I really enjoyed The Hollow Gods, but it did take quite awhile to get into. I also felt like there were some leftover loose ends, but overall enjoyed the characters and the plot. I would have liked a little more understanding of Abaddon, or more explanation of how Kai and Ama came to be in the forest and how that really tied into the story.

A speculative fiction novel that takes elements of folklore and dreams to weave a weird but super engaging story. One I wish I'd read sooner as I really enjoyed this and kept me guessing all the way through, glad to know this is part of a series

Were so excited for this one, but i ended up not liking it, Miya the main character ended up being boring.. wich affected the story.

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I don't really know what it was, but I couldn't connect with the characters or the plot. Also, the writing was sometimes to...blunt? I'm not sure, but the descriptions were just too much for me. Anyway, I DNF'd it. Not all books are winners.

Thanks to Netgally for the eARC of this book. It's much appreciated!

Whoa, I wasn't expecting the depth of worldbuilding and storytelling from a debut novel, but I was pleasantly surprised. This novel was gripping from beginning to end and A.J. Vrana truly has found her craft.

The story is set in a small town that holds many secrets and a creepy legend that seems to be used to scare kids into behaving until it's not. I felt like I was truly in Black Hollow, following Kai, Miya, and Mason as they scramble to try and find the truth that surrounds Black Hollow.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, there were times when I thought Miya was a bit unbelievable, but that might just be me. Some other viewers may find her endearing and brave. Also, as a note to those who are sensitive about expletives, they're legion in this book, so keep an eye out for that.

All in all, I found this book to be an enjoyable and chilling read and I would recommend it to most horror fans.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't a fan of The Hollow Gods to be honest. I do enjoy reading folklore, mythology fantasy themed genre. This book wasn't for me.

I can’t believe it took me so long to read this. I ended up getting it from my local library as an audiobook, and I am so glad I gave it another chance. The story is amazing.

The author takes the legends of dream walkers and werewolves and weaves them into an amazing story. I was on the edge of my seat not wanting to stop reading/listening. The story is kind of a slow burn at first, but once it gets going, it really gets going. I’ve already obtained the second book from the library so I can listen to it as well.

This book is a definite must read.

This story was so interesting. I haven’t read anything like it and I don’t understand how more people haven’t read this book. I think I’ll read the second book in this series. I do wish the romance wasn’t so rushed and that the story picked up a little quicker. Besides that, I loved getting to read the different perspectives and piece the puzzle together. I truly didn’t want to go to bed until I had my answers.

Let me be honest. If you're the type to get scared with the house shakes and the wind howls, or the trees around your home are scratching at the windows? Don't read this book at night.
Not that I'm saying don't read it, because you would be depriving yourself of an amazing debut novel. Just, be prepared to be scared and don't read it at night haha.

I had to keep notes while I was reading this book with the back and forth, the moments that might have been real and those that were dreams, and all of the different possible meanings. I had so much fun.

The terror of what lurks in the woods just beyond civilization is front and center in this book. I felt very strongly connected to Mason throughout the story and wanted to figure out everything about the world and its folklore. It was wonderful and I would highly recommend this book to anyone that loves the stories and histories of different places around the world.

Miya's view of the world and the pull towards the woods had me worried and nervous and just so concerned for what was going to happen to her. She has one foot in our world and one foot in the woods.

And finally, poor Kai. This boy's story was torture. I was so wrapped into his story He's not human, and he's not really sure what he's doing here. He's scared that he might be the Dreamwalker and it makes you scared for him

All in all if you're looking for something different than your standard epic fantasy? If you want something that is going to give you chills, grab this. You wont' regret it. And keep an eye out for more work from A.J. Vrana, she's only going to get better from here.

Thanks to the NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc in exchange for an honest review!

This seems like a really interesting premise, but I had a hard time connecting with the writing style. I just don’t think this was a match for me.

I felt that this book was a truly fascinating story of folklore and mythology. The book being told from so many perspectives made it all the more consuming. I was drawn into this world of dreams and reincarnation and had a hard time coming up for air. I found the war between two gods unfair to the people because they were caught up in something they could not comprehend nor would they believe. The ending did leave me with questions that were unanswered but that might be my own curiosity rather than the author’s way of writing.

I enjoyed Miya and Kais banter and a decent amount of the atmosphere in The Hollow Gods. The plot was a little too loose and confusing for my liking. I honestly don’t even know why Mason had a POV at all?

The begging was a little slow but it picked up towards the end and I’m interested to see what happens in the next one. I do hope there will be less of the dream scenes though.

The concept and the characters were interesting, but the prose left a lot to be desired.

I struggled with the pacing. In my opinion the first 200 pages were exposition, and the the rest of the narrative was rushed to the point it all blurred together. I really wish the POV characters interacted more earlier in the narrative because at least then we would know how they relate to each other.

