I absolutely adored T. Kingfisher’s (Ursula Vernon) The Twisted Ones, so I was looking forward to The Hollow Places with a great deal with anticipation, as you can imagine. To my delight, this book also featured the same superb balance of humor and horror, with some added portal fantasy and Lovecraftian elements besides. All throughout, I was strongly reminded of 14 by Peter Clines and if, like me, you’re a fan of the Threshold series, then I think there’s a good chance you’ll also get a huge kick out of this one.

Our story begins with an introduction to Kara, our newly divorced and strapped-for-cash heroine who now faces the unenviable reality of having to move back in with her mother. Fortunately, Uncle Earl comes to the rescue at the very last minute. For as long as she can remember, Kara’s eccentric uncle has been the owner and curator of the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosity, and Taxidermy in her hometown of Hog Chapel, North Carolina. It’s a place she remembers fondly, where, as a little girl, she would spend hours exploring its strange and exotic exhibits while listening to her affable uncle share his stories and pearls of wisdom. Lately though, Earl has been having some trouble with his bad knee and needs some extra help around the museum, so he offers Kara a chance to work for him in exchange for free accommodation.

Happy to be back at the museum (and relieved to be free of her mother), Kara immediately sets to work cataloging Earl’s massive collection of curios and oddities in between taking care of daily operations. She also befriends some of the townsfolk, including the museum’s regulars as well as Simon, the happy-go-lucky gay barista from the coffee shop next door. But then Earl’s condition takes a turn for the worse, requiring knee surgery and a prolonged stay at a hospital out of town, and Kara readily agrees to hold down the fort while he is away, determined not to let him down. So when a hole is later discovered in one of the walls of the museum, presumably caused by some careless tourist’s elbow, Kara is understandably annoyed. Recruiting Simon to help patch up the damage, the two of them go to inspect the wall…only to find a portal that leads to a whole different world! Intrigued, they decide to investigate, unaware that they’ve just stepped through a door to another reality, one where their darkest nightmares lurk.

Once again, readers are treated to a narrative told in a light and breezy tone which belies the creepiness and macabre nature of the story’s contents. That’s because Kara isn’t your typical horror novel protagonist. Like Mouse from The Twisted Ones, she’s in desperate need of a distraction from a relationship that ended badly, moving back to the tiny podunk town she grew up in to manage a museum of wacky exhibits and artifacts from around the world (some admittedly not so genuine). Heck, if I hadn’t known any better, I would have thought this was the intro to a contemporary romance, especially given Kara’s distinctive voice—which was by far my favorite thing about this book. Her personality is good-humored with just a bit of snark, but she’s also only human, giving in to the occasional breakdown whenever she sneaks a look at her ex’s Facebook page because she simply can’t help herself. It’s this candidness and wit that makes Kara such an incredibly genuine and relatable character, and I loved every moment spent in her head.

It’s also this energy that helped carry me through some of the novel’s slower parts—because as much as I enjoyed myself, I have to admit there were a few sections that dragged. The time Kara and Simon spent in the “on the other side” was perhaps a little too drawn out for my tastes, for instance, and I was also somewhat underwhelmed by the ending revelations, in the light of the considerable buildup leading to the conclusion. More than that I don’t want to say in case it gives too much away, but I did feel the finale and its “explanations” were a bit rushed.

That said, I still had a great time with this book. The fabulous Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosity, and Taxidermy also deserves a mention, as I couldn’t imagine a more apropos setting for a story about weird shit happening than in place full of actual weird shit. I was riveted by Kara’s descriptions of all the different exhibits, and some of them even made me laugh out loud. Best of all, the museum was integrated into the horror and mystery of the plot in the most mind-blowing way, and it’s definitely worth experiencing for yourself.

In conclusion, The Hollow Places is a book I would recommend, especially if you find the premise of a weird horror and portal fantasy mashup intriguing. The novel’s slower parts meant that I probably still enjoyed The Twisted Ones just a tad more than this one, but nevertheless I would say my second time with a T. Kingfisher book was another resounding success. I look forward to reading even more.

The Hollow Places was creepy and quirky at the same time. I had trouble getting into it but this isn’t something I would normally read, so that’s just me.

