Review of 'House of Hollow'

An addicting read, House of Hollow follows Iris Hollow as she hunts for her sister and braves the mysteries of their past.

Mysterious

Iris Hollow is the youngest of the Hollow sisters, all of whom vanished together under mysterious circumstances. Years later, Grey Hollow has gone missing again, leaving behind more mysteries than Iris can bear.

Right from the beginning, House of Hollow haunts the reader. It brings to life these three girls who vanished as children, their eyes once blue now black, their hair white. Three little girls found naked except for a knife in their hands. It is an eerie setting, one that draws the reader in, luring them into the mystery of the girls, their power leaking off the pages and into the blood and bones of the reader.

The atmosphere that Sutherland has set up here matches the story. It breathes life into the eeriness of it, into the mystery that surrounds the girls and even the fantasy of it. Something strange is going on with these girls, with the power they hold over others, with their influence over others, and it all connects to their strange disappearance as children.

How House of Hollow unfolds is almost inexplicable, wrapping itself in the dark and shadows, in the lingering place between life and death with something other hunting them down. Pieces of their past start to fall apart around them, keeping the story engaging, keeping the reader invested in the narrative.

Momentum & Storytelling

Sutherland spends much time setting up the atmosphere of House of Hollow, but they do not neglect the pacing. For the atmospheric tone to work as well as it did, the pacing had to keep up. Sutherland did an incredible job putting this mystery together, making sure it worked so that the pieces unravel together cohesively.

Everything had to fit together, and the way the pieces were piling up to create the mystery keeps the reader hooked. Moreover, the way those pieces fell together, bringing the sisters together back to their beginnings, worked. It simply worked so well. There was fluidity in the way the story built up, in the way it moved to unravel the mystery of the sister’s disappearance and Grey’s as well.

Furthermore, it was unpredictable. Once the reader sees the pieces lining up, it is easy to see where it is going. Even then, however, there is this doubt until the characters speak it. It is gripping, compelling, driving the readers to the edge, driving their need to unfurl the mystery.

Final Thoughts

House of Hollow fills the reader up. It lingers with them from beginning to end, capturing their attention and haunting them once done, seeping into the readers’ bones and blood.

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Product Details:

Pub Date: April 6, 2021	Page Count: 304pp	Age Range: 12 & Over
ISBN: 978-0-5931-1034-8	Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers	List Price: $18.99