Stand back. This is going to be a gush fest. If I could give this 6 stars, I totally would. Two thumbs up, way up. I loved this book. 100% would recommend.

First off, I love T. Kingfisher's writing. This is my second read from her and I enjoyed this even more than the last one I read (which was The Seventh Bride and got 4.5 stars, in case you're curious). The Hollow Places is portal fantasy meets horror with a good sidebar of humor. There's a bit of Lovecraft feel to the setting and the story, but this is even more than that. It's just fantastic. The writing is quippy and smart with a great ability to shift between creepy and hilarious. This book is seriously dark and creepy, but I still found myself laughing out loud at some points because she's JUST. THAT. GOOD. at mixing it up.

Kara (Carrot) and Simon are great characters and I freaking loved them. They are real and relatable. They do stupid things and make panicked decisions just like real people in their circumstances would. They have lives beyond the plot of this novel and motivations that are unique to themselves. I will admit that they did occasionally feel a bit more YA than the adults they are supposed to be, but I really didn't care. I had a great time with them. I could completely relate to Kara and I would love a friend like Simon. They're both super fun and enjoyable. They play off each other well and I liked having them both present to negotiate their next steps, though in the scenes by herself Kara totally held her own.

The atmosphere is perfectly built. The shop is a great creepy location to start off with, just one of those weirdo roadside attraction type places that are both entertaining and a little off. I'd totally shop around in there. The addition of the willow world piggy-backing off this place was fantastic. Can I say fantastic enough in this review? No. No I can't. I could totally envision each place used in the creation of this book and I couldn't get enough.

However...I will admit that there were moments that weirded me out enough to nearly scare the pants off of me. I don't hit the point of being scared by the things I read often, but this bordered on a freezer read for me in a few parts. I didn't want to read it in the dark, but I also didn't want to put it down. So...I just kept reading...and then found myself mildly disturbed by the weird sounds in my house once I was done. It is what it is. I still wouldn't change the way things went.

If you like anything mildly creepy and weird, read this. Seriously. READ THIS. I will be reading it again without a doubt. Now...if you'll excuse me, I need to go get T. Kingfisher's entire back catalog.


* Disclaimer: I received a copy of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. THANK YOU!! *