Great story about an alternate world on the other side of a hole in a museum wall. Creepy and bizarre, this had me captivated from the start. Interesting characters and hilarious exchanges between the characters helped keep the story from becoming too oppressive while entertaining throughout.

This was such an interesting book. The writing was very imaginative and creative with strong sci-fi elements. Much of the first half of the book felt like wading through a gloomy dream. It left me with an uneasy feeling, but I think that’s the point. I really liked the two main characters—Kara and Simon. They were sarcastic and witty, which injected humor here and there
and helped to break up some of the doom and gloom.

While I enjoyed the first half of the book, things fell apart for me during the second half. The pinnacle scene, what the whole book has been building up to, honestly felt so silly. I thought it was a joke when I was reading it, but now that I’ve finished the book I don’t think it was. It was an interesting and unconventional choice, but I didn’t care for it and the effect it had. Obviously, just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean you won’t like it. Just get ready for something weird!

3.5 stars

If you are in the mood for weird, creepy, alternate worlds, creatures that hear your thoughts, shadowy things, and run for you life things that are fearsome frightening, and ghastly, I do have a book for you! However, there are many moments of laugh out loud fun in the pages that will help you to be able to wrap your arms around and love the main characters of Carrot Kara) and her friend Simon.

Kara, newly divorced and in need of a place to find respite and a place to live, volunteers to take charge of her uncle Earl's Wonder Museum when Earl suffers a medical emergency. The museum has been a place of childhood memories, a place that always provided hours of fun with its curiosities and weird objects. However, Carrot finds a portal in an upstairs wall to what eventually will become a place of nightmares where threatening and ominous things reside, where willows are treacherous, and where one's life is in constant peril.

The undaunted, most times yet scared out of the wits duo of Kara and Simon, realize not only the peril they are in but also our world should these things invade and we succumb to their trappings. Will the duo succeed or will the "possessed" objects win, especially the assorted "swamp" creatures that seem to fill up the pages?

Enjoyable fun with a witty aside, this book is one that blends a mixture of fantasy, horror, friendship, and bone chilling creepy scenes.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this story.

I adore T. kingfisher so much. From her fantasy romances to her YA adventures, she writes some amazingly vivid characters. The Hollow Places is not a romance but a spooky horror novel but with the author’s trademark wit and humor. This is a port whole fantasy but a very adult one. I always enjoy books about adults who are sucked into a fantasy world because this is usually a sub genre reserved for children and the adult ones are few and far between. This was a delightful adult fantasy with great characters and perfect for the autumnal season.

Ugh. I couldn't even finish this book. It bored me from the start. I didn't enjoy The Twisted Ones either but I wanted to give this author another chance and it just didn't work out. I couldn't even remotely get into this story.

The Hollow Places was different. Kara is at a pretty low point in her life when she returns to live with and work with her Uncle at his strange little museum. It's mostly taxidermy and oddities, but it gets visitors. Feeling like a broken piece of history herself, she fits right in. Simon working and living above the coffee store next-door seems to be in the same boat.

When her uncle needs to have surgery, Kara happily takes over for him until he gets back. One day a hole appears in one of the walls and everything gets weird and dangerous. Simon and Kara see it as an adventure at first. They explore to find a space far larger than it should be. They soon learn they are not in their own world anymore. They also know it will be dangerous.

The book is dark and bloody at times. The darkness is balanced by the funny and quirky characters Kingfisher writes. That balance kept it from going too far over to the ugly side of multidimensional travel. A trap many of these books can fall into. It's refreshing to read something in which you cannot possibly predict what will come next. Only the author could possibly know what will come out of their own mind next, so you just keep yours open and accepting. An exciting and sometimes scary look into what could exist beyond our reality.

Pros: This book's plot has a great premise. The writing itself is insightful and thought provoking. The bizarre aspects of the plot are pulled off nicely. It's rather impressive.

Cons: The book is just too long. It sags under its own weight. All three acts have fat that needs to be trimmed off.

At novella length, the book is probably 5 stars.

