this book is plenty thrilling, but has a bit too much horror for my taste, I think — and once the story structure gets repetitive, it tends to lose my attention. Overall, I think this may be more suited for the fans of horror genre than for sff fans who are looking for an urban fantasy thriller with a slice of horror in it.

The best horror novels draw you in slowly. They don’t start with unnatural, stalking creatures of the night who wear…is that human skin? They don’t allude to things that stir underground. No, instead…

Ellie Cheetham, still grieving a personal loss, has left London to become Constable in tiny Barsall, located in the Peak District of Northern England. Her friends are Milly, the village doctor and Vicar Madeleine. Life is simple until a body is discovered frozen to death. He’s holding a knife but there are no signs of a struggle. Before a storm sets in, Ellie goes to inform his family, the outlier Harpers. They seem to know something and, after Ellie is driven away, a daughter recites:

“Board your window, keep on the light,
When the Tatterskin walks at night”
Hush and be still, never make a cry,
And pray the Tatterskin passes by.”

What follows is an epic struggle between good and evil waged by the residents of Barsall over the next three days. Trapped by a major blizzard, they work together to save each other and to defeat the hideous Tatterskins. These strong characters and a well described location transport the reader to a world a terrifying place. The Hollows is transcendent horror fiction! 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Angry Robot and Daniel Church for this ARC.

Daniel Church's "The Hollows" is fantastic, creepy and harrowing. The author combines the darkness of the human psyche, folk horror, and survival with unforgiving conditions, making this read not only scary but thrilling. This book has a gradual build-up with extensive character development. I appreciated the strength, resolve and intentions behind the strong female protagonists. There were numerous occasions when I had to take a break for I wasn't ready for the outcome. I was on the edge of my seat throughout, and Daniel did a fantastic job creating an unsettling environment. The historic background added such a refreshing take on the narrative, and I loved it. I could never predict the haunting yet lingering ending—a 5-star read. I would recommend this book if you love horror and folk-based stories.

Thank you, NetGalley and Angry Robot, for giving me this ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy of The Hollows by Daniel Church.
Synopsis: During a severe winter storm, a small remote village in England is isolated from the rest of civilization and hunted by supernatural entities.
I really enjoyed this book. The story is told from the viewpoint of 4 different female leads, which was a refreshing take. The story had a unique premise and the characters were well-developed and relatable. The chapters were short and moved along quickly.
Why I didn't give it 5 stars:
-the language/slang tripped me up a bit. There were a lot of scenes that I had a hard time picturing and a lot of words I had to look up. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it slowed down my progress
-this book was very long.
-I was hoping that the author would have delved deeper into the history/origin of the Tatterskins. It seemed like there was a big buildup and then a very quick and simple explanation.
-Without any spoilers, there was one problem that Ellie kept facing that just kept returning over and over and after the third time it seemed a bit ridiculous
I would recommend this book-it is a great horror tale. I only wished I had read it in December during a snowstorm!

I LOVED this book! I couldn't put it down. The mix of the supernatural with the small town vibe and the old animosities coming to the surface - it was so creepy and so engaging. The synopsis is basically, "Something scary is happening and there's a snowstorm" and then BOOM - it's THIS and it's bananas. Love it, can't wait to read more by this author.

The Hollows is proper scary. I found myself during the course of it --quite literally-- forgetting to breathe! I have a fondness for mysteries and murder set in small, isolated wintry settings, and anything supernatural is a plus, so I was sure to have a good time with this intensely creepy story of a tiny village, trapped, cut off from the world, and banding together against terrifyingly vicious nocturnal creatures in the middle of a once-every-century strength snowstorm. And of course, there are the human monsters to contend with, in the form of a murderous clan of scumbags living in a farm at the age of town, and the subterranean Boss Monsters, who if, awoken, usher in the end-times. All this from a story that started with a dead guy, mistaken for a hiker who froze to death! This is the case of a story delivering much, much more than I was expecting, and it was indeed, a lot of fun.

