[4.5/5] House of Hollow is a mystery wrapped in a dark fairy tale, but set in modern-day London. It goes without saying that I had to get my hands on this book!

A quick synopsis: When they were little girls, the Hollow sisters went missing. They returned a month later, but their eyes had turned darker and their hair had turned white. Years later, the eldest sister goes missing again, and it’s up to the younger two to find her.

This was eerie and haunting and beautiful. The concept was so intriguing, and the atmosphere matched it perfectly. I loved the sisters’ bond, too – how it was always them against the world.

Read if you like:
-urban fantasy that feels real
-mysterious, beguiling characters
-urban myths
-unique settings with a Gothic feel
-dark YA stories with horror elements

It’s technically a young adult book, but it felt older. (So if you don’t normally read YA, don’t let that stop you from checking this one out!)

This story had me entranced from beginning to end, and I loved the twists and turns it took. The setting was ethereal and tangible at the same time. It felt like its own character. Highly recommended!

WOW.
This book was really good, 4.5 stars. I highly recommend it if you're a fan of dark fantasy/mystery. It was intense and a very fast paced read. The plot twists were shocking, and the characters were so-so.
Overall, it was great!

Extremely dark and rich with dynamic imagery, this story was intense, gruesome, and yet still compelled me to keep turning the pages.

The Hollow sisters have always been different. Iris, the youngest of three, wants more than anything to be normal despite the eerie and unexplainable differences the sisters returned with after their disappearance when they were young. A decade later, eldest sister Grey, now an irresistible supermodel, goes missing once more. Where is she and how do all of the bizarre clues left behind connect to their childhood disappearance?

If you’re up for a fantasy horror story that may reach out from the pages and pull you in, this is the one!

Wonderfully odd and utterly entrancing, House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland skillfully weaves a tale both seductive and terrifying. As Iris Hollow attempts to leave her mysterious childhood disappearance in the past, she faces more and more strange situations from the appearance of a horned man, hidden messages from her missing sister, and a kaleidoscope of clues that, while familiar, don’t quite make sense. When she decides to face her past head on, she learns that not all endings are happy, and not all truths are soothing.

I am absolutely fascinated by this book with its mixture of sinister loveliness and decaying beauty. Sutherland brings the world of House of Hollow to life in such a way that I found myself desperately wishing I could visit the halfway place and simultaneously gagging at the descriptions of rot (but can I get a couple of dresses from Grey Hollow’s gorgeous couture line, please?!). The story does seem to move slowly at times, but I think it fits well with Iris’ hunt for the truth and the various twists and turns she faces along the way. Of the three sisters, Vivi, the second oldest sister, is the one who stole my heart. She’s brash and wild and ferociously fights for the ones she cares about. The ending of this story is not what I expected or hoped for, yet it fits the Hollow sisters well.

I would recommend this book for readers looking for a haunting tale of finding the truth of oneself or readers who enjoy stories that feel like they were built on the bones of fairy tales. Though there are sisters and they do share a bond, this book didn’t feel like it was about sisterhood so much as it was about the search for who we really are and addressing the memories we try to keep suppressed. Overall, I enjoyed the book and will definitely put it in the hands of those who like dark and romantic stories.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland is a modern fairytale mixed with a thriller, full of dark and creepy twists that will keep you guessing. It is a story about Iris, one of the three Hollow sisters who are surrounded by mystery after a month long disappearance that none of them can seem to actually remember. Her sisters have since moved on with their lives, and Iris is determined to be normal despite the strangeness that seems to follow her around. But, when one of her sisters goes missing, Iris is determined to uncover the truth of what happened to them all those years ago.

I’ll admit, I was definitely drawn in by the cover with this one, but I was hooked from the very first page. This book is EXACTLY what I imagine when I think of a creepy thriller. It was filled with twists and I was constantly kept guessing. I can honestly say that this is a new favorite for me, and it’s a story that is going to live in the back of my mind for a VERY long time.

This one wasn’t for me.

I tried sever times to get into it, but I have to push myself to finish it.

This was everything I wanted it to be. Everything! Dark, twisted and a dash of glorious spine chill that I really did not expect. The Hollow sisters disappeared as little girls. When they mysteriously showed back up a month later they changed and not only physically. Their dark hair and blue eyes are now haunting white and eerie black and identical scars lay at their chests.

