House of Hollow

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A MUST READ debut that was the perfect antidote to all the books that have left me underwhelmed lately. This story of three sisters and the power of wishing will drag you along as it barrels into the dark forest of this twisted fairy tale that unfolds visually before the reader. And you will feel every goose bump as the man with antlers stalks you on this journey . . . At first glance, it’s a mystery of what happened to three sisters (Grey, Vivi and Iris) when they were younger, disappeared for a bit, and the changes it brought. Now, as young adults, the oldest sister, Grey, has disappeared again and Vivi and Iris need to unravel their past to rescue her. We learn of how the incident affected the parents – with the father thinking the girls were not really his, how his descent into madness drove him to violence, and how the mother became smothering in her need to keep them protected while the daughters were left to deal with the aftermath by themselves. It also spoke to me of a tale about female adolescence with their changing bodies. Of how the sisters gained “powers” after the incident. They all became impossibly attractive to men. Grey used her beauty as a weapon; Vivi played down her looks, addicted to alcohol and body modifications; and Iris refusing to use her power and becoming an easy target. The changes in their bodies had more of a supernatural element to them, but I stand by my thought. Ask any parent whether their child "disappeared" during puberty and became someone different. But the supernatural element? Wowza. I cannot say enough good things about how this author – in her debut – used fascinating characters to tell a fantastical story of the bond between sisters and what makes up a family. It also asked a question to its readers through the parents – which way of accepting hard, cold facts is better? Do you accept hard facts and move on as best you can? Or do you rail against them? There were so many elements to this story that made me stop and think (abandoned doors found all over the world and what inspired this book, how being a mother changes you fundamentally, the bond between siblings especially sisters, the moral question of bringing people back from the dead, does a blood bond make or break a family, and more) that makes this a perfect choice for bookclubs. I really liked how the author wove folklore into the modern world. Sure, there were parts that were fuzzy when the two worlds collided, but the amazing storytelling made up for any minor glitches. Some in bookclub complained the author spent too much time describing the fantasy world, but I appreciated how it brought what I was reading to life. This book really needs to be made into a movie already! I will be reading anything else Krystal Sutherland writes.

Very VERY good. Like I said while i was reading this book: this is the dark tale I've been needing to read.

Everything about this book was just amazing! The plot line, the aesthetic, the characters!!

Time to settle in....listen to Iris tell you a tale...about a door, one that used to lead somewhere...but now leads somewhere else.

I loved this read... Sutherland writes for the senses, you can smell, taste, hear, touch, and see...most vividly, the beauty and grotesque nature of her prose. This is solidly one of the best written young adult novels I've read to date. Period.

Thanks Alexa and Jen for the recommendation!