So, I originally DNF'd this at about 27%. It just wasn't hitting.

Happily, I decided to revisit it and I think that original DNF was just mood. I liked it!

I loved Simon. I want him to be my best friend.

I liked Kara and really loved the museum.

The book felt original and definitely had its share of both creepy moments and pulse-pounding adventure.

Very glad I tried it again!

I struggled with The Hollow Places not because I thought it was a bad story but it just wasn't a story for me is the best way I can describe it. I just couldn't connect with the characters or the story and that made it drag along to the point I found myself having to skim just to complete it.

I was so excited to give this one a whirl though because by the synopsis I should have loved it but I just never got that cool creep factor that I yearn for when I'm reading a horror story.

I just finished up The Hollow Placed, and let me tell you, it was an experience!
See, I had started it about a year ago, and shelved it, but I couldn’t remember why. I thought, maybe I just didn’t vibe with it or something. But then I started reading it again, and realized why I put it down.
IT WAS TOO DAMN SCARY! The first third of this book is just downright terrifying. I had trouble reading it because I would be so spooked when I put it down.
I don’t know how Kingfisher manages to make something as simple as the wind playing through a willow tree so frightening, but she does.
Anyways, the basic story in this book is that a woman finds a hole in the drywall in her uncle’s weird museum, and when she investigates, she finds a hallway that’s way too big for the building (serious House of Leaves vibes here). The hallway leads to another world, a world where they are waiting, and they are hungry.
Kingfisher has again taken a classic story- this time Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows- and breathed new life into it. I can’t wait to see what she does with Poe (that’s up next!)

Fabulous. Well drawn characters, incredibily great writing. Biy, did I love this. It's creepy and scary but also with some humor. Look forward to more of this author's work.

This was my first book by Kingfisher and lemme tell ya, it's *chef's kiss* perfection. Carrot was likeable and witty and the book definitely was set up exactly how it needed to be to express the creepy , eerie fantasy it was. I don't really think this was a horror as it was labeled, but it did have the elements. Would love to see whatelse Kingfisher has for us readers.

After re-reading the synopsis, I’ve decided they I will not be reading this title. I feel it’sa little outside of my comfort zone and not something I would enjoy reading.

Kara is a newly divorcee who is forced to move in with her mother due to financial issues. She get an offer to work with her Uncle Earl who owns one of the weirdest museums in town.

Uncle Earl ends up having to get a knee operation which leaves Kara completely in charge of the museum. Kara ends up finding a hole carved in the wall and that’s where the scary fun begins.

The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher was very creepy but in a good way. This writer is extremely talented author who tells a story in a way that leaves you on the edge of your seat. If you like fast pace, nail biting, and scary horror books then this book is the one for you.

Absolutely loved this book! It was a great way to start off the year. It was so creepy and chilling. I absolutely loved Carrot and Simon and Beau. I look forward to reading more books by T. Kingfisher.

Fantastic horror read! It was atmospheric and so deliciously creepy! I believe monsters and creatures in horror can come in two flavors: your b-rated horror monster that just slices and dices or your creature that adds to the story and development (while still maybe slicing and dicing). Both have their place (and I love both), but I am so glad this was the second! It really added to the story.

The Hollow Places sounded like it would be right up my alley; I'm a huge fan of weird things mixed in fantasy, sci-fi, and horror. Although a quick read, I was not personally a fan of it. The main character annoyed me, and I wasn't a fan of her inner dialogue most of the time. Moments that were supposed to be intense were made cheesy by what she would say and think. The ending was anticlimactic, and I was bored by how everything wrapped up. I've seen a bunch of great reviews for this one; it just wasn't for me, unfortunately.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the ARC of The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.

Found this one to be a bit weird. Not really my cup of tea but I thought it wasn't badly written. I think a lot of people would find it really engaging.

This book was so deliciously creepy I literally couldn't put it down sometimes! I don't know what I expected when I started reading it, but it took me to all sorts of places I know for a fact I wasn't expecting. The museum of oddities that Kara is minding for her uncle who has had knee surgery is just that - odd - but it's someplace where she feels at home because she has basically grown up visiting it. Imagine her surprise when she finds, quite by accident, a hidden hallway behind one of the walls. I kept telling her that no good could come from exploring it, and not to go in there, but she didn't listen, and go there she did. She at least had the good sense to take Simon, the barista next door, with her, but that's where all sense of normalcy vanished. She would come to regret her decision to go exploring, as would Simon.

I absolutely loved this book! The characters were described so well that I felt like I knew them, and the friendship that developed between Kara and Simon was one of my favorite things about it. The horror intermixed with humor made it such an easy read. And don't even get me started on the world building! I don't think the story would have been nearly as creepy had the alternate world not been described as well as it was.

In summary, I loved this book and highly recommend it to lovers of horror and alternate realities. I look forward to reading more books by T. Kingfisher.

5/5 stars.

I received a copy of this book free of charge through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Kingfisher's "The Twisted Ones" was inspired by an Arthur Machen tale, and this book was inspired by Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows". Kara's newly divorced and has moved in with her uncle to help run his museum of oddities, but she finds an oddity in the museum itself. Assisted by a vibrant barista, she explores the hole in the wall that shouldn't be there (it's presented as House of Leaves lite) and finds portals to alternate realities. The dreamlike bunkers, and the creatures who inhabit that world, are terrifying. Kara has to figure out why the hole is there, and how to stop the strange incursions into the museum, hopefully before her uncle gets home from the hospital. One of the big strengths of this book is the friendship between Kara and the barista, Simon, but my vote for strongest part of this book is the scenery. The willows, likened to The Wood Between the Worlds in Narnia, are menacing and hypnotic. For a scary book, this is also very conversational, and I have missed my time with Kara and Simon. I hope Kingfisher revisits the museum.

Really struggled with this one! The characters were so stereotyped they didn't have their own personalities at all.

Unfortunately, I do not recommend. Thanks to NetGalley for the free e-copy of this book.

This book was weird in the best way! I enjoyed how it was written and love all things horror and creepy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that wants an original horror story with very well written characters!

A Narnia type sci fi with some horror elements. It was more sci fi than horror in my opinion and I found those parts dragged on a little too long, but the horror portions made my skin crawl. Like when they read the quotes written on the wall..."They Can Hear You Thinking" and "Pray They Are Hungry" and some parts having to do with sleepwalking were creepy to read at bedtime. Definitely different than anything I can remember reading before.

While I enjoyed the character's humor and the style of writing flowed well, the Bible elements and the amount of times the Lord's name is taken in vain bothered me (sometimes twice in the same sentence!) I found the story to be weird and I had a hard time picturing what was happening a lot of the time. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me.

Pray they are hungry. These are the words on the wall in Kara's Uncle's home. She finds a hidden bunker and becomes obsessed with these words and the bunker. Can she find the answers she wants without being sucked in and killed?

I was sadly disappointed in this. I expected an edge-of-your-seat horror novel and while this had some creepy moments, most of it fell flat. It started off with Jeff VanderMeer Annihilation vibes, which was fun, but then it became more of a possession story, and I just never felt the terror I think I was supposed to feel. I will say that I appreciate the fact that the cat didn’t die. I did like he characters for the most part, even though some of Cara’s decision making was laughably bad.

Excellent book! Not my genre at all & I absolutely loved it and could NOT put it down. Changed my mind about the genre for sure! Convinced 3 friends to read it & they loved it!

I have this a four out of five stars. I kept my interested all the way through it. I loved the friendship that builds in this. I totally will recommend to others. It gave me night at the museum and narnia vibes. It was great.