The Hollow Places: A Novel

A very witty, wild, and wonderfully horrifying read. The conversations between characters is hilarious and human, it makes them more than relatable. While this isn't the typical horror read it is undeniably creepy and unnerving in a way that claws under your skin and worms it's way into your brain. I don't think I will ever look at a willow the same way.

Content Rating: 18+ Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction Published: October 6, 2020, by Gallery/Saga Press The Hollow Places should come with a warning, DO NOT read alone in the dark. Creepy, chilling, and darkly twisted do not even come close to describing this book. I often got goosebumps while reading this story, and I will never look at a willow tree in the same way. The many campy humorous exchanges between the two main characters woven throughout gave a sense of balance to this book. “They Can Hear You Thinking” This story starts with our main character, Kara, who finds herself with nowhere to live after her divorce from her whiny, annoying husband. As luck would have it, Kara’s Uncle Earl has offered her a place to live. Uncle Earl has set up a bedroom in the back of his unique museum, the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy, better known as the Wonder Museum. Imagine a museum filled with all kinds of oddities, including an overabundance of stuffed life-sized animals, and then multiply that by one thousand. As Kara settles into her new reality, she starts to catalog all the Wonder Museum contents. Next to the Wonder Museum is the Black Hen coffee shop, where a unique barista named Simon works. This camo wearing, fishnet stocking strutting man who can rock a top hat with a feather kept me smiling throughout this book. The story was good, but the characters were better. Kara finds a hole in the Wonder Museum wall, and she enlists Simon’s help in figuring what is going on behind the wall because something is not quite right. “In another, much larger sense my brain was screaming hysterically that there was a hole in the world.” And that is when things get creepy in The Hollow Places. There are too many sinister and macabre things to list, but I will say that I no longer think that otters are cute, and I did have a couple of bad dreams about a certain boatman. “the willows it’s the willows they hear you thinking they’re listening right now and rustling their leaves and talking to each other” The Hollow Places was a fun chilling read, and if you are a fan of horror with a touch of comedy, you will enjoy this book, I did. The Hollow Places was the first book by T. Kingfisher that I have read and will be looking to read more from the author with a most unusual pen name. * Please note the quotes in my review are subject to change once the book is published. * ** I kindly received this galley by NetGalley, T. Kingfisher, and Gallery/Saga Press. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. **

interesting start, then the whole thing just fell apart. Not scary. More of a sci-fi story with a couple of gory scenes. Super interesting world building at the start makes it feel like the author had an idea for the place and tried to craft a story around it, but failed.