Unlike other reviews I’ve seen I actually enjoyed this book more than Alex North’s debut novel “The Whisper Man”

I listened to the audio book version. The narration is smooth as silk. Some of the best I’ve heard in a long time and I listen to a lot of audiobooks. Definitely worthy of of an Audie award!

In this novel Paul returns to the town he was raised in due to the declining health of his mother. This return stirs up unresolved feelings about the murder of a friend when he was a teen. The murder was never solved and the townspeople seem to want to forget - but Paul is not ready to let it go. Add to the basic mystery the acts of lucid dreaming and you have one heck of a plot.

My only complaint (hence 4 instead of five stars) was that there is so much going on towards the end of the book that I did get a little lost.

Overall a very enjoyable read or listen. Don’t hesitate to pick up a copy!

I was definitely looking forward to this one as it sounded pretty creepy and everybody loves GDT. I didn't love it, but I liked it. The audiobook narrator was enjoyable and she did a great job. The story has elements of horror, suspense, occult, and mystery. The story definitely reminded me of the movie Fallen so it wasn't super original and I really wanted more out of the characters and the back story. Maybe there will be a sequel that will explain things a little better and give the characters more of a chance to develop, I would definitely read it. Overall, I enjoyed the fast pace and some of the aspects of the story, but I wanted so much more.

A very addictive novel that will please fans of horror and procedurals alike. The premise is not unheard of, there is a similar movie with Denzel Washington, but the way it is written is so engrossing, that I couldn’t stop reading. Odessa is a rookie FBI agent who has to shoot her partner when he becomes inexplicably violent. In the aftermath, she’s given a dead-end office job within the FBI, where she comes in contact with a retired agent who introduces her into a world she never knew existed. The procedural part is interesting, but I enjoyed the creepy portions best. The Mississippi woods at night, abandoned NY buildings, ghostly apparitions in Elizabethan England… the locales could not be any spookier. Brittany Pressley gives a great performance on the audiobook, making every character distinctive, even if her British accent sounded a little off. Since this is volume 1, I expect there to be another installment next. I’m looking forward to it.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Hachette Audio!

***I received an AAC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review***
I am a huge del Toro fan. Anything he touches is gold in my opinion. The Hollow Ones is a fast-paced read that gripped me immediately. The characters were fleshed out and easily visualized. POV's were clear and detrimental to the narrative the difference being that some writers seem to stick in a POV that just derails the story and detracts from anything useful. Creepy and weird, occulty, and sinister! What else can you expect from these two?
This was a great thrill and I can't wait to see what they do next!

The Hollow Ones is deliciously dark and twisted and a wonderful balance of thriller, horror, suspense and action.

The plot jumps between timelines but with shared characters across each time frame so you get a deep understanding of each main character.

The storybuilding is consistently engaging and weaves in commentary on racial profiling, abuse of power in authority figures and stigmatizing mental health all within a horror/thriller.

The pacing is brilliant and certain revelations help to build and twist the story.

I don't have a bad word to say really.

The narrator is also brilliant and easily and convincingly switches between multiple characters in different ages, accents and fevers seamlessly. They perfectly build and heighten the tension imbued in the story and are the perfect choice for this audiobook!

Review will be live by July 31st across all socials.

I am a big fan of the authors and have read and listened to The Strain trilogy previously, I thought they were great books and Ron Perlman narrated superbly, this book is reminiscent of the Fallen but delivers a great deal more character development and pathos, I was swept along with the story and despite having to stop because my wife forced me to so I could actually pay her some attention I managed to listen to this in one day because I needed to hear more, it is my first audiobook from Netgalley (thank you very much) and aside from some download teething issues the experience was very good, the narration by Brittany Pressley was suplative and she subsumed me into the story effortlessly, highly recommended

First, I have to say how fast paced and fun this was to listen to. I started it yesterday morning and listened in one sitting. I was sucked in and definitely entertained. That being said, this wasn't really an original idea as the synopsis made it sound.

Let me explain a little on how I rate books, many people do not read my profile, so here it is:
For ☆☆☆ I
Enjoyed reading
Found some minor plot holes
Thought character development needs some work
Felt world building is lacking
Would recommend
Am unlikely to read again
Will likely read next in series
Highlight a few memorable points
So for a four star read, those same points are elevated a bit; five stars, highest level of those points. Make sense?

For The Hollow Ones, I am stuck between three and four. The character development in here was excellent. You don't only see the characters' strengths but also their faults and weaknesses. We feel the pain they go through and their desperation. However, I felt the world building was a bit lacking and maybe that will come in the next story (hopefully).