Kara's marriage has failed, leaving her without anywhere to go. Uncle Earl has offered her the spare room, in the back of his oddity museum.
Upstairs, hidden behind taxidermy creations, Kara finds a hole in the wall. Curious as to why she is not seeing another wall ,where there should be one, Kara enlists her friend Simon to help her enlarge the hole. Together they walk through the wall into a portal. An alternate reality or worm hole, with unseen creatures that live between the realms. Quickly Kara and Simons excitement of discovery becomes fear for their lives.

The Hollow Places is a page turning nightmare. I felt like I was reading a dark version of Alice In Wonderland and Chronicles of Narnia, maybe more like Stranger Things. This is not a children's book of fantasy, it is an adult story of discovering a realm of horror.

With a few cringe worthy scenes, this book appeals to horror lovers. The way they are written with such detail, created a perfect picture in my head. If the book could jump right to film, I think the directors wouldn't need to change a thing to accomplish the feeling of uneasiness and fear I felt from reading.
I did laugh quite a bit, which was unexpected. The banter between Kara and Simon was hilarious. I think the humor helps the reader catch their breath before the next fright. It didn't make the fear go away, it just helped to make it more tolerant.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves horror, strange reads and fast thrills. It was a nice change from overdone thriller plots.

Stand back. This is going to be a gush fest. If I could give this 6 stars, I totally would. Two thumbs up, way up. I loved this book. 100% would recommend.

First off, I love T. Kingfisher's writing. This is my second read from her and I enjoyed this even more than the last one I read (which was The Seventh Bride and got 4.5 stars, in case you're curious). The Hollow Places is portal fantasy meets horror with a good sidebar of humor. There's a bit of Lovecraft feel to the setting and the story, but this is even more than that. It's just fantastic. The writing is quippy and smart with a great ability to shift between creepy and hilarious. This book is seriously dark and creepy, but I still found myself laughing out loud at some points because she's JUST. THAT. GOOD. at mixing it up.

Kara (Carrot) and Simon are great characters and I freaking loved them. They are real and relatable. They do stupid things and make panicked decisions just like real people in their circumstances would. They have lives beyond the plot of this novel and motivations that are unique to themselves. I will admit that they did occasionally feel a bit more YA than the adults they are supposed to be, but I really didn't care. I had a great time with them. I could completely relate to Kara and I would love a friend like Simon. They're both super fun and enjoyable. They play off each other well and I liked having them both present to negotiate their next steps, though in the scenes by herself Kara totally held her own.

The atmosphere is perfectly built. The shop is a great creepy location to start off with, just one of those weirdo roadside attraction type places that are both entertaining and a little off. I'd totally shop around in there. The addition of the willow world piggy-backing off this place was fantastic. Can I say fantastic enough in this review? No. No I can't. I could totally envision each place used in the creation of this book and I couldn't get enough.

However...I will admit that there were moments that weirded me out enough to nearly scare the pants off of me. I don't hit the point of being scared by the things I read often, but this bordered on a freezer read for me in a few parts. I didn't want to read it in the dark, but I also didn't want to put it down. So...I just kept reading...and then found myself mildly disturbed by the weird sounds in my house once I was done. It is what it is. I still wouldn't change the way things went.

If you like anything mildly creepy and weird, read this. Seriously. READ THIS. I will be reading it again without a doubt. Now...if you'll excuse me, I need to go get T. Kingfisher's entire back catalog.


* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. THANK YOU!! *

Are you looking for a super scary read for Halloween?

Yes? Then look elsewhere.

Because T. Kingfisher’s newest horror novel, “The Hollow Places,” isn’t really a horror novel. And it’s not super scary.

It’s a fantasy. More accurately, it’s a humorous fantasy, with OCCASIONAL moments of creepy, squirmy Weird/Lovecraftian horror. (And I do mean, OCCASIONAL. The moments are very few and far between.)

But it works. At least, it did for me. As a fantasy, the novel is imaginative and fun. And even though the genre mix-up may have initially resulted in a few ruffled feathers, all were quickly smoothed and forgotten as I became more and more captivated by Kingfisher’s unique world.

