I loved the idea of centuries-old lore holding the town and its people captive in its razor-sharp talons and how the townspeople, subsequently, become the very thing they most fear. Nestled in a rural area, just at the edge of the forest, Black Hollow serves as the border between reality and fantasy, madness and sanity. Miya, Kai, and Mason noticed and cared about completely different things and it’s those little things that sold the switching POVs to me. Fortunately, AJ Vrana was able to establish and maintain a unique voice for each character. I am usually wary of multiple POVs because I tend to pick a favorite and lose the connection with the other characters along the way. The story was told through the eyes of three narrators: Miya, Kai, and Mason. I have no idea what I expected but I definitely did not expect it to be this good! Since this is the author’s debut novel and I didn’t read others’ reviews before starting this book, I was perfectly prepared to not like it that much. What drew me to this book is the promise of something dark and sinister lurking between the pages. The Hollow Gods by AJ Vrana is my first ARC read. Can three unlikely heroes put aside their fears and unite to confront a centuries-old evil? Will they uncover the truth behind the fable, or will the cycle repeat? Can she trust Kai as their paths collide, or does he herald her demise?Īnd after losing a young patient, crestfallen oncologist, Mason, embarks on a quest to debunk the town’s superstitions, only to find his sanity tested.Ī maelstrom of ancient grudges, forgotten traumas, and deadly secrets loom in the foggy forests of Black Hollow. Miya, a floundering university student, experiences signs that she may be the Dreamwalker’s next victim. When Kai wakes up next to the lifeless body of a recently missing girl, his memory blank, he struggles to clear his already threadbare conscience. And after they return, they almost always end up dead.

Yet the boundary between fact and fable is blurred by a troubling statistic: occasionally, women do go missing. Disclaimer : I received the eARC of this book from Book Sirens and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.įor centuries, residents have foretold the return of the Dreamwalker-an ominous figure from local folklore said to lure young women into the woods and possess them.

The hollow gods aj vrana