First off, thank you so much to #Netgalley, the publisher and especially the author for this ARC!

This book had amazing atmosphere, it’s perfect for the upcoming spooky/winter season! I loved the strong female lead, and there were so many parts of this book that had me turning lights on when I read. The way they found the body in the beginning of the book? Gave me heebie jeebies…. Fell from a ledge where they froze to death while holding a knife? I don’t want to spoil anything so all I’ll say is I went and ordered a hard copy for my own collection this was so good…. Do yourself a favor and read it smack dab in the middle of December!

The Hollows started well enough. The setting felt real, the weather felt a major part of the story and worked well. The characters were good, I like the touch of having a POV of the ‘family’.

I just didn’t want to keep picking The Hollows up. I don’t know if it was the pacing, the story, or the lack of horror. I did manage to reach the end and the author landed the ending nicely. I may not be who this story was intended for, as the high ratings it has received possibly proves that.

Overall I can see this story being received well, so it feels a shame to give 2 stars, however I need to be true to myself. Did not hate it, just didn’t click with me as it has with others.

*This review may contain spoilers*

The premise was unique and terrifying. Old monsters coming up from the ground after hundreds of even thousands of years makes for a great horror. I found Ellie to be a likeable protagonist despite not knowing a lot about her.

The book started a little slow, but picked up when people started getting snatched from their homes. After the first night of the Tatterskins, the story started to drag. I felt myself struggling to pick this book up because it wasn't engaging. A third of this book could be cut and it would tell a much better story. Normally I would dnf or give a book like this a single star, but the lore around the old gods and the ending were decent.

The Hollows by Daniel Church is a creepy folk-horror to read with the lights on. Set in a small English village during a huge winter storm, the townsfolk aren't able to contact neighboring villages - or anyone from the outside world for that matter. Constable Ellie Cheetham finds a dead body on the outskirts of town in what looks like a terrible accident, but the body is clutching a knife and it looks like he was hiding from someone... or something.

The Hollows features a strong female-lead, nail-biting suspense and questions aplenty. Who or what is terrorizing this town? This is a fresh take on a classic subgenre of horror that I'll be recommending in the bookshop.

Wow, I’m struggling to put into words just how much I enjoyed this novel. The sheer terror induced anxiety I experienced at disturbingly regular intervals throughout the entire novel caused me to at once both want to put the book down for a break but also continue through, white knuckled, because I so desperately wanted to know what was around the next corner of this exhilarating, terrifying, brilliantly executed ride. There are not many books that I can’t fault, particularly those of this genre and this would be one of them. Finally, a breath of fresh air in the often tired and repetitive world of horror.

I requested a digital copy in order to sample the prose on my phone (since I don't have a eReader) before requesting a physical copy for review. My review will be based on the physical ARC I read

A sleepy village turns into a nightmare full of monsters of the science fiction kind along with monsters of the human kind in the form of an evil family ruled over by a cold, selfish matriarch. Plenty of action, suspense and thrills with in your face horror. There are the usual heroes who you can pick out from the start along with unexpected heroes who you'll find yourself cheering for just as much.

Gritty, violent and terrifying balanced with displays of tenderness, bravery and sacrifice.

At roughly 400 pages I thought it might fall into the trap of repetition but this didn't happen. Each new danger or scenario had its own individual resolution. Perhaps the last 50 or so pages could be condensed, but not by a huge amount.

I liked how the author gave little hints or glimpses of where parts of the story might be heading. It piqued my curiosity and rounded out the novel so that it was more than a series of scary scenes.

I will be recommending this to horror readers, sci fi fans and anyone who loves an action packed thriller.

I received this arc from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Hollows by Daniel Church is best described as folk horror. It's a chilling tale that takes place in England's Peak District. A huge winter storm has moved in right at Winter's Solstice and the small village of Barsall is under siege. Unable to raise contact with neighboring villages - or anyone from the outside world for that matter - Constable Ellie Cheetham does what she can to protect the village. From what? I'll let you read the book to discover that!

