This was such an atmospheric book and Sutherland does a great job of building up the creepy factor. There's a constant uneasiness until the mystery of Grey Hollow's disappearance is uncovered and even after you're given some answers, the suspense does not stop there. Because of the suspense, it was impossible for me to put this down. I had to know what happened to Grey Hollow.
There's a really great cast of characters in this novel and I loved that each Hollow sister was unique, yet they fit together really seamlessly. It made the sisterly bond that much more relatable. I also loved Tyler Yang and loved the nonbinary rep in the way that Yang's character was presented. Tyler was great comedic relief and their banter with the Hollow sisters, particularly Iris and Vivi, was so funny to read.
Some atmospheric elements I loved were the carrion "death" flowers and the creepy-crawlies that were present throughout the novel. It reminded me a lot of the movie "Annihilation" in that way because there was beauty, but it was also wrong in some way. The beauty of a flower that smells like death is such a contradiction, but it works so well with the vibe of the book.
This is such a wonderful standalone fantasy/horror that effortlessly includes themes like family, grief, death, and power. It makes me excited to see what other fantastical stories that Sutherland will come up with.
There's a really great cast of characters in this novel and I loved that each Hollow sister was unique, yet they fit together really seamlessly. It made the sisterly bond that much more relatable. I also loved Tyler Yang and loved the nonbinary rep in the way that Yang's character was presented. Tyler was great comedic relief and their banter with the Hollow sisters, particularly Iris and Vivi, was so funny to read.
Some atmospheric elements I loved were the carrion "death" flowers and the creepy-crawlies that were present throughout the novel. It reminded me a lot of the movie "Annihilation" in that way because there was beauty, but it was also wrong in some way. The beauty of a flower that smells like death is such a contradiction, but it works so well with the vibe of the book.
This is such a wonderful standalone fantasy/horror that effortlessly includes themes like family, grief, death, and power. It makes me excited to see what other fantastical stories that Sutherland will come up with.