The Hollow Kingdom (The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy #1)

I absolutely love this book. This was one of my favorite books as a child, and it was an absolute pleasure to read it again. The Hollow Kingdom is about a girl named Kate who, newly orphaned along with her sister, Emily, travels to Hallow Hill to live with her new guardians. Enchanted by her mysterious surroundings, Kate enjoys her new life until she starts to have the reoccurring feeling that she’s being watched. Soon Kate discovers that her secret admirer is none other than the Goblin King. A battle of wits ensues as Kate desperately tries to avoid being stolen away to become a goblin bride.
The book is definitely darker now that I read it as an adult, especially the fact that Kate is often made powerless. Whether its the king of the goblins or her guardians, Kate has difficulties getting other characters to listen to what she has to say. Often, they discredit her words and ignore her wishes for their own personal ideas. However, I was willing to forgive this substantial flaw because Kate is a really strong heroine. Even though the people around her ignore her, Kate never stops fighting for what she wants. Even when she loses a battle, she does so on her own terms. Despite ignoring her wishes at the beginning, towards the end all the characters grow to respect her and to realize the mistake they made by underestimating her.
What really keeps calling me back to this book however, is the world building. I absolutely love the goblin kingdom and I think it’s one of the most unique and interesting fantasy worlds that I’ve ever read. I am most impressed by the diversity of the goblins. Dunkle isn’t scared of putting off the readers by making her mythical creatures horrifying. In fact, Marak, the male protagonist, is absolutely grotesque. Through this choice, she illustrates a world in which beauty is not important and the most important thing to a race of people is strength and community.
So, although some people may apply the same arguments against Beauty and the Beast to The Hollow Kingdom, I feel that the good points of this book outweigh the bad. The writing is well done and the world building is wonderful. Kate’s and Marak’s relationship may stem from a terrible tradition, but it resolves itself into one of mutual respect.

I’m a parent, so not the target audience. My 6th grade son read it for a group discussion. He found the first half of the book dreadfully slow, but did enjoy the creativity displayed in imagining the underground world and it’s various creatures. He also enjoyed the horror movie type action near the end of the book. I read this book at his request, so he could discuss his thoughts before a group discussion.

Basically, this is “Beauty and the Beast” with a goblin twist. That alone isn’t a problem. I adore fairy tales, and love comparing and contrasting the standard themes across different times and cultures, and look forward to new interpretations. “Cinderella” has been done, time and time again, yet different lenses reflecting culture or times can offer different interpretations and ways of looking at the same old story. “Into the Woods” is a favorite example of this. However, I’m an adult.

In this twist on “Beauty and the Beast” there wasn’t anything fresh. In fact, I was dismayed that kidnapping a bride was justified by Marak and yet Kate could still respect and care for him! This is the romantic lesson we want our sons and daughters absorbing? I get that she had a better life and was safer and better cared for by the “monster” than her own family. I guess the “lesson” is supposed to be that appearances can be deceiving and those that are “supposed” to care for you (family) may not, and someone who is “ugly” can be nice. Nice, perhaps, but still immoral enough to knowingly terrify a young woman, and justify kidnapping her for his own purposes. Did he really have NO other options? With all his magic, he couldn’t find some other way? It would have been so much better had Marak let her be on the topside long enough to take over her land and relocate whoever is left, after he learns to act like a being who respects others rather than justify his cruel actions, and then he would be someone she may grow to care for, and get over his appearance, and CHOOSE to marry and rule together – she above and he below.

I found this book quite predictable with one dimensional stereotypical characters. Of COURSE Kate is smart, and strong, and her beautiful looks are mentioned over and over. The aunts are ineffectual and useless, naturally, and Hugh is just selfish and evil, through and through.

Also, the writing was a bit dull and simple. I believe many kids in this age group can handle more vivid and complex vocabulary and a more elegant and sophisticated style. It felt like Twilight for the preteen set. Which is great for the author, if you can sell it to Hollywood,

On the plus side, the descriptions of the underground world, it’s creatures, and the Goblin/Elf history were imaginative. I wish the descriptions, which were plentiful and described a magical place, would have been written in a more eloquent style.

My son does think this would make a good movie, because it would be unique and visually stunning, if done well. However, I would hope they would find a way to make Marak more likeable and somehow not make it disappointing when his captive wife falls in love with him.

Kate and her sister Emily have been orphaned, and their guardian and relative has sent them to live with their great-aunts as he has no desire to raise them. The girls have inherited the estate that they now live on, and there is something odd going on at Hallow Hill nearby. Kate begins to fear that they are being watched, and when they meet an odd group of “gypsies” she worries even more. Their uncle scoffs at her worries, but Kate finds out that their leader is the Goblin King who lives in the underworld beneath Hallow Hill and he intends for Kate to become his queen. All is not what it seems, and determining who has evil intents is a bit trickier than it first appears. After escaping a few attempts from the goblins, when Emily disappears, Kate fears that the goblins have her and makes a grand bargain to save her. The story integrates some elements from the Persephone myth but takes the story to a whole other level as we see Kate grow in understanding about the goblins and her fate in life. This is the first of a trilogy and I look forward to more of this delightful fantasy series.

The Labyrinth meets Beauty and the Beast .

Winner of the 2004 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature.

If you love Diana Wynne Jones and 19th century fantasy fiction romance then this book is ideal for you.

Positives:
1. Awesome action-packed plot

2. Strong heroine. She’s the gentle, ladylike quietly intelligent type with an inner strength that she’s slowly beginning to realise.

3. No unnecessary drama, theatrics or long tedious internal monologues

4. No insta-lust!!!

5. Slow-build romance with incredible chemistry

6. Plenty of magic

7. Sarcastic, sardonic but extremely caring older hero.

8. Lots of banter

9. The author uses hardly any modern or American English (apart from the glaring “mommy” and a few other words) it was almost like reading a Diana Wynne Jones novel.

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Negatives:

1. I’m not sure about the sequels.

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Excellent plot, lots of adventure, magic and No insta-lust but a wonderful romance.

Love this book! i read it years ago, (when i was about 13 or so) and recently ordered it again to base a school project on. I thought it would be ok, but not great – something that i would have grown out of – but i still love it as much as i did when i was 13..

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