Jason Cavallaro
jcavallaro42@gmail.com

First of all, thank you to the publishers for the free digital arc. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this novel. I didn’t hate it, but I needed time to let it sit in my mind before giving an opinion.
I had read The Twisted Ones by this author previously and enjoyed it quite a bit, so I happily requested this title. I am a sucker for parallel worlds, universes, dimensions, etc. The author won me over with that trope. The characters are also great. I love when character relationships mesh and their dialogue can be funny even in intense situations. The world building is fabulous and all the creepy visuals like the kids in the school bus are amazing. My complaint is the sleepwalking. I’ve been a sleepwalker all my life and it’s seldom done right in media.
Overall, I enjoyed it and will continue reading this author’s work.

Super creepy horror. Perfect for the Halloween season. I love that this book introduces on the first page the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy and the museum is the least of the horrors (well, at least for a bit. Because, the rule applies, if you introduce a gun in act I, it must go off before the curtain falls).

I really liked this story at first. It was so atmospheric, and the willows were deeply unsettling and creepy, especially when they began to "get their roots'" into our world. My only issue with the book--and why I stopped reading it three-quarters of the way through--was because the author frequently took the Lord's name in vain and used it as a curse word. As a Christian, I felt convicted every time I saw it. I was really into the story, so I tried to skim past it, but it was so overused that I simply couldn't finish the book. For the record, I read a lot of secular books with questionable content. Usually i can overlook it or skim past it. But this was too much. I apologize for not finishing the book. The author is very talented and the story itself reminded me of Stephen King's books. But please keep Christian readers in mind in the future. We can and do overlook a lot of questionable content in books, but we can't overlook that kind of cursing. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

This book wins for one of the most memorable books I have ever read! I will never ever ever forget this one. Especially that scene with the school bus seats. Still shuddering.

I was a little adamant about this because I read the Twisted Ones not long before this and HATED it. I hate to say this but the way I felt about that book went way past dislike. I legit HATED it. I went into this fully expecting to hate it (because of my previous bad experience) but 25% into the book I realized, I was having a REALLY fucking good time reading this. It was creepy, engaging, and the action kicked in fast. A far cry from my experience from this author’s first horror novel.

I had previously read T Kingfisher’s novella the Seventh Bride and loved how her writing makes you just a little bit uncomfortable, even if it isn’t horror. I got a sense of this in The Hollow Places. The general sense of unease starts early and doesn’t ease up until the end. Not many authors have this ability but I was pleasantly surprised to find that what I loved about The Seventh Bride was also in this book.

I don’t know what went wrong with the Twisted Ones but after positive experiences with The Seventh Bride and this book (and with both books being quite similar in style and tone) I can deduce that the Twisted Ones was a fluke, and that I genuinely enjoy T Kingfisher’s genre and style. This was SUPER imaginative, so creative, and one of the most original things I’ve ever read. I won’t be forgetting this one!

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

Although this book is promoted as horror, I would classify it more as weird fiction with a sci-fi/horror element. After her divorce Kara moves in with her uncle who runs and lives in an oddity museum. One day she and a friend from town discover a hole in one of the walls that winds up being a portal to a really unusual place and find themselves trapped, but is coming home really the end of this world? I really enjoy reading portal type of books and this one was no exception. I would have liked more answers about the world itself but overall an entertaining read.

I cannot rave enough about this novel! The characters were relatable, real and likable. The unconventional plot paired with a minimal cast of characters made for an incredibly rich and immersive experience. The unsettling and disturbing parts of the story were masterfully handled and really ingrained themselves in the reader as much as the characters. The writing style may have been my favorite because it made me want to keep going and propelled the story in a way that a lesser author would not have been able to accomplish. One of my favorite books of the year!

