Rating warning -- It's more than 3.5 but less than 4.

I discovered this series in Netgalley itself, and while I got the arcs for for book 3 and 4, I got myself the ebooks for 1 & 2 since I wanted to do justice to the series.

One thing for sure - The author has amazing world building skills. Almost none of the creatures we know exist in this world. And one that exists (a dragon) also has some unique characteristics.

Magic of this world - It is a soft magic system. And magic is not the most important part of the story, magic is used and felt, but the main focus of this story is courage and bravery. We don’t have any “Avada Kevada” to kill. You will have to do the hardwork yourself.

Inspiration - I think this series has been inspired by the LOTR series. There is almost no Harry Potter reference in this series, which is like a breath of fresh air.

Now the plot -----

The 2nd book was extremely engaging. The characters were facing situation one after the other, it was like they could not really take a proper breath or rest properly. That got solved in the third part. After their adventures in second book, this book was comparatively slow paced but it was a welcomed pace.

The book starts off sweetly and slowly we learn about how our society deals with those who are kind of broken. The major theme of this book was how fear can make people do certain things and that if you are afraid then you are not really free.

It is about Kalmar the High King of Anniera who has been fanged. The prejudices and fights that their family goes through, and most importantly we see how Janner deals with his emotions regarding his own brother who has been fanged and who needs to be protected by him.

I think I liked this book a lot because of how well Janner’s thoughts and emotions have been portrayed. That anger of having a responsibility you would not have signed for, that feeling of doing things you don’t want to and sacrificing your own desires, that grudge, anger and dislike you want to hold onto but unable to, knowing that you are being selfish yet not being able to help it, understanding what needs to be done still trying to deny it and throwing tantrums --- I loved it all. I have went through these, I could sooooo relate and I absolutely loved it.

There were 2 plot twists in this story. One was kind of expected and the other one was simply unexpected and was not delivered properly either, it felt abrupt. From whatever I have read in the past two books, I expected a more careful planning of the plot twist. A good plot would have connected the dots, whereas this felt like coming from nowhere.

(SPOILER) This incident raises many questions -- If King knew about Bonnifer than why did Throne Warden not know about it ? He should have and could have warned the children during their journey, said a tale perhaps ?(SPOILER OVER)

Last but not the least, we get a really important lesson about loss. Losing once is heartbreaking but twice, that is just terrible. This ending was simply heart wrenching and gut punching T_T !!

Thank you Netgalley and WaterBrook & Multnomah publishers for the free reading eArc.

It never ceases to amaze me how impressive these books can be. This next addition continues with all the majesty and brilliance as the first two books. I am quite sad the series ends after this next book. My son will love reading these when he is older as well. I can't recommend this author or the series enough!

Loved this third book in the Wingfeather Saga! The adventures of Leeli, Janner and Kalmar continue. The family has been reunited and is looking for a safe haven. They do find a place, but will it become a home and will they find acceptance.? I came to love the characters even more and will definitely be reading book #4. Come along for the ride!

Jennifer Norwood's reviewAug 28, 2020  ·  edit
really liked it

This book was a great read. I enjoyed the entire thing, though I read this one first since I downloaded it first on my phone. The characters feel like they could be living today, even with the extra features. The plot twists and turns so well that I couldn't stop reading. I think I read the whole thing in 12 days or so which I think is good for a mom of 2 toddlers.
I am going to read all the rest of the books in the series so that I can find out what happened before this book that I missed and what happens next. This book makes me want to see what other series are available by Andrew Peterson and try some others. It was that good!!
I received this book free from Waterbrook and Multnomah. #PRHpartner

These stories were our escape from the weirdness of 2020. 

Thank you to the publisher through Netgalley for an advanced copy.

I love this series so much! I recommend this series 100% thank you for the opportunity to be able and read this! I love the story and your writing flows naturally. A given talent to be able to write so wonderfully.

The Monster in the Hollows was the first book in the series that made me cry (thank you major plot twist!). The whole series is allegorical of the Christian life and our struggle with identity in the midst of an evil world. With the introduction on the cloven, the author speaks to those who feel broken beyond repair. There is great hope in the Maker and his deep love.

I was able to join the launch team for books 3 & 4 of the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. You can check out the book series here: http://wingfeathersaga.com/.



I am attempting to not include any spoilers in this review, that being said, let's begin.



The story begins where book 2 left off - the family is attempting to cross the Dark Sea of Darkness. Kalmar is the wolf king/prince/Gray Fang appearance. Janner struggles with his role as the Throne Warden. Leeli grows as the Song Maiden. 



The story does not fail to provide humor, laughter, joy, hope, redemption, adventure, action, twists and turns, just like the first 2 books of the series. Our favorite characters return and some new characters are introduced. 

That being said, I have read 3 out of the 4 books at this point. Without including spoilers here, I believe this very well could be my favorite book of the 3 books I've read from the 4 of the series. Give the series a chance, check out the website for the books: http://wingfeathersaga.com/





SPOILER ALERT: Okay, I know I said that I would attempt to not include spoilers, but I believe I can't do justice for a review of the book without including these next thoughts. Some people may consider these thoughts as spoilers, so proceed at your own risk. 



