This book was genuinely creepy, has all of the right amount of suspense and unique story drew me in.
Unfortunately I just don’t think it was for me because while I was reading I couldn’t stop my mind for wandering. T Kingfisher is an amazing author and I really have enjoyed her works so far. Sometimes a book just isn’t for you and that’s okay.
If you’re a fan of horror, scifi and the general macabre definitely check this book out.

When Kara finds a mysterious, impossible corridor in the wall of her uncle’s museum, she can’t resist exploring it, her friend and neighboring barista, Simon, going along for the ride. What they find is a bunker – and another world.

This first-person POV dark fantasy novel is deliciously intense. Following in the footsteps of Kingfisher’s previous (also highly, highly recommended!) novel, The Twisted Ones, The Hollow Places is a masterpiece of sympathetic, contemporary characters confronted with the deeply terrifying, totally unknowable unknown. This is one of those books that really grabs you and holds you, page by page deepening the mystery until you’re desperate to see what’s going to happen. Kingfisher’s characterization is strong, but more, the spinning of the story – the atmosphere, the details, the way the reader experiences every terrifying and puzzling event – makes for an engrossing read. It’s not difficult to believe that monsters can be found next door when you’re living in this story’s world. I read this book in one sitting, and loved every word of it. Highly recommended!

What would you do if you found a hole in the wall that led to another world? Would you go through it? 
... What about if there was a dead body in front of the door and it appeared that the body had locked the door to prevent itself from going through it (or from something coming in)?

I would like to think that I would ignore it--- but then I wouldn't be reading this book. OF COURSE I would go through the door. 

And if you would too, with the knowledge that there is a DEAD BODY blocking the door-- then this is a book for you :).

I am not usually affected by written horror stories, but I purposely read this one surrounded by nature in the middle of the night- it makes a difference and I did not want to sleep for quite a while afterwards. Lots of creepy imagery, lots of horrible concepts that are not for the faint of heart. 

I would have loved to give this book a 5-star rating, but the reaction to each horrific moment by the two main characters was either "hysterical laughter" (almost every time) or "F--! Sh--! F---! Sh--! Sh--!"-- which to a certain extent I would be able to understand, given their situations. As a reader though, reading it every few pages detracted from the story. 

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Press for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book has been recently released and I highly recommend it to set the mood for Halloween festivities.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Recently divorced, living back home with her parents, and working at her uncle's glorified curiosity shop - the Wonder Museum - nothing much seems like it would shake up Kara, our unflappable narrator. That is until one day after the tourists have left the museum and Kara finds that a hole has been punched in a back wall of the building. A hole that leads to a bunker. A hole that leads to the Hollow Places.

The Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy (nicknamed the Wonder Museum) in Hog Chapel, North Carolina is just not the place one expects to find a portal to another world and certainly not by someone like Kara. Kara is a designer, a lover of fan fiction and forums, and seems to embrace the world with a healthy dose of sardonicism that has just been exasperated by her recent divorce. Kara is curious, but not immediately amused, by this disruption to her new normal. Along with her friend Simon who runs the coffee shop next door, they climb through the hole in the wall and enter into one of the strangest places betwixt worlds.

Kara and Simon emerge in an abandoned military bunker that looks impossibly and inexplicably 'real'. It's filled with MREs, a Bible, porn, and the randomness that makes up a life permanently contained in a footlocker. But the uncanny takes hold - the Bible contains apocrypha, the porn lists blood signs instead of horoscopes, and the currency, ads, and clippings found around the bunker are subtly but clearly...not from Earth...or at least not the Earth or reality known to Kara and Simon.

Exploring further, the pair find a misty non-place filled with floating islands that appear connected by the long, swaying branches of the willow trees that seem to be the only botanical life. But these willows are not trees, or if they are trees, they are not only trees. They communicate, the move, they can sense your emotions, they hunt...and they feed.