First of all- Thank you NetGalley!! I finally got it.
I LOVED THIS BOOK! I liked it just as much as I did The Twisted Ones. Congratulations T. Kingfisher, you have a new fan.
This book takes place in Hog Chapel, North Carolina. Kara has just gotten divorced and agrees to move in with her Uncle Earl. He owns and runs The Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy. "Carrot" as she is called through most of the book, settles in. She helps Uncle Earl and rekindles her friendship with the barista next door, Simon. Everything is moving forward and Carrot is adjusting to her new life. Uncle Earl has to go away to have knee surgery so he's out of the museum for most of the story. One day, visitors to the museum tells Kara she has a hole in the wall upstairs and that is when everything starts. Upon investigation, she and Simon discovers it opens up into some kind of bunker. And that's all I'm telling you because once you get to this part, it's impossible to put this book down.
The investigation of the world they find gave me such anxiety. I know I probably missed a few things because I was speed reading through this part. I could not read it fast enough to find out what was going to happen to them. The world T.Kingfisher creates is so terrifying and mysterious. She admits in the author's note she was inspired by Algernon Blackwood's The Willows. That's easy to figure out and being a fan of his, that filled my heart with such happiness. The relationship the characters have is refreshing and feels real and natural. I just loved everything about this book. I would've finished this in one day if I didn't have to sleep and my dang tablet didn't die. So, yes, read this book. Buy it and The Twisted Ones while your at it. If you love one, your going to love the other.

Oh my god.

OH MY GOD.

I mean, I haven’t cried this hard (or, really, at all) over taxidermy since Jenny Lawson’s memoirs but y’all, this book STRESSED ME OUT.

Which, yes, it’s horror, I get it, maybe I just need to stop reading horror even if it’s Bryan author I like and has interesting elements but... *gestures wildly*

Ok, so. Kingfisher’s wit is razor sharp and super enjoyable, and the characters are simply to be adored. I also enjoyed the repeating spunky animal companion who survives trope. Also, as a North Carolina inhabitant of some fifteen odd years, the fond and sometimes exasperated commentary is priceless.

But to reiterate... well, I read some reviews of The Twisted Ones, the loosely connected first book in Kingfisher’s horror series, that complained that the tension and creep-factor slacked off in the late middle. For what it’s worth I agreed with them! That made it easier for me to finish the book! I don’t pick up a horror book without another factor to interest me! (See school assignments, lesbians and bisexuals, and wittily sarcastic southern heroines)

What I’m saying is, Kingfisher took those reviews to heart and when she was writing this novel she took the tension and the creep-factor and did a full on Chef Emeril “BAM!”

...ok so I was going to dock a star because of how stressed out I got but now I can see I’m feeling very strongly about all this and I remember thinking “wow I hate this so much I need to put all of it in my eyeballs immediately” so that probably deserves its extra star back.

Ok. Yes. Good. Carry on.

Thanks to NetGalley and Galley Books for the advanced copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Hollow Places is one of the most memorable books I've read in a while. From the main character's POV to the imagination of the plot, The Hollow Places kicks in the door and shouts in a voice that's all its own.

First, the main character, sounds like a real person a lot of us would want to be friends with. She's down-to-earth, not annoyingly over confident in her paranormal-butt-kicking abilities, and she always finds a way to laugh about the hell she's in.

Second, the atmosphere built through the story is a nice balance to Carrot's realism. The Willows world is the paramount expression of that feeling that you need to look over your shoulder or else something is going to get you. I loved that the monsters aren't explained to the point of losing the terrifying nature of the unknown.

I'd recommend this to anyone looking for an unsettling, atmospheric horror story with a lively main character.

Finally I found the perfect creepy and atmospheric book I’ve been looking for all week. The Hollow Places updates Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows, published in 1907, for modern readers.

“Pray They Are Hungry”

Kara, nicknamed Carrot, moves in with her uncle Earl in his taxidermy-filled Wonder Museum. She is helping him while his knees heal. But she is also escaping her sorry excuse for an ex-husband.

Carrot, and her coffee addiction, gets friendly with Simon, the gay barista from next door. So when a customer bangs a hole in the upstairs wall of the museum, Carrot asks Simon to help patch it. When they see an inexplicable concrete hallway beyond the hole, they have to investigate. What they find behind the wall is awesome—but mentioning it is a major spoiler so I won’t go any further.

I loved, loved, loved this excellent adventure novel. I wish I could give it more than 5 stars! But at least I can make it a favorite. Hopefully, The Hollow Places will be made into a movie soon too.

Thanks to Saga Press, Gallery Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I picked up this book hoping for a scary book, and that is exactly what I got and more! It took me some time to read as I couldn't read too long after dark or I'd be a bit spooked. Some of the scenes were straight horror for sure, and this was a deep departure from my standard thriller genre.

