Book: Hollow Stone by N.B. Cross
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 3.5/5
Rating: Between a 3.5 and 4 (I enjoyed the eerie vibes and clear imagery in this, but some parts dragged a little)
Hollow Stone is about a friend group that discovers a dried-up river, and upon further investigation, find a creepy monster. They escape, but realize they can't tell anyone because no one would believe them. In Duswood, tragedy is brushed off, forgotten. However, as children and animals continue going missing, the friends realize something must be done.
This book gave me strong Stranger Things vibes, especially with the small-town and tight-knit friend group fighting monsters. I really enjoyed the group investigating what was happening in the town and their friend dynamic. They all seemed to have a special quality that made them helpful to the group.
I also really enjoyed the imagery in the book. I could clearly picture the scenes the author was describing. I also could feel the tension during tense scenes. The setting of this book takes place in a small town called Duswood. From the start of the book, the town of Duswood came across as unsettling, and the writing captured the eerie town vibes perfectly!
I will say, however, that some parts of the book were a little repetitive in my opinion. While this may have been intentional by the author to reinforce themes, it occasionally disrupted the pacing of the book and seemed unnecessary. Some of the repetitive parts were the description of Mira being the "weird girl who never talks", the monster's description with the hollow eyes, how the town never listens. I also thought the end of the book was a little abrupt. There was so much tension leading up to the end and I wish there was a little more to it.
Overall, I enjoyed this book! It had a good, original plot. It was similar to Stranger Things, but definitely still different. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a light horror or something similar to Stranger Things.