The Hollow Places' by T. Kingfisher is a charming and frightful edition to the works of portal fiction and ecological terror. The plot shifts slightly from Kara's POV briefly throughout the story as she reads passages and inscriptions from the Bible she finds in the bunker. Despite lacking any real tension thanks to the level-headedness, dry humor, and sheer 'realness' of Kara, 'The Hollow Places' still delivers some fantastically terrifying imagery, a lingering sense of unease, and a permanent restoration of wonder for readers that might have let the magical slip from their imaginations.

Kara is newly divorced and has gone to live with her uncle in his taxidermy museum. She spends her days cataloging the inventory (a fee jee mermaid, stuffed mice, albino raccoons, and other oddities) and her nights hanging out with the barista at the coffee shop next door.
A tourist knocks a hole in the wall and she enlists Simon, the barista, to help patch the hole. They soon discover that the hole is actually a portal to another world. At first the world is quiet and calm, but all is not what it seems when they find words written on the walls warning about Them.
Kara and Simon most find their way home and close the hole before Whatever is there comes through.

I have not read any Lovecraft but I hear this is based off of his work. What I loved about this book is the friendship between Kara and Simon. They have great banter and loyalty with one another with none of the will they won't they drama. This is written well and you get the creepy earie sense coming through. People who like portal fantasies and a bit of horror will love this.

This story had all the creep factor and I couldn't put it down!

I was first drawn in by the cover of this, it was so intriguing and I needed to know what it was about. Once I read the synopsis, I knew I needed to read this book. The fact that the author also wrote another story I highly enjoyed was a huge plus.

T. Kingfisher is ridiculously talented when it comes to creepy suspense. The entire time you are at the edge of your seat needing to know what's going to happen next, while at the same time making you feel extremely uncomfortable. But also adding in a good dose of sarcasm and humor, you know, so your heart doesn't completely beat out of your chest. LOVE THE HUMOR!!!

I've noticed from the last book I read by Kingfisher that portal words seem to be a common theme, and I am here for it. The worlds that are created are so strange and unique. From the atmosphere to the creatures/character, the world building is incredible. Throw in a theme of love, not at all the way you would expect and here you have The Hollow Places.

The books Kingfisher writes have a way of staying with you long after you have finished them. Truth, I find myself quoting The Twisted Ones fairly frequently. And this is a book I see myself reading over again, and enjoying it every time. I can't wait to see what comes next from this author! No, really, can I have another book now please!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books / Saga Press for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review

With inspiration drawn from the 1907 novella "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood, T. Kingfisher's disquieting novel could be regarded as portal fiction. However, this newfound doorway isn't leading to Wonderland, instead beckoning the reader into an cruel and indifferent world. With endearing narrator Kara and barista turned wise-cracking cohort, Simon, the blend of quirky characters and the highly unconventional setting of the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy might make this story more accessible to readers who don't typically favor cosmic horror.

Some might find the pacing sluggish to start as author crafts three-dimensional constructions of the two characters. That quickly changes with an impossible hallway discovered behind a wall of the museum—transforming the story into something insidious and consuming. There is a slow build of terror, a feeling throughout of wrongness that creeps and worms itself around. The novel manages eerieness in both the landscape and what resides there without resorting to undue gore. The imagery is hauntingly beautiful, yet decidedly uneasy as the characters explore this foreign world. Finding their way back is fraught with seen and unseen danger and is only the beginning. The Hollow Places is a clever read, harrowing and darkly entertaining.

Looking for a spooky read? Want to avoid spoilers at all costs?
I bring to you The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher. This book was a slow burn and it was also very eerie. I still don’t know completely how I feel about it and it’s been several months since I read it. The book has a dreamlike quality to it that is anything but soothing. Almost like if Wes Anderson and Stephen King were forced to write a book together. If this sounds like the right Spooky Season book for you, it should now be available in a bookstore near you!