Newly divorced and homeless, Kara gratefully accepts her Uncle Earl’s unexpected invitation to live with him at The Wonder Museum, her childhood sanctuary. Home to numerous taxidermic specimens and other intriguing curiosities, not only is the Museum a popular, beloved tourist attraction – but unknown to Kara, it’s also a portal to another world.

One night, while patching an unexplained hole in one of the Museum’s walls, she and her friend, Simon, stumble into what is, essentially, a world between worlds. There, they discover countless other portals to different realities . . . and monstrous creatures far worse than any they could have imagined.

For Kara and Simon, what initially begins as an exciting adventure soon turns into a terrifying nightmare -- a nightmare they are unsure they will survive unscathed.

Scary or not, “The Hollow Places” is truly an incredible read. Kingfisher has skillfully written an engrossing, page-turning portal fantasy that is distinctive and complex. Her characters are appealing – both Kara and Simon are comical and likable – and the narrative is infused with warmth and heart. The book brings a smile to my face, just thinking of it.

And have I mentioned the novel is funny? Like, REALLY funny? The humor is sharply clever, and there is witty and quirky dialogue galore. If not laugh-out-loud, the story is at least chuckle-out-loud. There are moments, however, especially in the beginning, when it all does feel a bit forced and over-the-top. But as the narrative progresses, the awkwardness settles down nicely, and the humor eventually slips into a more natural rhythm. (Or I just became more accustomed to it, which is equally possible, I suppose.)

I do wonder, though, if the novel’s overabundance of humor is part of the reason why “The Hollow Places” fails to create much, if any, fright in the reader. It’s almost as if too much lightheartedness is mixed into the narrative, thus diluting the darker horror aspects to the point where it is difficult to take any of the story seriously and be truly scared by it.

Hmm. Just a thought.

But again, the fact that the novel lacks any real fear factor did not in any way diminish my enjoyment. I loved “The Hollow Places” for what it is – a refreshingly creative, humorous, and entertaining fantasy.

I enthusiastically recommend it.


My sincerest appreciation to Gallery/Saga Press and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy. All opinions included herein are my own.


*This review has been posted on Bantering Books (my blog), Edelweiss, Goodreads, Facebook (my personal page, Bantering Books Page, Between Friends Book Club), Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Instagram, and Twitter.

Definitely a unique read from a new to me author. I liked the plot and the pacing kept me turning the pages. I would love to read more from Kingfisher.

This one reminded of Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation and Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows.

I listened to the audiobook and found it very entertaining and quite funny. I loved how the two main characters found a way to be humorous, bouncing jokes off each other while trapped in another dimension. Now that’s friendship. When they were confused and anxious and running from some unknown vicious Thing, I found myself rooting for them both because I fell in love with these characters. I wanted no harm to come their way.

The whole story kept my attention. Even when it was very confusing at times. But I really enjoyed it and can’t wAit to check out The Twisted Ones next.

Gritty and dark. Humorous in all the best ways. Magical and, at times, intense. What more could a girl want in a book? This story was EVERYTHING.

Something that every good storyteller knows: a great story doesn’t need flash, sex, an exotic location, a hot hero, or any other element obviously thrown in to grab the audience’s attention… such things are far better used as a dash of pink Himalayan salt, rather than a heavy pour from the navy blue Morton’s canister. (Sure, they can be a lot of fun, but feel pretty one-note in a hurry, if relied upon to be the meat of any story.)

No, what a great story actually needs is something the audience can really relate to, on a personal level… and generally, that isn’t anything very fancy, at all.

So let’s just do the whole TL;DR bit right up front, and say that T. Kingfisher’s The Hollow Places absolutely NAILS some damn fine story-telling, okay?
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Kara—a thirtyish (give or take) gal—is as “regular” as they come: she’s been married for several years, but finds herself recently (surprise!) divorced (her ex-hubby’s decision), out of home (she let him keep the house) and struggling (self-employed as a graphic designer, but not attached to any big design firm, so… yeah, times are tough). [A LOT of us have been there, amiright?]

So, when the uncle she’s incredibly fond of—Uncle Earl, proud proprietor of the fantastic “Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy” (are you hooked right there? because, honestly, I sure was)—reaches out and offers a part-time job (helping him with his life’s work, that two-story-hotbed-of-oddities) with bed-and-board (because frankly, he hasn’t been doing so hot and could use some assistance), Kara jumps at the chance to flee to… picturesque (fine, depends on your standards, that) Hog Chapel, North Carolina… teeny-tiny podunk town (with an insanely-hilarious moniker).

