this was exactly the creepy, dark mystery thriller that i thought it was going to be. at times the plot felt a little slow and predictable but i definitely got goosebumps quite a few times reading this book. Krystal did such a great job of bringing horror movie vibes into this one!

.... I don’t even know how to review this book. It was the most bizarre but captivating thing I have ever read. It was weird, beautiful, horrifying, intriguing and I couldn’t get enough.

A huge thanks to Penguin Teen for giving me this ARC!!

Rating: 4.5/5

No spoilers review:

Normally I don’t read books that belong to the thriller/mystery genre, so this book was definitely out of my comfort zone. However, I was surprised by how much I liked it! I started it last night and it truly took all my willpower to put it down and sleep - the book has a way of capturing your attention until all you can focus on is what’s about to happen on the next page.

I went into the book pretty much blind, thinking it was going to be a pretty, lighthearted fairytale retelling but boy was I wrong. It’s a masterpiece of magical horror, with dark twists and turns that got my heart racing.

One of my main complaints about books is that they get off to a slow start, and it takes a while for me to become invested in the plot, but not with the House of Hollow. Right off the bat, Sutherland dove into the action, recounting the dark and dangerous stories that surround the mysterious Hollow girls.

Overall it was a beautiful, fast-paced story that left me on the edge of my seat, and I would encourage you to read it once it hits shelves!

THIS PART OF THE REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

I knocked off half a star due to the lack of racial diversity in this book; the main characters are the Hollow girls who are all white, and the one POC side character (Tyler) coming in 1/3 of the way through doesn’t exactly count towards a diverse book. I was also mad that he ended up dying at the end - his death seemed a bit pointless and the story could have ended the exact same way if he was still alive.

I also felt since we jumped straight into the action, there wasn’t enough time for the character/world-building I would have liked to read about.

This was such a fun and wild ride. I highly recommend going into this one blind. It was SOO entertaining, couldn’t put it down!

**TW: body horror, gore, child death.**
Iris Hollow and her two sisters disappeared for one month when they were children, but they weren´t the same when they came back. Now ten years later Grey disappears and her two sisters aren´t the only ones trying to find what happened to her. This was such an extraordinary, captivating book. It was so much more different than what I originally expected it to be, but it didn´t let me down. If you want a different fantasy with an extravagant and fascinating mystery that will leave you with an open mouth, then this is the book for you.

Disclaimer: I won an ARC of this book by the editorial.

Uhhh ... *keyboard smash of absolute delight over this book*

I would absolutely count all the ways I loved this, but then this review would be 10000 pages long. The three Hollow girls have never been the same since they disappeared from an Edinburgh street all those years ago and reappeared a month later without any recollection of what happened. Ever since they came back, they have been eerily strange. They were inseparable too, until the eldest sister left at age 17, followed shortly after by the middle sister, leaving Iris alone with their mother and a desire to just be normal. But that's hard to be when your oldest sister goes missing, flowers are sprouting from your blood, and a man with a bull skull head is following you.

The three Hollow sisters are the core of this book. Their bond is impossibly strong and drives much of the deliciously creepy plot. After their disappearance slash reappearance, they were each other's only friends. Their hair turned pale blonde, their eyes dark, each growing abnormally tall, and always always hungry. And there's something about them that makes people listen, obey, their kisses driving them feral.

Iris is the youngest of the sisters and the narrator of this book. She is determined to stay in school and do well, if only for the normal opportunity to go to university. Iris is very close to the girls' very clingy and protective mother, and most of her life revolves around making sure her mom is okay.
Vivi is the middle Hollow. She is all tattoos, piercings and punk, dropping out of school to run around Eastern Europe with her bass guitar and band. Vivi is the only runaway sister still on speaking terms with her mother, and is still welcomed back.
Grey is the oldest and designated leader of the Hollow girls. She left home first under extremely bad circumstances and became a supermodel with a highly successful and eccentric fashion label. When she goes missing, it's up to her two youngest sisters to solve the mystery.

The horror in this is utterly perfect. I honestly wish I wrote it myself because it's everything I love most. Girls unexplainably different in the most eerie way, haunting magic, and a mystery dripping with blood and flowers and wreathed with bones—inject it directly into my veins please. This was horribly macabre and drew deeply from nature with hungry flowers growing inside girls once lost. I finished this almost entirely in one sitting because it was impossible to step away from. The mystery of Grey's disappearance was so well done, and I loved the ending so so much. Everything tied into the idea of doors that once led somewhere now lead somewhere else, and how it looped in with the Hollow girls disappearance and what they became after was beautifully crafted.