Originality is not really this story's forte. I've seen Fallen in the 90s and it had a very similar premise. But that didn't take away from the enjoyability of the story itself. I read A LOT so I am always looking for a fresh idea and this was sitting under the heating lamp for a couple hours.

There are a few memorable spots I can't stop thinking about and I won't post there here with risk of spoiling but I can't stop thinking why a grown man would want to eat dried out meatloaf.

3.5 stars rounded up

Hello Gemmies! I have an exciting book review to share with you today. Please note: I received an audiobook ARC of this book (via NetGalley) from its publisher in exchange for an honest and fair review.

The Hollow Ones is a new disturbing fantasy horror story by the dynamic duo Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I was so excited to receive this one to review. I was expecting a sweeping epic horror with major creep factor, and this did not disappoint. The Hollow Ones is an entertaining read. Let's start with the story. The world building is solid and we get three distinct timelines and stories that eventually converge to tell one cohesive story. There are references to various religions and magical belief systems which can get a little confusing at times, but it adds a layer of depth to the story. This is also a well written character driven story with a diverse cast of characters that I found to be complex, dynamic, and relatable. The world building is vivid enough that you find yourself immersed in the story in each point in time. There are themes of greed, friendship, betrayal, racism, bravery, and sacrifice.

The Hollow Ones is narrated by one person, Brittany Pressley. Brittany has a smooth subtle voice. She does a great job keeping pace with the story, slower portions of the book feel appropriate, and action packed scenes feel intense. There are several main characters in this book and Brittany does a good job in differentiating her voice between each. You can always tell when it is another character "speaking". I am really torn on this one. It feels like this is a solid 3.5 read, but am unsure if i should round up or down. It was entertaining and creepy but something was missing for me, perhaps more information on the hollow ones themselves. Ultimately I decided to round up for the creativity of the hollow one creatures. If you are a fan of chaos and mayhem, creepy elemental beings, conspiracies, and horror then go read this book! This gem published by Grand Central Publishing is set to release on August 4, 2020 and is available for pre-order from all major booksellers. I give The Hollow Ones 4 out of 5 gems. I cannot wait for this story to be out in the world for all to read and enjoy. Happy Reading!

Pegged as a supernatural police procedural, The Hollow Ones deviated very far from police procedure and delved into hand-wavey supernatural stuff. I would have been more inclined to like the supernatural aspects if Hugo Blackwood wasn't so... Opaque? He convinces these FBI agents almost 60 years apart to follow him and buy in to his story, his power, his knowledge. But... He's not that convincing? His whole shtick felt very heavily rooted in the "you know characters like this from fiction so we shouldn't have to work to make you believe this one" and that just didn't fit with the level of detail in the rest of the story.

Odessa was also a little bit too incredulous (which seems like a strange critique for a character who's being confronted with the supernatural); her lack of belief was so constant/implacable that it was literally holding back the story's momentum. I wanted more of her story sans Blackwood, though, just because I feel like there's a lot more hiding below the surface. But alas Blackwood monopolized the entire second half of the book.

Earl's portions of the book (a series of flashbacks to the site of a lynching in 1962) were fantastic. Again, not really sure how/why he trusted Blackwood so much and so immediately (while also being very open about not believing him?), but the racial tension, the religious undertones, the undisputed presence of the KKK... It really worked for the story, rooting some of the crazier happenings into the harsh reality. Though I did have trouble connecting the actual case itself to Odessa's case in 2019 (it felt more like rather than forging a connection, the writers just wanted to introduce our characters)

I did love how cinematic the writing was. The level of detail and the way characters interacted (sans Blackwood - because his whole character didn't make a lot of sense) just felt very authentic. I would definitely read another book in this universe.

An ancient evil and an occult detective come crashing into Odessa Hardwicke's life. As an FBI agent she thinks she knows how the world works. She has worked hard to be where she is and she know's she's smart enough to get the job done. Then something strange happens and she is forced to turn her gun on her mentor. This is just the beginning, all sorts of crazy and scary things happen.

I really liked Odessa. I liked how smart she was and how she never backed down. I do believe she was one of the first people to ever disagree and argue with Hugo Blackwood, the hero of this story. I loved those times so much. I also loved Hugo Blackwood's lack of knowledge when it came to modern technology, the electrical torch (flashlight). Their banter his lack of modern knowledge was a comedic relief that was needed in a book like this. A book where Hollow ones can snatch up a body and take over.

I mean... *shiver* Yeah, I'm not about that. It vividly brought back scary memories from childhood. I went through this stage where I was terrified a demon was going to posses me. I prayed so hard for this not to happen. I don't remember if I saw a movie or what brought this on, but it was a real fear my 8 year old self had.

