This is one of the first audiobooks I ever picked up and decided to try listening to. Three years later, once I finally got into audiobooks and was able to take time to listen and comprehend what was going on, I picked The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan up again. Absolutely loved it!

First, I really enjoyed the narrator. The voices for each character were clearly able to be differentiated and honestly? Loved the the voice she did for John Blackwood, aka the love of my life. I think if I were to read this instead of listen, I would not have cared as much for the characters.

Second, the story was really interesting. Pacing was fast, which was good because it kept me from digging too deep into everything or from getting bored. Some might complain that it is too shallow, that it hasn’t been developed enough. I would argue that this is (or was meant to be) a book one. If it had stuffed in all of the explanation and world building in, the pacing would have suffered and there’d be less to look forward to in following books.

I think there was a good balance between procedural legal things and supernatural creepy things. It wasn’t scary, but eerie. There were hints of love angle but it didn’t burden the story and was kept mainly to the background. Likely foreshadowing things to come, hopefully.

I say hopefully and meant to be because this book was published in 2020 and, three years later, a sequel has never been released. I’m afraid that it will become an abandoned series. It wouldn’t be terrible. If it ended with book 1, the ending wouldn’t drive me crazy. It feels pretty wrapped up, but very obviously begging for a second.

If you like crime stories and paranormal stories, The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan might be for you. Just don’t go into this book expecting it to lean heavy into either genre.

I think I might be being a bit hard on Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan as I had exceedingly high expectations for this audiobook. But, that is their own fault as I am a huge fan of their STRAIN series.

I did enjoy this audiobook, but the concept of a body-hopping demon has been written many, many, many times.

The characters were interesting and I thought that the character of FBI Special Agent Odessa Hardwicke was particularly well written.

Also, I think Narrator Brittany Pressley was phenomenal.

I am rating the audiobook version of THE HOLLOW ONES as 3 out of 5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HachetteAudio for providing me with a free copy of this audiobook.

This was a new to me narrator, I enjoyed that part very much. I will read more books narrated by them.

The actual story, not so much.

To me, this was not scary enough to be horror, but too scary to be suspense. It was an inbetween thing that honestly did not make much sense.

I think if the characters had been fully fleshed out instead of just being there, it would have made it so much better.

The truth is I expect more from Guillermo del Toro. I was disappointed in this one and considered bailing.

I was expecting more from Guillermo del Toro. The narrator was better than the story. It felt like it was written for a movie, the characters remaining shallow. Props for the Algernon Blackwood reference, though.

One of the few one-star reads I’ve ever experienced. The characters were flat and the story’s mythology never quite came together, but the last straw came when the backstory quickly became a white savior narrative.

I expected better from something associated with Del Toro, but I suspect his involvement in this was limited.

I really enjoyed this start to a new horror series with a bit of mystery and fantasy! The series does flash back and forth in time from a female FBI agent in present time, a male FBI agent in the 1960's and 1500's London. It added a bit of historical elements which the villains and hero added some mystery and magic. The backstory could have been expanded a bit for several characters, but I'm hoping this will change in the sequel. This story made a really entertaining audiobook and the female narrator did a great job on all parts. I think the narrator made this story better as an audiobook than book and the only thing that could've made it better was a full cast. Overall, I hope the story continues with a sequel because I would enjoy learning more about the characters and where they go next.

Unfortunately, I couldn't connect with this book. I found my attention wavering constantly which is a shame considering I loved The Shape of Water. I will read other works by Guillermo del Toro in the future nonetheless.

Very similar to Stephen King's The Outsider. A fine book, but I perhaps didn't enjoy it as much, reading it within a year or 2 of Outsider. I much preferred del Toro's The Strain Trilogy.

While I finished this one, it took me a long time to get there and I really didn’t enjoy it. I thought the narration was well done and appropriate for the book, but this one just wasn’t for me.