I felt a strong attachment to Ellie. She was a great strong female lead. My connection with her character may have been the fact that she was written to be very human in spite of her strength. She wasn't overly bold or doing unbelievably heroic things. She had her own struggles and doubts. Her character grew a bit throughout the story, which I also found endearing.

I found this book full of suspense. I read a lot of it on lunch breaks at work. It wasn't easy to set it down and get back to work when my lunch time was over! Many scenes had my adrenaline up and gasping or talking to the characters. A few times my husband had to ask me, "the book?" to make sure there wasn't something wrong with me.

In closing, there was a lot more going on in the pages of The Hollows than the main storyline. There were themes of community, belonging, family, and faith in something bigger than ourselves. There was some harm to animals - fair trigger warning there for those who need it. I ended up giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a very strong novel right out of the gates for Daniel Church and I look forward to seeing what else he writes in the future.

The Hollows by Daniel Church is best described as folk horror. It's a chilling tale that takes place in England's Peak District. A huge winter storm has moved in right at Winter's Solstice and the small village of Barsall is under siege. Unable to raise contact with neighboring villages - or anyone from the outside world for that matter - Constable Ellie Cheetham does what she can to protect the village. From what? I'll let you read the book to discover that!

I felt a strong attachment to Ellie. She was a great strong female lead. My connection with her character may have been the fact that she was written to be very human in spite of her strength. She wasn't overly bold or doing unbelievably heroic things. She had her own struggles and doubts. Her character grew a bit throughout the story, which I also found endearing.

I found this book full of suspense. I read a lot of it on lunch breaks at work. It wasn't easy to set it down and get back to work when my lunch time was over! Many scenes had my adrenaline up and gasping or talking to the characters. A few times my husband had to ask me, "the book?" to make sure there wasn't something wrong with me.

In closing, there was a lot more going on in the pages of The Hollows than the main storyline. There were themes of community, belonging, family, and faith in something bigger than ourselves. There was some harm to animals - fair trigger warning there for those who need it. I ended up giving this book 4.5 out of 5 stars. This was a very strong novel right out of the gates for Daniel Church and I look forward to seeing what else he writes in the future.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Angry Robot, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What a great story to read. I am new to reading folk horror stories, but this book makes me want to read more.

It starts out with a local cop, Ellie, who is working a case of a discovered frozen corpse on a hillside outside her village. The dead man is a local troublemaker and drunk but is related to a family of nasty criminals. Ellie is in for a surprise with this case. One dead drunk turn into many twists and turns.

I love the authors writing style. He was able to write the characters with such detail you become involved in their stories. They each have their own flaws and "demons" to work through.

Thank you NetGalley for the eARC.

Many thanks to Angry Robot, the author, and NetGalley for my copy of the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is about as Northern as they come, and good grief I love that. I've recommended this to one of my American friends in the full understanding that she won't have a clue as to what the characters are talking about half the time, and I'm OK with that.

In the dead of winter up in the Peak District, the sleepy little town of Barsall learns that one of the residents from Barrowman Farm has frozen to death just outside the border of his home. Found by a young couple while out on a walk, constable Ellie Cheetham and GP Milly Emmanuel assess the scene only to find strange markings beside the body - markings that end up spelling disaster for the entire village and beyond.

Let's start with the characters for a change, shall we? I'm sure I'm not alone in this, but I'm always wary when a man writes lead female characters. I wish that weren't the case - in reality, most of my closest friends are men, in fact - but generally when I crack open a book by a man, he will invariably be gross about the women he writes at some point.

Ladies, I am extremely happy to report that not only does Daniel Church not do this, he EXCELS in his characters. Every single character is fleshed out and interesting in their own right; Church takes the time to add in little things that make characters human, even if they aren't plot-significant characters: mannerisms, personalities, the way they smile, non-verbal reactions, etc. He's really, really good at it. Every major and minor character has their own voice, and with each POV change (for while Ellie is our main girl, many others get a chance in the spotlight too) the voice changes perceptably too.

