"The Hollow Kind" by Andy Davidson is a gripping and chilling horror novel that combines elements of southern gothic and folk horror. The story follows Nellie Gardner, who is desperate to escape an abusive marriage and receives an unexpected inheritance from her long-lost grandfather, August Redfern. With her eleven-year-old son, Max, in tow, Nellie heads to Redfern Hill, a thousand-acre estate in Georgia.

I’m going to hold my hands up here and say this book just wasn’t for me. It really dragged out, and I found myself struggling at different points feeling like I was waiting for something to happen. There’s a lot of different characters to keep track of from early on. The book flips back and forth between the lives of August Redfern and Nellie Gardner, his granddaughter. August when he’s setting up his turpentine estate, which is initially successful then falls into ruin, and Nellie when she flees her abusive husband in 1989 with her son, Max.

Characters just felt a little one dimensional, including the POV characters we get. I can see what the author was going for, and there’s clearly a lot of effort and research put into the book, but in some ways it veered too closely to a mimic of Stephen King, likely not helped by the fact I was reading Under the Dome at the same time.

I found myself a bit confused, at points, and wondering what, exactly, the purpose of the family ‘feeding’ the thing on the land was – it actually doesn’t seem to make much of a difference? Or maybe I drifted off and missed something.

All in all, this book was a bit too messy, overly long, and with fairly uninteresting characters for me, and I struggled to connect with it or the horrors the characters were experiencing, which felt less well thought out and more just something thrown in when there needed to be something happening as the book went on. This one just really wasn’t for me. As always, however, this is a totally personal take. It’s the kind of story and writing style I think some people really like, but I just don’t.

I definitely need to read the authors previous work, I really like the characters he created and the attention to detail.

I do think that I didn’t connect as much as I hoped, I think this genre needs to be physical books for me (same with historical fiction) as I seem to struggle with them on ebook

Strange houses and stange families are a staple part of the Gothic. Family secrets finally revealed to bring well lets face it - ratrely anything good. In The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson we have an attempt to create a new strange family saga which sadly I found lacking in several key areas.

In 1989 Nellie and her young son Max finally find a potential escape oute when Nellie finds she has been left her Grnadfather’s thousand acre estate. But this Georgian farmland has a troubled history connected to the redfern family and secerts past and new are coming to the foreground.

This is a a novel aiming for a multi generational gothic tale and for me misses the target by quite a wrong way after an initial gripping chapter opening up the story. Davidson has adopted a very overly descriptive writing style walking us through character’s steps and conversations by the meter. For a relatively normal length tale it goes nowhere fast. This also makes atmosphere meant to be dark and foreboding to sound more like a hoarder’s house in need of simple renovation.The characters are all fairly boiler plate and it overall feels strangely dated and predictable. Not one I can recommend

The Hollow Kind by Andy Davidson is an expertly crafted novel that flawlessly blends horror and coming-of-age fiction. The writing style is captivating and atmospheric, with vivid descriptions that create an ominous and unsettling atmosphere throughout the story. The characters are multifaceted and relatable, with their own individual struggles and vulnerabilities that enhance the complexity and depth of the plot.

The novel's exploration of family, friendship, and the arduous journey of overcoming trauma is exceptionally well executed. Davidson skillfully portrays the emotional turmoil of his characters with sensitivity and compassion, making for a deeply affecting and emotionally charged reading experience.

The Hollow Kind is a true gem of horror storytelling, with Davidson's masterful pacing and buildup of tension creating spine-tingling moments of terror. The supernatural elements of the story are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, adding to the chilling and unsettling atmosphere.

Overall, The Hollow Kind is a superb novel that showcases Davidson's exceptional storytelling skills. It is a must-read for fans of horror and coming-of-age fiction and is certain to make a lasting impression on readers.

The author hit the nail on the head with the atmosphere. It was eerie and there was an air of menace that kept me hooked the entire way through. The world building also added to that fantastic atmosphere. The descriptions of the farm and house were brilliantly told, and I could clearly imagine the setting.

I loved the writing so much. It was intoxicating. The characters were also fabulous and felt like real people and I found it easy to care about what happened to them.

Overall, a brilliant addition to the horror genre and I can’t wait to read what the author writes next.

I received a free copy from Netgalley below is the blurb.
"Nellie Gardner is looking for a way out of an abusive marriage when she learns that her long lost grandfather, August Redfern, has willed her his turpentine estate. She throws everything she can think of into a bag and flees to Georgia with her eleven-year-old son, Max, in tow.

The “estate” turns out to be a decrepit farmhouse on a thousand acres of old pine forest, but Nellie is thrilled to have a fresh start for her and Max, and a chance for the happy home she never had. So it takes her a while to notice the strange scratching in the walls, the faint whispering at night, how the forest is eerily quiet. But Max sees what his mother can’t: there’s something wrong with Redfern Hill. Something lurks beneath the soil, ancient and hungry, with the power to corrupt hearts and destroy souls. A kingdom of grief and death, to which Nellie’s own blood has granted her the key."

To be honest, this book took some time to read. I found it quite slow paced at times. Having said that I didn't want to give up with it and read to the end. I think I carried on because I was invested in the characters and I liked the format of the story switching between the past and present.

