Unfortunately, the audio in the audiobook was so distorted, I was unable to listen and make out much of the words.

This was rough as I found that the narrator just didn't seem to have the grasp of the story.

I think the story was solid but needed a bit more polish.

3.5 Stars

I received an advanced audiobook copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

The first part that is a bit frustrating is essentially what one would call intellectual theft, and that is these authors taking the character of Aloysius Pendergast from Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child and writing John Blackwell as almost exactly the same...down to the car. I loved the Pendergast series, however, it certainly made me roll my eyes as I feel these are good authors and they were not at all original in their elusive character.

Otherwise, this was an enjoyable novel and I do greatly enjoy these authors and their previous Strain trilogy. This novel was a little confusing at first with bouncing between three different timelines, however, they finally made sense pretty quickly as the story unfolded in a wonderful manner. This book could definitely be read as a stand-alone, however, it does have a delicious little ending that hooks you and certainly makes me want to read the next book if this series continues!

When I hear mystery/thriller mixed with sci-fi I get excited. This is mostly because I think of Stephen King and love the way he melds the two together. Also, I am a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro. His stuff makes me have this kind of icky feeling in my stomach. Sort of like this anxious energy that is just brewing in my stomach, like angry butterflies where I am excited, enthralled, nervous, and all tangled up. I compare it to a moment where something really exciting is happening that you've been waiting for, and it is finally time.

This book tickled my weird bone - in a good way. It made me rewind it a few times to make sure I was tracking all the information because I felt like this was not an audiobook to nonchalantly listen to while driving to work. I felt like I needed to focus more. For me, personally, I would have preferred this book in a hard copy but that is not due to the narrator. It is more personal preference.

Guillermo del Toro always brings life and dynamism to horror, something we desperately need as often much of horror (with notable exceptions like Tananarive Due, Silvia Morena Garcia, and Stephen Graham Jones and the like) is repeated storylines and tropes. This was a refreshing take, with a solid narrator and audio production.

What a strange little trip this was.

I grew up being a fan of Anne Rice, and I have to admit, that was the thing that was most called to my mind when I was listening to this book. A little of Taltos, a little of Body Snatcher, et cetera, et cetera. That said, all the pieces, from the cop drama to the personal drama to the, oh yeah, immortal magician hunting spirits who get off by possessing people as they die, were all very seamlessly woven together into a surreal little story. My only complaint would be that this was very clearly the first book in a series - at 90%, I felt like I was in the middle of something, not at the end, and while I certainly don't mind series, especially not of this caliber, this definitely felt like a piece of something bigger and perhaps something that will be served better as section of a whole. It absolutely stood alone, but at the same time, was also very aware that it was set-up. Definitely creepy, crawly, and enjoyable.

I mentioned I was reading this in my September 18th, 2020 Friday Reads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na53OuwonYs&ab_channel=Josh%27sBookishVoyage

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The asiest way to describe this book is like an episode of supernatural. Now if you've seen supernatural, you'll know they've taken that way further than they needed to. Luckily this one feels like a pretty good episode.

In this book we follow an FBI detective who is instructed to go investigate a distress call of a father attacking his wife and daughter. When she gets there, things start getting weird. People who are normally entirely fine seem to get infected with some sort of inherent rage and violence. What follows is a series of events that gets her put on desk duty. That doesn't stop her from trying to figure out what going on.

In her investigations she comes across this man who seems to have a weird British dialect and who can do weird things. She soon discovers that what she's experiencing isn't new. That the monster responsible is much more ancient and grand than anything she could ever imagine.

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.
It was also a conversation of race. Coming fresh off of Lovecraft country, this isn't nearly as nuanced, but I thought it was fairly good. In the end though, that kind of distinction isn't mine to have, and I would advise you to look into reviews from people of color.

To sum up, I thought it was an enjoyable ride. I don't regret reading it, and there is a pretty good chance I'll pick up the next one, especially if it's also on NetGalley.

