Hollow, Karina Halle (Review by Darlene Smoliak)

Rating: 4.0/5 Stars

What a perfect book for October and Halloween!  Hollow is a retelling of the Sleepy Hollow legend and is just as much spicy as it is spooky and had this reader quickly flipping those pages!

The story begins with the reader being introduced to Kat Van Tassel who lives in the small village of Sleepy Hollow. The atmosphere of this village is eerie for good reason as there are a fair amount of witches walking around with the normal folk. Kat is one of those witches.  Her mother finally takes her to the Sleepy Hollow Institute, an academy for witches, where she will hone her skills. While learning more about her magic she falls for her teacher, Ichabod Crane. Still she can’t stop thinking about or loving her childhood sweetheart Brom who disappeared four years ago. Needless to say sparks fly when he reappears and the dynamic between the three is definitely intense.

Along with Brom’s reappearance the village begins to have numerous decapitations which are being linked to the Headless Horseman. Is it a coincidence that this is happening right when Brom comes back?  Kat finds herself very confused. She was promised to Brom as a child but he has changed so much and become so dark and brooding. Then there is Ichabod. Who do you choose when you want both?

I really enjoyed this book and liked Kat. She has her own mind and a strong will and doesn’t mind voicing her opinions. The book does have some very sexually explicit scenes so be sure to read the trigger warnings and take care of yourself. I do find sometimes with books with themes such as these that they lack a good plot but Hollow has a solid plot behind it that I really enjoyed.

As I turned the last page though my jaw hit the floor!  What a cliffhanger the story ended on. Thankfully there is a sequel titled Legend and I can’t wait to delve into it!  I really loved the witchy, gothic vibes of this novel. You’ll want to curl up by the fire with this one on an eerie, dark October night!