The Hollow Kind is a wonderful mix of Gothic Haunted House and Plant Horror (Fungi Horror?), told in two timelines, late 1919 and 1989, telling the tale of the ruin of several generations of the Redfern family. Enjoyed both timelines but I did find myself preferring the earlier timeline. First read of Mr Davidson, will have to find a copy of his earlier release The Boatman's Daughter.

Amazing book! It reminded me of some of Stephen Kings books….that slow burn feeling of disquiet, the detailed characters and background, the terrifying people, the intricate story, I absolutely loved it.

I really cared about the characters and the creature was terrifying, I was sad when I reached the end; I wanted their story to carry on so I could see what happened to them afterwards. I would like to see it made into a film.

Being truthful as always, I initially got Andy Davidson confused with Craig Davidson (aka Nick Cutter) and eagerly requested an ARC of The Hollow Kind. Had I realised my mistake I may not have read this. My previous attempt at a Davidson book- The Boatmans Daughter, was a DNF for me.
Well I am glad to have given his work another try. The Hollow Kind was fantastic.

The story branches across three timelines separated by chapters and interludes that were never difficult to follow.
Each generation of the Redfern family are given a voice. Spanning from the 40s to the (present day) 80s we read in third from the perspectives of the founding grandfather Augustus who builds their turpentine empire from the ground, his son Hank from childhood onward and of course our main character Nellie with her child Max.

Nellie is gifted the perfect opportunity to escape abusive husband Wade by returning to the derelict family home upon her grandfather's death.
The setting is beautifully written and given extra depth by switching between timelines to see it in its original glory and its dilapidated end. But the Redfern empire is built on far more than their own blood sweat and tears.

I found all of the Redfern characters endearing despite their flaws. Each of them striving to protect their family above all else.
It did take a while to get invested but just as I settled into what I'd thought would be a long slow burn, the story slammed full force into eldritch terror.

There is a character introduced early on that aside from one easily changed plot machination could have been cut from the story and I'd have liked to see more of Agatha as a child. Aside from these minor niggles I enjoyed every moment of The Hollow Kind and highly recommend to horror fans.

The Hollow Kind is a horror novel about a family and the danger of inheriting seemingly cursed land. Nellie flees an abusive marriage with her son Max after finding out she has inherited her grandfather's estate in Georgia. It is a falling down farmhouse and weirdly silent woods, once used for turpentine, and it offers hope for Nellie and Max, but the strange whispering voices and unsettling sense of ancient power suggest it is a place less safe than Nellie imagined.

The book is split between the "present" narrative of 1989 and an earlier one featuring Nellie's grandfather and father, using the dual timelines to unfold the family secrets and the kind of gothic horror based on echoes of the past and inheritance of this terror. It is a pretty standard horror, with a few side threats from real men blurring the line between what is supernatural danger and what is very real life danger. Max is a mature-for-his-age horror child, and the relationship between Nellie and Max is a highlight of the book, especially how the book explores parent and child relationships and the complexities within them. The earlier parts of the book, with more subtle unnerving horror as you don't really know what is going on to Nellie and Max and weird things are happening in the house, is perhaps scarier than the later more dramatic scenes, but the book does build up to a good climax that forces the family to face up to the generational horror.

Firstly I would like to start off by saying a huge thank you to Net Galley and author Andy Davidson for allowing me to have a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have been looking for a good horror for ages and when I came across The Hollow Kind it 100% delivered!! The book is split into two separate timelines, one tells us about August Redfern and his life at the house and the 1989 timeline tells us about Nellie & her son Max. I found that the story flows effortlessly from one timeline to another and is easy to follow.

After leaving behind an abusive marriage, Nellie is ready for a fresh start with her son Max, so when she discovers that her grandfather has left her his estate, she jumps at the chance to make a new life there. When Nellie and Max arrive at Redfern Hill it’s not exactly what she imagined it would be, the house has been neglected and needed a lot of work, but Nellie is looking on the positive side, it's something that’s finally hers and she can do it up as she wants. Meanwhile, Max has no choice in seeing the other side of Redfern Hill, he can feel and hear things that Nellie doesn’t seem to notice, he tries to pass it off as an old building, but deep down he knows it’s so much worse than that.

When you read the tales of August Redfern and his life while living at the house, you learn a lot about the history of the house and the land on which it stands, the land is very old and seems to take on a life of its own. Several times while I was reading this book I felt the hairs on my arms stand up and I had a shiver, this was exactly what I was looking for in a book and I was not disappointed. I haven’t been creeped out by a book in a long time.

Every chapter from the very beginning is a suspenseful build-up to the grand finale at the end, there were a few times I had to stop because I was anxious about what was going to happen next and I had grown quite fond of some of the characters. The ending is a perfect way to end the story and Andy Davidson did an incredible job on The Hollow Kind. I cannot say enough good things about this book and I want to say so much more, but I don’t want to give too much away.

This book doesn’t come out until the 7th February 2023, but it’s not too long to wait, as soon as you can, get your hands on The Hollow Kind as you will not be disappointed. I will be highly recommending this to SO many people.