An unforgettable tale of independence, love, and being true to one's self, THE HOLLOW HEART is the perfect ending to the tale started in THE MIDNIGHT LIE.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

Following the dramatic conclusion of The Midnight Lie, we see how Nirrim's bargain with the god of thieves has changed the lives of all those on Herrath, as well as Sid and her family. Though Nirrim's actions were from a good place, losing her compassion has turned her into a heartless queen, who has freed the Half-Kith, but is using their magical powers to bring the High Kith and Middling people to heel, before turning her attention on other nations, including Herran. Learning that her mother, Queen Kestrel, was ill, Sid returned home, ready to face her parents after fleeing from her engagement. But when she arrives in Herran, it seems as if someone is out to get her mother, and she needs to discover the truth before it is too late. But with powers both home and abroad seemingly out to hurt Sid, will she be able to save all those she love, or do the gods have another fate in store for her?

This book has been one of my most anticipated 2021 reads, so when I got home one Friday to find a review copy through the door, I immediately dropped what I was reading, and started it. While I really enjoyed it, I was a little disappointed to not love it as much as I had The Midnight Lie. To start off with, Sid and Nirrim were apart for most of the book, and though there were good reasons for that, I wanted to see more moments between them. With Nirrim, her character was completely different to that we had seen in book 1. She lacked empathy and compassion, and though she did want what was best for her people, she didn't really care who she hurt - physically or emotionally - to achieve her aims. And the little bit of power she had managed to eke out, soon turned her into a power hungry monster, really, who wanted to expand her empire to more than just the little island of Herrath. I did appreciate seeing this other side of her, and how the other Nirrim was a voice of reason she occasionally listened to.

Sid's chapters, on the other hand, were some of my favourites. When we met her in The Midnight Lie, we didn't really know who she was, and when it was revealed that she was the daughter of Arin and Kestrel, I was hoping we'd meet them again in this book. Now, it's been over 5 years since I read any of The Winner's Trilogy, so I've probably forgotten some of the events which took place in Arin and Kestrel's story. I found Kestrel to be a hard woman, though she loved Sid, she pushed her a lot for any love or affection. I appreciated the side plot of who wanted to hurt Kestrel, and the reveal of the who and why was behind it was fantastic! We saw a growth in Sid, which had started, I think, in the first book, but was really cemented here.

I think one of my main bug bears here, though, was the ending. Seeing all of the event wrap up, and learning more about the pantheon of the gods was wonderful, but it was extremely abrupt, and if I didn't have a finished hard copy in my hands, I would've thought there were pages/chapters missing. There were so many questions I still had that were unanswered, and I don't know if Marie is thinking to release a new series in the future, following on from this one, but there are definitely things that need tying up, in my opinion.

As someone who's first brush with Marie Rutkoski was The Midnight Lie, I was excited to see where The Hollow Heart would take me. I wasn't dissapointed, and enjoyed the storyline. I loved the world, and knowing that there are other books set within it (looking at you, Winner's Trilogy) makes me more excited to have discovered an author I can really sink my teeth into.

Overall, I would say I thought the Midnight Lie was the stronger of the two books though - some parts of this did feel a little rushed. I feel like it could easily have stretched out into a trilogy, and would have more time to tell the story that way, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I was a big fan of the first book in this duology but the sequel didn't work as well for me. The resolution for many plotlines felt rushed so it was difficult to feel the emotional weight that was so present in the prior trilogy, and the twists (for me) felt pretty cheap. One of the POV's didn't work for me at all while Nirrim's was very repetitive.

If it wasn't for my love of the characters in The Midnight Lie and my love of Kestrel and Arin this would probably be rated lower but there were a glimpses of the magic present in prior books.

Marie Rutkoski remains a great writer, for whatever reason this one just didn't work for me but I'd definitely pick up any future book she writes.

In order to prepare for this review I did a reread of The Midnight Lie and I have to say I think that is the best thing you can do if you're planning to read this book. You *might* be able to pick it up cold but the emotional payoff you would get would pale in comparison to how it feels to see the journey both Nirrim and Sid go on in this duology.
Those looking for some sapphic yearning you will not be dissapointed.
As with The Midnight Lie this book surprised me with just how compelling it was, I found that in the case of The Hollow Heart I was almost more nervous going in - I've been burned by a sequel one too many times - but as soon as I started reading the writing enveloped me, the story was fast and thrilling and I was hooked enough to read the book in one sitting.
I think conceptually the first book is strongest but in terms of character and themes, I think this second book is more interesting. It really could have gone down the 'bog standard YA' route and instead we get more of a look at power and retribution and morality, as well as perception of those things from the outside. I thought it worked very well and seemed to pull off the tricky character arcs that I've seen other books attempt and catastrophically bungle.
This is an incredibly strong duology from start to finish and one I will definitely be revisiting in the future. I'll be hugely excited to see what Marie Rutkoski has next in store - be sure I will be reading it.