The bond of the sisters was absolutely everything to me. I loved the unique differences of each girl and how they molded together as a unit. Each one striking and flawed in their own individual ways. Each one alluring and foreboding at the same time. When Grey disappears and Vivi and Iris have to decipher clues to find her, the past and present begin to collide and reveal the fantastically dark storyline in vivid detail.

The plot is hands-down perfection. Sutherland not only effortlessly creates a sinister atmosphere  but she expertly crafts a world of spellbinding prose. I cannot express enough how much you need to read this book and experience her writing style yourself. I loved the suspense of all of the elements coming together and the sprinkle of gore that made me shiver at certain scenes. I feel repetitive but seriously this is one you have to experience. Slight slowness in the beginning but the buildup in that area is just setup for the mouth drop coming your way. Embrace all of the little details and nuances too. If you like horror, the paranormal, thrillers, suspense and so much more that fits in those genres than I bet you will love this one as much as I did. 

Thank you to Penguin Teen and Krystal Sutherland for the gifted digital copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion. There is a reason this is rated so highly. You should find out why.

Thank you to @penguinteen and @netgalley for the eARC!

House of Hollow is one of those weirdly fantastical, thrillingly engaging books that will keep you up all night reading and then just thinking about the meaning of life for days afterwards. I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but it gave me everything that I didn’t know I needed:

✨ mysterious characters that you don’t know who to trust
✨ a himbo-like character with a heart of gold
✨ an ethereal setting that will send chills down your spine
✨ a unique and interesting mythology that binds the plot
✨ spooky aesthetics mixed with high fashion mixed with some witchy, fae elements
✨ an unpredictable story with an ending that will leave you absolutely stunned

This is a must read for anybody who enjoys fantasy tales that border just over the edge of creepiness. House of Hollow will take you on a eerie trip through the luminal spaces between worlds, and it may just leave you trapped there.

I went into this story wanting the author to dig into a creepy and gothic atmospheric setting. Instead, this story revolved on three sisters, and their white beauty is just over the top. I am so tired of the stories that focus on standard, so this is a DNF for me.

”Everybody keeps secrets, Little Hollow. Perhaps your big sister has been keeping more secrets from you than you realize.” First and foremost I want to say that this book would make a BEAUTIFUL movie. It’s a little gory and sad, but it also has such beautiful imagery and sense of family that would translate well into a creepy magical realism type film. So essentially this is a story of three young sisters who went missing as children for a month, and by some miracle returned right to the very spot they disappeared from. That being said, when they returned they weren’t quite right. I mean, who would be after being god knows where, with god knows who for a month. Ten years after their unexpected return, Iris Hollow is doing her best to fit in and be normal, even though she is anything but. She goes to school, she gets amazing grades, and is extremely close with her mother. Her older sisters on the other hand, have embraced their allure and “weirdness”. Grey is a model turned designer, and Viv a rockstar. When Grey goes missing without a word, Iris and Viv follow a series of unusual clues to find her. What they find along the way is both terrifying and intriguing. As you know, I usually try to keep my reviews pretty vague so that anyone can read them and not get too many spoilers about the book. So what I can say about this story is that it dances around death, grief, and pain in such a magical, yet creepy, way. You get this sort of exploration of girls/women and how differently we all react to the same traumas or circumstances. All of that impact weaved into a dark, creepy, and remarkable story about sisters and family. Their closeness, the power they hold over one another, and the lengths they will go to protect each other. All in all this was just an entertaining read. A little bit of mystery, a little bit spooky, and a little bit beautiful.

I don’t usually read thrillers. And by not usually, I mean not ever. But I requested this ARC after seeing tons of bookstagrammers talking about it and wow am I glad I did. I am not a thriller person but I loved this one. I just wanted to say, don’t rule this one out because of the genre if you aren’t into thrillers. And if you are, this is absolutely the book for you.

This book follows Iris Hollow, a 17 year old girl who doesn’t want to follow in her older sisters’ footsteps. 10 years ago Iris, Vivi, and Grey Hollow went missing without a trace for 31 days, only to be returned to the exact spot they left from unharmed and with no memories of what happened. After this mystery plunged the sisters into the spotlight, strange things started happening to them. Now, years later, Grey is a ultra-famous supermodel and designer and Vivi travels the world with her band. Meanwhile, Iris is just trying to finish high school.

