House of Hollow is the bewitching story of three sisters and their dark and twisted secrets. This genre bending novel includes elements of both thrillers/mysteries and horror, it's a toe curling tale that isn't for the faint-hearted! I was hooked on this novel from the prologue, Krystal Sutherland has written an addictive plot that keeps you guessing until the end.
The story is told from the youngest sister, Iris's, point of view, I instantly felt compassion for Iris, the Hollow sister who strived for serenity and calm amongst the chaos of her sisters lives. If you enjoy dark and captivating novels, then I thoroughly recommend checking out this one. House of Hollow is sickeningly good!

Synopsis

After Iris Hollow and her two sisters disappeared for few days when they were still children, they returned with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats. However, it wasn't the only strange thing that was happening to them. A lot of people started to behave strangely around them. They felt a weird attraction to them. Each of the sisters was using this attraction in different ways. While teenage Iris tried to avoid the weirdness, her sisters were using it to make their careers. When two of the elder sisters leave the house to follow their dreams, they don't see each other much. However, when one of the sisters Grey goes missing, Iris and Vivi try their best to find her.

Review

When I requested it I had no idea that it's only a few first chapters of the book. When I reached page 90 I couldn't be more disappointed to see that I need to wait for the book to be released to finish reading it. This book is so bizarre but amazing at the same time that I couldn't stop counting the days until she will be published. All the characters in this book are very unique and their weird but interesting "powers" are something I want to read more and more. I think that everything in this book is a mystery. We don't know what exactly happened to the girl in their childhood, and why they have such an effect on people. Later on, one of the sisters disappears without a trace and we can just wonder what happened to her. After reading these few chapters I just want to scream 'I want more!'. I didn't even finish the book but I already have the feeling that it can be one of the best books I read this year. It's a masterpiece.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Krystal Sutherland, and Hot Key Books for providing me with a copy of this book! I cannot wait to buy and finish reading this story!

An extremely enticing and engrossing sample! I was hooked right from the start and was left desperately wanting to read more. A brilliant introduction and first impression of this book.

Krystal Sutherland's prose is deliciously dark and incredibly atmospheric; every page felt like an oil painting. I loved the different dynamics between the three sisters, the complexities of their relationships and their love for each other sometimes at odds, but always the driving force of the story. And I adored the feeling of a modern fairy tale, with the descriptions of the woods and the carrion flowers, something from a time long passed existing alongside present-day London.

While this was just a sample of the novel I was immediately hooked. So much so that as soon as it was available on kindle I had to purchase it.

The writing is beautiful, the atmosphere is so creepy and I just couldn’t put it down with just an extract! This was what I was hoping for with books like wilder girls and I’m so glad I finally found what I was looking for!

House of Hollow – Krystal Sutherland

Seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats.
Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.
As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.
The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.

Well this was pretty far from Our Chemical Hearts! I love it when authors can change up their style like this. There’s only really one way to describe this book and that is: delightfully creepy.
The beautifully crafted narration alongside the paranormal and the various horror elements worked perfectly, plus that cover is *chef’s kiss*.

This is one of those books that is kinda hard to describe without giving too much away, its something that has to be experienced, so make sure to grab a copy now!

I had to go and buy the book! I love creepy stories filled with suspense and old school spooky vibes!

Do you like mysteries? Creepy and suspenseful plots that keep you guessing? Have you read House of Hollow yet? You should.

Absolutely amazing sampler. I went right out and bought the book and am reading it right now! The writing style is wonderful and atmospheric and the characters are intriguing. I am so looking forward to seeing how I enjoy the full book.

That was an incredible start to a novel and I can’t wait find out what happens next. She lulls into the safety of Highgate and because I grew up in this area when it started to be creepy there was added level creepy as I have been to those spots. Going into this sampler I knew it had some hype so knew the gist but wasn’t expecting to be this invested into the story and how emotionally raw it made me feel. Even as I was dipping my toes in, I had an idea I would like one of the sisters but by the end I adored all of them in their own unique way. They are such individual and strong characters that you would see as inspirational role models in your lives which is why they resonated with me so much. Each character has a large body of history as soon as you go into the story, which I can’t wait to peel back the layers of that and uncover more dark secrets. I know this is going to be a great book as I could feel it in my bones as soon as I finished the sampler. I would recommend it to anyone who likes Holly Black but with an even darker tone and it gives you that feeling you get in a Stephen king novel of suspense and terror.

A great sampler. Very creepy. Definitely going to go out and get the book now. Need to see what happens next!

This House of Hollow sample definitely had me hooked and so much that I bought the book immediately when it released. House of Hollow was everything I needed, but nothing I was expecting. House of Hollow was dark and creepy and kept giving me twists I never would've guessed. I really hope Krystal Sutherland writes more books with these kind of vibes! I highly recommend this book!

