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motherhenofdeath's review
5.0
I absolutely loved this book through and through. If you were a fan of the show Haven, Supernatural or really loved Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow, then this duology will probably fit your vibe, extremely well. The mystery and the lore weaved into the story is so intriguing and a breath of fresh air for the urban fantasy scene. Miya is also such a highly relatable character especially if you've ever felt like you're constantly on the outside looking in or just wishing for a little bit more magic in your life. And Kai? My oh my, the things I'd do for that man and let him do to me lol but seriously new topper for the list of book boyfriends and he is here to stay. I can't wait to see what's next for these two.
jlbooks's review
3.0
This book is a story wrapped up in legend and folklore of Black Hollow and the horror of the Dreamwalker. There are three POVs - Mason, an oncologist who is investigating the mystery, Miya, a university student who befriends the wolf shifter, Kai, who wakes up next to the dead girls with no memory of what happened. The story and the characters did not resonate with me which happens sometimes. However, I can appreciate the author’s writing style, concept, and her worldbuilding of how folklore and culture can influence a town. There were times I didn’t understand what was happening but perhaps that was on purpose. Nightmares, stories, and legend all work together to create the “horror” of Black Hollow and the Dreamwalker.
sweet0bscurity's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
acrigger's review
3.0
Girls are going missing in the woods and then murdered by people close to them when they are found. My biggest issue is what felt like a disconnect between the beginning and endings of the story. The break between reality and fantasy isn’t smooth. I enjoyed Mia and Kai, but still am not sure that Mason was essential to the story.
Overall I enjoyed it and will most likely recommend it to my HS students.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Overall I enjoyed it and will most likely recommend it to my HS students.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
spines's review against another edition
medium-paced
3.5
I liked Miya and Kai, I thought they were very sweet and I liked how they helped each other grow as individuals. I didn’t dislike Mason but he didn't really need to be in the book, I don't think he added much of anything. Sure he explored the details of the myth/history and found out about Kai's blood but the myth could have been shared through exposition and the blood info wasn't super interesting. We found out about the wolfy stuff from Miya and Kai so the sciencey perspective was just filler
The lore was kind of confusing but that might be a me problem. Maybe the second book will clear things up? Not really sure where the plot can go from there, as the ending seemed pretty much done.
The lore was kind of confusing but that might be a me problem. Maybe the second book will clear things up? Not really sure where the plot can go from there, as the ending seemed pretty much done.
bigbeardedbookseller's review
4.0
I received The Hollow Gods from Netgalley for an honest review.
Based in current day North America, it follows Kai, Miya, and Mason as they uncover and unravel the mythology of the Dreamwalker and the cycle of missing girls.
The main characters are introduced early on and motivations are made clear from the start though as the weaving of the characters and story progresses these motivations become more unclear and tangled.
A lot of good world building to support the mythology that is being developed as this is the first of a duology, but by no means does this feel unfinished an waiting for the second book.
A play on some of the usual fantasy/horror tropes that has worked well. Wolves, ravens, dream states, all wind together and build to a great conclusion.
Well-paced and gripping for most of the book, it took me a day and a half to finish.
Based in current day North America, it follows Kai, Miya, and Mason as they uncover and unravel the mythology of the Dreamwalker and the cycle of missing girls.
The main characters are introduced early on and motivations are made clear from the start though as the weaving of the characters and story progresses these motivations become more unclear and tangled.
A lot of good world building to support the mythology that is being developed as this is the first of a duology, but by no means does this feel unfinished an waiting for the second book.
A play on some of the usual fantasy/horror tropes that has worked well. Wolves, ravens, dream states, all wind together and build to a great conclusion.
Well-paced and gripping for most of the book, it took me a day and a half to finish.
multicoloredbookreviews's review against another edition
2.0
Every once in a while, I encounter a book everyone seems to love, while I cannot, for the life of me, manage to muster any excitement for. This is one of those instances.
I think one of my biggest issues with it, was that it didn’t seem to stick to any genre. At times it was too mundane, and the next chapter there was a guy transforming into a wolf, and I was left reeling and confused. It was Contemporary, Fantasy and Paranormal, but the blending between the three wasn’t all the way there.
Even now, I’m still not sure I actually understood the plot. Werepeople, past lives, reincarnation, alternate realities, dreamworlds, evil spirits or gods(?), possession. It was just too much. The execution wasn’t on par with the level of ambition of the author. That’s not to say the writing was bad. It wasn’t. It’s just the flow was all wrong and the plot was too convoluted.
Spoiler
And to me, it’s still unclear how what happened during the first incarnations of Miya and Kai, devolved into everything else. Who even was the First? Was he human? What was his role during the first iteration of the story? Why did he have so much pent up anger? Who even was he? Was he Kai's brother? Was he in love with OG Miya? That was never even explained.I could not get into the story. For me, the first half dragged a lot, and when I was, maybe, getting a little bit interested, we switched characters. The change in pacing was very jarring.
Of the three main characters, I’m still not sure what the point of giving Mason, the doctor, such a huge role really was. Most of the time, he was just there, being annoying and breaking up the main story. If Miya had been born in Black Hollow, left as a kid, forgotten everything, and then come back, we could, perhaps, have fused her and Mason into the same character and achieved a much smoother flow of the story. A more consistent pacing.
Also, this story is categorized as new adult and horror. I disagree with both. Maybe mature YA and mystery would be more appropriate. There’s some violence, but there’s nothing scary about this story at all. Sadly, I don't think I'll be reading any more books from this saga. This just wasn't the story for me,.
**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review**
mahaliathenerd's review
5.0
I will be doing a video on this book but for now, let me gush about the amount of enjoyment I had when reading this novel. We follow a two-point perspective following Kai and Miya who are likable characters from beginning to the end. This has the aspects of the folklore of a Dreamwalker turning an entire town into a nest of paranoia and violence. This book is a pageturner and everyone needs to read it!