I am absolutely obsessed with this book and am definitely buying a physical copy on top of the e-ARC and audiobook I already have. This was deliciously creepy and I want more, plain and simple.

This was really good. It wasn’t want I was expecting but overall it was such an enjoyable read. Oh and the cover!!! Beyond beautiful

This was also posted to Goodreads.

This book took me a bit to get into, and it was weird but intriguing. I think that it will be a book that I recommend to some students, and there is a certain selection that will like it. This fantasy/horror sort of line isn't one that I see a lot or have a lot of in my library. It is not for everyone and maybe not for the casual YA reader. I enjoyed the characters. I did see one of the twists coming just before it did, but I thought it was a good path for the storyline. Overall, I would purchase this title for my high school library.

I get it, but I don’t. The emphasis in thin pretty perfection is disturbing.

I wanted to enjoy this because adore creepy and weird books. This now just did not hit the spot.

I loved the strong bond between the three sisters even though they've all went their seperate ways. Two of them left home to do their own thing with Vivi joining a girl punk band and Gray become a model and designer. The youngest of the three sisters Iris is bisexual, Vivi is a lesbian and the oldest sister Gray is straight. We follow Iris point of view who is now the only sister still living at home with their overprotective mother. Despite that I actually enjoyed their mother daughter relationship especially towards the end when some information comes to light and her mother still treats her the same. I also liked Grays boyfriend Tyler and his chaotic cinnamon roll personality.

Iris and her two sisters all went missing together as children and came back a month later with some odd differences. Their hair turned white, their eyes black, and some baby teeth that were gone were suddenly back. Since Iris doesn't remember the time the sisters spent missing we get to uncover the mystery along with her. I had somewhat of an idea where this was going but the uncertainty made for a suspense plot. Not to mention being hunted by a creature in a bull skull added some exciting danger. The ending wasn't wrapped up in a neat little bow. It was messy and left a lot of questions unanswered but that gave it a more realistic conclusion.

I loved the creepy vibes and the girls odd abilities to control those around them. I loved the mix of horror and paranormal. Theres quite a bit of gore and dark themes which I found very gripping. The dark and bloody descriptions made for some vivid imagery. The writing had this way of being both grotesque and beautiful all at the same time. I haven't read many books set in the Scotland and the UK in general so this was a nice change. I enjoyed the way the setting amplified the dark and dreary atmosphere. It was well suited to in-between places like old abandoned doors and forgotten decaying structures. I would definitely check out this authors future releases if she were to come out with more books in the same genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book.

First off, THAT COVER 😍😍
I was blown away by this book, and even though I was expecting dark, I wasn't expecting all the elements I got from this story. This was written so beautifully, and had so many layers to peel away. The settings were described so well that I could vividly picture everything and I loved it, even in the dark moments. It's hard to write a review without giving any spoilers, just know that the Hollow sisters are strange, and strange things happen... Equal parts beautiful and macabre, this was a wonderful, and wonderfully written, book.

An eerie and mysterious book partially set in Scotland? SIGN ME UP. That synopsis, the rave reviews, the cover….all added up to make me add this book to my TBR. But while I was interested and intrigued by the book and didn’t want to put it down, ultimately I was left feeling a little disappointed.

First things first, this book is such a quick read. It’s odd. It’s dark. It’s fascinating. Iris is a compelling main character who struggles with who she is and how the world responds to her and her sisters because of that. It’s incredibly hard to discuss this book without spoiling, so I’m pretty limited in what I can say. I think the look at morality and how that differs for each character is interesting, if at times frustrating. It was, however, the one thing that made the book seem more sinister. Some of the topics tied into that are not handled the best, including one of the instances of sexual assault.

Iris and her journey is what kept me anchored to the story. She’s faced a lot in her life, and that has left scars both physically and mentally. Of course it’s the same for her sisters, but since the story is told through Iris’ eyes that’s who I felt for the most. She loves her family deeply, even as she struggles to understand them and discover what happened when her and her sisters were kids.

