The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher ISBN: 9781789093308
Published by Gallery/Saga Press on October 6, 2020
Genres: Horror
Pages: 352
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Pray they are hungry.
Kara finds these words in the mysterious bunker that she's discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle's house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area -- only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities.
But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts...and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.
'Innovative, unexpected, and absolutely chilling.' -- Mira Grant, Nebula Award-winning author
Characters: 8, from Kara to Simon to Uncle Earl, each character was unique, with their own drives and concerns. Kara was the most fully developed, which makes sense as this book (while it did have a bit of character development) was plot-driven. As horror stories are. But I could definitely describe each character.
Atmosphere: 10, I had a pretty solid, three-dimensional sense for both The Wonder Museum and the willow world. And all the things in both. I was pretty fully immersed while reading, which is what you want with a creepy horror story.
Writing: 9, I found the prose very readable, with a good balance of realistic dialogue to wry internal observation. Nothing of the writing pulled me out of the story, and my only criticism would be that Simon was entirely too OK with things for the most part (which worked for the story, but I had a slight difficulty understanding what in life could’ve prepared him for that experience enough to be so collected).
Plot: 10, the pacing was consistently good, with a running thread of tension and ebbs and flow of action. I was very satisfied with the ending, in a way I didn’t expect to be (and I think the pre-ending actions added more depth to the overall story). There’s a good amount of wry humor to balance the horror and add relatability to Kara, but she also manages to make some decisions that the reader can loudly disagree with, while understanding.
Intrigue: 9, it was difficult to set this book down. There were a few natural pause points at the end of a handful of chapters, but for the most part the tension made me want to keep reading to see what happened next.
Logic: 9, everyone seemed to be following their own motivations consistently, and of course part of the fear and fun of a horror book is not understanding something otherworldly and dangerous, trying to figure it out before the MC dies horrifically. Even so, eventually the logic of the willow world is mostly explained (as Kara grapples to make sense of it), in a way that’s consistent with what we the reader know of it.
Enjoyment: 9, this book was frightening, disturbing, realistic, and engaging. I related to Kara in many ways and had no trouble picturing each scene, even the ones that made me scared or a bit nauseated. I don’t often read horror, because I scare so easily, but this was a great spooky read for the season and I would read other books by this author.
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Ooookay so obviously I am going to need this one in my life, yeah? I read my first T Kingfisher book earlier this year and it was amazing, so now I shall add this one, since it sounds equally so! If you are looking for more by her, read What Moves the Dead- SO good!
Ohhhhhhhh thank you! Yes, yes you do need this one (and I need more of her books).