his book hasn’t helped my major crush on Sid at all. Nope. Still there and going strong. I’ve got a soft spot for princesses who might not be entirely cis but certainly gay and badass. However, her storyline is where I had most of my issues with the book. While it is a compelling story – I stayed up late one evening and finished it in one sitting, it is compulsively readable – it relies on a lot of previous knowledge that is not present in The Midnight Lie, but refers back to Marie Rutkoski’s earlier trilogy. It is revealed that Sid’s parents are in fact the main characters of that series, and so much of Sid’s storyline while in Herran is based on backstory that readers of that will be familiar with but that isn’t sufficiently introduced (or necessarily relevant for the story of this duology at all) for readers who have come to this author with The Midnight Lie, the start of a new series. And that is something that I find quite frustrating. Adding in some easter eggs for fans of previous books – sure, that’s perfectly fine and fun, but having a large chunk of the book be about something that isn’t driving the story forward or properly contextualised? I’d rather have seen that portion used for more character development.

Meanwhile, Nirrim, who was more of a passive vehicle in the first book has taken on more of an active role. Having bargained away her heart, she has taken over her city, and rules it with an iron fist. She becomes a really interesting character, as she acts in a capacity where she truly believes she is doing the right thing and is protecting the people she cognitively knows she cared about – but because she is not capable of feeling these emotions any longer, she hurts them more than she helps.

I really liked that the book dared to separate the couple from the first book – and keep them apart. And even once they were physically in the same place, things were not peachy. Sid and Nirrim both changed that that impacted their relationship deeply – even without considering that Nirrim traded away her heart. Add in meddling deities and tricky bargains, and you have a very interesting story. So all in all, this was a pretty good duology, which I will probably be rereading quite a few times. Great characters, fleshed out setting and I think I can look past the weaknesses in Sid’s plotline (and maybe eventually catch up with that old series… but then we all know the state of my TBR…)

The Hollow Heart follows pretty much straight on from where The Midnight Lie left off, so I can't say too much without giving away what happens in the first one.

In this one we also get Sid's pov which I loved! Kestrel and Arin finally make a proper appearance and some misunderstandings are cleared up. I really do enjoy this about this author's writing. She uses the misunderstanding trope (which I usually hate) in a good way, where things are cleared up fairly quickly as the characters realise what has happened.

Sid's pov was a lot more interesting to me, it was much more fleshed out and I felt like I was reading The Winners Curse trilogy again. And I just generally preferred Sid's character overall.

I did feel like this book was lacking depth. Nirrim's chapters were a bit boring even though most of the action was there. We also seemed to have mini time jumps which meant that I didn't feel as connected with what was going on with her. I just feel like there was a lot of lost potential with her pov.

And now we come to the ending. It literally came out of nowhere, it was so abrupt. I didn't even realise that this was only a duology! I was a bit disappointed in this book as it was missing the magical quality from the first one and it felt rushed at the end.

I'm still giving it four stars as I do like this author and I feel like she is very underrated, especially her Winners Curse trilogy and The Hollow Heart is not a bad book, I just wanted more from it! I would still recommend this duology.

“Some truths are too hard to say.”
•
Marie Rutkoski never fails to enchant me with her writing style. I love how she passes from present to past without warning, it makes the read quite magical.

Unfortunately I didn’t like the story as much as the first book and the main problem is that I missed Nirrim very much. I found her character in The Midnight Lie very fascinating: it’s not common for a main character to be at the same time both very fragile and very brave, to be ready to love as truthfully as she did. During the read of The Hollow Heart I felt like Sid, mourning for a person who was lost to me. Her chapters were not engaging cause I couldn’t find a connection with this not compassionate Nirrim and I wanted Other Nirrim back.

On the other hand, I really loved Sid’s chapter. It was as if I came back to The Winner’s curse, not only because we have Kestrel and Arin (they are absolutely the cutest) but also because there are plot twists and betrayals and schemes that left me speechless and made me cry.