The book is also full of creepy moments, with some body gore tied into the mystery and the fantasy element. It added to the eerie factor of the book in the best way. It added complexity to the story, as well as conflict and horror that drove the action of the book. If you like gore in your books, you’ll appreciate it here. I don’t really read books with horror or body gore elements – at least, not often -, but I think it was done well in this book.

I think what I struggled with in this book is, for one thing, the reveal. It’s painfully obvious what it is pretty much right from the beginning. The characters might not know, but the author makes it very clear to readers. For me, that meant the mysterious element that’s driving the whole book is not as satisfying as I’d hoped. The ending is also a little unsatisfying for me. It felt a little unfinished, or maybe I just wanted more. I wanted to see what consequences of the mystery would be, because I felt the ones we were provided with were not enough. I also have to mention that I’m not a fan of the way one of the only – if not the only – characters of colour is handled in the book. If you’ve read it, I’m sure you’ll know just what I mean.

Despite the overall content of this review, I’m glad I read the book. It was unique and dark. It’s fast paced, and the prose is really lovely and descriptive. I liked it, but I can’t see myself re-reading it. I read this with a group on Instagram, and many people loved it, so if the book sounds like your cup of tea please read it. I hope you like it.

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland is such an amazingly creepy book, and I loved reading it! It is so unique, and I can truthfully say, unlike anything I have ever read before. It has dark fantasy and horror vibes, and I was so into both the story and the pacing. Super atmospheric, gothic, and fast-paced, this is one of those books that you would want to read around Halloween because it is going to creep you OUT. I loved the mystery/thriller aspect as well, and the sisters were quite the conundrum. The story is told all from the viewpoint of Iris who can't remember what happened when they disappeared for a month at a young age. But then when her sister Grey goes missing, she and her sister Vivi set out to look for her based on the clues Grey has left behind and what they find is utterly shocking and terrifying. The cover is incredibly perfect for the plot, and I don't think I am ever going to be able to look at any flower the same again.

The audiobook was really well done and narrated by Eleanor Bennett who shockingly doesn't seem to have narrated that many books. I loved her narration for House of Hollow and she really brought the creep factor up even higher. There are a lot of descriptions of rotting and dead things, and I was definitely grossed out at times, so I probably wouldn't try to read this while you're eating. I loved it from the very first page and thought it had a decent amount of shock value to it as well. It went much darker than I had expected it to go and it kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end. The plot and writing were very easy to follow, and I legit have no idea where Sutherland came up with this idea but I'm glad she did. The world created in House of Hollow was a frightening one, and I loved the way the suspense was carried through the entire novel. Would definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks the synopsis sounds good!

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

While House of Hollow was definitely something out of my usual reading, overall I really enjoyed it. Sutherland is a skilled writer, and her use of descriptive language and story-telling was captivating. Each Hollow sister dynamic and flush-ed out, and their familial bond was extremely well-written. There were times I felt like the plot dragged on, and the first half of the book was easily outpaced by the second half. In all, I would recommend this to my audiences.

This YA thriller kept me wanting to stay up past my bedtime. I tend to get really into the moment with a book and rarely see any twists or turns because I’m so engrossed in the story on the page. House of Hollow was no exception. I enjoyed all the characters and the plot was fast paced!

This was absolutely beautiful! I loved the eerie feel of the world. The characters were so mysterious and intriguing! The writing was stunning, I loved the description of things and how it all came together. This is definitely perfect for a spooky read, no horror in it but it gives that mysterious vibe. Cant wait to read more by this author!

I very thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. This sets up a lot of things within the mystery but it truly went by so fast and there was never a moment where it dragged on in my opinion. It's whimsical in both writing and setting, horrifying in description, beautiful in sister relationships, and heartbreaking about the lengths one goes to protect the ones they love. I had no idea what was going to happen in this book and the rollercoaster I went on while reading this was crazy. The plot was so bizarre and extravagant. I really enjoyed Iris as a character as well as Vivi, Tyler, and even Grey. The plot twists in this book were so gruesome and odd. This book read as an urban fantasy Grimms fairytale with a world beside our own consumed by the dead and three girls who appear as humans in skin but are rotting underneath with carrion flowers and ants sprouting from them. I know Grey was supposed to be unlikable, but I understood her and her wants. Although she became famous and successful, she cared most about her sisters and did horrible things to protect those she promised she would. This book was such a deceptively frightening and twisted tale that is one of a kind much like the Hollow sisters

