Simone is a mind-reader. She knows a great many things, but she can't seem to remember anything about her past. So when she gets the chance to search for her family, she sets off to finally find her home.

this was a great start to a series, the characters were great and it had what I was looking for in a young adult spooky novel.

<b>DNF at 15%</b>
Well I'm super disappointed. I didn't realize this book wasn't it's own series. One of the reasons is that the blurb promoting it says <i>" brand new series starter "</i>... liars!
Instead this is a direct(?) continuation of a previous duology. It appears to star some of the same characters or at least comes on the back of the events in the Shadow Weaver duology immediately. I am not a fan of reading series out of order; and given that there is sooo much back story here to explain in order to really know what is happening from the get go; I've decided that I'm not going to go any further.

It really annoys me when trilogies are done this way. It's much better to break things up like Mortal Instruments did. As long as we were with our same crew of teens it was books #1-6. When the Clockwork series came along, in a different time span and with different characters, it had it's own numbering of 1-3 AND it was toted as a prequel trilogy. This is respectful of the reader and makes life much easier for those of us (whom I think are the majority) that want to read series in order.
Now I know publishers aren't generally a fan of the long series as it requires people to get in at the beginning; and maybe people are overwhelmed by starting a series with 3+ books in it. Hence the desire to stay with duologies and trilogies. This however is not me. My favourite genre is fantasy and so to me a series with many books in it is good, because I won't run out of content, and hopefully it's close to being complete (as nothing in publishing annoys me more than series that never get finished. Yes GRRM, it's literally all your fault).

If this premise intrigues you and you want to dive into MarcyKate Connolly's intriguing sound world, pick-up the first book of the first trilogy called Shadow Weaver. I've put the first book on my giant TBR list, but this experience means it's unlikely to get to the top anytime soon. Sad because the overall premise is super interesting.

<i>Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.</i>

Hollow Dolls returns to the world of Connolly's Shadow Weaver Duology. This time telling the story from the perspective of Simone. Simone is one of the comet-blessed, one with a magical power. Her power is mind reading, which made her of great value to the evil Lady Aisling. But now the Lady has been defeated, deprived of her powers, and imprisoned. Simone and the others that the Lady used in her evil work are now free to return home. But all Simone knows of her previous life is the name of her hometown and the names of her family. She has no memories of them at all, thanks to the lady's manipulation of a memory stealer. But no trace remains of her hometown or family and Simone ends up living with her best friend, Sebastian and his sister, Jemma.

When Simone stumbles upon a body walker manipulating someone else, she flees in terror. She, Sebastian, and Jemma set out to find make sure that Lady Aisling really is no longer a threat, and then seek out the library to search for more information about Simone's family. But when Jemma is taken over by the body walker, Simone and Sebastian are left on their own to find the library. As it becomes clearer that the body walker is someone close to them, Simone must decide whether to let her fear keep her safe or whether to risk her freedom to help her friends.

This is really quite a compelling story. Not having read the Shadow Weaver duology at this point, I wasn't sure I'd understand what was happening at first, but it quickly became clear that that wasn't going to be a problem. Having Simone tell the story with her ability to peek into other's minds was a nice touch. Simone's longing for a home she doesn't remember as well as her struggles with her own thoughts and the often overwhelming thoughts of others makes it hard for her to find peace. But her loyalty to her friends carries her forward. I found this to be a thoroughly satisfying read with plenty of world-building and enough details to help me visualize Simone's world. The interesting powers created some really interesting ethical questions. I'm looking forward to reading the coming sequel, as well as going back to read the previous series.

What would you do if you could read people's minds, but you can't remember things from your own mind? Simone is finally free from Lady Aisling's twisted control but she is lost because she can't remember anything about her past except the name of a nonexistent town. Since she is all alone, she is living with her best friend, Sebastian, and his sister. Sebastian and his sister, Jemma, want to help Simone find her family so they decide to go to The Parillan Acrhives so search the records. On the way Jemma is taken over by a body walker, a talent in which the body walker can take over another person's body. Simone and Sebastian have to flee and hope to meet Jemma at the library. On the way they meet a lady who is also searching for her family so she accompanies them to the library. Maeve becomes almost like a stand-in mom for the kids. When Jemma doesn't arrive after several weeks, the kids become very worried. Then when Maeve goes missing they know the body walker has struck again. Simone and Sebastian go searching for Maeve but what they find will shake them both to their core. Will Jemma ever make it back to the kids? Will the body walker threaten Simone and Sebastian? And what will happen when Simone loses Sebastian to another evil? Will Simone be able to handle what she finds out about her past? Read this fast-paced novel to find out all of these answers and so much more. Set in the same fantasy world as Shadow Weaver duology, this fantasy book will leave you wanting more!

