Deliciously dark and creepy, The Hollow Places was a fast paced, hectic, tense nightmare of a read. Kara moves in with her uncle and his museum of oddities shortly after her divorce and stumbles across a portal to another world filled with not-things that are there and aren't there. It's hard to describe the not-ness of something but Kingfisher creates more terror in the absence of something than a lot of authors with stock bad guys. The writing style is sharp and witty, the characters are brave and brazen and the plot just raced by. Great read!

Review Copy

A little bit scifi and a whole lot of horror equals one fantastic story with some of the most fun characters - based on reality - to be found in fiction. THE HOLLOW PLACES starts out in a Twilight Zone, slightly disturbing type of way and races pell mell into full blown gut wrenching shrieks of darkness.

This is a perfect blend of friendship, humor and how did this happen-ness. Don't miss the authors note at the end as she describes the basis for everything.

A perfect read but one not for the faint of heart coming soon from Simon and Schuster.

This book surprised me in a good way. Although it's written in a breezy style that seems out of place for the horror genre, the novel has some beautifully atmospheric elements and a few genuinely creepy moments. While there were some predictable plot points, overall I enjoyed the storyline, liked the main characters, and loved the setting. This was an engaging, imaginative read that made me remember why I love this genre.

T. Kingfisher is back with another witty, highly entertaining, and genuinely creepy horror novel. Much like The Twisted Ones, this book is a compellingly fast read filled with memorable characters and settings. It also pays homage to a classic tale by Algernon Blackwood, but I won’t say what one, as that would lessen the overall impact of the reading experience.

If you liked The Twisted Ones, then you’ll definitely want to read this. It’s my favorite horror novel of the year so far!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Great read, very enjoyable I love books like this one. The author did an amazing job depicting scenarios. I could I actually see it all play out as I was reading.

What a great read! It was creepy and entertaining!
Other dimensions, a weird museum full of oddities make good storytelling.

What a fantastic and unique read! I thought this was such a well told, well thought out story with great atmosphere and characters. I love portal stories, and this one is now one of my favorites!

I received this as an ARC from netgalley.com This is the first book I’ve ever read written by T Kingfisher and it surely will not be the last! Wow friends! This book blew my mind with originality, imagination, and great creativity.

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you stumbled upon a portal to another dimension? Growing up, I always dreamt they were at the back of the hall closet, buried behind all the coats, boots, shoes, hats, & vacuum. But it turns out you can find the portal at Uncle Earls museum. As for the rest, you should really read it for yourself. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you....

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and in some ways similar to The Twisted Ones, which I also enjoyed.

Beautifully written! Nail biting, chilling, edge of your seat must read. When reading this book it's as if you're warped into it's world, and it leaves you with a sense of not knowing what to do with your life after you finish it. Do I recommend it?? YES!

I enjoyed the museum and oddities it stored. The characters, while few, were well-written. The cover art is also beautiful and haunting, though after reading the book, I thought the tree would look more like a typical willow tree.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Imagine that you take a job in your crazy uncle's taxidermy museum, bunking in the back, following a marriage that went sour, a life falling apart. And one day left to your own devices you find a hole in the wall and a corridor that can't possibly be there behind the hole. Physics says nothing could possibly be there.

We all think that it would be cool to travel to another world and meet Barsoomian princesses, firebreathing dragons, Humpty Dumpty, and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum. But, maybe the other world ain't all that much like Alice falling down the rabbit hole.

Well, it's a rabbit hole alright. But, it leads to a world where Newton's rules don't really apply and reality is warped beyond your imagination. It's not safe as in not safe like you can't comprehend.

With a great narrative voice, Kingfisher takes us on a horrifying journey to places we never wanted to go.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

This is something extremely dark, gory, twisted, inspired by H. P. Lovecraft’s story and I have to admit its dark humor and quirky, absurd characters acted like just left a Cohen Brothers movie fit interestingly well with its horrifying combination.

If you love the Twisted Ones, short stories of King, Lovecraft, Tremblay, this one is matched made in heaven with your dark, weird and nerdish soul!

There are two leading characters of the book carry the story from the beginning and making us get used to their antics, peculiar attitudes. Dear Kara and Simon.

Kara, newly divorced, penniless, losing her house, is forced to live with her mother who never stops talking. Her story starts like a surprisingly a romcom character. She gets an offer from his Uncle Earl who is owner of one of the weirdest museums of the earth: Natural Wonders, Curiosities and Taxidermy, located at Hog Chapel, North Carolina. He suffers from his bad knee and needs help in exchange of providing rent free life to Kara. She says okay without questioning because she cannot stand to live with her own mother and since her childhood, the museum has always being amazed her.

