The Hollow Gods (The Chaos Cycle Duology #1)

This was really more or less a cover buy, and boy was I not disappointed! I really liked this one. I found Miya, and Kai to be really intriguing characters. I think I like Mason. I initially didn\’t really understand the point of having him around, but he ended up helping propel the mystery aspect of the story. The setting was perfect for this. Spooky little small town, surrounded by a looming dark forest. The paranoia of the townspeople was very intense at times. Miya is bound and determined to discover the secrets of the forest, and while she seems very centered and practical at times, she longs to be a part of the forest. I really liked the chemistry between her and Kai. It was ALMOST insta-love but thankfully, didn\’t really hit that for me. They had a good banter, and a hesitancy around each other, that made the development more real. While the end felt really solid, I feel like there is more to these characters, and gods, and I am very excited for the next book.

4.5 stars. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Guys, this book was so good though! Think a much darker Linger series by Maggie Stiefvater meets The Near Witch by V. E. Schwab. I Loved it! ———What I liked——— I loved the characters, their internal struggles, their parts to play in a story that was also sort of reminiscent of the movie Inception. Reading this story was like walking through a dense fog in the not quite night and not quite day. The way the past and the present collide. The way shame and guilt and fear collide. The way light and dark, sleep and wake, life and death all collide. It\’s honestly a difficult book to really even describe. At it\’s core, it is the story of a werewolf and a girl. Or perhaps it is the story of a girl who is lost and then found. Or perhaps it is the story of a history that is doomed to repeat itself over and over again. I think it is absolutely a story of redemption. The way the author was able to create this air of suspense throughout the entire novel is incredible and definitely transported to me a world far away from my own (which of course is what a story is supposed to do). I was immersed and I never wanted it to end. The characters are complex, shaded in tones of gray. Broken and battling with demons within and without … and perhaps in this way, this story is one giant metaphor. ———What I did not like——— What keeps a book at a 4.5 vs. a 5 star for me really just comes down to the book\’s ability to be MORE. Pull my emotions MORE. Connect me to the characters MORE. Connect me to the world MORE. And while this book had everything that a great story has … it just didn\’t quite yet push that limit that I know this story can have. I hope to see this continue to develop in the next book in this series. ———-In Conclusion——— A truly wonderful debut! I can\’t wait to see MORE.

The Hollow Gods is an engaging, intriguing read with all the right touches of pure mystery, psychological horror, and fantasy. Part mystery part fantastical folk-fable, The Hollow Gods will dig it’s claws into your imagination and pull you along for a ride of emotions as the main character Miya not only uncovers the truths behind her town’s history but also discovers a piece of herself along the way. The story is incredibly well written and moves along at a steady pace to keep the reader well engaged and desperate for more of the story. The story is told from the perspective of three different characters, typically alternating between characters on a chapter by chapter or two basis. This method of story telling serves the story well as it stokes the imagination of the reader and leaves them wondering how these characters are connected – if at all. Each character’s voice is unique and written in a way that gives them life and dimension – something that tends to be hard to find in a great many novels. The characterization that the author pulls us through is stunningly brilliant, and to say I’ve grown attached to the characters over the duration of my read is an understatement. An author this good at spinning a compelling and immersive mystery is like a unicorn to me, as I’ve never favored the bland story telling style that many mystery books I’ve read before lead toward, or maybe I just have a hard time connecting with the classics in the mystery genre. Either way, I often found myself bored and eventually drift away from reading the story all together – but not with this story. Reading this book felt like a breath of fresh air and while I’m elated to have enjoyed this story, I’m looking forward to the next from this author with a deep and resonating amount of excitement that shakes me to my core. What was originally an impulsive book buy turned out to be, quite possibly, the best book I’ll read all year.

Why is it always the books I just keep putting off that are so freaking good!! I do not know what I was expecting…..but it wasn\’t this, but I am not mad. This book kept me so interested from the very beginning. Giving us three POV\’s Mason- a doctor who is running away from choices that led to the death of one of his patients. That brings him to the town of Black Hollow where he stumbles into the towns superstition and after a man is hit by a bus starts to think that maybe the superstitions have some truth to them. Miya- A college girl in Black Hollow who\’s slipping into depression because after wanting to be a journalist finds out that the path isn\’t what she was hoping and loses all will to even try in school, but one day a wolf on the verge of death comes into her life and with one piece of jerky at a time she gains his trust Kai- (my faves ?) is cursed with a monster inside him. Who makes Kai think he is the reason for the Murdered girls in Black Hollow when he wakes up next to their dead bodies with no knowledge to how they ended up that way. He also is vulgar and I love it ♥️♥️ This book does give me mad The Raven Cycle vibes but it\’s definitely its own book….with a lot more talk of penis.

The blurb drew me to it as well as that striking cover – What kept me engaged was the story. I\’m all about spoiler free reviews, as you know, so I\’m going to give nothing away but I am going to tell you that I got swept up in this tale. It took me a while to get into this story, as the way it is told had me a little confused at first, but by around page 100 I was hooked. Some books start you off right in the middle of the drama, which this did, and that can be a bit disarming and confusing as a reader but you have to just trust that the author will explain everything in time through the story and this is what happened for me. The characters in The Hollow Gods are flawed and fleshed out which I adored – they are relatable and real. Which in fantasy is a must. Miya is someone that I really enjoyed reading about. I liked how we got a sense of who she was from the very first page. I liked how she wasn\’t perfect – it made me like her a lot more. Elements of this story gave me Grimm Fairy-tale vibes – which I adored. I also appreciated the intense mystery and almost thriller like telling of it. I found the story to be a bit mind bending in places. Trying to keep track on who/what was real, dreamed, imagined was a bit tough but not unpleasant. And it made for an interesting read as I couldn\’t work out where the story was going for a while. Which I liked because predictable books are boring. All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will 100% be waiting for book two to come out! I would recommend The Hollow Gods to those who love fantasy and mystery combined. Thanks to A.J.Vrana, BookSirens and Parliament House Press for letting me read and review this. As always, keep on reading, Lottie

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