Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton is an absolutely hilarious apocalyptic tale about a crow and a beagle. These two are are on a mission to save the other domesticated animals who are stuck indoors after all of the humans turned.

When the story begins, our main character, a crow named Shit Turd (or S.T. for short) is beating himself up for not realizing that something was wrong sooner than he did… S.T. then lays out the day where it all started, he informs the reader that he’s here to explain everything, and then we’re off and running!

The story line definitely kept me engaged. The plot followed an apocalyptic focus, but it had such an original twist! I mean… what does happen to the poor animals that are left inside when the world turns and their humans don’t come back for them? Seems like there’s an obvious answer there, huh? Thank goodness for S.T. and Dennis!

I loved that we got to see things from the perspectives of the animals throughout the story. The bond that S.T. had with Dennis was so wonderfully heartwarming.

The writing style was amazing. It’s definitely the most lighthearted and fun novel that I have read in quite some time. I loved all of the quick little chapters that we got from other animal’s perspectives! The cat was hilariously cocky, as was the poodle. The polar bear broke my heart!

I couldn’t wait to see what other creature S.T. would run into next on his journey! It was so fun to see which creatures were dangerous, helpful, or other such things. It was also wicked fun to learn the dialects and tones of each creature!

My goodness. You need to go pick this one up. It’s such a hoot! Or should I say… a caw?

My Favorite Passages
“Hello!” I squawked in perfect English. No response. “Hello there!” A goddamned talking crow and not even a raised eyebrow. Seriously? The world had gone to shit.

“Never presume to know the journey of another, friend,” he said.

I enjoyed the pleasantness of the moment, surprised to find myself giddy, as if full of beer bubbles that fizzed their way to freedom.

I got star struck at the sight of a snowy owl, because, I mean, Harry Potter. I had never seen these birds except for in pixel form, and here they were, shiny eyed and ruffling their magnificence.

“Don’t worry,” he said in a jittery whisper. “I believe in you.” They were tiny words from a tiny bird, but perhaps sometimes all you need is a speck of encouragement, an acorn of belief.

My Final Thoughts
While hilarious, this novel also has a whole lot of heart! I teared up so many times. This book was a home run for me!

I highly recommend this one to any reader that enjoys stories told from the perspectives of animals and for those that are looking for a read that will keep you laughing.