Book Review: The Hollow Girl

Title: The Hollow Girl
Author: Hillary Monahan
Genre: Young Adult, Teen, Horror
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Ugh. 
Where do I even start? 

Setting
This book is set at an indeterminate time... maybe in the late 1800's? Our lead gal is being raised by her gypsy caravan's 'witch'. The lady that everyone goes to for healing, charms, etc. At first we are not sure that any magic is real; that quickly changes. I'm going to use the common words for gypsy, herbal woman/witch, and what not. The book uses (what I assume) are the correct words to describe these groups but let's face it you won't know these words if I use them. So for simplicity sake I'll be generic below. 

Horror that isn't horror
If gruesome, gross and immorale is what you think defines a horror YA book then perhaps The Hollow Girl is for you. For me the only thing scary about this book was that it was: A) making excuses for why it's morale and okay (in some ways) to act on vengeance and take revenge; B) how bad the writing was. 
A good horror book, like a good sword wielding fantasy story will have elements of gore in it; but there is a lot more to the story in that. It should give build slowly, give you shivers at times and make you question the thoughts and beliefs of the main character. And likely have empathy for some of the characters involved (because it's not their fault). 
And yes horrific things happen in The Hollow Girl such as rape, murder, torture, lose of appendages, etc. But none of these events are what I found to be the hardest to accept. Instead I cannot believe that anyone would think it appropriate to torture, murder and maim others in order to save one person. 
There are very few situations in which I am convinced that someone deserves to be physically punished. Now that's not to say that the occasional smack to a small child is wrong. I believe that at certain moments and levels that can be an appropriate parental response. BUT you would always react in an appropriate way and not out of a spiteful revenge filled place. Too bad our lead gal isn't taught this lesson. Instead she is taught the dark magic of her people by the existing herbal doctor she lives and grew up with.

It doesn't really bother me that our lead gal wants vengeance but it does bother me that she enacts her revenge on five of her peers (boys) at the consistent encouragement from the herbal doctor she calls grandmother. I don't want to teach children to be like Stephen King's Carrie and that getting revenge is the right course of action. 
If we all took an eye for an eye each time we were wronged then we would be a society of blind people. 

Between the unnecessary blood and gore, questionable moral compass and the attempt (with the authors note at the beginning of the book) to make readers feel compassionate towards the story without even starting it; I just can't give The Hollow Girl anything more than 2 stars. I only finished it because I was very close to the end (less than 50 pages) and wanted to see if there was some resolution of the morale issues. I was sorely disappointed. 

I would not recommend this book to any one. Even a half-smart teen would see through the typical 'gore' tropes quickly and find it over the top and morally questionable. I love anti-heros and characters you love to hate; but here we are shown a lovely girl that is turned evil in a very unproductive way. I would not recommend this book to any one. Even a half-smart teen would see through the typical 'gore' tropes quickly and find it over the top and morally questionable. I love anti-heros and characters we love to hate; but here we are shown a lovely girl that is turned evil in a very unproductive way. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: The Day the Angels Fell

Title: The Day the Angels Fell
Author: Shawn Smucker
Genre: Young Adult, Grief
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

There is a lot of philosophical, quotable one-liners in this book about a young boy that loses his mother in a freak accident. If you are looking for a story that may help you or someone you know process death then I think The Day the Angels Fell is a good choice. Otherwise I'm not sure it's worth the read. It's very poignant and in places quite intense; but at no point did I really doubt what was going to happen. 

The Story
Told in two parts; the first from the perspective of an old man, and the second, where we spend most of our time, from the perspective of the same old man as a boy. So there is never any doubt that our boy survives the bizarre and sometimes dangerous path he is following. I think Shawn Smucker intended for a 'reveal' at the end that makes you go, oh wow, and then cry. I did not get that and instead felt like the ending made good sense but wasn't anything super special. 
The primary focus story centers around The Tree of Life. A tree that seemingly has the power to bring someone back from the dead. Of course our lead boy wants to find it so he can bring his just deceased Mom back. This is not a spoiler it happens in the first chapter. Surrounding him in this desire are of course the morales of what it means to be dead and if death is a 'good' thing or place. There are some men involved that try to mess things up and impose their will on our young man. And while both of these men appear to be really important; however in the end they are just props to move the plot forward, in my opinion. They say a lot but I'm not sure they are contributing in a valuable way as characters to the overall novel. 

Quotable, but not enough
Overall someone could likely pull out a hundred quotes to use on mugs, posters, etc. from Smucker's debut novel; but for me that wasn't enough. While there is plot that consistently moves us forward in the story and characters that are interesting enough I just didn't care that much. I almost never felt sympathy or grief for our lead boy and so had a hard time connecting. Perhaps if you are in the throes of grief when you read this it would be more impactful? For me it just fell short of what I had hoped for. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

Book Review: Birdcage Walk

Title: Birdcage Walk 

Author: Helen Dunmore

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

Helen Dunmore has written a wonderful literary novel set in London during the French Revolution. Well developed characters and a unique perspective kept my interest; even though the plot doesn't show up in the first half of the book. 

Character Study

The first 200 pages are a character study led by our lead gal, Lizzie, and her view of the world. There is virtually no plot at all during this portion of the novel. Instead we learn of Lizzie's marriage, family, class and more. 

I found it very interesting to have our leading lady caught between the ideologies of her family and those of her husband. With a mother that writes pamphlets and prose in support of the Revolution and eventual take down of the French King, it's understandable that Lizzie has a very independent view on politics. However her husband does not necessarily agree. As a true capitalist in a class society it becomes difficult for Lizzie's husband to accept that the Revolution is a good thing as it hurts his investments. We are lead to see Lizzie's unique thoughts and both perspectives on the French Revolution, even if from a safe (non-bloody) distance in London. 

Plot

It takes about 200 pages for Birdcage Walk to have some real plot. Once we get into the real story, and not just the characters and their setting, we are then treated to a fast paced mystery that Lizzie is caught in. I enjoyed the overall writing style and setting much better than the plot. I was more intrigued by Lizzie as a character than anything else. If Lizzie had been a boring, stuffy Londoner I would not have enjoyed this near as much. 

Overall

Those who love historical fiction and character studies will likely enjoy this novel. If you're hoping for a book with intrigue and mystery then I recommend you pass; otherwise the first half of Birdcage Walk will possibly suck the life out of your reading enjoyment. 

This was my first Dunmore novel and I'll certainly look to read more by her. 

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.