Above I said that Monster in the Hollows very well could be my favorite so far. I stand by that statement. For reasons that may be hard to point into words. 

The book being titled Monster in the Hollows and the fact that Kalmar Wingfeather now looks like a Fang, you would think that Kalmar is the Monster. But there are other monsters in the Hollows as well. To be honest, I was frustrated and upset as the story progressed. 

"It isn't fair!" I thought multiple times as I read. "NO!" I screamed inside my head on at least one occasion. Major plot twists occurred in book 3 as well. "I did not see that coming" happened as well. 

But as with books 1 & 2, redemption occurs as well. As Nia Wingfeather states in one part of the book (I'm paraphrasing as well) "show them mercy and forgiveness." 

Perhaps the biggest reason or two that I'm such a fan of the Wingfeather books is the fact they contain hope and redemption, as well as the existence of evil and how to fight it. Our world is a messy place, and we need reminders that there is hope. Andrew Peterson gives us books of hope, but it shows that it can and is messy at times. His books are not all sunshine and roses. We need stories that show people rising up and fighting the good fight. We need stories of hope and redemption. And we find that here in book 3 of the Wingfeather Saga: The Monster in the Hollows.

Andrew Peterson has once again blessed us with a world of adventure with his creativity. In this third book, the saga continues. I have young children and I cannot wait to introduce them to this series. I recommend it for audiences of all ages.

Sometimes in a book or movie series you find one is not quite as good as the others. This is definitely not the case for Andrew Peterson’s 3rd writing in The Wingfeather Saga series.  The Monster in the Hollows did not disappoint in the least.  I read it in one day because I absolutely had to know what was going to happen next.  From the beginning of this leg of the tale, you are drawn in by new surroundings and characters, each one described in such a clever way that you can easily picture them and feel like you are right there in the story with them. 
The depth of meaning in many of the events in this journey are eye opening. Andrew Peterson has a gift for portraying human character that makes it relatable even if it’s not the most pleasant trait that you are identifying with. It’s well balanced with challenging events, humor and heartwarming moments.  As an adult, experiencing this book took me back to times spent reading as a young adult, finding adventures that gave me a respite from challenging life situations and hope for the future.

Such a wonderful story and continuation of the Wingfeather Saga!   I kept reading faster and faster the closer I got to the end of the book!  Oh the JOY!

This book is exceptional. I'm re-reading the entire series (again!) with my 11-year-old, and I flew through book 3 to get it into her hands. With all the adventure in books 1 & 2, I'm glad for the pace of this book -- a real chance to catch your breath before the final book of the series.

I cannot wait to add these new illustrated hardback versions to our collection.

As often happens in a multi-volume series, there's one volume that seems to slow down a bit.  That would be the first part of this book.  Don't get me wrong.  It was still delightful to read about the Igiby-Wingfeathers settling in to their lives in the Hollow as well as dealing with the Hollow residents prejudices against Kalmar.  But when the action does finally pick up, it's non-stop with plenty of twists and turns and surprises.  The book ends well, with a moment of quiet before the battle that will inevitably come in the final book of the series.

I’m dead! 😵
I think this is by far my favorite book in the series!

This book started on a happy note and slowly escalated with more and more conflict. It was well paced and there was space to breathe between each problem or rather trouble that occurred. The story was adventurous. The troubles made me nervous. The lessons touch my heart in a special way.

What I love about this book or this series is the developing characters. I enjoy seeing how they grow and mature and face challenges in life. They learnt to overcome circumstances and doubt through love and perseverance. I especially was so proud of Janner when he stood up to the bully for his brother.

The best part for me though was the ending. There was so many plot twist! Even though I expected them, I was still wreaked! The revelations were astounding but in the end, the joy was taken away by death. I was devastated! Why allow readers such a short lived happiness? 😭

Even so, I’m excited to read the next installment and then I’ll be investing my money in a set of the physical books 😍 I mean.. it’s so worth to keep them as a collection!

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from WaterBrook & Multnomah through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I received a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review from the publisher via NetGalley. Thank you to author Andrew Peterson, to the publisher WaterBrook & Multnomah, and to NetGalley for this opportunity. The Wingfeather trilogy books are getting new hardback editions with new illustrations. How exciting! 

The Monster in the Hollows delivers an exciting non-stop final third with so many twists and turns that I did not see coming. To the readers who may find that this book starts a little slow, as I did, I say keep reading. It's worth it! If I could give partial star ratings, I would give this a 3.5, as it is clearly a good book for the target demographic. Since I personally felt that the first two-thirds were quite slow during my read through, I cannot personally give it 4, but readers who have recently enjoyed the previous two books may be more forgiving of world-building tangents. Consider this a very high 3-star, almost 4-star rating. 

