Driftwood is a town full of legends, rumours and theories on the children who have mysteriously disappeared over the years. There is also talk on their connection to the creepy children with luminous eyes who come out of the dark.
Jessica is a woman haunted by dreams and nightmares linked to the disappearance of her sister 20 years ago. Her favourite author is Elliot Reed and reading his books provides an escape from her humdrum life. When he visits the town to gather material for his next book it is her opportunity to make her daydreams a reality.
They form a connection and also provide assistance before authorities intervene.
Great turn of events and some nail biting/breath holding moments. This book didn’t go the way I was expecting but I certainly enjoyed the direction.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free digital copy of the book in return for an honest review.

I did enjoy this story. I felt it was a little slow and confusing to start, but the mystery of the missing children kept me turning page after page. I’m really glad I kept reading as it was a very good, well thought out story.

This was an ARC book from NetGalley and I’m sad to say that I got to 25% and gave up. I just couldn’t get into it. The storyline was just dragging on, it was too far fetched to believe in and just didn’t capture my attention. I hate to DNF a book but with this one being as long as it is, I didn’t want to invest any more time into it.

Very realistic and interesting characters. Fast-paced plot that kept me thoroughly engaged throughout. Suspenseful and thrilling! Enjoyed every page of it!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Thanks to Netgalley and Collective Ink Limited for letting me access this book early! There are some mild spoilers below.

I was really interested going into this book. The synopsis sounded like I was getting a supernatural mystery with a spooky setting and a bit of folklore.
There are really vivid descriptions throughout the book, which I really enjoyed, particularly with some of the supernatural elements and I'd recommend it for anyone who wants something with similar vibes to Stranger Things, although the plot is completely it's own.

Unfortunately there were a lot of things that fell flat.
The main issue is that all the different threads just felt a little underdeveloped so they didn't quite pull together. Some things could be omitted entirely and would make very little difference to the overall story, in particular the entire section when Jessica is hit by a car and it's aftermath.
The actual mystery aspect didn't leave enough clues to encourage you to figure things out and the supernatural elements only pulled together in the last few chapters. I wasn't particularly keen on any of the characters and if you asked me to describe them afterwards I'd really struggle.
I also feel like the romance between Elliot and Jessica just didn't fit despite the fact that it became such a large part of the story. I think they would have worked much better as a team than romantic interests, especially when Elliot declared she was his muse about an hour after meeting her.

The final act of the story had the most action which kept it compelling to finish but even there I didn't feel a connection to the characters or the outcome of the conflict.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to this eBook. This review may contain spoilers.

I suppose this book would be best recommended to someone interested in an adult-targeted series with similar trappings to Stranger Things. The strongest aspect of this book is the author’s use of description; it’s very vivid and distinct in style and based on it, initially, I thought I was going to rate this book a lot higher. The weakest element is unfortunately the setting: overall, the atmosphere doesn’t feel very rooted to a sense of place, and it particularly does not feel like Appalachia. I think this book could be improved with some more time put into developing its world and its characters, so that the reader can become better immersed in them quicker and easier.

As for the overarching narrative, I think ultimately that the story just wasn’t up my alley, though I expected it to be based on the blurb: Appalachian setting, mystery elements, and incorporation of local legends all made me predict this book would be somewhere between 3.75 to 5 stars—but I’m really picky about stories that deal with extraterrestrials in particular, and I’m stingy about portrayals of Appalachia. Ultimately, it comes across as influenced by the way people online discuss Appalachia nowadays: a bit of hillbilly stereotyping with a heavy dash of conspiracy theorists, doomsday preppers, and inspiration that comes less from Appalachian folklore and more from legends about Appalachia popular outside of the region. It does feel very much like the author knew her plot well, and I get the impression that there’s a solid roadmap for this series. The book knows what it wants to be and I can commend the author for that; what it wants to be just isn’t what I was looking for when I picked it up. I have a hard time gleaning what the overall message is intended to be. The thematic notes of memory, reality, and dissatisfaction are interesting and I think they could have been used in a more proactive way.

I had a hard time getting invested in the secondary narratives around the character relationships, because the sort of on-page development that gets me invested didn’t really occur. I think some more set up to allow us to get to know the characters more before things start changing for them would have helped. Character development in this novel unfortunately left me wanting; it feels very loose and more implied than it actually occurs. I had a hard time getting attached to the cast and getting a feel for the characters aside from Jessica was difficult for me. I would have really liked to have seen more development of (and leading up to) her resentment for some of the people in her life; that was one of the parts of her character that piqued my interest. The concept behind the Elliot/Jessica dynamic definitely has a target audience out there who would be very interested in it.

The writing style is very consistent and, overall, competent. The author’s style of visual and sensory description is interesting, and at times, I enjoyed that. A few times, repetitive wording jumped out at me, and some word choices left me scratching my head (such as the choice of “cub” instead of “pup” as a descriptor for a young wolf). Dialogue was a bit hammy—though it seems like that may be intentional for the tone—and occasionally the conflict felt a bit contrived. Exposition was spread out through the book kind of unevenly, but it avoids info-dumping pretty well up until the ending. Chapter transitions were a bit hard to follow, mostly because the headings are easy to miss in the ARC formatting, and I assume that may be adjusted for the final copy; otherwise, the structure is fine, but it made flashback chapters kind of jarring. Character depth of perspective is also kind of distant and loose, so the shifts in POV were a bit difficult to track unless only one of the point of view characters is featured in the scene.