The multiple POV was a good choice since I don’t feel any of them were strong enough to hold the narrative on their own. However, there were moments where the internalizes slipped into the mind of a character that was not the narrator, which took me out of the narrative.

Overall the book felt like an early draft rather than a book in its final form.

I usually don't tend to gravitate towards things in the paranormal/supernatural genre, but I'm glad I picked this up because it was such a fun ride despite its slow start.

The story takes place in Black Hollow, BC, where occasionally a girl goes missing in the woods. When she is returned, someone close to her goes mad and kilsl them, supposedly because of the Dreamwalker, a local legend of a girl who was cast out of the village and is seeking revenge. We follow Miya, Kai, and Mason who are all living at the fringes of society in their own ways as they work to solve the mystery of the Dreamwalker and these missing girls.

I thought the characters were fantastic. Miya, Kai, and Mason all felt really distinct and unique and even recurring side characters such as Annabelle and Ama, had a lot of depth to them. I also loved the atmosphere Vrana built in this story. It had an almost dreamlike quality to it where as the story progressed you sank deeper and deeper. The inclusion of the legends and use of reincarnation/cycles repeating really added to that in my opinion, and I loved the way the author incorporated that trope.

Smalltown folklore, interwoven memory, and an inheritance of violence blend together in this novel by A. J. Vrana.

“The Hollow Gods” follows three primary characters: Miya, the restless townie who can’t seem to meet her potential; Kai, the troubled loner who carries lifetimes of baggage; and Mason, the emotional vulnerable out-of-towner who is searching for something he cannot quite define. We find all of them in the small town of Black Hollow, where legends of an angry spirit and her familiars haunt the community, supposedly disappearing young women, who, when they do return to town, often meet violent deaths shortly thereafter. As town legends collapse on themselves our three protagonists struggle to make sense of what is happening to them, and to the town, fighting all sorts of internal and external forces to discover something resembling truth.

There is a lot I can say about this novel. I will start with what I enjoyed. The central story is really enjoyable, taking bits and pieces of different types of folklore and combining them in an enjoyable way. The chapters switch perspective between the three protagonists, which always the story to move forward quickly and time jumps to happen naturally, and none of the timeline feels rushed or haphazard. In addition, the tone of the writing changes with each of the three characters, reflecting the difference in their natures not just in the depictions of their actions but also in the omniscient/narrative prose that makes up their sections, and this was a nice way of keeping the reader sunk into the world and the ways the diverse protagonists engage it. Additionally, the book reads really quickly. It has more than 50 chapters but they are all short, so there is always forward momentum, and for the most part each is well-crafted enough to encourage a compulsion to move forward to see what happens. Although the end itself isn’t wildly unpredictable, especially to anyone who enjoys mystery and folk-horror genres, it wasn’t the easiest or most boring resolution. It worked to complicate what we know about stories, relationships, and time, and overall was a satisfying conclusion to the story, even though it left a lot of things unanswered.

So, I enjoyed the story itself, the structure, and the primary characters. But I have to say, the writing seemed very forced. Every sentence was filled with adjectives, adverbs, similes, and metaphors, to the point where whenever a new character was introduced you could guarantee there would be at least two adjectives describing their hair. There are a few stray secondary characters that fulfill specific plot functions and feel like generic archetypes in doing so, granted all of their physical attributes were well-described, but aside from our three protagonists there was a lot left unexplained or understated, about he town and the people in it, and given the story I really feel like the town itself could have become a more central character and that would have greatly served the story, to make it more robust and satisfying. Some of it just felt clunky, like it was working so hard to make a brilliant, multi-colored mural that it forget the beauty of the blank space, of editing and reserving. If you read this sentence “Miya considered whether her marbles had rolled away as she leapt over the canyon of logic and expected to land safely on the other side. But she did.” and don’t wonder whether maybe there could have been a more light-handed approach then you will love this novel. If, instead, you read that and shook your head a little, then it might be a little difficult for you to get lost in this novel. There is just an abundance of excessively descriptive language that just really felt like it was trying too hard. It wasn’t enough to turn me off from the novel, but I would be hesitant to recommend it to others without knowing their tolerance of this kind of heavy-handed language. This is the first in a duology, and although it ends in a comfortable way that doesn’t require you to read the second to answer some burning question, I will still seek out the second novel, but it isn’t something I am seeking out with any urgency.

:::Note: I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review:::

<i>"Time to lose your way," she thrilled. "The Hollow's still got hell to pay."</i>

The Hollow Gods is a modern day, Sleepy Hollow-esque mystery about a small village north of Vancouver where boundry between fact and fable is blurred and young girls are being lured to the woods where an omnious figure known as the Dreamwalker possess them. The girls end up missing, and when they return they usually end up dead.

Stories about the Dreamwalker has been told by the residents of Black Hollow over centuries, and the reader is always left to question whether the supernatural is really to blame for what's happening, or if it's the residents of Black Hollow themselves who are to blame. We're kept in suspense as every character we meet seem to be hiding dark secrets of their own.

