My god I did not think I would enjoy this book as much as I did. I’m legit upset that it ends on a cliffhanger because I MUST KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT! The tension, the mystery LOVE IT! More please!

I enjoyed this book but hope it’s a duology as it ends on a cliffhanger. It was a fun ghost story and I liked learning about the main characters abilities as they fall in love and save Gabriel. There were minor typos with “Miles’s” and I didn’t like how he named his car.

The Hollow and the Haunted is a great story for any season

I would certainly recommend this one for a spooky season read, but truly this is a great read for any season. Just be sure that you’re ready to enter a several book series and make sure you are comfortable not having a true conclusion at the end of the book. If not for that, I would likely have given The Hollow and the Haunted a perfect 10 out of 10. Still, Camilla Raines’ story is worth spending a few long nights with.

Full review at https://thecosmiccircus.com/book-review-the-hollow-and-the-haunted-by-camilla-raines/

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via the publishers.

The Hollow and the Haunted is the start of a new series/dulogy (I assume from the ending of this book) about two rival families and their sons who end up thrust in each others paths after one boy (Miles) has a vision of the other (Gabriel).
Miles is a Warren and comes from a gifted family - his gift is being an empath, but after seeing a vision of a boy in the mirror, dying, he is left reeling. When he attends a party at the Hawthornes (his family's rich rivals) and realises the boy he saw is there and is, in fact, Gabriel Hawthorne, he's left reeling even more. Gabriel is a sworn enemy of his family, but as an empath, he can't leave him to die.
When the pair begin to work together to solve and stop Gabriel's murder before it can occur, they fund themselves in the midst of darkness, secrets, lies, and evil.
There's so many threads in this book that have been left teasingly open, and I've no doubt there's going to be at least a second book with even more happening and unfolding and I can't wait to dive into it! I loved both main characters and found I could connect to Miles the most being an empath myself, but Gabriel has a moral grey likeability that grows on you through the book.

I am not sure if I feel betrayed or delighted to complete this book only to learn that this is a series opener. I hate waiting for new books. The dramatic cliffhanger ending is brutal, but the plot leaves plenty to explore in a sequel. I enjoy these characters, and the budding romance between Gabriel and Miles is just getting started. I look forward to continuing the series.

Ghosts, haunted houses, and deadly visions abound in this excellent, queer paranormal mystery for young adults. *The Hollow and the Haunted* follows the story of Miles and Gabriel—two sons of warring psychic families—as they are forced to work together after Miles has a premonition of Gabriel’s death. Their hunt to save Gabriel unearths deep secrets both of their families have kept buried, challenging what they thought they knew about themselves and each other.

❤️ What I loved: I truly enjoyed so much about this story—compelling characters, a mysterious family and haunted house, and lots of fun paranormal elements. The relationship development between Miles and Gabriel was very sweet, and definitely has you rooting for them to overcome their “Romeo and Juliet”-esque family situation. This is a really shining example of the young adult genre for me—the characters and storyline felt entirely believable and appropriate for their age.
💔 What I didn’t love: The pacing of this book was a little all over the place, whic detracted from the story for me. I know it’s going to be a series, but the end in particular was so abrupt that it felt unfinished more than suspenseful.

I would highly recommend this story to fans of young adult mystery and paranormal stories. There is a big cliffhanger at the end, and I like many others am now anxiously awaiting the next book.

**Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 (4-4.5)**

**Acknowledgments & Disclaimers**
✨ Thank you to NetGalley, Camilla Raines, and Titan Books, for providing an ARC and the opportunity to share an honest review of this book.
✨ All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.
✨ My reviews and ratings strive to evaluate books within their own age-demographic and genre.

3.5 stars rounded up. This was an enjoyable fantasy story featuring likable characters and a cute relationship. There were times where the plot didn't really hold my attention, but I liked the characters enough that the book as a whole worked for me. It ended with a cliffhanger that left me wondering where the story will go next.