This was definitely one of my most anticipated books of 2021 for sure and I’m so happy and pleased and appreciative that I was able to receive an advanced readers copy. I really loved the PoV changes between the characters even the unknown god telling its own story throughout. It’s always fun to read from different perspectives and I think Rutkoski’s done an excellent job at handling it, especially because it can get a little difficult to follow along when there are so many but it was executed very well in this instance.

I loved the characters and the plot and the journeys and everything about it really it was perfect. It definitely topped book one for me. Credit to Marie Rutkoski.

This review contains spoilers for The Midnight Lie

The Hollow Heart was a brilliant follow up to one of my favourite books of the year, The Midnight Lie. This book had everything I loved about the first and so much more, with looks into Sid’s life and family and the dark, unrelenting nature of Nirrim’s character after the ending of the first book.

This book is truly Sid’s book. For the first time we could read from her perspective and understand her character to a new level. I really loved getting to read about her relationships with her family and her love for Nirrim. I think fans of the original Winner’s Trilogy will really enjoy this book as we spend a lot of time with who I assume to be the main characters of that trilogy. I loved Sid’s development here and thought it was so essential to the story, even if I did feel a bit left out for not having read the trilogy.

What I love most about this duology is the exploration of lesbian, which is particularly interesting in a fantasy context. Both of our main characters, Sid and Nirrim, are lesbians and through them, we explore comp het and complex relationships with gender which are often intrinsic parts of being a lesbian. In particular, I had never seen comp het explored so well in a book and Nirrim’s character development as she realised there was possibility for something better was heartwarming to read.

I also love the world of this duology and seeing it expanded in The Hollow Heart. In particular, I found learning more about the magic system and the gods really interesting and loved learning more about the different countries, including Sid’s home, Herran. In fact, the combination of worldbuilding and meeting Sid’s family has me wanting to pick up the original trilogy! Similar to The Midnight Lie, I also really enjoyed the writing style in this one; it has a lovely simplicity to it, while still describing things beautifully.

However, I did have a couple of issues with the book which stopped it from receiving the same 5 star rating as The Midnight Lie. I felt that the structure was very disjointed for the majority of the book as we switched between perspectives with no clear link besides their past relationships. Sid and Nirrim were on such different journeys that switching between the two often felt jarring and I’d have liked to have their paths reunite at least slightly earlier to combat this disjointed feeling. In the same vein, I felt that the ending was over very quickly, especially in comparison to the slow build of the rest of the book and would have liked to be drawn out a bit longer to create a more satisfying finish. Finally, I wasn’t entirely sure what role the third point of view, The God, played in the book. I enjoyed those chapters but they didn’t feel strictly necessary to the story. I also just missed the romance between Sid and Nirrim which I had loved so much in The Midnight Lie.

Overall, The Hollow Heart was an imperfect but still incredible follow up to The Midnight Lie. I thoroughly enjoyed this duology and highly recommend it, especially to lesbians hoping to see some of their experiences on page.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for the digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

The book begins right after The Midnight Lie (first book in the duology), so of course our beloved main characters - Nirrim and Sid - are apart. Nirrim has given her heart to the God of Thieves in exchange for restoring her people's memories and Sid has come back to her country, Herran and we finally see Kestrel e Arin again. (If you are not familiar with them, they are the Winner's trilogy main characters).

Seeing those two was one of the highlights of the book for me, they are amazing characters and I love their relationship and it was nice to see what kind of parent they are to Sid. They're both so different from each other, but they're able to understand and help Sid, each in their own way. Sid's plot in this book is a bit more similar to the original trilogy in a sense that is has some court intrigue and politics. It was not as intriguing as in the original trilogy - since we're comparing - but it's very interesting and getting to know more about Sid's life was awesome since in book 1 we have a bigger focus on Nirrim.

So, Nirrim... It's not easy to read her point of view in this book, since she's so different now she doesn't have a heart - not literally, of course, she just doesn't have her emotions - and does some pretty nasty things because now she calls herself a Queen and does a lot of stuff for a "greater cause".

In this second book, we also have a third point of view: the one from a God. I won't tell you much about it since it can be a bit spoilery but it adds some pretty interesting things to the worldbuilding.

I do wish we had an even more detailed background from the Gods, the ending is a bit rushed and I have some minor issues with it, however overall I enjoyed the sequel so much. I simply love the characters and the way the author developed them (and their relationships), the writing is beautiful and the world and mythology she created.

DNFing at 35% and very upset about it. I have some thoughts.

