House of Hollow by Krystal M. Sutherland

House of Hollow

by Krystal M. Sutherland

A New York Times Bestseller!
An Instant Indie Bestseller!

A dark, twisty modern fairytale where three sisters discover they are not exactly all that they seem and evil things really do go bump in the night.

Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are unquestionably strange. Ever since they disappeared on a suburban street in Scotland as children only to return a month a later with no memory of what happened to them, odd, eerie occurrences seem to follow in their wake. And they're changing. First, their dark hair turned white. Then, their blue eyes slowly turned black. They have insatiable appetites yet never gain weight. People find them disturbingly intoxicating, unbearably beautiful, and inexplicably dangerous.

But now, ten years later, seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow is doing all she can to fit in and graduate high school on time--something her two famously glamourous globe-trotting older sisters, Grey and Vivi, never managed to do. But when Grey goes missing without a trace, leaving behind bizarre clues as to what might have happened, Iris and Vivi are left to trace her last few days. They aren't the only ones looking for her though. As they brush against the supernatural they realize that the story they've been told about their past is unraveling and the world that returned them seemingly unharmed ten years ago, might just be calling them home.

Reviewed by alindstadtcorbeax on

4 of 5 stars

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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. ;))



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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 12 April, 2021: Finished reading
  • 12 April, 2021: Reviewed