When I saw the authors of this book, I was excited to listen to it. I have enjoyed the books of both authors.
This book is about an FBI agent, Odessa, who shoot and killed her partner, Walt, while they are on a call. She shot him because he had a knife and was going to kill an innocent child. Walt was a decorated agent and his actions were completely out of character. It was if he was possessed.
Odessa is placed on desk leave and is assigned to another office. The desk she is assigned to used to belong to Earl Solomon, a retired agent, in the hospital. She finds some items in the desk and decides to find him and return the items.
She visits him and tell him her story. Her experience sounded familiar and he arranged for her to meet Hugo Blackwood. Hugo will help her understand the experience and guide her throughout the book.
The first few chapters were interesting and kept my attention but after a while, it was too convoluted and lost my interest. I finished the book because I was on a long road trip and hoped it might capture my interest again. It did not. I can’t recommend this book.

Let’s get the elephant in the room talked about right away. This is NOT the strain. It feels like a lot of people are really disappointed in The Hollow Ones because it is not the same feel as The Strain. And it’s true, it’s not. It doesn’t even really feel like it’s by the same authors. BUT…. The Strain is straight up ghastly bloody horror. Hollow is much more of a nod to OLD school Victorian occult detective novels, but set in a modern era. Those old occult novels were much slower with not as much action as books today. It is a much different beast all together, and it is a little unfair to compare the two different books. Del Toro is such a big fan of retro horror, I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he was into Victorian occult novels and detectives. I admit though, that if you are a big fan of his work and The Strain trilogy, it is hard NOT to constantly think about the differences or similarities between the two books.

I really like the concept for this story. Very interesting and it gave me enough of a mystery to keep me going through the book. I do feel like I didn’t really get to know the main characters enough even though the plot is filled with set up. By the time the book was over, I only had an inkling of what the characters were like. I also thought the creature concepts were interesting, but they too didn’t feel fully explored. I wished we had only focused on one creature and get told it’s story fully, instead of doing multi-creatures in book 1.

The Hollow Ones takes place in 3 different eras with new sets of characters for each era. Sometimes it was a little difficult for me, not to keep up, but to remember where which era left off where. The story following Blackwood’s era was a little bit confusing to me. :/ I wasn’t totally 100% sure of the why’s and the what’s about his role in everything. I mean, I get what his job title was, but it just felt like …. I don’t know… maybe it wasn’t really explained all the way or something?

The narrator did a very nice job. She was extremely convincing in the role of Odessa, and she had a lot of variety between the characters. Some people can’t pull off age differences very well, but the narrator did a pretty spot on cadence and flow for both young and old. I had never heard this narrator before. I would have no problem listening to her again.

It felt like Hollow Ones had a lot more set up then answers. I don’t know how the authors work out who does what with their books, but it did feel like del Toro was more hands off on this one? I don’t know for sure, but I would be curious to know if he was as involved as this novel as their previous collaborations? I was entertained, but I didn’t feel as WOWed as normal with something from these guys. I will be interested in book 2, just to see what the next one is like, but it wasn’t an instant MUST READ STAT!!!! situation. Still a decent book, just not as exciting as their other stuff.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this newest book by Guillermo Del Toro. I loved The Shape of Water, but Pan's Labryinth (movie and book version) wasn't my thing at all. But....even if a Del Toro story isn't a personal favorite....it's always entertaining and well-done. So, I jumped at the chance to review this audio book.

Every day for a week I listened to this story as I commuted to and from work. I know when an audio book grabs my attention because I can't leave the story once I reach work...I have to listen on breaks, at lunch, while filing, and at home while I do housework, cook dinner, etc. This book definitely grabbed my attention. I had to know what happened next!

A rookie FBI agent forced to shoot her own partner. Several civilians turning strangely violent for no apparent reason. Rookie FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke knows there is something strange about her partner's violent outburst. She saw a shadowy presence leave his body after she killed him. As Odessa begins to wonder if she's losing her mind, she finds herself on the trail of a shadowy figure.....a man who may be hundreds of years old and hold the knowledge to defeat evil.

An awesomely creepy and suspenseful read! I hope they make this into a movie! It is definitely a Del Toro story. It starts off with suspense, but then quickly delves into the strange and bizarre! But....I'm always up for strange and bizarre! I loved listening to this story. Chuck Hogan co-authored this book with Del Toro. He's written several books...I'm definitely going to check out more of his writing. And Del Toro.....well I will definitely be watching more of his movies (except for Pan's Labyrinth...ugh) and books!