And, everything is pretty good, for a spell. Kara (or “Carrot”, to Uncle Earl) spends her days monitoring the museum—mostly, selling t-shirts and other gewgaws to tourists, and cataloguing the (never-before-catalogued) oddities so that her uncle (and, probably, his insurance company) might finally, someday, know precisely what items have found a home under his roof.

When Uncle Earl’s bad knees finally give out (for good), though—necessitating his traveling to “the big city” (Charlotte) for surgery…and leaving the GtGMoNWCaT in Kara’s hands—well, that’s when things start happening.

It all kicks off innocuously enough, when she finds a big hole, one night, in the drywall (no doubt accidentally caved in by some careless tourist’s graceless stumble). Enlisting the aid of her new friend/next-door neighbor—Simon, the delightfully-flamboyant (also-escaping-reality-by-moving-to-podunk) barista, who provides her with gratis cups-of-joe every day—she endeavors to figure out how to cheaply repair the big gaping hole in one of the museum’s upstairs walls.

The thing is, once they take a closer look at it, there’s obviously something more to it than just a hole; this hole has… extra space, and seems to continue far beyond your everyday… well, literal hole-in-the-wall.

So, our intrepid duo investigate… as you do, when unexpected things suddenly appear. They step through the hole, and find themselves… okay, in a narrow, dark hallway, or sorts. (But, seriously, that in itself is weird enough; this is an upstairs room, not a basement, so there shouldn’t be any surprise hallways or caverns or whatnots.)

And what they find… oooh, well, What. They. Find.(!!) It isn’t just joists and dust bunnies and insulation and a squirrel carcass or two, in there… no, it’s a friggin’ bunker… complete with the (stomach-clenching) words “Pray They Are Hungry”, etched on one of the walls.

Well, you KNOW they can’t just leave it at that, right?? I mean, pray who is hungry? And, hungry for what??

If any place on earth is gonna have cryptic messages from… well, someone… (from another world? reality? alternate universe?), it’s gonna be the Glory to God Museum, now, isn’t it?

But the real question is… how do a couple of very normal (like, by otherworldly standards) humans, living in a podunk town, deal with such things? It’s only—you know—the Fate of the Entire Universe (as We Know It), at stake, here…
_______________

T. Kingfisher (or Ursula Vernon, as she’s probably more-commonly known) is clearly a storyteller… because she reels off a heckuva fine tale in The Hollow Places.

This one hits all the notes: Kara (or Carrot, lol) is a more-than-worthy heroine… an everywoman (or do we now have to say “everyperson”?) who is entirely relatable, and likable, to boot. Her compadre-in-terror, Simon (the barista, who, as a Floridian, has a history such that perhaps only other folks from Florida can possibly hope to boast—or deny) makes for a fine foil/partner-in-crime… the sort I really hope I find myself nearby if I’m ever faced with similar circumstances. Uncle Earl… well, if the religious side of my family also had a measure of crazy-fun, they might dream of being as delightful as him.

But let’s not forget the worlds—yes, plural—that Kingfisher creates, because there are definitely two, here. No, I’m not talking about the “regular”, mundane one that all of us—Kara, included—inhabit; rather, there’s the world inside the museum (and trust me, you need to read the book to get a handle on that ball o’ crazypants), as well as… well, the other world(s), just on the other side of that gaping hole in the wall. (Not-a-spoiler: You do NOT want to find yourself in that/those worlds, ‘kay?)

How it all shakes out—because, I mean, you already know it does, somehow, right?—is where all the fun lies. Also, all the scaries, because yep, this one is chock-full o’ scary stuff (that feels all-too-real, believe you me).

A Halloween treat, you ask? Why yes, there’s no trick here… but most definitely, quite a treat. Hope you enjoy The Hollow Places as much as I did. :)
~GlamKitty

I love the idea that other worlds can exists parallel to our own and that sometimes the fabric that separates gets...thin. Add to that the realistic humor of a protagonist I found ultra relatable and you end up with an A+ read. Five stars all day. Can’t wait to read more Kingfisher!!

’Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she’s discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle’s house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area—only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities.

’But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts…and the more one fears them, the stronger they become.’

I had a blast reading THE HOLLOW PLACES, the first book that I have read by T. Kingfisher, and I can’t wait to read more.

The horror fan in me loves the sinister and creepy vibe within, though part of me can’t help but wish it amped up a bit more—the otherworldly—more of a tangible presence on the page.

I love Kara, the main character, who’s funny and oh so relatable.

Thank you, NetGalley and SAGA PRESS, for loaning me an eGalley of THE HOLLOW PLACES in exchange for an honest review.

Next up from Kingfisher – THE TWISTED ONES

I really liked The Twisted Ones and thought that The Hollow Places would be a nice spooky read for October but I wasn’t expecting it to be actually scary. It filled me with a dread that felt so real and tangible, and that genuinely made me want to go checking my house for holes in the walls (and I may yet still do this.) It reminded me of Lovecraft and Blackwood, otherworldly but still somehow so close to our own that it makes you question everything. This book was an intense joy to read, a book that I could hardly put down (and I have not had the mental space to read a lot lately, so this tells you a lot!)

I truly hope that Kingfisher writes more horror novels because The Hollow Places was absolutely fantastic.

The nitty-gritty: Weird, unsettling and laugh-out-loud funny. How can you resist that combination?

My breath came in great choking sobs while I tried to beat the dead thing to death a second time.

It really was a joy to read a new T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon) novel, which turned out to be much in the same vein as her last novel, The Twisted Ones. The Hollow Places isn’t a sequel—although you might be confused because the cover designs are so similar—but it’s got a very similar vibe, and I had just as much fun with this one. At the heart of the story is a pretty creepy mystery, and that’s what drove the story forward.

And because of this mystery, it’s best to read this with as little knowledge of the story as possible, so my recap is going to be very short. Also, avoid reading the blurb on the back of the book if you can. Basically, Kingfisher posits the questions: What if you found a hole in the wall that led to another universe? And what if you decided to explore but then you couldn’t get back? This is the situation our main character Kara and her neighbor Simon find themselves in. Sounds fun right? And it was!

Kara is a thirty-something recently divorced woman who is at a crossroads. Her divorce came as a shock, and she’s barely prepared to strike out on her own and support herself. Luckily, she gets a call from her eccentric Uncle Earl who is having knee problems and needs some help around the house. Earl also runs the local quirky museum, the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy, and in exchange for Kara running the front desk and doing inventory, Earl offers her a room in his house rent free. Kara immediately jumps on his offer. She’s feeling nostalgic about returning to her hometown of Hog Chapel, NC, and she sees this as an opportunity to take stock of her life and figure out what her next step will be.

But one day, Kara discovers a hole punched in the wall of one of the museum’s rooms. When she and her friend Simon peek through the hole, they’re shocked to discover a concrete-lined hallway on the other side. But that’s impossible, because there shouldn’t be anything on the other side of the wall. Curiosity piqued, Kara and Simon decide to explore and find themselves facing a bizarre and frightening reality.

Boy was this story creepy! I usually read at night before bed, and I honestly had a couple of unsettling nights where I had to put the book down because I was so creeped out. Kingfisher does a great job of creating suspense and atmosphere. I don’t want to give too much away, but in her author’s notes she says that she based her story on a novella by Algeron Blackwood called The Willows. Willow trees play a big part in the mystery of The Hollow Places, and she does a great job of describing the silvery shimmer of the leaves and the way they seem to come to life. That may not sound creepy, but the willows in this story do other things relating to Blackwood’s story, and let’s just say I am keeping my eye on trees now, in case they...do anything.