I read an ARC of this book from NetGalley. All comments are my own.

DNF at 20%
Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Hollow and the Haunted seems pretty cute, but unfortunately, it and I just didn't click.
The good: Miles seems like a fairly competent MC (if judgy) and actually reaches out for help, which is a nice choice! It's something that's fairly rare in this kind of book.
The author also does have some good hook moments, and a decent level of intrigue.

The bad: the writing in this book simply didn't click with me. It was a level of amateurish that is forgivable, but simply not for me: kind of like a mid-level fanfiction. Space and time are ill defined, and scenes go by faster than they should. Several metaphors left me scratching my head because they came out of left field, and didn't add anything to the story.

In the beginning of the book, a ball that the main characters are to go to is built up: Miles is to be on his best behavior, as this is an important thing, where if their family didn't go, it could be seen as an insult.

Despite this, as soon as they arrive, Miles' mother starts trading barbs with Mrs. Hawthorne - and not in the fun way that I had hoped, something with political intrigue and a veil over words that made them sound sweet, but truly poisonous.

Instead, their fight was... childish. Not only was it contradictory to how this scene was built up, but instead Miles' mom calls the other woman "heartless" to her face, with little reprecussion. They're just being nasty to one another, and it wasn't fun to read. Around here is where I started checking out, and the next chapter or two didn't change my mind about stopping reading.

Maybe I'm simply not the age demographic for this anymore, but I suspect that if I'd picked this book up when I was a teenager, I would be similarly frustrated.
I'm sure this book will do it for someone, but that someone isn't me.

Also, side note: The author uses the term "gay panic" in the beginning to describe Miles being panicked that he's gay. This is a bastardization of a term that is becoming unfortunately more popular as our community forgets its past. The term Gay Panic has historically been used to justify hatecrimes, especially killing of homosexuals, because a straight person was scared of their existence. The misusage of this term hasn't affected my rating because it's a minor thing, and more than that, is commonly becoming misused -- but I want to bring attention to this issue anyways, because it left me a little uncomfortable. I hope that if there's a reprint of this, the author chooses to replace this term with something more fitting of the scene.

Initially I felt like this was perhaps a bit too YA for my tastes and maybe I'd made an error in requesting it, but once I got into it, I really enjoyed myself!

It's a fun YA romantic mystery that was a little reminiscent of Beautiful Creatures in that the main character became entangled with a rich, secretive family that had serious beef with his family.

I especially loved the characters and the romance - the slow burn was delicious - and i'm very much looking forward to seeing more of them in book two.

Overall a fun read!

In The Hollow and the Haunted, Camilla Raines has created a darkly atmospheric LGBTQ supernatural story full of mysteries and secrets along with a queer romance. From the first pages, the story delves into the paranormal world of Miles, where psychics and magic are real but telling your parents you’re gay is still difficult.
I love the worldbuilding of this magical world of psychics and premonitions. The characters of Miles and Gabriel are complex and the dialogue between them rich and snappy. I love how the mystery of Mile’s premonition is developed, how the friendship and romance between the two grows but most of all how they fight and confront the spirits of Gabriel’s family. In particular, I love how Miles grows as a character throughout the story and eventually stands up for himself in crucial times. If I have one critique, it is that the story ends in a cliffhanger. While that is a terrific gothic element and this is meant to be a series, it is the one aspect that I as a reader dislike.
However, if you like gothic stories and magical romances with a darkly atmospheric feeling and a lgbtq romance, this is a fantastic novel. I love everything else about the writing and that ending does mean that I’ll be coming back to read more, because I have to know what happens next. If you don’t mind waiting for a conclusion to the story, this novel is worth the read.

