i was very excited for Holly Horror (and i'm in love with the cover!), and it immediately drew me in in the first few pages. i love the idea, it felt so intriguing and mysterious and yes, full of horror. i'm mildly annoyed at the ending (in a good way - it's a cliffhanger) but i look forward to seeing what happens in book #2, and i'll probably pick up a copy sometime after this book comes out (august 2023!)
the only "negative" for me was the romance - in order for me to actually enjoy romance it usually needs to be slower and actually build up, but this felt a bit too sudden. thankfully, it wasn't a major part of the story and didn't bug me too much. Holly Horror is marketed as young adult, and i personally think it would appeal more to younger teens (just because of the writing style, that's obviously not to say older teens / adults won't also enjoy this - i certainly did!)
the only "negative" for me was the romance - in order for me to actually enjoy romance it usually needs to be slower and actually build up, but this felt a bit too sudden. thankfully, it wasn't a major part of the story and didn't bug me too much. Holly Horror is marketed as young adult, and i personally think it would appeal more to younger teens (just because of the writing style, that's obviously not to say older teens / adults won't also enjoy this - i certainly did!)