House of Hollow was one of those books where I wasn't quite sure how I felt about it once I finished. In terms of what I enjoyed: I absolutely loved the premise of this novel and how the author incorporated the legends of fae changlings in the plot, lore that is based off of many different European cultures. I've always found that legend interesting but have never read a book where it is a pivotal part of the plot, so I thought that was really cool. I love how dark of a book this was. The darkness in this plot and in these character's stories gave House of Hollow a really atmospheric feel, and the mystery behind the Hollow sisters disappearance and the current mystery of the missing Hollow sister was very scintillating and had me turning pages until the big reveal towards the end. For the most part, House of Hollow is not a difficult read in terms of the writing, but one thing I will say was there were moments when I was a little put off by how gnarly some of the things in it were. I understand that these were choices made by the author to add elements of horror to the novel, and it worked, but it felt over the top. Also, this book was super weird, and while there's charm in weird books, sometimes it felt like it was trying a bit too hard in that respect and was over the top. Also, this book is marketed as a fantasy, and for sure there are fantasy elements in it, but it would have been better marketed as a horror book. When I go in with expectations of a fantasy, it needs to be a fantasy. Horror elements are fine, great even, and I love genre bending books, but to call this one a fantasy made me feel misled. For these reasons, I gave this rating. But if you enjoy quirky, weird books with elements of horror, House of Hollow is the book for you.

This is more grotesque horror than just straight fright. But dang does it to it well. If you have an over active imagination and just don't handle gore or excruciating detail you should probably pass on this one.
The story is so well done and really brings you in.

This book definitely gave me creepy vibes throughout the WHOLE thing. It’s not really a scary feeling just super eerie and gives you this feeling like you know something really bad is just around the corner. 😱😱😱⁣
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There were 3 little girls Iris (7), Viv (9) and Grey (11) that disappeared 10 years ago, without a trace down a old town Edinburgh Road while under their parent’s supervision. One minute they were right in front of them and they turned their heads for one second and they were gone the next. They were gone for 1 solid month until they reappeared just as suddenly on that same Old Town road. They don’t remember what happened but they are suffering from PTSD that has effected them both mentally and physically with changing hair and different eyes. Their family unit is slowly being torn apart. The girls father Gabe slowly loses his mind seeing his children change so much and eventually commits suicide. ⁣
Cut to the present. Iris’s oldest sister Grey goes missing. She has a habit of disappearing for days at a time ever since she left home at 15. But this time it’s different. With the middle sister Viv in tow Iris and Viv start to notice weird (even weirder that their normal weird life) things while searching for Grey. Like a dead man with bloody symbols all over his body left in their sisters ceiling and a man wearing a bulls mask that seems to be stalking them. And now Iris is getting snippets of memories from the past. And she knows the only way to really find her sister is to figure out the mystery of their disappearance as children. ⁣
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𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬:⁣
Iris and Tyler were my favorites.⁣
Probably Tyler most of all! 🔥🔥🔥⁣
I think throwing Tyler (Grey’s hot model boyfriend that kind of reminds me of Harry Styles) in the mix was amazing. He provided some comic relief with his sarcastic wit. And I had stars in my eyes picturing this man come to life! ⁣
I really didn’t have much of an attachment to Viv or Grey. I felt a weird mix of disgust, admiration and sympathy for Grey though.⁣
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𝐏𝐥𝐨𝐭:⁣
First off House of Hollow is very well written. It is told in the first person of Iris Hollow. Honestly I would love a rewrite in Grey’s perspective. It would help answer some questions I have.⁣
It is definitely a slow burn. I have a hard time with slower paced books but I think in this case it helped to soak everything up in pieces to truly appreciate the creep factor. You had to follow the bread crumbs to truly understand the story instead of having it thrown all at you if that makes sense. ⁣
The end leaves you wondering if there is more to come. And seriously I didn’t think I would be so invested to read it, but I’m already googling will there be a second House of Hollow book with no answers!! I need to know KS!!! ⁣
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This was a bit of a bizarre, twisty, and spooky book that I didn’t realize I needed in my life. So thank you so much to Penguin Teen for your gifted eArc in exchange for my honest review.