Kara, or Carrot as she's known to her Uncle Earl, is getting a divorce and needs a place to stay. She has two options - to move in with her parents (and quite possibly lose her mind) or move in with Uncle Earl. Earl is the proprietor of the Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy, a tiny museum in Hog Chapel, North Carolina. Kara loves the museum, so it's really a no-brainer, especially with the alternative. Unfortunately, Uncle Earl need knee surgery and has to leave Kara alone in the museum. One evening while walking through the museum, she sees a hole in the drywall presumably left by a careless tourist. She invites Simon, the barista from the coffee shop next door, over one evening to help her patch the wall. Only instead of studs and insulation behind the wall, there's a hallway with a concrete floor that's much bigger than it should be. Naturally, the two follow the hallway (I mean who amongst us wouldn't?!) and find themselves in an alternate world. It's like they went down the rabbit hold but instead of finding the Mad Hatter, they ended up in hell.

This was great. The characters are relatable. I love the idea of the museum - this is totally a place I would go to buy some things for my weird collection. And the writing is terrific. Between the interesting story and the witty banter, ("You're from Florida. There's got to be more holes to hell in Florida than in any other state."), the author just sucked me in. I started reading this on the treadmill, continued once I got off and didn't put my book down until I'd already read 43% straight through. If it weren't for work getting in the way, it would have been a 24 hour book. I will absolutely be looking for more of her work.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery/ Saga press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

"This isn't Narnia, I thought. This is Middle-earth and we just found Gollum."

This book probably made me love the idea of portals to other worlds more than any fantasy managed to do so. Combining a creepy atmosphere, comedy, and even horrific moments, T. Kingfisher truly had me marveled at this book. There are scenes that will remain stuck in my head for eternity thanks to the imagery that left such a visceral feeling in my guts.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who isn't quite keen on complete horror, but wants something spooky but also really a fun romp.

Kara is going through a hard time and is grateful for a chance to help out at her Uncle Earl's museum. She has always loved it there.

"Nobody ever believes me when I tell them my uncle Earl owns a museum. They start to come around when I explain that it's a little tiny museum in a storefront in Hog Chapel, North Carolina, although there's so much stuff jumbled together that it looks bigger than it is."

But when Kara and Simon, the barista next door, attempt to repair a hole in the wall of the museum, they discover a hallway that shouldn't be there.

"Frankly, I wasn't even sure what you were supposed to do when you had an impossible hallway in the walls. Did you call the police to report that the laws of time and space were getting broken?"

What lies beyond the hallway? Kara and Simon are going to find out, and their lives are never going to be the same.

First, I am not a big fan of the horror genre. But, The Hollow Places, is horror done the way I like it best.

There's an unknown world with as-yet unknown dangers. The story is one of exploration and carefully-crafted reveals so you feel as if you're on an adventure.

The characters are fantastic. Kara and Simon are people I would walk down a mysterious and magical hallway with, no question.

The author slowly builds the tension of the story so, for the most part, the main emotion the reader feels is a growing sense of dread. It's an emotion a reader with an anxiety disorder (like me) is familiar with and there's something very satisfying about having that feeling validated and then resolved.

I believe life rarely gives the same kind of closure.

The voice of the main character, Kara, is down-to-earth and, occasionally, quite funny. I liked how the author gave her all sorts of relatable, every-day type problems and then, once the story started rolling, she re-evaluated the importance of issues that would have caused her major headaches prior to her life-changing experience.

I could see myself doing the same sort of thing if I was in her shoes.

The Hollow Places contains some nightmare-inducing moments but nothing I considered gratuitously violent. There's some mild sexual references in the banter between the two main characters. This book might work for older teens who are looking for a spooky October read.

Highly recommended for readers of horror or who like their fantasies to have some thrills and chills.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of this book.

This book was the equivalent of Snow White running through the woods after the Hunter let’s her go.. the woods slowly coming alive around her all the while she’a beyond terrified that the trees will get her and she won’t make it out alive.

The Hollow Places was a terrifyingly well written novel that takes inspiration from great horror writers/producers like H. P. Lovecraft and Guillermo del Toro. It’s a story that will trip you up and make you feel like you’re either going insane right along with the main character and feel the horrid fear that the world you thought you knew is slowly dissolving around you.

very unique and creepy story, right on time for the month of October. I loved the banter between the characters. It kept the story flowing and made it very fun. Fun and creepy.