But Iris’ wish of being normal is suddenly much more unattainable when Grey goes missing without a trace. Again. And it’s up to Vivi and Iris to find her.

If that doesn’t want to make you read this book, I don’t know what will. If you, like me and the whole internet, are obsessed with the cottage core aesthetic, this book is like cottage core turned dark.

I loved basically everything about this book, but especially the relationships between the two sisters. As a sister myself, I can tell you that sibling relationships in books often feel fake, and hardly ever reflect the strange reality of life with siblings. The unique relationships between the sisters were so real, so nuanced, and just amazing.

This book would make the most amazing movie. I could see every scene so vividly in my mind. The descriptions of everything tangible and not made the entire story so real in my imagination. I will not stop thinking about this one for a while to come.

The pacing of House of Hollow was just *chef’s kiss*. It was like watching a creepy movie where each plot point begins to make more and more sense until it all comes together at the end. Little pieces of information were revealed along the way that kept me reading in the way that some mysteries don’t.

I literally never read this genre but maybe I should because I want to live in this book. It definitely got really creepy toward the end and I will say don’t read this at night if you can’t handle stuff like that, but it is SO worth a read even if you don’t like thrillers.

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5) It was so easy to get sucked into this on the first page. I had many moments of, “Don’t talk to me, I’m reading!” And when I did have to put it down, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It was spectacularly bizarre in all the right places.

This is not my normal type of read. I’m not big into horror or paranormal but wow, this one hit the spot. I had some FOMO when my friends were receiving it and raving. When Penguin Teen had it available, I snatched it up to see what all the hype was about. While it was creepy, it wasn’t overwhelmingly so. It was thoughtful and unique and so brilliant.

I was definitely captivated by Sutherland’s writing. It had to be good to hook me so quickly! The suspense grabbed me and didn’t let go until the end. I feel like I’m still trying to absorb it all and appreciate the little details.

Tyler was my favorite character. His self-deprecating charm was adorable and I wish there would’ve been more of him. “Can I leave you behind if you die or do you expect me to be heroic and drag your corpse home?”

The book definitely takes a few turns and they are intense with some gore. It’s a dark, twisty fairy tale that is hard to put down. It was mysterious yet alluring and I just ate it up. Honestly, this book is not for everyone. However, I have to say that Sutherland impressed me!

Content Summary: The sisters are 17, 19 and 21. The older sister’s are very into drugs, alcohol and adult lifestyles. The youngest sister gets involved with these also but to a lesser degree. There is an attempted rape, but few details about intimacy in general. The intensity is high and the creepy factor mixed in with gore and a few more details may be too much for some. The end has some intense situations and details that are very dark. I would not recommend this to sensitive readers.

Thank you to Penguin Teen for the copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This book releases Tuesday April 6, 2021.

Thank you so much @PenguinTeen & @NetGalley for giving me this eARC in exchange for my honest and unbiased review (Release Date | 06 April 2021)

SYNOPSIS | Three sisters (Grey, Vivi & Iris) disappeared as children only too reappear one month later in the exact same spot with no recollection of what happened. Their hair turns white, their eyes turn black and they all carry a crescent scar across their necks. They grow older and embark on their own adventures except the oldest sister (Grey) goes missing and it is up to Iris & Vivi to find her.

WHAT I LIKED:
- had a very haunted modern fairy tale vibe
- it went darker than I was expecting it too
- beautifully descriptive & lyrical writing
- gorged the whole book in less than 24 hours

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE:
- I wanted to understand the magic more
- I wanted more time spent & exploration into the Halfway
- the pacing was very fast (if not a little rushed) in parts

House of Hollow is marketed as a modern-day dark fairytale which I have to agree is the best way to describe the book. Sutherland blended elements of fantasy and horror which made the whole novel feel reminiscent of magical realism, Pan’s Labyrinth, and the dark nature of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Masked in its colorful displays of flora and haute couture, the tone is eerie and unsettling, especially when I was staying up until 2 AM to finish the book. Although the prose was simple, Sutherland was descriptive where it was needed. As fantasy begins blending into the contemporary setting of House of Hollow, Sutherland’s descriptions of the supernatural made my skin crawl.

The only major qualm I have with the book is that I wish Sutherland was as descriptive in flushing out the relationships between the Hollow sisters, as sisterhood is a major theme of the story. Pacing of the story could have also been improved to help flush out the characters. House of Hollow is definitely a plot-driven book, but I would have loved to see Iris’ character motives more developed. The book is relatively short, so I feel like if we had a hundred or so more pages, the story would have read more well-rounded.