* As much as I adored The Midnight Lie when I read it last year, my reading taste has evolved a lot since then and I just don’t know if this world is where I want to be right now.
* Although The Midnight Lie was perfectly readable if you hadn’t read The Winner’s Curse Trilogy (I haven’t,) I feel like I’m missing a lot of content for Sid’s story in The Hollow Heart and it would be more enjoyable if I had read TWC, which is really frustrating.
* I absolutely fell in love with both Nirrim and Sid during The Midnight Lie and they’re just not working for me in The Hollow Heart. Both of them feel very different, and the fact that they’re separated (though, I can assume they will come together again at some point) means that I feel like I’m reading about two different characters with two different stories. It just feels very disconnected from book one.

Some good things to note, though:

* The world building is still as lush as it was in book one, and I do like learning about the history of Sid’s world (I just feel like there’s not quite enough context without having read TWC.)
* This book has three POVs and a slightly different writing style than book one. It’s quite mystical and mysterious and really adds to the atmosphere.

Overall, I would still absolutely recommend picking this up if you loved The Midnight Lie, but I would probably recommend reading The Winners Curse trilogy first. Unfortunately, this just didn’t work for me at this time.

4.5 stars

The Hollow Heart is the stunning sequel to The Midnight Lie, which I read last year and absolutely loved so the sequel had big boots to fill - and safe to say it did not disappoint. Marie Rutkoski has a beautiful lyrical writing style and the way this combines and weaves into the story creates a stunning atmosphere that will suck you in with its deadacance and charm whilst having an unsettling and sinster undertone.

This definitely felt like Sids book, I can't actually remember if she had a POV in book 1 but in this we have both Nirrim and Sid's POVs and I thought this choice worked really well - delivering peak sapphic yearning as they are separated for a large chunk of the book but we still see their inner thoughts longing for each other. But a lot of the plot and focus was on Sid - I really enjoyed her character in book 1 and getting to see more of her in this book and learn more about her struggles was a pleasure to read. I think for queer readers a lot of her story will hit very close to home, the struggles she has with being scared her parents will not accept her for who she is/ thinks she will disapoint them. As someone who has had these thoughts myself, despite having very loving parents that I knew would be supportive, it doesn't stop you from having these thoughts and struggles and withdrawing from them at times.

A massive focus of the story is Sid's relationship with her parents, I absolutely love parent/child relationships in books and I think this was masterfully done - Sid has lived in the shadow of her parents for a lot of her life and feels distant from them at the start of the book. Throughout the book watching her reckon with her inner turmoil and the choices she has made, as well as the choices of her parents and how this has lead to a complex relationship that whilst founded on love has a lot of misunderstanding and heartbreak. One of the conversations Sid has with her mother almost brought me to tears so be prepared for an emotional ride. I also liked the exploration of different kinds of familial love.

While I think the Midnight Lie can be quite easily read without having read the first trilogy I think you will get a lot more out of this installment having read (or at least knowing the context of) the original winners curse books. Some of the charcaters from that series play a more prominent role in this book (I wont spoil who or why in case you havent read the midnight lie) and I think it adds a lot of extra depth.

I would have quite liked a bit more of the relatonship between Sid and Nirrim, since I really loved their dynamic in book one but the moments we did get were so good and fit perfectly with the story and I liked that we got to see them apart as well to allow more development on their own. I will just write my own domestic fluff for them in my head haha.

Nirrim in this book is an interesting character as she has given up her compassion at the end of the Midnight Lie, so she is quite cold and ruthless - which honestly I quite enjoyed as I love an unhinged female villain lol but she did feel like a very different character from book one. I thought how the story resolved was very satisfying and tied a lot of the lessons learnt together very well, however just personal preference (especially if this is the last book) I would have liked a bit more padding on the ending just to see the characters living their life haha.

My one minor complaint was the pacing. I like that this series is quite concise but sometimes it felt a bit too concise - especially the ending. There is a third POV from an omniscent god and some of the major plot points were told very quickly through that, which in some ways I didn't mind because the book is a lot more focused on relationships and emotions between characters than action but it did feel a little rushed at times.

In conclusion, a very enjoyable sequel that is very similar in tone and atmosphere to book one, explores beautifully familial love in all its complexities, has one of my favourite sapphic relationships in fiction and delivers some really great themes around queerness and acceptance.

What is there to say besides I'd eat my heart out over this series? Sid emphatically stole the show in the second half of the Forgotten Gods duology; the sheer and semi-everlasting pining that pulses between these star-crossed and so terribly, tragically stubborn sapphics is truly the stuff of epics, and I was teetering on the edge of my seat with pins-and-needles for a surefire 99.9% of the events of this dark, despairing story. I wholly expected to suffer in the extreme going in, but (please skip over the subsequent sentence to skirt a subtle spoiler or two) wasn't prepared (and didn't dare hope) for an ending so spherically satisfying, and I'm eternally in Marie Rutkoski's debt for hitting the ball such a good way out of the park with this sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for kindly passing on this ARC! 💫