Once again, Kingfisher creates a hysterically funny heroine in Kara, just like she did with Mouse in The Twisted Ones. At this point I’m wondering if the author is channeling her own personality into her characters, because Kara and Mouse have such a unique way of looking at the world and dealing with the horrors that face them. For someone who has just split up with her husband, she seems to be taking everything in stride. First of all, she’s now living and working in a place stuffed to the brim with taxidermy and weird, offbeat artifacts. The room she’s sleeping in has a giant elk head on the wall—an elk she named Prince as a child and who now gives her a sort of weird comfort. I don’t know about you, but I’d have a tough time getting to sleep with any sort of dead animal on the wall staring at me, lol. Instead of griping about her ex and bemoaning her lack of income, Kara is fairly upbeat and cracks jokes all the time, even when faced with an alternate world where things are trying to kill her. I loved her attitude and her ability to use humor as a defense mechanism. And Simon, the laid back barista who works at the coffee shop next door to the museum, is the perfect foil for her. I just loved them together, and their dialog definitely kept me from screaming when shit starts getting bad. (Also of note: Simon is gay so there is no romance between them!) Also, props to Simon for having an unusual form of color blindness in one eye. That’s all I’m going to say, just read the book so you can see what I’m talking about!

As far as negatives go, I did have a couple of minor issues with the story. The supernatural/otherworldly aspects of The Hollow Places are a little on the confusing side at times. We’re talking metaphysical, other dimensions confusing, and I didn’t think all of the author’s explanations made sense. When we finally got some answers at the end, I wanted that “ah hah!” moment but I didn’t really get it. I also didn’t like the way Kara reacted to some things. You know those horror movies where the main character walks right into danger, even when they know they should be running the other way? Yep, that was Kara a lot of the time, and while it made for lots of tension, it also drove me nuts!

But seriously, there are some nail-biting scenes in this book that really scared me, especially one near the end that involves all the taxidermy in the museum—and that’s all I’m going to say about that. Combined with so many humorous moments, this story was just plain fun from start to finish. I can hardly wait to see what Kingfisher is going to come up with next!

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

Imagine Narnia and Alice in Wonderland, then make it creepy and horrifying, that will give you an idea what Hollow Places is like.

Kara is recently divorce and her uncle has offered her to stay in his extra room at the Wonder Museum. While she is staying there, she helps her uncle out with the museum that contains everything bizarre (shrunken heads, taxidermy, etc). Her uncle has to have surgery, so it is up to her to take care of the place while he is away. While he is gone, Kara notices that a tourist has knocked a hole in the wall. She asks the building's neighbor barista Simon to help take a look at it. Upon further inspection, they notice that behind the hole, there is another room and in that room there is another door that leads to another horrific world.

This book is definitely creepy, but it also has a great storyline and witty characters. I feel like there have been several horror stories that I have read that go for the shock factor and lack a real story. This book has some shock value, but it has a well written plot and I noticed myself laughing several times.

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!!!

This is a creepy and scary combination that is a pretty perfect read, especially if thriller/horror is your genre. This book genuinely scared me but kept me wanting to read more and more. I enjoyed this and will look to see what else the author writes in the future.

Can one book effectively mix humor, horror, supernatural, and overall weirdness?

Turns out that yes, a book can, and T. Kingfisher does it exceptionally well with The Hollow Places.

Before reading this, you should be aware that the story is not traditional, nightmare-inducing horror. Instead, this one sneaks up on you. Initially, I was laughing, because the content and dialogue is truly funny. I thought, No way is this the horror I'd anticipated. It's not horror at all. But I was okay with that, because I was enjoying the story.

Then strange things started happening. The kind of strange that made me think, Hey, this sort of makes sense, like it could actually happen somewhere, which is disturbing.

Then I flipped a page and I shuddered. Yup, there's horror here after all. Maybe even the stuff of nightmares, because I was freaked out there for a while.

But, still, humor. And so much weirdness.

The Hollow Places is wholly unique and wonderfully creepy. I loved it.

If I had to pick one word to describe this book it would be - UNSETTLING. The concept, pacing and TSTL actions by Kara AKA Carrot only add to that vibe. Carrot and the other characters in this book are likable and I cared about what happened to them. However I think I missed a resolution to a plot point which left me a tad confused. I liked this book enough that I will seek out other books by Kingfisher.

T. Kingfisher is the author and illustrator of many projects in the sci-fi realm, but her newest "The Hollow Places," veers strongly into supernatural horror territory.

Kara has just been dumped by her husband, and her uncle offers her room and board at his curio shop known as The Wonder Museum. She jumps at the chance...mainly because she doesn't really have any other viable options, and she loves her uncle.