I confess that this is the first Wingfeather book I've read, and I expected to be confused. I wasn't! The cast is arriving in a new place at the beginning of this installment, so there's a lot of worldbuilding and history to explore. Through the process of all that, any reader new or old should be informed enough about the events of the previous two books to proceed without feeling like information is missing. I hope that doesn't mean readers who start at the beginning of the series and read through without delays between books might find the world-building repetitive, but as I did not read the previous book, I cannot comment on that. 

The school system in this new country is very interesting, and clearly not at all what the kids are used to. Although I felt sorry for Janner not being able to choose the specialty that called to him, since he had to go where his brother chose to go, experiencing the two brothers together in what seems to be this world's version of cadet training is highly entertaining. (Get the boot!) 

Although the first two-thirds of this book didn't particularly grip me, I'm not the target audience. Progressive adults looking for a light read may be bothered by the frequent affirmation of traditional gender roles, and at points I felt that the rejection of evil message was in danger of bordering on xenophobia, which I don't think was the author's intent. That said, this is most definitely an entertaining family read for Christian families with preteen children who enjoy fantasy worlds and creatures. This book features strong themes of family values, faith, forgiveness, and defending what is good and right.

The Monster in the Hollows continues the story of the Jewels of Anniera,:Jenner, Kalmar and Leeli. They are about to enter the land of Anniera for the first time, their homeland where they are considered royalty. After escaping Gnag the nameless and crossing the Dark See of Darkness, the children began to piece together their families history. On top of that they have a fantastic adventure that includes, swords fights, songs and  them befriending a monster  who in fact may hold the key to solving more mysteries of the past. The new illustrations have made this book even more memorable. This book is worth reading over and over again, it has a beautiful story about a family, who is not always perfect, but in the end is always there to forgive, love and encourage one another.

Following the adventures of our great protagonists we venture to new adventures, and people, in this book is more full of answers to our questions from the first 2 books, it is a story that has amazed me in its creative way and its construction of the world, the family is still the important thing in this book, fighting against adversity and seeing that light of hope and quality so that the family is finally together and heals and is happy.
Without a doubt this is a saga that deserves to be read and to be able to enjoy the great world

The three Wingfeather siblings finally reach the Green Hollows, where their mother grew up, and hope that finally they are safe. But are they truly safe? With Gnag the nameless after them, how long can it actually last? When will they be found again, and where else is left for them to go?

Finally, I got some answers! I was once again impressed with Andrew Peterson’s creative talents. He manages to weave depth into a children’s book that you don’t find very often. And not the normal attempted depth, someone’s grandma dying, or a parent losing a job, or losing a friend -- what you normally find in children’s books, and what is normally ineffective. This book had real depth. The story of a family trying to find happiness when the whole world is up against them. The story of finally finding it, only to have it ripped away -- again. This is the story of music, magic and mistakes. It’s a tale of looking past appearances. It’s about sacrifices, both large and small. 

There are some problems that I feel were glossed over too much. Why do the Wingfeathers always run and hide, instead of trying to do anything about Gnag and the Fangs? I don’t like to say it, but they come across as… selfish. They never seem to form real attachments to the people they have lived among for years. We really only hear about the present, which seems rather simplistic. Also, Leeli is completely perfect. When has she done anything wrong in all three books so far? It’s starting to bother me. 
But I guess to put it in perspective, if these are my biggest complaints about a book, the book must be pretty good. 

I don’t have much to say that I didn’t say in my review of North! Or be Eaten. This book is very much a continuation of that one. I think it is just as good or better, but it left me with almost as many questions as answers. What will happen next? I plan to find out.

The joyful ending of the previous book only carries so far into the Green Hollows, where the residents are wary, to say the least, about having a Grey Fang in their midst. Even as his family defends him, Janner can't seem to help but be afraid of his brother as well. The Igibys begin to try to make their home in the Green Hollows, but there is more danger nearby than just the little Grey Fang.

Though there were some slower parts for me in this book, as I wasn't as interested in the school system in the Green Hollows, it was not nearly enough to detract from the rest of the book as an exciting, heart-filled addition to this series.

Looking back on it, most of what I'd want to expand on would be a spoiler, so I don't feel like I can say much in this review. However, as the danger ramps up, the heroes learn more and more who they are and who they should be. And though there were some dark and gut-wrenching moments, I have so much anticipation for the finale of this great series. More importantly, my 10-year-old daughter has gotten into this series since I started it, and she LOVES it! In fact, she's kind of obsessed with it. She's not an avid reader, so I'd say that's a huge endorsement.

I highly recommend this book, and the series so far, for folks of all ages who enjoy clean, fun fantasy adventures. And to restate from my previous reviews--you might see it labeled as Christian, and there are some references to a deity that many of the people believe in, but it is not overtly Christian.

On a technical note, I initially listened to this as an audiobook, which isn't normally my thing. It's narrated by the author, though, and he does such great voices and really makes the characters come alive. When I got a copy of the ARC, I flipped through to find all of the illustrations and extras that the re-release will have, and they are great too! Definitely worth having the physical copy when it comes out someday.