Just as Nirrim, Sid, too, is not quite the same character. Since we don’t see the two girl interact very much, we don’t have the light and fun Sid of book 1 that I adored. This one is a bit grumpy and broody and she wants a story of her own and not to live in the shadows of her parents. Overall the character was very believable and it made my heart swell to see how this beautiful family learned how to love and accept each other.

I really don’t know why, but f-f love is not very common in fantasy, especially ya, and this series is the proof that it can be as fascinating as f-m/m-m. We need more books representing these kind of stories, this deep feeling of love that can grow between anyone ❤️.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this in advance. It was worth it and of course it made me want to start the winner’s trilogy again from the beginning.

The Hollow Heart is the conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s brilliant Forgotten Gods duology, a book about what one could do for revenge… and for love.

While The Midnight Lie is more focused on setting the story and exploring the growing feelings between Nirrim and Sid, this second installment follows the aftermath of the revelations about Ethin’s history and the individual evolution of both main characters.
If Sid’s journey of self-discovery and acceptance brought real tears to my eyes (that are also partially to blame on seeing again Arin and Kestrel- if you have loved them in The Winner’s Curse trilogy, be ready for a strong wave of emotions), Nirrim’s descent into villainy was ravishing and fascinating, like a cruel spectacle you can’t stop watching. Both subplots were balanced extremely well, connected by a fine underlying thread.

As usual, Marie Rutkoski’s prose never fails to amaze, with such an atmospheric and lyrical writing that lets the reader fully immerse inside the book. It was truly interesting how the storyline of The Midnight Lie was developed, with clever narrative choices (especially a certain plot twist related to Nirrim) and a deeper insight into the god’s words.

In fact, the only thing The Hollow Heart lacked is the romance. While it was totally necessary that both Sid and Nirrim solved their own issues by themselves and their last scene together was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read, they really *needed* to have more on-page space together- even just a longer and more detailed ending and an epilogue settled in the future would have solved the issue, but I still enjoyed the book as a whole.

The Midnight Lie and The Hollow Heart are two incredible novels that I will definitely never get tired of recommending, perfect for anyone looking for an amazing sapphic relationship and well-crafted stories that will leave you yearning for more.

I liked the Midnight Lie but I struggled with this one. I was expecting more action and a more mature Nim but I found it too slow and the end was a bit rushed.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I had such high hopes for this having love The Midnight lie. But it didn't quite meet my expectations. I found the writing quite disjointed, and it was harder to follow. But I did like the story as a whole

I was super excited to receive this arc as o adored the first book so much but the sequel just didn’t grip me at all. I loved the dark setting of the first book and the mystery surrounding the characters but this one felt a bit meh.

Trigger warnings : death , murder,  violence.

2nd book to the midnight lie series and it was okay for me , comparing it to the first book where the author brilliantly merged the fantasy world with the one we live in to give a raw and gruesome view of how classism and divisions in the society have led to the exploitation of people who are considered as ' lesser ' and how no one really knows when , who and how those rules and boundaries were made , this one wasn't quite about to grab my attention the same way .

Starting of with Nirrim who I loved in the firat book watching her grown to the person she became , I really felt detached from her in this one, i know there were reasons for what she did but still her character lacked the charm she has in the midnight lie . Sid on the other hand was the only character who kept me going, her story and the way she not only dealt with whatever was going on in her life , I felt like she became the main character by the end of it all leaving behind nirrim . Her chapters and pov was all I was looking forward to .

And the end it felt incomplete in a way , it yet again the only way it could have ended but it somehow didn't feel like it , considering how both the books were 400 pages long it was too short for a fantasy duology and everything by the end felt rushed.

Anyway this book was an okay read , I'll still recommend it to people who love fast paced , easy world building and maybe corruption arcs .