I also really enjoyed all the Supernatural feels I got from it. I kept thinking, "Is this anti demon possession tattoo a real thing?" There was talk about magic and helpful incantations. So this might be a real thing in this world. And if not, it should be.

I really enjoyed this book but it's because I don't really watch tv. I mean Supernatural, but nothing else. And I never watch horror films, they scare me too much. So I didn't see any similarities to other demon movies. I also love detective and investigating shows like Criminal Minds. This combined both! It was full of action and really good flashbacks. I hate when a book has flashbacks and they don't work well. These flashbacks were very well done. The multiple POV's too. I just really liked it okay.

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. I know I just did an audiobook review yesterday but I could not stop listening to this one today and I finished it. I am sure my coworkers are annoyed with me because I had my earphones in all day. I don’t care, this was too good to stop.
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Summary-usually harmless people are killing family, and coworkers in violent fashion until being killed themselves. FBI agent, Odessa, is on suspension after killing one of these random murderers. She is trying to investigate what is going on and summons Hugo Blackwood, a mysterious British person from another time who knows about the evil beings causing the murders.
Hugo was such a good character, almost a cross between Sherlock Holmes and David Tennant from Doctor Who, that I hope this is not the last time we see him. I could see Hugo and Odessa having many supernatural, other dimensional FBI adventures

First, I listen to audio books on the regular and I wasn't impressed with the narrative of this book. Second, this book was just disturbing and I couldn't even enjoy it.

The Hollow Ones by Guillermo Del Toro

Audiobook
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Release Date: August 4, 2020

Mystery & Thriller, Sci-Fi & Fantasy


The book is a mystery with a pinch of possession sprinkled in. There is a miracle child, body snatchers, and a paranormal entity. When Agent Leppo is shot and killed by his partner Agent Odessa Hartwicke, a mist leaves his body. The first thing that came to my mind was the movie Fallen starring Denzel Washington. The mist enters a person and makes them rage with anger.

This was the first book I have read by the author although I have watched a few of his movies. I was somewhat disappointed with the book. The version I had jumped around a lot for example when I was on Chapter 15, I was listening to a previous chapter. Then the story would jump forward, and I was not sure what happened and if I missed something. I would have liked to give it more stars but I could not even finish listening the book.

Having not read anything by Guillermo del Toro before but I have watched plenty of his films. I expected something dark and suspenseful – something to get my blood pumping. What I got was something a little… underwhelming.

This book has some serious issues with race and culture. Don’t get me started on the eye roll inducing lynching of a white man – unnecessary and disrespectful to say the least.

Fans of fast reads and possession may enjoy this – but I caution those looking to read this. There is nothing special about this book that you could find in something less “edgy” and more socially aware.

I love Guillermo del Toro: love his movies, his writing. This book is very good would recommend to any who likes his other work. Thank you Netgallery.

I received a copy from Netgalley, in audiobook format, in exchange for an honest review.
I was downright gleeful to find out Netgalley had started to offer audiobooks. When I read the blurb for this one, I snapped it up right away. It's my first time reading anything by the authors, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I know Del Toro is known for horror (and the epically depressing Pan's Labyrinth) so I was thinking something really dark, but... Yeah, no. The Hollow Ones was surprisingly light and fun. Yeah, there are evil entities and gruesome death, but the overall feeling isn't particularly scary. And I'm ok with that.
I read a review comparing one of the protagonists to Agent Prendergast from the Preston and Child novels. I can see that (the parallels are undeniable- they even drive the same classic Rolls-Royce), but Blackwood isn't as much of a Gary Stu. He's still somewhat unrealistically competent (and, frankly, an unlikable snob), but his backstory is interesting and thoughtfully put-together.
The female protagonist, Odessa, fares a bit better. She also has a fully formed backstory. She behaves in a believable manner and makes realistic decisions. My one gripe, and it's a big one, I wasn't thrilled by the subplot involving her love life (it was a HUGE cliché). It was unnecessary and actually detracted from the story.
Solomon is probably the most interesting and likable of the bunch, though. His story, both in the 60s and in the present, were the most engaging, I thought.
The story itself was very simple, but it worked. The plot was carefully constructed, moved very quickly, with an ending that left things open for a sequel, but without loose ends. It's a great, entertaining summer read. I look forward to reading more
(Two last notes: my copy was a mess. It was frustratingly glitchy, like a skipping record. It would suddenly skip back to the beginning, or some other random point in the text. And then it would skip forward and I'd think, wait, I feel like I missed something? It was a huge pain, because I had to keep guessing where I just was, and I ended up listening to some chapters several times, and it really took me out of it.
Finally, as it was an audio version, the narrator was quite good.)