Overall, House of Hollow is a chilling, fast-paced read that will keep you up at night and leave you feeling uncomfortable. I loved how reminiscent the horror and aesthetics of House of Hollow is to Midsommar. Fans of Ari Aster and Guillermo del Toro are in for a treat with this one.

Loved this dark fairytale horror story! It was twisty and uncomfy at times, but it was soooo well written and engaging and I was so invested and on the edge of my seat. I normally don't read horror/thrillers, but this one was just so amazing! The characters were relatable, realistic, and likeable. The plot was a bit slow to build at first, but it picked up about 25% in and didn't let up for the rest of the book! Krystal's writing style is so lyrical, it's beautiful and creepy to read.

Overall, if you like dark fairytales, give this one a shot! It's amazing!

Thank you to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for the ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. Especially the twists at the end. Parts of the book felt rushed and slow at the same time, so there was a bit of pacing issues.

Dark, twisty, and exciting! Thanks to Penguin Teen. It reminded me of a Grimm fairy tale. It was haunting and creepy! The cover drew me in too. Highly recommend.

I have no words. This is definitely one of the best reads in 2021 that ive read and will definitely reread down the road because I love it so much.

3 sisters went missing and a month later reappeared with no memory of where they were. Changing from black hair, blue eyed girls to white hair and black eye along with ways to control a person near them. 10 years later, Grey, the oldest sister is missing again and Vivi and Iris are left with clues and a strange man is pursuing them, along with a strange story of the halfway where the dead pass before going to the beyond.

I can't get much into detail because it would truly spoil the whole story but I couldn't put it down.

“Some people go missing because they want to; some people go missing because they’re taken. And then there are the others — those who go missing because they fall through a gap somewhere and can’t claw their way back.”

- Krystal Sutherland, House of Hollow

They went through a doorway that once went somewhere, and then went somewhere else.

What an intense thrill ride into a modern take on Scottish Fairy Folklore. I am so happy that I was given the chance to read this, because from the moment that I picked it up, I couldn’t think of anything else.

The Hollow sisters were lost for 30 days before they were found. But their dark hair was shocked white blond not long after and their irises went black. They may be back, but they aren’t unchanged from the trauma. The only thing is that they don’t know what happened to them.

I loved this book! And while by the end of the book all of my questions were answered, I am now left with even more questions. It had an open ending, so I REALLY hope we get more. I really want to go back with them to the Halfway. I am so intrigued to see what else they will find in limbo.

————— This will be going onto Instagram on Tuesday the 6th.

It's been some time since I started a book and found myself, hours later, turning the last page. Krystal Sutherland's "House of Hollow" transported me into a world of liminal spaces where monsters lurk not only in the dark, but at dusk.

"House of Hollow" is deliciously horrifying, dreamy in a way that is more nightmare than fantasy. Part fairy tale, part horror, part mystery, and part urban fantasy, Sutherland manages to weave a story that makes you feel constantly on the edge of something — whether that's ignorance and knowledge, power and vulnerability, or life and death. This entire book felt like a tight rope, where the slightest breeze could knock you in another direction of plot. The pages reek with heady scents of death, decay, and sweet flowers. Sutherland doesn't shy away from the body horror or suspense. While not grotesque, it adds to the overall horror and mystery of the story.

The strongest portion of this book is not the heady descriptions or the mystery air, but its cast of characters. While most have extravagant jobs like model and rockstar, it doesn't feel out of place. It adds to the flair of the book and the strangeness of the sisters. Sutherland has created incredibly real and fleshed-out characters, despite the oddness of the situation. They react like real people faced with a terrifying and strange situation. The oddness of the sisters is balanced perfectly with the (sometimes) mundaneness of their lives. The bonds Grey, Vivi, and Iris rely on, along with their strained relationships with parents and friends are all written so masterfully. I don't think I've seen such a perfect description of what it's like to have siblings in literature until this book.

I have to also have to mention how amazing it was to have queer and gender non-conforming characters. While not the focus of the story, seeing that representation was so fulfilling.

For fans of Grady Hendrix, Jeff VanderMeer, and Rory Power, this is a must-read, and one I will be heartily recommending.