All I have to say about this book, is that I love it. The summary said it was similar to the raven cycle & cemetery boys, but I feel like its more along the vibe of F.T. Lukens' book Spell Bound, which I also love. I feel like this book had every single trope I adore. It has rivals to lovers, lonely kids who just needs someone to be there for them, sunshine/grumpy duo etc. I was captivated the whole time and I am so sad that I have to wait for the second one to come out to read and find out what happens next. Miles was such a refreshing character to read the POV from, and usually he's not the type of character I end up liking, but I adore him. He's an empath (literally) and just genuinely wants to help no matter how tired he is. I was a little frustrated at first because he had a hard time just speaking his mind when something upsets him, but when he put his foot down and expressed himself to his mom, I was so proud of him. I also really love Gabriel, I'm hoping we can see more of his POV in the next book. Overall, the writing, the story, the plot and the characters are mwah 5/5. I would recommend this to anyone who love a little spooky mystery with a side of wholesome lgbt romance.

I forgot to give feedback for this one, but I bought a finished copy of the book and I can't wait to read it when my TBR gets less unwieldy!

This felt like such a nostalgic read, which is really impressive considering it's a debut. I loved Raines' writing, making me feel like I used to feel reading YA when I was actually YA age while also still feeling in touch with current youths. The development of the relationships - not only Miles and Gabriel, but also their families - was truthful and touching. There were some moments of this that genuinely startled/scared me, which I hadn't really been expecting. A perfect autumnal or spooky season read. I'm looking forward to reading the second book in the duology. (LOVE a duology.) And I loved the small town feel even more because it was set in a (fictional) small town in Washinton. Always a fan of that. I totally get the comp to the Raven Cycle. Having just read that series for the first time as a thirty-something, I see a lot of the same elements I loved: psychic family, ambivalence/hate to love slow burn relationship building, trying to save someone's life, small town feel.

The one thing that bothered me pedantically, and will continue to, is the tagline. Ghosts aren't buried, so implying that they won't stay buried really irked me. But not enough to impact my experience of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Queer ghost books might genuinely be my favorite genre of all time, so when I finally started my read of The Hollow and the Haunted, my expectations were high and enthusiasm was even higher. This was everything I could've wanted and more. Miles was instantly lovable and his world of psychics, ghosts, and secrets was a joy to navigate! I loved learning about the different characters' abilities and how those powers affected them in day-to-day life. The anxiety rep was also fantastic and I really connected with Miles in regards to it.

And Gabriel. GABRIEL. The grumpiest old man teenager ever. He acts like he's a snooty eighty-year-old and I LOVE him for it. The dynamics of him, Miles, and Charlee (Miles' incredibly cool cousin) are such a strong core for the winding, eerie, suspenseful narrative to be built on. I was on the edge of my seat the whole way and cannot recommend this book enough! (Also, Bram and Balthazar shout-out!)

The Hollow and the Haunted is perfect YA Queer Romantasy everything. I absolutely loved this book! It was extremely creepy and the banter was on point. My favorite dynamic was really between Miles' and Gabriel's mothers. It was worthy of a Real Housewives episode. The one flaw is this book promises to do so much, it is so complex, that it cannot deliver on everything by the end, which results in a TON of loose ends and one hell of a cliffhanger. Like a steep, sharp, I'm going to have nightmares about it kind of cliffhanger. And I'm very invested. The romance is the sweetest, and the characters are very interesting. I just need the next book immediately, please and thank you!
And also thanks to NetGalley and Titan books for this ARC!

Miles Warren comes from a long line of psychics, and knows he is resigned to being part of the family business, but that doesn't mean he is used to, or enjoys, having tustles with angry ghosts.

Miles also doesn't like that being part of the business means attending parties.. especially if they happen to be hosted at the Hawthorne estate, who the Warrens have had a feud with for decades

In addition to the pressures at the party, Miles is taken aback when he meets one of the Hawthorne sons, Gabriel, and realises he is the mystery boy from a vision who meets an untimely end.

Regardless of Gabriel being a Hawthorne, Miles knows he will have to save him from his fate and sets out to do that whether Gabriel likes it or not...

