House of Hollow: The haunting New York Times bestseller

by Krystal M. Sutherland

'A gorgeous, grisly modern fairy tale.'
- THE GUARDIAN

'Dark and delicious. House of Hollow hums with malice and mystery. I devoured it whole.'
- KIRAN MILLWOOD HARGRAVE

** SHORTLISTED FOR THE YA BOOK PRIZE 2022 **

The Hollow sisters - Vivi, Grey and Iris - are as seductively glamorous as they are mysterious. They have black eyes and hair as white as milk. The Hollow sisters don't have friends - they don't need them. They move through the corridors like sharks, the other little fish parting around them, whispering behind their backs.

And everyone knows who the Hollow sisters are. Because one day the three Hollow sisters simply disappeared. And when they came back, one month later, with no memory of where they had been, it was as if nothing had changed. Almost nothing. Apart from, for example, the little scar that had appeared in the hollow of their throats ... and a whispering sense that something is not quite right about them, despite (or maybe because of) the terrible passion to be with them that they can exert on anybody at will...

A thrilling, twisting, novel that is as seductive and glamorous as the Hollow sisters themselves....

• ISBN10: 1471409899
• ISBN13: 9781471409899
• Publish Date: 6 April 2021
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hot Key Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Jo]

Quick fire review:

- I was actually quite disappointed with House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland. While there's a sinister atmosphere and growing tension throughout, it fell quite flat for me in the end.
- House of Hollow is a mystery and a horror in one. What happened to the Hollow sisters when they disappeared years ago? What's happened to Grey this time? And who is the strange man wearing the skull of bull that seems to be following Iris?
- I was intrigued by the mystery, though the what of the story was pretty obviously from fairly early on, so it was the why and the how that I was looking forward to. But the big reveal was massively disappointing. Most of my questions weren't answered, and I felt the build up should have led to something bigger than what we got.
- The horror element was also really disappointing. The scariest aspects of the story happen off page, so we never actually see them. There's all this build up that doesn't really lead to very much.
- House of Hollow wasn't for me, but do read some other reviews before deciding whether or not to read it yourself.

[Coral Chanel Reading Starlight]

Beautifully written, haunting descriptions of the world and the characters without making the writing too heavy. 
The story moved at a great pace, I really hope there’s a sequel on the horizon.

[alindstadtcorbeax]

Star Rating: —> 4 Stars


This was.......

Something else. A beautifully grotesque fairytale. Creepy as all hell. I def loved it!

I had an idea of what the big reveal would be, but I honestly had no clue how i'd end up there & what would come after. No short of horrifying, yet so intriguing and haunting in the best possible way. The perfect dark fairytale. I loved how all of the grotesquery was veiled in beauty & loveliness, both the literal & the metaphorical imagery throughout.

Speaking of which, the writing was SO vivid, filled with lush & imagery focused prose.
This was SO DARK. I had no idea what I was getting into, but I was drawn in from moment one—the mystery, the gothic, suspenseful writing style & imagery of this novel were just SO compelling.

The entire story is sort of about the character development, leading to the big reveal of an ending. I normally need more than that to keep me reading, but the author did a pretty amazing job with keeping the surrounding atmosphere something to crave AS WELL as answers in regards to the main characters.

I actually loved all of the main characters, three sisters who disappeared as children, and came back... changed— with black eyes & white blonde hair & some weird ass habits, and if they so choose, powers over people; they are, for reasons I will not reveal, extremely strange girls, who basically happen to be like crack or morphine or something to everyone else (no wonder people will do whatever they say, eh? Lol).

That's all I can say without spoiling the story, but I DO have to say that I truly REALLY LOVED this trio of sisters—
• The brilliant & resilient, MC who finds her strength as the story progresses—Iris;
• Her freaking amazing as hell, tattoo-covered, trickster & mischief maker rock star of an older sister (who is also queer! Woo for lesbian rep)—Vivi;
• & the eldest of the three, the jet setting, 'so offbeat it's mainstream' couture designer, absolutely drop dead gorgeous—and equally as dangerous—high profile model, older sister—Grey (who is also the most a mystery, and the most to be a little lowkey sus to be honest).

They are ALL AMAZING! So is a side character I don't want to reveal because again, spoilers—I loved them SO MUCH. They warmed my heart.

I have to say I am extremely impressed because this story was incredibly intricate & complex & strange & could have been a GD HOT MESS—but the author pulled it off by a landslide! This is a story I didn't know I needed until I read it. I definitely think there were a few things that bothered me, but overall, I REALLY ENJOYED IT!

I recommend to anyone who LOVES a dark, atmospheric, & gruesome fairytale, & who isn't afraid of a bit of blood & a bit of violence in a totally creepy/ gothic, yet contemporary setting. Some of the imagery was honestly super startling lol. It felt very indie, in the best way. I just really liked this one. I felt like the pacing was SPOT ON. Anyway it's the early hours of the morning & I am SO totally rambling here, haha. I apologize if this review makes little to no sense; i'll return to it in the morning. ;))