Ellie has become one of my all time favourite characters. She's complex, far from perfect, and is just so... human. She's a police officer who takes her job of protecting people seriously, but she fantasises about ending the lives of the people who hurt her and vulnerable innocents (namely Keira). She drinks too much to blot out the ongoing pain caused by the sudden death of her child some years ago. She loves her friends, but refuses to entertain the thought of a romantic relationship again. She is kind to the abused teenager Jess when others are not. She cries over the death of her friend's dogs and even buries them for her, and she adopts the survivor. She's terrified of death, yet she also embraces the possibility of it when it counts.

I just... really enjoyed reading about her.

Liz Harper, the matriarch of Barrowman House and the clan, was amazing as well. Terrifying and cruel, yet you could see how and why she was the way she was. She's a victim of abuse herself from past generations, and instead of breaking the cycle and looking after her children as we know is best, she continues the abuse, taking out the worst of it on poor teen mum Jess, a victim of drug r*pe.

Jess. Wow, Jess. Her growth was beautifully written, and her eventual determination to end the generations of misery for the sake of her little boy was so inspiring. I was rooting for her SO hard, her and little baby Joel.

Writing-wise, Church writes well. Nothing fancy, no purple prose or anything poetic, but his writing isn't dry or boring, either. It draws you in quickly, and while I do think that the middle of the book could have been condensed some, it wasn't a slog to read. I'm actually really surprised this is his debut novel.

The creepy creatures unsettled me from the off, and I'm really glad that they were revealed so early rather than going with the typical choice of not knowing what the monsters look like until the end of the book. This was refreshing and, as we find out later, plot-necessary.

I was going to give this book 5/5 stars right until around 75% of the way through, roughly. The ending reveal was brilliant and exactly the kind of thing I love (self-proclaimed Cthulhu-worshiper and lover of all things Elder God-related here), and because of that I was expecting--and left wanting--so much more than I got. I think it's a me problem. While that ending was indeed chilling and foreboding, the desolation-loving weirdo in me wanted them to Wake Up. You know. No spoilers here, but... yeah.

I was also a little uncomfortable with the huge amount of Christianity in this book, but I think it's because I wasn't expecting it. I know little secluded villages are more likely to cling to their faith, but as an atheist born and raised it always makes me uncomfortable having so much religion shoved at me like that. I very much enjoy old religions from a historical and social point of view though, so the inclusion of old Pagan and Norse rituals was interesting, but I dunno. Having Milly the GP be so incredibly religious didn't seem very realistic either; I work with doctors for a living, and speaking from experience, they generally don't believe in God.

All in all I really liked The Hollows, and I'm so grateful to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read it ahead of publication. I've put in my pre-order for the book now and look forward to seeing it in my bookcase in November!

In the little village of Barsal, a community must overcome an evil that will terrorize the village. It starts with the frozen body of a man. Then, two families are attacked.

Ellie Cheetham, the village’s constable, is in charge of investigating these attacks. As the day carries on, new clues are revealed, Cheetham realizes there is something evil attacking her village. She, along with other members of the village, work together to save who they can and their village.

While this story was phenomenal, it is at times repetitive. Daniel Church is great at describing the fear and the creatures, but we are told the same descriptions a few too many times. I think if a lot of the repetitive descriptions were deleted, this could have been a 5 star book.

Thank you #NetGalley and Angry Robot for sending me #TheHollows by Daniel Church.

I liked the sound of this one and while it started strong, I found early on that it dragged quite a bit. A few pages could be skimmed and still not much had happened and, before long, I found my attention wandering. I thought it was a horror but from the beginning it seemed more like a crime book as a lot was put into the crime scene etc. It also felt to have that slight jovial tone such as with The Chalk Man or books by T Kingfisher which is not my preference for creepy books. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

I went into this with high expectations. I'm not sure why. Maybe too high.
It's a long book. Too long.
It really dragged in a lot of places. It may have worked better if it was half the size.

Nice premise, it just didn't deliver for me.