionary of psychological conditions. I learnt so much!Firstly, I was introduced to Capgras Syndrome (also known as 'imposter syndrome'). People who experience this syndrome will have an irrational belief that someone they know or recognize has been replaced by an imposter [healthline].I also discovered "Marie Antoinette syndrome," (Canities subita), in which scalp hair suddenly turns white. The name alludes to the unhappy Queen Marie Antoinette of France (1755-1793), whose hair allegedly turned white the night before her last walk to the guillotine during the French Revolution. [Jamanetwork].I even learnt about Aniridia, a rare condition characterized by abnormal development of the iris of the eye [Rarediseases].I need everyone to read this book and tell me how they found it for comparison. Perhaps then I will know where I stand on it haha!

This book was reminiscent of stranger things. Eerie set up, lots of mystery and some really tense moments. The story told in first person follows Iris, the youngest of three sisters, who had all gone missing for months when they were younger and turned back up with no memory. What happened when they were gone?I loved the GOT reference. It also reminded me a little of Mexican gothic.Creepy and weird so great for HalloweenI did notice a few repetitions and story inaccuracies (well not inaccuracies as such more hiccups) interesting cast of characters. Overall it was ok not something I’d read again good if you like Mexican gothic style horror

I really enjoyed this story and read it within twenty-four hours. It's a great start to what I hope will be a series because the world building has so much room to grow and develop.It's delightfully creepy with some disturbing imagery around death, decay, and nature described with beautiful writing. I feel like the horror aspect is perfect for YA readers.I loved the bond between sisters and how they all turned out different with their own personalities. The author really captures the way the youngest sister (the POV character) looks up to her older sisters with how she describes them. Two of the sisters are LGBT which is great!I took off a star for the American English. Though I can accept English characters picking up some Americanisms—it's hard not to—you wouldn't catch British teens saying "sidewalk" as anything other than a joke. It would have been better in British English. At one point the main character mentions adults regularly complaining about health insurance. Health care would have been more accurate for England.I really hope there is a sequel because I need to know more about the magic and the sisters! I'm hooked and can't get into other books after this. I just hope they use a British English proof reader for the next one.

This book had me hooked from the first page. It is so beautifully written - haunting and eerie, yet reminiscent of a fairy-tale. Each hollow sister is cleverly developed with their own personality which jumps off the page. Grey is the ethereal one, confident and sharp. Vivi is angry and edgy, trying to hide from her uniqueness. Ivy is the academic, desperate to fade into the background. The whole book reads like a fever dream with a huge sense of foreboding. You can feel the danger closing in, but where it is coming from is unclear. I loved the references to the occult and changelings, and how the book explores beauty as a warning and a way to manipulate. This was such a brilliant read!