Brittany Pressley does a great job of narrating. She has a pleasant, easily understandable voice and reads at a nice pace. All in all, a nice listening experience!

**I listened to a review copy of this audio book from Hachette Audio. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

In an attempt to stop a spree killer, rookie FBI Agent Odessa and her partner, Walt, rush to killer's house to find a massacre. When Odessa arrives upstairs, she sees Walt wrestling with the assailant, but it appears he is trying to kill him not disarm him. Walt kills the man, runs into the next room where the surviving child is located, and turns his knife on the the young girl. Confused and terrified for the girl's safety, she shoots Walt whereupon a strange black mist smelling of sulfur departs his body.

Assuming she's lost her mind, she is set on desk duty until she is asked to clean the desk of a retired FBI agent and return his belongings. Odessa meets Earl Soloman, who apparently has been working way past retirement age. Worried about what she may have seen, she confides in Soloman, who gives her a very specific set of instructions to illicit the aid of John Blackwood. Then things really begin getting weird.

I must admit, while I have the trilogy on my shelf, I have not read del Toro and Hogan's Strain books. But perhaps they should be moved up the TBR because this was some book! The characters were well-developed, there were some interesting settings. I like the set-up showing where Soloman initially met Blackwood 50 years prior. And some really weird shit happens - and I happen to like that too. The narrator was also really good - a solid voice performance.

Overall, very enjoyable. I will definitely be seeking out the next one.

It almost pains me to give this a 2-star review because I wanted to enjoy it. I read "The Strain" trilogy by del Toro and Hagan. The first book in that series was really good, but the conclusion of that series was so unsatisfying that I almost swore off the authors. When I was offered the chance to listen to "The Hollow Ones," I decided to give the authors another shot.

I enjoyed Brittany Presley's narration- for me, it was her voice that made this book worth listening to till the very end. She is able to portray so many different characters with her voice. However, I think that some books are not meant to be read out loud, especially books that use very basic sentence structures and word choice. Every time Presley would read "he said" or "she said" before or after dialogue, I would cringe. It is not something I usually notice in audiobooks and hearing it so constantly made the book feel like an "adult topic" horror thriller.... written by a grade-schooler.

This is book one of the Blackwood Tapes. The way that the series is set up is very open ended- it is like a television show that can either continue for a long time or end abruptly if there isn't enough interest. I'm not really interested in that type of series, so I doubt I will continue with it. Others that enjoyed del Toro's previous trilogy in its entirety may also enjoy this one.

Thank you Netgalley and Hachette Audio for an advanced listener's copy of this audiobook. Thank you to Brittany Presley as well for a wonderful reading of this- I would be happy to listen to a book narrated by her again :)

This wasn’t quite what I expected, but I did enjoy it! It reminded me a bit of X-files with the supernatural beings. The story went back and forth through a few timelines, but was easy to follow and enjoyable. It’s set up to be a series, so there’s a bit of a hanging ending. Not a cliff hanger per se, but definitely leaves the reader knowing there will be more. I thought the narration was well done! Thank you for the opportunity to listen!

I was pretty into this book all the way through actually. It takes a unique look at a relatively common idea - human possession by evil forces. I was initially intrigued by both the title and the description of the book, but I quickly saw that the description paled in comparison to the actual book itself. First of all, I love how quickly they got into the action. That's one of the things I miss most about being a teenager and reading teenage books like "Fear Street" and the Christopher Pike books - in those books, you jump immediately into the action. There's not 100 pages of setting the scene and exposition like there is with most adult books.

This book is very similar in that within the first... I don't know... 10... 15 minutes of the book's opening, you are in the action. It went hard from the beginning to the very end. I loved that.

I also enjoyed the narrator. (I listened on audiobook.) She did a great job switching between characters without sounding too forced, fake or phony. I enjoyed listening to her telling of the story. The pacing and the speed of the narration were also perfect. I normally listen to book on 1.5-2.0x speed, depending on the narrator. This one I actually listened to on normal speed, and there were very few - VERY few instances - when I was tempted to speed it up a little and get on with it. She did a great job reading at a decent speed.