Very creepy and atmospheric read. Really good to listen to on audio book. Great horror that I would love to read a sequel to.

Wow! I’m not quite sure what I expected but this was great! The narrator did a great job with the characters and the storyline was enjoyable. It starts slow but once it gets going it doesn’t stop! Thanks to netgalley and Grand Central Publishing for the audio review copy!

This book was an enjoyable ride. It wasn't difficult, but it was never overtly scary. Nevertheless, del Toro definitely knows how to set a good tone. Of course, he is known for all of his works in film and television, and I'm glad to see that he's able to do a decent job as an author. I was a little irked I have to deal with another detective story, but the author is more critical than praising of the FBI. The FBI is definitely seen as an antagonist or at least a mild one.
No,I'm not going to review this audiobook in detail, because I would inadvertently spill out spoilers.
All I would like to say that when it's written by Guillermo del Toro you know it's a masterpiece.
Absolutely loved the narration style.Excellent work by Hachette Audio by making an audiobook of this book.
Many thanks to Hachette Audio for providing me with an audiobook.

I really enjoy Brittany Presley as an audiobook narrator. I’ve listened to a couple of audiobooks narrated by her and she always does a fantastic job. Although I didn’t think this was the most epic story, I still felt that it was a fast, entertaining read! The characters were not the best. Most of them fell flat. I hope the remaining books of the series shows more character development. I look forward to continuing the series.

The Hollow Ones is an engaging book that balances a modern tragedy with a related event that took place decades before. Follow two different FBI agents from separate times as they unravel the mystery, and the man, that will ultimately connect them. While at times the pacing of the book can be a bit slow, it's well worth a listen.

For some reason, I was a bit hesitant to dive into this book. I wasn't seeing a lot of raving reviews and the plot seemed to be a maybe. However, I'm so glad I took the plunge because this book was amazing. There's definitely a creep factor, think THE WHISPER MAN. I highly recommend it.

I like the works of Guillermo del Torro, so I gave this one a try. The story is a mix of thriller and horror. While investigating a crime, an FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke, encounter some unexplainable things. The Hollow Ones is a fast-paced thriller with elements of the supernatural, and I can easily picture it as a movie.

This book is not my favorite Del Toro work, but it is a good one, anyway. The narrator did a great job. Overall, I liked the story and narration, though I have to admit, it took me more time than usual to finish it.

3.5 stars rounded to 4. I will seek the next book when available. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to listen to this! All opinions are my own.

Thoughts: I will forever be a fan of Guillermo del Toro. He’s created some of the most fascinating yet horrific worlds but I don’t think I can ever get past how every single one of his books seems to be written in the hopes of them someday being turned into a film. The summary of this gave me the idea it could be like an old X-Files episode: a young FBI agent investigating a terrible crime turns to a man of the occult after being unable to rationalize the supernatural aspects of the case. No, we’re not talking aliens, but the supernatural aspect actually reminded me far too much of another book which I had only recently read. I’m not sure the close comparisons were what ultimately left me unimpressed or if it was the considerable amounts of gratuitous violence and the fact that I didn’t realize this wasn’t a standalone novel until the final page.

Verdict: I just realized that every single Guillermo del Toro book I’ve read has been him paired up with someone else. Makes me want to give Hogan’s individually written books a shot. In regards to The Hollow Ones, while I can see where the authors plan to take this series, I’m not sure the first installment left me feeling invested enough to continue.

For some reason I was unable to listen to this as it wouldn't work! I did however purchase a physical copy upon release and can happily say I devoured it. It's been a long time since I read The Strain Trilogy and I forgot just how cohesive del Toro and Hogan work together as a single writing voice. Also very happy to learn that this is in fact also a trilogy/1

This was a pretty strange story, which I expected going into it. It started out strong and interesting but I think got convoluted as it went on. There's three timelines and three sets of characters to keep track of.
The narration was good, I liked the voices and accents.

Overall, it's a decent read but not a favourite.