Kara has moved in with her Uncle Earl in his museum of oddities in Hog Chapel, North Carolina and expects to quietly recover from her recent divorce. What she finds instead is a hole in the sheet rock leading to a flora-laden hell beyond her wildest imagination. Together with a barista from the coffee shop next door, Kara fights with the spirits beyond the wall to close the hole between their worlds.

This is an exciting, fast-paced horror novel with two eminently relatable protagonists and an impeccable sense of comedic timing. This novel will make a fun read for those who enjoy absurdist humor, folklore based horror, or protagonists who in some ways feel almost too close to home.

I otter tell you,
this is not my typical genre. In all honesty, I have no clue what genre I read. It was a very weird novel that would honestly make a great movie. If you are into Stranger Things, Lovecraft and all that, this is definitely for you.

There's a good horror novel in here somewhere. Unfortunately I feel like the author spent too much time with the banter between Simon and Kara, and focusing on Kara's quirkiness than horror aspects. I also felt myself kind of confused at time times about the whole willow situation.

Although this book didn't scare me as much as I was expecting, there were definitely some creepy moments. i would recommend this to anyone who wants a spooky read but isn't into hardcore horror.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

The Hollow Places

Thank you netgalley and saga press for this gifted e-book.

The Hollow Places was my first T. Kingfisher book. The Hollow Places was a weird, twisted and extremely well written horror/sci-fistory. The book centers around Kara, who goes to live with her uncle after a divorce leaves her penniless. Earl is an eccentric old man who owns The Glory of God Museum of natural wonders. Earl leaves the museum to get surgery and leaves Kara in charge of the museum. Kara, who stumbles on a hole in the wall, enlists her friend Simon, a barista, to help patch up the hole.


They discover the portal to another world filled with willow trees and water. The more they explore they realize that they might not get back to their world. I am not going to go into the horrors of this willow world but it is definitely worth a read.

I really enjoyed the chemistry between Kara and Simon. They had an extremely fun rapport during the book. I also appreciated the humor amidst the horror scenes. At times, I felt that there could of been less dialogue between the characters. Regardless of that, I wholeheartedly enjoyed the pacing and creepiness of The Hollow Places.

The book was just a good unsettling horror. The disquieting horror that makes you feel like something paralyzing is standing behind you. The Hollow Places definitely gave me the stranger things vibes. I definitely look forward to reading more from this author.

This is a fascinating story that reminds me of a couple of other books that I have enjoyed recently. One of those books discussed the relationship of fantasy and horror. We think of these as completely different genres but they are really more of a spectrum that is based on how much real life versus fantastical pieces of the story. Horror often has many parts of the story that are based in the normal world but with influences of fantastical elements.
This book falls in this mixture of a fantastical story that involves a girl who visits her grandfather’s “museum” that is filled with “a lot of junk” and where she discovers a portal that opens a different world to her.
The story is okay. This wasn’t my favorite but it was good.

#TheHollowPlaces #Netgalley #GalleryPress #Saga

While I’d read one of this author’s previous fantasy novels, I hadn’t realized she also wrote horror – until I started thinking about the bad guys from Paladin’s Grace. I feel like the highest praise you can give a horror book is that it gave you nightmares. After making the (glorious) mistake of starting this book before bedtime, I woke up in the middle of the night absolutely terrified of the trees outside my window. It’s weeks later and I’m still having nightmares. If that’s not a stellar recommendation, I’m not sure what is!

After a surprising divorce, Kara has gone home to Hog Chapel, North Carolina and her uncle’s Wonder Museum. A quirky place chockfull of taxidermy and sunflower-seed portraits, it’s a good environment to lick her wounds – and just far enough away from her mother. But all Kara’s worries are soon eclipsed when she discovers a hole in the wall in the museum that leads to another place. Soon Kara and Simon, the barista from the coffee shop next door, are exploring a world full of little islands in a seemingly serene forest of willows… until it isn’t.