Reluctant allies, the two boys must work together to save Gabriel and keep their parents in the dark about the uneasy alliance... but the more time the boys spend together, the more complicated this gets....

I loved this book, the boys connection was great and I loved how you see their dynamic change over the duration of the book. Both come from interesting families but in very different ways and Miles cousin Charlee was a Standout in herself.

Cannot wait for book two, this one is out now if you want to read and I would highly recommend

Thank you to Titan and NetGalley for the review copy, all opinions my own regardless

The Hollow and the Haunted was a pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed the build up of the relationship of the two main characters (sunshine x grumpy). You get a story with mystery, special powers and complicated families. I can't wait for the sequel.

Huge Thanks to Camilla Raines, Titan Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

October 23, 2024
Thank you so much to NetGalley and TitanBooks for sending me the ARC.

Oh my fucking god. Are you kidding me??? This book is absolutely perfect for YA readers. I absolutely adore the relationships that are forming, and the STORYLINES??? Are absolutely phenomenal.

Miles is an empath who comes from a family with unusual gifts. He starts getting visions about a boy named Gabriel, and the visions include Miles witnessing Gabriel’s death. He should probably go warn and help him right? The problem? Gabriel is the son of the Hawthorne family, the very family that Miles’ family is sworn enemies with. So when Gabriel shows up at his school, Miles decides to take the leap, and help him ib any way he can, no matter the cost.

Gabriel and Miles’ relationship was the perfect amount of slow burn. They had me kicking my little feet omlllll absolutely enjoyed the build up and the REVEALS ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES??? I would LOVE to see more about the surrounding family relationships. I AM LOVING HOW ALL THE SIBLINGS ARE SO LOVING AND ACCEPTING!!! The writing is perfect, and I felt that the characters were so authentic, and that’s so evident through the dialogue. That cliffhanger makes me want to dive myself into the depths of Camille’s brain so that I can get my grimy little hands on the next one PLS!!!!!!!

This is a fantastic debut and I have to say perfect for lovers of a good spooky or gothic read. The writing is vivid and beautiful, the world building and characters are amazing. I instantly loved Miles and my only issue is he’s not real. Seriously I loved him. There is an edge of the gothic and while this runs the line between YA and New Adult I personally loved the vibes. It’s a bit Lockwood & Co but in the best possible way.

The book had me chuckling and worrying in equal measure. There is a bit of humour there that works to lighten it but Raines knows how to go dark as well. Despite the ghosts and danger it was almost heartwarming. I really can’t wait for more from Raines and I would recommend this to any lover of spooky reads.

As always thank you to the Titan Books and Netgalley for my copy. My review is always honest, truthful and freely given.

Thank you to Netgalley and Titan books publisher's for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sunshine characters are my absolute favourite trope - and Miles is the poster boy for sunshine characters. He's a walking, people pleasing golden retriever. Safe to say I really enjoyed reading from his perspective. The setting was comforting - small sleepy town, cosy close-knit family, who just happen to be psychics. The pacing is good with the story kicking off really quickly and the insight into the workings of the world felt natural and not info-dumpy.

Gabriel and Miles had loads of chemistry, and I loved the progression of their relationship. So curious to see how Gabriel's gifts will affect it in the future. Poor Gabriel, I just wanted to give him a hug! Him and all of his siblings!

Only complaint is I was really enjoying the story and it felt like it stopped suddenly - I know cliffhangers are a thing but it didn't feel like anything was truly resolved by the time it ended. Usually we have one aspect actually resolved and then the cliffhanger is something unexpected that we feel like we should have seen coming but <spoiler> I was never convinced Florence was the killer anyway, so ending it with her banishment and no unveiling of who it might actually be didn't feel right. It was obvious something was up with Gabriel but him running away on its own was just frustrating. Anyway, I suspect aunt Robin, ressurectuon, grief etc</spoiler>