Thank you for allowing me to read this and give my opinion.

About three-quarters of the way into this book, I didn’t want to go to sleep at night. I tried, but I tossed and turned, with images from the Hollow Place and Kara and Simon’s escape cycling through my mind. This was a tense, edge-of-your-seat, nail-biter of a horror story, complete with monsters that were at once horrific and indescribable. In fact, some of the author’s descriptions were so vivid and original that (despite being instructed by Netgalley not to quote from the ARC because of potential changes by the time the final book is published) I simply must share a few. Hopefully, these quotes are still valid because they were so remarkable and it would be a shame if they were changed.

This description of the Hollow Place is eerie: “If you play video games, sometimes you’ll encounter a bug where you suddenly fall through the world. Something goes wonky and the landscape that is pretending to be solid suddenly isn’t. And you fall through and suddenly you see that the whole virtual world is just a skin a pixel deep, and you’re looking at it from the back, like a stage set viewed from behind. All the shapes are still there, all the rocks and mountains and trees, but inverted. You can stand inside things that looked solid just a minute ago and look up through trees that are suddenly chimneys. I was getting the strangest feeling that the willows were somehow like that. If I dug one up, it wouldn’t have roots, it would just be attached to the sand, a thin willow-shaped skin made of the same stuff as the islands and the river. As if the willows and the river were...not artificial, exactly, but behind them was something vast and hollow. Hollow, but not empty.”

I absolutely loved the voice of the narrator, Kara, aka Carrot by her friends and family. Simon makes a great foil for her sense of humor, the two of them riffing off of one another and somehow finding humor in the worst of situations. Like when they come upon an abandoned space with a rosary hanging on the wall and Simon says, “No matter where you go, the Jesuits got there first.” It’s all told from the POV of Kara, so although we only know what Simon says out loud, we are privy to Kara’s inner thoughts, and they cracked me up. For example, she recalls a memory, “When I was five or six, I saw Bambi, because this is a baffling thing that parents still do to their children.” At one point, she describes the museum cat, Beauregard, as having “a personality like a benevolent feline Genghis Kahn.” And when first encountering the disorientation that is surely involved in discovering an alternate world, Kara thinks, “My internal clock had shorted out and was blinking 12:00.”

There are shared jokes with Simon about his left eye being a result of devouring his female twin in the womb, resulting in color blindness and an ability to see things not seen by the ordinary eye. The jokes about black mold are particularly amusing as they try to figure out whether what they are seeing is real or a result of exposure to black mold. They follow that thought down a proverbial worm hole, eventually deciding it doesn’t matter much. I guess where they lost me was when they decided to explore this strange land they had discovered when all of my internal warnings were ringing. Of course, I knew it was a horror story, but I still want to believe that I would not have explored any of this place, given the choice. And I also felt like I already knew the cause of the opening of the portal, and wondered why it wasn’t more obvious to Kara, but then, she wasn’t reading about it and I was so I was privy to hints from the author which she was not.

The author’s attention to detail and world-building was exceptional. She created a museum that I could almost see in my mind’s eye and an alternate world that I’d prefer not to see (but could). There were some complicated images, yet the author managed to guide the reader with little need to go back and read something again for clarification. Likewise, characters were multi-dimensional, relatable, and more than anything, memorable. I am a new fan of this author and I look forward to reading more of her books.

2.5 stars After not really liking The Twisted Ones, I was a bit hesitant to go into The Hollow Places. But, I always like to give an author a second or third chance. The Hollow Places features Kara, who finds a hole in her uncle's shop wall that leads to another world. When she finds cryptic clues to previous visitors, she realizes the world she came from may be in danger.

I wanted to love this one. And while I did like it slightly more than The Twisted ones, I was still ultimately disappointed. The characters were supposed to be in their 30s, I believe. But they acted and spoke like they were in high school. They also kept making dumb decisions. I liked the idea of the hole that they found and what they encountered there, but I'm still not completely sure I "get" what it was. In the last third of the book, I started feeling like I was reading yet another disappointing ending to the latest Stephen King novel. It wasn't creepy, spooky or thrilling. It was OK. Give it a try. Maybe you'll like it more than I did.