“Come on, let’s go back to the coffee shop and I’ll make us Irish coffees and we’ll discuss this like people who don’t die in the first five minutes of a horror movie.”


Both Kara and Simon are amazingly realistic characters and they feel human. They react like normal people confronted with some pretty crazy circumstances, though probably with better humor. One example is how Kara spends some of her initial evenings in the museum. It doesn’t have wifi, so Kara curls up against the wall connecting to the coffee shop so she can use their internet to stalk her ex-husband on social media. The visual of her in the dark, surrounded by the whimsical and grotesque exhibits, somehow separated from the rest of the world, really stuck with me. The story builds slowly – sad divorced woman! quirky taxidermy mice! mysterious hole in the wall! Narnia-like forest! – but when it hits, it hits hard. There’s lots of quiet moments to let the tension build (“oh, thank goodness, they’re totally safe now… right?”) and I especially loved the addition of the epistolary-like Bible narrative, which follows a group of soldiers who also end up in the willow world. If this were a blockbuster movie, they’d be the main focus of the movie – instead, we get two average people, a barista and a graphic designer/part-time museum employee, and that’s what makes this book amazing.

“We cannot save the world with sheet metal and batik!”
“Why not?”


I read this book weeks ago and keep thinking about it – not just the scary bits (trees why trees) but also bits of the plot. Pain is a reoccurring theme, both Kara’s emotional pain from the divorce and physical pain. When Kara arrives at the museum, emotionally spent from the divorce and barely holding herself together, it’s Uncle Earl’s back pain that leads to Kara cataloging the collection, and then later [it’s Kara’s hurt leg that saves her from Them.] And in the end, it’s being surrounded by the place and people she loves (and who love her back) that are what help Kara get over her divorce (never mind the holes in the universe filled with monsters) and what save her. Even reeling from her divorce, Kara knows she’s still loved, like when her Uncle Earl sets up her room with her childhood favorite, a taxidermied Roosevelt elk head she named Prince. I think what this author does exceptionally well is writing a book that’s simultaneously terrifying and comforting, and the mix worked perfectly for me.

Overall, I adored this book and I’ve already picked up the author’s previous horror book. Easily 4.5 stars, and I can practically guarantee this book will be on my top 10 of the year list. Highly recommended!

I received an advance review copy of this book from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this copy to review.

Representation: Gay supporting character, casual references to queerness.

Kara is going through a divorce, and she absolutely *cannot* bear to be around her mother for very long, so instead, she goes to stay with her eccentric uncle at his Wonder Museum. This museum is chock-full of all these odd things - a ton of dried cane toads, taxidermy taking up a lot of space, unique carvings here and there. Kara grew up in this museum, so none of it bothers her while she helps her uncle out for a while. Uncle Earl has to go into surgery for a while, so Kara takes over with some support from Simon, the barista that works at and lives above the coffee shop next door. The first day, they discover there's a hole in the wall that they assume a tourist carelessly broke and ran off. But when they take a closer look at the hallway through the hole, they realize that the proportions are impossible. They explore some and discover it leads to some strange world filled with willows and quiet islands dotting foggy water. *dun dun dunnnn*

Rating: 4.5/5 Normally, I'd tell you a bit more about this, but that was kind of all I knew, and let me tell you, that's the best way. This is a horror story after all, but if you desperately want to know more details, I'd be happy to tell you more! This is the first I've read from T. Kingfisher, and I definitely would love to read more from this author! I really loved the writing in this, it was beautiful and sufficiently creepy when needed. The humor woven throughout, both regular and gallows humor, was fantastic. I really appreciated that the main characters, Kara and Simon, were very relatable, and they didn't suddenly have some special ability or were already completely competent. They were just regular people, trying to figure this out, understand space-time physics, other dimensions, and all this science stuff that they're definitely not qualified for. If you like horror that has some humor thrown in, this is for you!