Thank you netgalley and hodder & stoughton for providing me an arc for this book

After Nirrim surrenders her heart to the God of Thieves to restore memories, Sid finds himself in Herran to fulfill his duty, which is to take control of the crown.
It seemed that all the troubles had been resolved, but instead, a new threat from the sea causes false memories to be created in your mind so that you no longer believe what is true.
Sid and Nirrim, together again, will have to save the world again. A new war begins...

Well, what can I say about this second volume...if the first one didn't blow me away, I can confirm the same for The Hollow Heart.
The story didn't grab me at all, in fact, let me be honest... I got terribly bored while reading it.
I'm sorry to say this, but I'm here to give my honest opinion.
The book is narrated from three different points of view: Sid, Nirrim and The God. I found Sid's chapters interesting, but everything else not. Especially Nirrim's.
Hers was a character I would have expected more from, especially from an evolutionary point of view. In fact, she remained as flat as she was in the first book.
Did I expect more from this book? Yes.
Was I disappointed given the high expectations? Yes.
I
However, I thank the publisher and Netgalley for the advance copy of the book.

I was very excited about this book and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. That being said, I did enjoy reading The Hollow Heart. My main problem was that I felt disconnected.

The book has three POVs: Nirrim, Sid, and The God, which I found better than the first book, since I like Sid more than Nirrim! It was very nice that we got to see more about her life.

As for Nirrim, I expected something else in this book and unfortunately I didn't care about her at all ...

Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This has a super exciting premise and I was super excited to read it. It’s literally has everything I love from a book in it. However as I came to add it to my goodreads of currently reading I noticed this was the second book in a series and that I had not read the first. Therefore I can’t read it as id have no idea what was going on. I’m gutted

It’s no secret that I absolutely adored The Midnight Lie and I knew I needed The Hollow Heart as soon as possible after that shocking ending. Luckily Rutkoski more than matches the hype with another gorgeously magical story, though this has a darker heart to it.

I found this so, so easy to binge with Rutkoski’s writing utterly transporting me into this lush fantastical world. There’s just this gorgeously rich writing filled with magic that I fell in love with all over again. It felt like a really smart build on the first book. In particular, I adored the world-building in The Midnight Lie, but we get even more here. I loved the development of the mythology of the world and the new lands we got to discover. The exploration of the gods and their pantheon was fascinating for me and added this new level of intrigue to the story. What we got glimpses at originally, Rutkoski prises the door open here and it is so much fun to read. Speaking of this, I loved the addition of The God’s perspective, which adds this extra layer to the story. It was a clever way to mesh these worlds together and provide a bit more context to Nirrim’s tale. In fact, they were some of my favourite chapters.

The clear highlight of this duology has to be our central characters. I really enjoyed how this cohesively felt like Sid’s book, making the two books halves of a whole. Having not read The Winner’s Curse trilogy, I felt like Rutkoski made it accessible for a casual reader but also included enough subtle nods to reward fans of the trilogy. We get to see far more of Sid and their development over the course of the book is phenomenal. They move from a more shadowy, mysterious figure to a three-dimensional, fiercely protective and loyal person. I loved the political intrigue and assassination mystery threaded into their plotline, as well as an exploration of their own complex relationship with their parents and their gender identity.

Of course, I also have to talk about Nirrim. Here, she is fascinatingly complex, brutal and ruthless in her pursuit of vengeance. Her loss of compassion and hardened heart lead to so much violence and bloodshed, but you’re still rooting for that sweet hopeless romantic from the first book. All the way through, I was eagerly anticipating their reunion after those heart-achingly beautiful scenes between the two of them in the first book. They’ve both changed so much, but that spark of love between them remains, if it can be saved. Without saying too much, you do get to see some more scenes that will make your heart sing, but not without darkness and bloodshed.

The Hollow Heart perfectly builds on the first book to create an original, cohesive and wonderfully written duology that deserves all the love.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the early copy!

I enjoyed this book, but it didn't live up to the first one.