Dark things always happened around the Hollow sisters…
A quick paced, mysterious and compelling read about 3 sisters, Grey, Vivi and Iris. All have black eyes with milk white hair. Famous for a bizarre event where they went missing for a month without recollection, returning with a half-moon scar on their neck.
They cultivate their own mystery. Each different in their own way. Iris is the narrator, the one who wants to go unnoticed without drawing attention to herself. This in start contract to the ethereal supermodel Grey is and the dark rock chick that Vivi is.
Suddenly a bald man with tattoos start popping up. He is unnerving and things start to change. Vivi and Iris end up on a quest and there is a mammoth cliff hanger and I need to know what happened next.
Light, easy reading. Quick ability to get to know these very bold and memorable characters. Lots of unknowns and mysteries to unfold that makes it gripping and intriguing

2.5⭐️s

After 211 pages I couldn’t bring myself to continue.

At first I could not get enough of the detailed writing. I really enjoyed the build of the sisters and their story, Cate and the home plus the scenery surrounding the house. I had a feeling that that detailed focus on the everything would slip away once the story took hold, it didn’t.

I was sure I’d love this book, it has all the elements I love - the mystery of the sisters being the main one. It felt like the plot never took hold and as much as I wanted to, no overly detailed description could hold my attention. I would have this pick up and down energy and felt I was forcing myself so it’s not worth it. There’s this lack of balance with the elements in this story. I didn’t feel the fairytale vibe it was trying to convey, the secrets weren’t enough for me to continue and the journey of the book was the biggest problem. It seemed as though we were wondering aimlessly about, stumbling on scenes which were then described for pages on end. I love detailed/descriptive writing styles that really create the scene and mood but the characters and plot also have to be on a par, otherwise you feel you’re just bobbing along in open water.

After reading this free sampler, I went right out and bought the book.

We follow Seventeen-year-old Iris Hollow who has always been strange. Something happened to her and her two older sisters when they were children, something they can’t quite remember but that left each of them with an identical half-moon scar at the base of their throats.

(This totally have me twitches vibes when I read this, you remember the dinner movie right? Loved it!)

Iris has spent most of her teenage years trying to avoid the weirdness that sticks to her like tar. But when her eldest sister, Grey, goes missing under suspicious circumstances, Iris learns just how weird her life can get: horned men start shadowing her, a corpse falls out of her sister’s ceiling, and ugly, impossible memories start to twist their way to the forefront of her mind.

As Iris retraces Grey’s last known footsteps and follows the increasingly bizarre trail of breadcrumbs she left behind, it becomes apparent that the only way to save her sister is to decipher the mystery of what happened to them as children.

The closer Iris gets to the truth, the closer she comes to understanding that the answer is dark and dangerous – and that Grey has been keeping a terrible secret from her for years.

This book sounds creepy, the first few chapter where fast paced and intriguing and I can't wait to dive in to the whole book.

From the small part of the book NetGalley gave me to read, I adored this and immediately picked up the book's physical copy.

As I was only given a sample and not the full book, I feel like I can't give a full in-depth review, but I will comment on my thoughts of what I have read so far.

The characters I loved, the haunting, eerie setting I adored, and I honestly could not put this down when I began. As soon as I've read the whole book, I will be writing a full in-depth review on both my blog and good-reads!!

House of Hollow

H.auntingly beautiful and Sinister, Sutherland writes
O.f three girls that vanish for months. Upon returning they are
U.ndeniably different, hair and eye colour have changed and the
S.isters each have an identical halfmoon scar
E.tched into their throat, just between the collar bones.

O.f course the strangest thing is their new found power
F.or controlling other people....

H.ow do I review this book? The story is sickening,
O.rganic, ethereal, witchy, occultish and I simply
L.oved it! Achingly beautiful descriptions of the
L.adies while the overripe, macabre world lurks underneath.
O.pen yourself to this dark fairy tale and I promise you it
W.ill leave you feeling Hollow. 🌸

This book is very weird and creepy and full of dark vibes. It's not very scary, but definitely spooky.

3 sisters disappear on New Year's Eve in an old town in Scotland, right in front of their parents. One second they are there, the next, they are not.

One month after their disappearance, they reappear at the exact same spot from where they had vanished. Each of them has a scar on their throat, and none of them remember anything about what happened. They are not harmed in any other way and they seem perfectly fine. But - something has changed.

Weird things start happening around them. 10 years later, when the eldest sisters supposedly disappears again, the two younger sisters can't help but think that the events that are happening are related to their disappearance 10 years ago.

There is a lot of intrigue around what happened to the girls when they were young. There are supernatural elements, ghosts/spirits and some spine chilling moments.

The author has made some very important comments on how callously women's safety is treated. Women/girls disappearing, or getting harrassed or assaulted is not treated seriously by people and is often signed off as being the fault of the women.

The grand revealation of what had happened was not surprising to me. The author has given a lot of hints throughout the story. If we read carefully we will be put things together for ourselves.
I loved the personalities of the three sisters. They are so different from each other, still they are so connected to each other.

Overall this was a solid read. If you are into dark fairytales, you will definitely enjoy this book.

This was an pretty good snippet that made me want to read more. Shame I didn’t get the full book! But definitely made me want to read more!

I can't wait to find out more about what is going to happen in the book, the sample was not enough for me, I was hooked and need to read the rest! Looking forward to getting my hands on this book!

This sample of this book was amazing, I was sucked into the story straight away and felt so compelled and intrigued by the story that I’ve actually purchased the paperback to read the full story! I’m so excited to pick this back up where I left off and find out more about the House of Hollow! I think this will definitely be a 5 star read!