Grammar was adequate. Spelling was consistent and competent, though I do take issue with the way Appalachian accents are written out—it comes across as more mocking than an earnest attempt at transcribing an Appalachian accent, based on the portrayal within this book—but at least they’re not used so often in this book that I only noted it down once. The language ranging from mean-spirited to purely offensive used to describe characters sometimes took me out of the book; for example, there’s a handful of negative descriptors related to weight used a few times throughout the book, and there’s usage of the R slur within dialogue that feels completely unnecessary and, to me, added nothing to the book. A lot of the choices in presentation of this story, from the verbiage to the portrayal of the characters and settings, just didn’t jive well with me, personally, for these reasons.

a journalist develops a need to solve the mystery of multiple children going missing on halloween night. after being spotted with “glowing eyes”….

as a avid reader of horror stories the descriptive writing was absolutely incredible. the storyline reminds me of “stranger things”.

the plot at time left me feeling like “what is going on” in the best way possible.

at times, the romance element between jessica and elliot felt slightly out of place.

A Glimmer in the Hollows is a remarkable debut mystery novel with a rather decent horror blend by Lorna Selley. Ms. Selley keeps the readers guessing from point A to point B as soon as they pick up the book unlike many authors, and the descriptive elements she uses grabs the readers attention immediately. Ms. Selley, while being a new author, also has a strong voice waiting to be heard, and A Glimmer in the Hollows is just the beginning of she has to say. The world building, character descriptions, all play a part in Ms. Selley's unique voice, and as she broadens her scope, her voice will more than rise to the challenge!

A Glimmer in the Hollows was such an enjoyable read! Lorna Selley is an exceptional writer. I was completely immersed in the story and the setting from page one. The imagery was rich with striking sensory elements and images, creating a spooky, dreamlike little corner of Appalachia in the wild and wonderful town of Driftwood. Selley's compelling story gives us a glimpse into the dark secrets of Driftwood's past and the deepest thoughts and motivations of the characters while keeping the gripping plot moving, culminating in an exciting and emotionally gratifying climax. A Glimmer in the Hollows is a stunning debut that combines mystery, science fiction, and literary fiction with fun and engaging results. I look forward to more great things from this author.

Was a great book. I've never read this type of book before, I thought it was an occult horror and was enthralled enough to keep turning pages as fast as possible to the end. Definitely worth a read and I'll be keeping an eye on this author for any other titles coming out.

I just couldn't get into this. At points it see!ed like satire because of how farfetched and unbelievable things were. The story line had potential but it needs more work.

This book was enjoyable however it was difficult to stay engaged at certain points. The plot, while entertaining seemed to drag on for way too long and I lost interest until the ending. It was a mix of Roswall New Mexico and Stranger Things, which is great but it needs to be condensed to keep interest and attention.

This was a hard book to follow and felt like there were too many instances of, "wow, what a coinky-dink!" for me to take the book seriously. I ended up not finishing the book 2/3 of the way in out of sheer boredom and confusion.

A Glimmer in the Hollows by Lorna Selley focuses on the small community of Driftwood and the strange occurrences which seem to plague the town, especially those involving children. The storey focuses around two main characters, Jessica Paige whom twenty years ago lost Olivia Garcia to the depths of Driftwood State Park and a the child's babysitter gas been haunted ever since. Our other main character is Elliot Reed, an author looking to research his next big book. A Glimmer in the Hollows is a read unlike what I was expecting and that isn't a negative thing but there is a few issues along the way I had which, while not enough to take away from my enjoyment of the book, made it a little confusing at times. The pacing of the story felt jarring at times as it raced ahead then came to a sudden halt. What I found interesting is how when reading A Glimmer in the Hollows was how I kept thinking it read like a fever dream and there was even a scene between Jessica and Elliot where both of them couldn't seem to tell if the other was real or if what was happening was really occurring to them. The novel felt like if The Twilight Zone and The X files had a child and then sprinted some of Supernatural on top, thats how A Glimmer in the Hollows feels like and really, it works for the story Selley is trying to tell. The end game of the book and what is really happening in Driftwood felt a little so-so but that doesn't take away from the good aspects of the story like the chilling scenes of the children, what has been known to happen in Driftwood or the way people behave.

I'm sorry but I couldn't get into this. There were too many convenient "coincidences" that were just too far fetched for my liking.

This was a very unexpected book. What seems to be a straightforward missing girl mystery is in fact something very different. For me the jump between genres worked- because they are genres I enjoy but I can see why this book wouldn’t be everyone’s cup of tea.
The only thing that didn’t work for me was the romance- I don’t think it added anything to the plot.

What is going on in the hollows? For years children vanish from this small town, but what is really happening under the radar of the town’s people? This book gave me “Stranger Things” vibes. I loved how the author wrote a mystery novel with a sci-fi spin. I think she did an excellent job of painting this alternate kind of world and kept the suspense strong throughout. Although this is not my normal genre, I really enjoyed it!

Unfortuanately, I was unable to finish this book. It was hard to follow and I could not understand what was going on in the book. The book was all over the place and you could not keep up with it.

I agree with other reviewers who found this book hard to follow. The narration was too flowery, while the structure was too choppy, resulting in a lot of words that didn't amount to much. It's a bummer, because the idea is so intriguing. I love small towns with mysterious pasts, but this one just wasn't executed well.

I found this book to be confusing. The plot is choppy and convoluted, making it difficult to enjoy.

I thank Netgalley and the publishers for. giving me the opportunity to read this..