There were many fun elements to it, and I found it interesting, but it just didn't pull me in like the first one - I wasn't as invested. I feel like this happens with series quite a bit unfortunately.

I do still look forward to receiving my gorgeous FL edition nonetheless!

This has been one of my most anticipated reads of the Summer. I loved A Midnight Lie and was really excited to be able to dive back into Nirrim and Sid’s world.
The Hollow Heart begins where the previous book ended. Sid has sailed back home as her mother is dangerously ill and Nirrim is now Queen of the Half kith, having sacrificed her heart to the God of Thieves. The book splits itself into 3 main POV, Sid, Nirrim and The god and Sid and Nirrim spend most of the book apart with completely different story lines.
I loved Sid’s story and the way she gradually comes to understand herself and her parents and her voice is the same character as in the earlier book. I really struggled with Nirrim though. As she has given her heart away, her character is now cold and without compassion. I completely understand how it is necessary for the story and plot but it does make her chapters hard to read as her character is now so unsympathetic.
The chapters narrated by the god are the glue that sticks all of the different parts of the story together and become more interesting as you go through the book. I enjoyed the resolution of the story although felt that it was rushed. I would have preferred more time spent on this part and less on the separate stories as it is the relationship between Sid and Nirrim that was one of the main strengths of A Midnight Lie.
All in all, I did enjoy it but not as much as the first book in this duology.
Thank you to Net Galley and Hodder and Stoughton for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book picks up riht where The Midnight Lie left off and I really enjoyed how the story continued. These two books feel like one and it's a great thing. I really don't like when the sequel feels different from the first part and that's not the case here. There was a multiple POVs, a lot of action, it was emotional, fast paced and all in all very enjoyable. I can'say more than this because of the spoilers (it's always so hard to review sequels without spoilers!), but I defininitely recommend this book to all fans of YA fantasy.

This for me was a 3.5/5 star read. It was an ok read nothing to rave about, this is most likely down to me not having read the previous book nothing to do with the author. It did take me awhile to get to know the characters and the world building but once I got into it, it was a good read.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder Stoughton for the eARC, all views are my own.

This is probably my most disappointed review of the year. I liked The Midnight Lie, it was a solid four stars, but I didn’t enjoy this all that much.

Looking at the other reviews, I think this is a me thing. I haven’t read the trilogy that preceded this one. So, I didn’t really care about the characters in Sid’s world. They just felt pretty flat to me. Like I was meant to know about them and care – but I just wanted the book to hurry up and reunite Sid and Nirrim. That didn’t happen until the last twenty percent, which was a massive let down.

I also felt like the narration was disconnected on both sides – I appreciate that was possibly deliberate when it came to Nirrim, but it shouldn’t have been for Sid. Again, this might be a me thing – I always find it harder with first person.

I think, if you’ve read any enjoyed the earlier trilogy or are more of a YA 1st person fan, this might be a book for you. Sadly it didn’t work for me.

I sadly didn’t enjoy this one as much as the first one.

The first one was really focused on the history of the area and the love story of Nirrim and Sid but this one felt more focused on character development and I’m not really sure i liked the way the characters developed. Especially, Nirrim’s.

I did like the way it tied in with the Winners Series and the history of the God of Thieves but it wasn’t as strong as the first book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an earc of the hollow heart. This in no way changes my opinion about the book.

The hollow heart is the sequel to the midnight lie. This sequel follows the story of two girls, Nirrim and Sid who fall in love with each other in a world filled with magic and oppression.
Facing the strict rules of society, they both end up in prison, where an immediate connection brings them closer to each other than expected. As both girls get more and more involved in the magic of their world, terrible secrets come out and hearts get lost on the way.