Through the story we follow three different perspectives: the mysterious man Kai, the university student Miya and the oncologist Mason whos all paths collide as they search for the truth about the goings-ons in the village of Black Hollow. Miyas POV was my personal favourite. Her journey through this book and learning about her connection to the Dreamwalker was everything I could crave in a good mystery novel. I could not put this book down!

The book has a very dark and sinister atmosphere, and while there is some romance in this book, the story focus more on other themes like the characters internal struggles and anxieties. There is also a lot of focus on world building that take root in the myth around the Dreamwalker and Black Hollow along with the dark and eerie woods that surround the village.

If you're a fan of dark fairytales the likes of the Brothers Grimm, the kind of books that are made to be read cuddled up under a blanket in front of the fireplace on a chill, fall night... then this is the book for you! I will definitely be picking up the sequel.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This was good. So very good and in an interesting and complex way. Something I wasn't expecting but I'm so glad that I read this.

The Hollow Gods by A.J. Vrana follows three different characters, Miya, Kai, and Mason, through their journey navigating the legends and secrets surrounding the town of Black Hollow and the Dreamwalker. Black Hollow is a town in the modern world that can't seem to escape the fears of the past. The inhabitants firmly believe in the legend of the Dreamwalker that steals girls away into the woods.

Miya, Kai, and Mason are not perfect. They're struggling with fear, anxiety, anger, and so many more emotions that are relatable to what we all experience. Miya, is a university student, struggling to find purpose. Kai, wakes up next to the body of one of the missing girls. Mason, an oncologist, travels to Black Hollow to escape his decisions and the grief of losing a patient. Three different characters that seemingly have no connection find their lives inextricably entangled in the myths of Black Hollow.

I really enjoyed reading Miya and Kai's perspectives but Mason wasn't my favorite character. I actually wasn't able to appreciate his character until towards the end when you see his growth and story development.

I still have a few questions after finishing this but I'm hoping the next book will clear that up.

This was really well written and well developed. There were so many parts and interesting details to this story that could have easily led to it being messy but the author did a wonderful job of taking those details and weaving it all together. Superb!

My rating: 4.5/5 out of 5 stars (I can't decide between 4.5 and 5)

The Hollow Gods is an eerie blend of folklore, fantasy, fable and horror twisted into one dazzling novel.
From wolves to ravens to humans that are themselves like wounded animals in their own ways, the book follows 3 main characters with intrigue, drama, mystery and humanity.
Each of the main characters, despite the supernatural elements that hang over their heads, are incredibly human. Each full of fear, doubt, anxiety, all of them imperfect and searching for something. Vrana succeeds at making these characters 3D and relatable. Whether you love or hate them, you’ll find yourself affected by them and their journey.
Vrana triumphantly creates a town of legend and terror so realistic I found myself wanting to google it to see if she based it on something real.
There were moments in this book and it’s misguided townsfolk that we’re reminiscent of Shirley Jackson’s The Lottery; a curse so old that no one questions the logic or the reality of it all, blindly and fearfully feeding into it, keeping the legend alive.
There’s so much I’d love to delve deeper into, but for fear of spoiling it I won’t go too deep. But I ask if you, when you get to the end of the book, sit with it for a spell, and let the many layers that Vrana crafted soak in, as I did.
I will leave you with this last thought: time is not linear.

For a debut novel, A.J. Vrana hits this one out of the park, and I can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us in the future.

Thank you to Parliament House Press and AJ Vrana for an ARC of this novel

The Hollow Gods - AJ Vrana
3⁄5
I’m very conflicted on this review. My actual star rating lands somewhere between a 2.75 and a 3. I’m conflicted because while I liked the plot of this story, I didn’t connect as much with the writing as I would have liked.
What I didn’t like:
-The characters were in their early 20s so I was hoping for a more adult book. Instead, this book read very much like a YA. I feel like if I had gone into the book knowing that it was a YA I would’ve had better expectations. Although, it is tagged YA on Goodreads so this isn’t really any fault of the book.
-The characters read so much like Twilight. Like straight down to the constant lamb and lion metaphors. I think if the characters had been in high school this wouldn’t have bothered me as much.
-Lastly, this story centers around a town with an urban legend that still affects them in modern times. GIVE ME MORE OF THAT. I wish it had been explored and the story revealed had been a little bit more scary.
What I did like:
-This was a fast read and the end had me not wanting to put the book down.
-I love a crazy small town. That’s a trope I’ll never get tired of.
-I also love urban legends unique to a small town. This urban legend was unique too and not something I had read before.
-While I saw the plot twist coming, I appreciate it.
Overall, if you’re looking for a fast paced, YA read with slightly older characters, this might be a book worth checking out for you!

Loved the multiple points of view, the rich mythology, and the colourful characters. Can't wait to dive into the second book!