Shadow Weaver and Comet Rising are two of my favorite books! When I found out MarcyKate was making a new series in the same fantasy land, I was beyond excited! And Hollow Dolls did not disappoint!! This new series is full of secrets, magic, suspense, and an unbreakable friendship! This book will leave you wanting so much more!!! Do not miss this one!!!

Reading books by MarcyKate is always all kinds of fun. Hollow Dolls was no different. It was a stunning story. This book was a three star for me. Adorable, but not perfect. Which makes me a little sad. But I still enjoyed it so very much. And I cannot wait to read even more books by MarcyKate. I truly love all her worlds.

This one is somewhat a sequel to the Shadow Weaver duology. It tells the story of Simone, a girl that we got to know then. And so this story is from a different point of view. But still set at the same time in the same world. Which I liked a whole lot because this world was all kinds of interesting and I loved exploring it all.

I had so many thoughts about this book. It was short and easy to read, which I loved. I enjoyed getting to know Simone a little bit more. And her best friend, Sebastian, whom she is staying with. They were both captured by Lady Aisling, kept captive for years and years and used because of powers they had gotten from a comet that passes every twenty five years. Which is all kinds of awesome. But this lady had many different talents in her garden. Talents that stole memories and kept you young for years. And so Simone and Sebastian still look and feel about twelve years old, I think. But they are much older than that, though they dont feel so. Which was so horrible yet fascinating to read about. They had been used for years, which was the worst.

What I liked most about this book was simply to read about Simone. She has the talent of being a mind reader. Which was pretty interesting to read about. She tries her best not to read everything she comes across, but it's not easy to control. She is still affected by being captured for so long, but this was barely mentioned. Hmph. When they were all freed, everyone had family come claim them. But Simone did not. She cannot find any of her family. This is about her going to a huge library to search for their lost village.

Which I liked reading about too. I liked reading about the library and all the different people working there. It was interesting to learn different things too. What I adored a whole lot about Simone was that her mind wandered a lot. She got distracted often and did not do what she was supposed to. So adored that about her. And her friendship with Sebastian was adorable too. They were such great friends. I only wish that this book had been even longer. I am excited that there is going to be a second book. I need adventures.

The reason for why this book is a three star for me is because I had some issues with the writing. It felt a bit off to me. Sigh. And I felt like the characters were behaving too innocent about everything. They were a bit too pure for me. Ha. Which is so not a bad thing, but it felt weird for me, considering they had been held captive and used for bad things for so so many years. Felt like they should have been affected more, that they should have been a little darker. They felt too young, which they were, but they were not really.

I completely love reading books by MarcyKate. And even though I did not fully love Hollow Dolls this was still an excellent book. And I am so pleased that I read it. And I know that I will always read books by this author. Because she is awesome. And I love the different fantasy worlds she creates in her books. I think you should all read every book by MarcyKate Connolly. They are all so good. All are middle grade but she has a young adult book out next year, and I so cannot wait to read that one was well. I'm so very excited.

Fans of Connolly’s previous books will enjoy this new entry, although it can be read and enjoyed as a stand-alone. Young readers who want more spooky middle grade books will be satisfied with this story.

A new middle grade series featuring two children with specialized magical talents, who go to The Archives in the main city to try to find out more about the town where one of them might have come from. All while having to confront a new enemy.

Thoughts:
When I ran across this first book in a new series, I was drawn in by the description, which sounds a bit creepy and spooky – one of my favorite subgenres within middle grade. It features two main characters – Simone, a mind reader, and Sebastian, a boy who can steal others memories. The prologue gives quite a bit of background into their story and how they and other children were kidnapped and kept in a Lady’s garden against their will. However, they have recently been freed and the children are free to now go back to their families. Most have a home to go back to, but Simone does not. She had her memories taken by Sebastian and does not know anything about her past, but stays with Sebastian and his sister until she can find hers.

The prologue is pretty extensive for a middle grade novel and after reading it and the first several chapters, I had the distinct impression that I had been thrown into what feels like the middle of a book. As if it were Part II of a novel and I’ve only wandered in to where someone had left it bookmarked. That was when I learned that this is a follow-up series, or add-on series to the Shadow Weaver series. Although though this is a new series it doesn’t really feel that way. There is a great deal of referencing to the previous series and story and even though there is enough information to understand the story it does not feel as if it is broken out into it’s own unique series.

Overall, the story has a series and somber tone to it which also added to my feeling of it being in the middle of a book. It was well-written and had interesting characters with Simone needing to learn a lot of how to actually live day-to-day with her talent, so if you are fans of the Shadow Weaver series you most likely won’t be disappointed. But since I am not familiar with that series it was difficult for me to enjoy on its own.

Rating: 3 stars

Simone is a mind reader. She knows a great many things about everyone she meets, but she can’t seem to remember anything about her past or where she came from. After finally being free for the first time in a long time, she sets off, determined to find her home.

