It has been a very long time since I read a book in two sittings. I was a bit worried I wasn’t going to enjoy House of Hollow since it was described as a thriller-horror story with a folktale twist.

Iris Hollow and her two older sisters are strange. Ever since they mysteriously disappeared in Scotland as children only to return a month later with no memory of what happened to them, odd and creepy stuff seemed to follow them.

Ten years after their disappearance, Iris’ famous supermodel sister Grey goes missing, leaving behind strange clues as to what might have happened. Soon Iris and Vivi begin tracing the clues to rescue their sister, and along the way, they start to realize that the story of their past they’ve been told all their life begins to unravel, and nothing is what it seems.

For starters, the cover is so beautiful, and it perfectly represents the beauty and creepiness of the stories.

This book is dark and full of eeriness that will keep you up at night (I suggest reading during daylight hours). The best way to describe this book is The Chronicles of Narnia meets Stranger Things, where nothing seems like it is. 

The writing style is lyrical in a sense, full of elegant passages that made me go back and re-read them just to fully appreciate their beautiful haughtiness. It will always keep you in suspense, appealing to all your senses as the plot takes dark turns and twists, keeping you at the edge of your seat. 

I adored all the characters, especially the exploration of their relationships with another. It showed how complex relationships can be and how trauma can affect those relationships. While I felt that the relationship between Iris and Cate (her mother) felt a bit unhealthy (which Grey and Vivi also pointed out), it also made sense? Cate lost all three of her daughters for a month, and the media made it seem that she killed her own children? Then her husband committed suicide. Trauma shapes people to become dependent on another person to keep moving on, and the novel never sugarcoats it. 

“Some people go missing because they want to; some go missing because they’re taken. And then there are the others who go missing because they fall through a gap somewhere and can’t claw their way back.”– House Of Hollow, Krystal Sutherland.

This has been one of my favourite reads of the year so far! I really hope everyone goes and immerse themselves in the creepy tale of the Hollow sisters. It is a book you definitely want to read, and unlike most YA novels, this book has no romance plotline. It is sisters saving sisters and discovering the mystery of their past.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Australia for providing me with a finished copy of this haunting tale. All opinions are my own.

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia
ISBN: 9780143796992
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 30 March 2021
RRP: $19.99 AUD
Personal Rating: 5/5