The audio is clear and easy to understand, too. Things at my house get loud. We usually have a few fans running, the air going, the dog's electronic water fountain splashing water, the dog herself making a ton of noise... if it book isn't clear and crisp, I can have trouble understanding it. This one sounded great.

All in all, I think this was an excellent listen. I look forward to hearing more of the Blackwood Tapes.

I loved The Strain by these guys...all 3 books and was super excited to see that they were starting another series. Supernatural buddy detectives...yes, please. The whole concept of an entity that possesses humans to create chaos for pure fun was a very interesting take, but I felt that there could have been more history about them. This was a nice intro to the series , but not as good as their previous series. The narrators really sold the characters for this and made it much more enjoyable.

The book starts with a horrific crime and set our young heroine in search of the truth . Paranormal stories aren’t generally a genre I enjoy, but I enjoyed the mystery aspects of this story.

The narrator was really good, but the transitions between the multiple time frames was a bit confusing for me at times on audio.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an audio arc of this novel in exchange for an honest review

I just found out this is a series and I'm HERE for that! So excited to get more of these characters.

I'm against spoilers, so I will try not to say too much, but there is a character who you will absolutely love. He's a supernatural Sherlock Holmes with all the style and grace you could want in a lead. He's paired up with a young detective after she loses her partner during a very mysterious incident. Their Scully and Mulder dymamic is the star of this book.

The Hollow Ones shows us demons who are able to jump from host to host, taking over and causing chaos. It reminded me of an old Denzel Washington movie called Fallen. It is hard to know who to trust and how to protect yourself from these unseen entities, and it is a wild ride to the end.

Love this book and looking forward to the next! Sign me up!

The Hollow Ones the new novel from Guillermo Del Toro is urban fantasy similar to The Dresden Files but with less magic. The story itself is an intriguing tale of a FBI agent in a shoot gone bad, where she shot her partner. Its what she sees after he dies that starts her into the rabbit hole, and leads her to Hugo Blackwood the supernatural investigator. He leads her into an investigation that she never wanted and shows her things that she never though possible.

I really enjoyed this audiobook, the narrator had a good voice for the story, I found her really engaging. Her characterizations were pleasant, even had a good southern accent when needed. This is a good book to start the series with just waiting to see where Hugo takes us to next.

Crime thriller ✔
Paranormal ✔
Occult ✔
Historical fiction ✔

An audiobook featuring multiple genres and co-written by award winning director Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan - where do I sign up?

2019 - rookie FBI agent Odessa Hardwicke and her partner attend at the location of a spree killer in action, intent on killing his family, when Odessa sees something inexplicable. Her partner appears possessed, and she shoots him dead. Reassigned to desk duty, she is tasked with clearing out the office of a long retired agent. Bringing Earl Soloman his belongings, he asks for all of the details of the shooting. He then asks her to bring a letter to a specific mailbox and await an answer.

Enter Hugo Blackwood, a mysterious Englishman, apparently 450 years old and seemingly cursed to fight evil and save the world from The Hollow Ones, demons that delight in causing chaos through horrific acts.

Set in Manhattan in 2019, the Mississippi Delta in 1962 during the Jim Crow era, and 1500's London, this is a richly drawn and fast moving tale of good -v- evil through the centuries. The characters are vivid and alive. Odessa's disbelief as this new world opens around her is palpable and you are disbelieving alongside her, only for the full horror of The Hollow Ones to become clear.

The narrator did a fantastic job, however, for me I think I would have preferred this as a physical book. It just fell a little short for me as an audiobook unfortunately but I do think it would make for a great movie or series! 4/5🌟

All thoughts included are based off of the advanced review copy I received.
I enjoyed this audiobook but I'm afraid I kept falling asleep -which is odd, because it's not a boring read at all! Pandemic brain, I guess.

The story was intriguing, and although some other reviewers say it's a rip-off of other titles, I haven't read them so it was new to me. The novice FBI agent, Odessa, is a gutsy, upfront woman that I really liked. By the end of the book you start to empathize a bit more with the prickly, British gentleman that Odessa teams up with to solve a series of violent, and confusing crimes.

A fast-paced read. The narrator was very easy to listen to and managed multiple voices very well.