After having been quite disappointed with the first book in the series, I was pleasantly surprised by the sequel. The plot wasn't confusing, and I quite enjoyed seeing things from Sid's point of view. My fangirl heart nearly died when Arin and Kestrel appeared in the book, and luckily, everything I had dreadfully expected didn't happen.
The author's writing was beautiful like always, and in my opinion the world building improved immensely. It was refreshing to not be stuck in Nirrim's head the whole way through.
In the first book, her point of view kept throwing me off. This time around, with Sid's point of view having been added in, everything seemed clearer. The plot was easier to follow, and there weren't as many sudden setting changes as there were in the first book. My favorite part must have been Sid's relationship with her parents and her friendship with Roshar.
Another thing that stood out to me was the character development during the course of the story. It didn't feel rushed, but very natural, making the story that much more enjoyable.

All in all, I can recommend this book to both people who enjoyed the first book in the duology and to people who didn't, because even though this is a sequel, it felt like a new story to me.

Publication date: 14th of september 2021

The Hollow Heart was one of my most anticipated reads of the year, even though I only found out about and read the first book a week before requesting the ARC. This book is narrated by Nirrim, Sid, and a third narrator, so I’m going to split this review into each of their perspectives.

Nirrim
At the end of The Midnight Lie, Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history. The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful.
I did not realise how much I loved Nirrim for her heart until I experienced her without it. I had a complicated time with her narration, sometimes even uncomfortable. On one hand, I support her wanting to roleplay as a god as she uses her powers and this newfound inner strength to seek revenge by any means possible. It can be exciting to see a heroine completely lose touch with herself and give into an ambition, and I liked reading the exploration of Nirrim losing herself and realising that she maybe didn't know who she was in the first place.
On the other hand, a lot of her words and actions didn’t feel like her and I found myself pining for the Old Nirrim more often than not. Her situation were painful, but her actions were more so, and I read on while being both conflicted and compelled.
I also found myself wishing that the absence of Sid in her narrative would lead to a deeper development of the characters who returned from the first book, but Nirrim’s plot line felt very central to her quest for vengeance.

Sid
Meanwhile, the person Nirrim once loved most, Sid, has returned to her home country of Herran, where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty.
This book and my heart and all the stars on this review are owned by Sid. In the first book, she was confident and untouchable. In this, we’re introduced to her more serious and vulnerable side as she pines both to love and be loved. Her storyline focuses both on discovering what caused her mother’s ill health - poison, not sickness - and how she can fix her relationship with both of her parents. It’s exactly what I wanted from a continuation of her story and I fell in love with her character all over again.
I also want to acknowledge that I had no idea that this duology was set in the same universe or shared characters as an original trilogy, so I want to praise Rutoski for creating something that didn’t make me feel as if I was missing out on something else (although I will be reading the original trilogy as soon as possible).

The God
The third narrator of this book is a character known as The God until the final few moments, and it took until then for me to realise what their role was in the narrative. A majority of their chapters were dedicated to telling the backstories of characters and the history of the island that were hinted about in the first book, but didn’t get the chance to be developed. We learn more about the beginnings of the island before the gods fled, Nirrim’s parentage, and a few more moments about Raven’s life that aren’t essential to the narrative, but just nice to know as extra information.

These three storylines don't merge until around 70% (maybe later) of the way into the book. This disjointed structure is the main thing that stopped me giving this book the same five star rating as The Midnight Lie as switching back and forth between three seemingly unrelated narratives was quite jarring for me. It also meant that the first half of the book felt very slow paced and drawn out, and that a very eventful finale to the duology felt rushed, told by the most convenient rather than the most impactful narrator.

Overall, I would give this book 4 stars, maybe even 3.5 stars. It was imperfect, but still wonderful in more places than I can list. Learning more about this world and the history and the magic system was a delight as well as the exploration of compulsory heterosexuality and being a lesbian, both things which I think are rare to find in a fantasy. The writing style was simple but effective, but I did feel unsatisfied by the ending. I also missed the relationship between Sid and Nirrim, the thing that made me fall in love with The Midnight Lie.