Kara’s cyber-stalking her ex and her inner monologues are entertaining at the beginning, using the coffee shop’s free WIFI, befriends Simon: queer, interesting taste of fashion, insisting he ate his twin in his mother’s womb and carries her eye which helps him have different kind views about the outer world. You may sense he is uniquely original and lovely kind of weird.

Then one day, Uncle Early leaves the museum for getting knee operation, is driven by Kara’s mom. Now she is alone in the place. It won’t be problem. She can handle it. Right? But wait for it… She finds a carved hole in the museum wall and asks Simon for help to patch it up but then they realize it’s not a regular carved wall. It’s a secret tunnel opens into other alternated universes. Two adventurers take their first step to find out where the tunnel takes them. But their curiosity may get them to the hollow places they’d never imagine at their darkest, spookiest, bleakest nightmares!

Their journey to Narnia meets Pan’s Labyrinth force them face the ugliest, most terrifying creatures, the person from alternate universe who already lost the last pieces of humanity. They think they achieved to escape. They think they can run away from it. But everything starts and connects with the willows which get more powerful and brightening at each day!

This is fast pacing, entertaining, smart, dazzling, horrifying story that I’ve devoured at half day. I loved the characters, I enjoyed the references, I liked the eerie, depressing atmosphere! I’m giving my 4 taxidermy stars and I highly recommend this to the genre’s lovers!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery/Saga Press for sharing this remarkable ARC with me in exchange my honest review. I honestly had so much fun!

This dazzling novel pulls you in with its compelling characters and a horrifying thriller that keeps you in its thrall until the final page. The writing sizzles with a dark menace seemingly weaved from nightmares is unlike any I've ever encountered, in and out of books. A perfect story for contemporary fantasy readers who love their narratives razor-sharp and their secrets dark and deadly.

Hold on to your couch...or pillow, this book takes you on a thrilling, dark, ride that you won't want to end.


If you've ever watched Black Mirror, that's what this book reminded me. Creative terror. Pages turn themselves.

Well written, strong characters, highly recommend!

Dark and terrifying, this book takes you into a bizarre and dreadful world.

The main character Kara moves into her uncle’s house after her divorce. Her uncle has a museum of curiosities and taxidermy, called The Wonder Museum.

One day Kara finds a hole in one of the rooms and thinks that perhaps one of the customers at the museum knocked a hole in the wall.
Kara and her Neighbor Simon, who works as a barista at the coffee shop next door, decide to investigate the hole.

They find a different world on the other side with lots of doors to other realities. This new world is covered in willows and mist. Kara and Simon’s further escapades in the strange new alternate reality are full of terror. The sense of dread and uncertainty is palpable. The creatures and the atmosphere in the other reality remind me of Silent Hill, ( the way silent hill becomes terrifying and full of bizarre creatures in it’s alternate reality).

This book is certainly a horror fan’s dream. It is full of ghastly creatures and creepy scenarios. It is like a horrifying version of Alice in wonderland where instead of falling into wonderland, Alice goes into an eerie and horrifying place through a hole in the wall. I would recommend this book to people who love the horror genre.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book, so that I could review it.

The most terrifying book I’ve ever read, I can’t stop thinking about it! The disturbing imagery reminds me quite a bit of The Southern Reach trilogy but make no mistake, this is a unique world of its own. Pick this up and you won’t be able to put it down until you’re finished.

This book features one of the most unnerving and fascinating locations I've ever read in a work of fiction. The second our main characters entered that other place I was completely unable to put the book down, and after I managed to tear myself away I couldn't stop thinking about it for hours. I'm still thinking about it now!

And while the "place" certainly stole the show for me, the characters and story also were very enjoyable. Kara is a sympathetic, interesting, and believable protagonist. I found myself nodding along with most of her decisions and rationalizations throughout the book, which is always a good thing in a genre where many characters seem to be racing to be the first to climb into a body bag. I was a little surprised about how it ended, but I loved almost everything about this book.

Horror fans should run, not walk, to their nearest bookseller or library when this book comes out to get their hands on a copy.

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 received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved The Twisted Ones, I knew I wanted to read this book when I saw the author was going to release a new one. The otherworld is creepy and definitely scary. Unique premise and the author did a fantastic job hooking me in til the end.