While taking care of the shop/museum, which houses an eclectic collection of everything from taxidermy animals to skeletons to odd art, she is told by some visitors there is a hole in the wall upstairs.

After closing, she enlists her new friend Simon, who is a barista at the coffee shop next door to help patch the hole while her uncle is having surgery done.

A decision they will soon regret as they end up in a connection between alternate realities. Realities that are not only strange, but deadly.

I really enjoyed The Hollow Places. The story had influences of H.P. Lovecraft and Stephen King, but was an original story of its own. The descriptive prose made me feel like I was right there with Kara and Simon, even cringing and holding my breath at some encounters with the main "monsters."

I’m giving The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher a 4 out of 5 stars.

A horror novel set in modern-day smalltown America, though I can best sum it up with an equation: House of Leaves + Algernon Blackwood's The Willows + a little dash of Annihilation = this book.

Kara, a thirty-something graphic designer in the midst of an overtly friendly but low-key depressing divorce and with few job prospects, decides to move in with her uncle and help him run his small and extremely weird museum, the 'Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy'. Which is basically just a house stuffed full of inexplicable clutter, from a giant Bigfoot statue to a "genuine" Feejee mermaid to stuffed mice dressed in tiny armor to a collection of thimbles of the world. All goes well enough until a small hole appears in one of the walls. In an attempt to patch it, Kara and her new friend Simon, the gay barista from the coffeeshop next door, discover a mysterious hallway behind the drywall where there is definitely not enough room for a hallway, which leads to a world full of willow trees and things that shouldn't exist and multidimensional creatures that can do much, much worse things than merely eat you.

Kingfisher does an excellent job at evoking cosmic horror: the unknowable, the wrong side of reality, the just plain wrong. Which is fascinating, because now that I'm thinking of it, I can't really name many recent novels that go all in for cosmic horror, and none at all that manage to make it this scary. Because for as creepy as 'The Willows' is, its 1907 language is hard to sink into – at least for me it is. The Hollow Places very much does not have that problem. Kingfisher has done a wonderful job at taking the ideas from that story and making them entirely her own. She also is great at wringing pure terror out of some very innocuous places – an empty schoolbus, a taxidermied otter, a strangely labelled MRE.

So the horror here is A++. I can't quite say as much for the characters; both Kara and Simon felt a little flat to me, a little like fanfic cliches. But that's a very minor compliant for a book that I sped through and would highly recommend.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3606554155

A sequel in spirit (though not in content) to the excellent The Twisted Ones, The Hollow Places takes us on another journey inspired by another classic work of cosmic horror. This time it's Ambrose Bierce's turn in the barrel, via his famous short story "The Willows", which (unlike the inspiration for The Twisted Ones) I actually have read---long, long ago---and which I found deeply, deeply unnerving.

"Deeply unnerving" is probably the best description I can give of The Hollow Places, and I mean that in the best possible way. Kara, a professional graphic designer and amateur fanfic writer, is fresh off a much-needed divorce and working for her uncle's junk museum of the absurd, when she notices a mysterious hole has appeared in the wall. A hole that leads to a hallway that's much too long to exist, and beyond that hall, a willow-strewn world like something out of a fairy tale. But her adventure soon turns to horror, as she discovers the true nature of the world she's stumbled upon, and just how difficult it will be to escape.

My one complaint about The Twisted Ones was in its ending, which I felt took all the slow-creeping tension of the earlier chapters and just dissipated it. Well, The Hollow Places doesn't fall into that trap; if anything, the creep factor multiplied right until the very end. (With a central mystery that I didn't find mysterious at all, though; not sure if that was because it was so obvious or because I've read "The Willows".) What this book does so well, I think, is the way it manipulates the reader's expectations. There are jump scares, it's true . . . but more often, we see a horror, but don't *realize* we're seeing a horror until much later on. Instead of "oh my god, it's a monster!", we think "wow, that's . . . weird", whistle a bit as we read on, then have the true nature of what we've been seeing all along suddenly revealed. The true horror lies in how little we---like Kara and her buddy Simon---understood what we were seeing. In how easy it was to stumble headfirst into hell.

Overall: highly, highly recommended!

A big thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!