When she stumbles across a man with two minds inside him – the real one, shoved deep down, and one of a body walker, someone who can take over a person’s body against their will – Simone is even more eager to leave her old life behind.

As Simone dives deeper into her history, she learns truths she never could have imagined. But when those she loves start disappearing around her, Simone knows only she can stop the evil.

Set in the same fantasy world as the Shadow Weaver duology, this series starter weaves a tale of secrets, power, magic, and the long path to home.- Goodreads

I initially did not realize that this book was geared towards middle school readers. Once I discovered that fact the entire book changed for me. What I mean by that was I was wondering why was Simone acting like such a child. There is a question of time within this book that even realizing she is about 12, I was still like but. . . . this?

But anyway, Connolly, the author, did a fantastic job of getting me into the book within the first 10 pages. The magic written within this book is great and Simone is powerful as heck and would be even more powerful if she just took a moment to build her skills as opposed to hiding from them. Granted she has a big ass reason for doing that but I am hoping that within the second book she works to improve her powers.

The pace of the novel could have been better. It is really easy to lose focus on this novel as there is a lot of nothing going on. However, it does include a massive as library with rare and historic books. I was all for it. Wish there was more detail and more drama going on in the library. 

But moving on. I loved how the author tied everything together. Everything made sense and fell together lovely. I just wanted more from Simone. She went through so much. So. Freaking. Much. Connolly doesn't dip too much into what she has done, which is unfortunate because there is so much there or at least that was what it was implied. 

Maybe book two will dip more into it?

The one other thing about this book is although the world building is up there and clear as day, the plot was simple and a bit predictable. 

Overall,  I enjoyed this read.

3 Pickles

ARC Copy...it was interesting and satisfying to see probably one of the most victimized members of the lady's "garden" get her limelight and story especially if you are aware just how tragic her very being is. I did like narrative asked-follow the notion...ok the great evil is seemingly gone so how does one pick up the pieces after?

I was so excited to get my hands on another MarcyKate Connolly book!! She's one of my favourite MG authors writing today, and I'm thrilled readers have a chance to return to the Cometlands. However, big disclaimer, I do not think HOLLOW DOLLS holds up well as a standalone series. There are so many references to the SHADOW WEAVER books, I can imagine new readers might get overwhelmed very quickly. So, if you aren't familiar with this world, I would highly recommend reading the SHADOW WEAVER series first.

HOLLOW DOLLS is a quick, fast-moving adventure, following mind-reader Simone's journey to discover who she was before her captivity at the hands of the cruel Lady Aisling ... whilst also trying to outmaneuver a mysterious body-walker. Simone is a wonderful main character, kind-hearted and a little jumbled from her past ordeal. Her companion, Sebastian, was equally endearing, and I loved their relationship. Any book that bases itself around a library get an extra star in my opinion, and Connolly uses the Parillian Archives to drum up a great atmosphere: one of hope and discover, but also fear, as Simone races to figure out which librarian might be the body-walker, circling closer and closer all the time.

Without giving too much away, the twist WAS quite predictable. Maybe this is the detriment of reading too many of the author's previous books and seeing a pattern: "extremely naive girl who believes she's broken comes to rely on a clear-headed authority figure with ulterior motives." Ahem. Also, I would've liked to have seen a little more change in Simone. Instead of seeming like the first book in a series, the overall arc felt like part one of a single book, and I was left unsatisfied by the ending. Again, maybe it's because the ending felt very similar to some of Connolly's previous books ("We've ID'd the bad guy, now we have to stop them"), but I craved ... MORE. Somehow. Just something new, or fresh to make HOLLOW DOLLS stand out on its own. Although the pace was breathless, it wrapped up a little too quickly and neatly, with little emotional change in Simone, Sebastian, or the librarians from the beginning.

Overall, I'm left with mixed feeling. But the writing was, as always *chef's kiss* exquisite, and I enjoyed being back in this dark, magical world. Perhaps younger audiences might find the end less underwhelming. I would definitely recommend to readers who enjoyed SHADOW WEAVER, but again, I'd caution those who are unfamiliar with the universe to perhaps read SW first. 3.5/5

Simone and Sebastian were prisoners of Lady Aisling for untold years, until finally they (and their other magically inclined friends) are released. Sebastian has a sister, now grown up, but Simone can't find anything about her family, much less her hometown, which no one has ever heard of before. The librarians investigating Lady Aisling are less than willing to help Simone find her home, so she, Sebastian, and Jemma decide to strike out on their own.

This is a companion book to Connolly's much loved Shadow Weaver duology, which I haven't read. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I had - it was a bit difficult to figure out the magic/talent system, and readers are plopped in the middle of the action from the very beginning. Fellow prisoners are referenced here and there, but often don't appear on the page.

That said, I did enjoy reading about Simone and her journey to the great library. I'm also fascinated with libraries in fiction, and this one didn't disappoint.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.