Krystal Sutherland

Literally just closed the book so please forgive the chaotic energy overflowing from my brain.

After reading House of Hallow, I added this one to my TBR list without even reading the description. I preordered it and after some issues getting it to route to the correct address, WORTH EVERY SECOND OF THE WAIT.

Spooky London, serial killer stalking modern witches, queer rep, demons, eerie body horror that had me squirming in my seat, AND badass femmes motivated by rage? This was absolutely show more everything I wanted out of this story and more. Krystal Sutherland absolutely knocked it out of the park with this one. show less

Strange things have happened surrounding the Hollow sisters ever since they disappeared without a trace for a month when they were little. They used to have black hair and blue eyes like their parents; now their hair is white and their eyes are black. Iris has always known there was something off about her and her sisters, but could never put a word to it other than "strangeness." At 17 years old her eldest sister Grey goes missing, and from there she begins to unravel the mysteries show more surrounding what happened to them in the past.

It was on page 21-22 was when my mouth dropped open and I realized the sort of story I was dealing with here: a suspenseful fairytale tinged in horror with absolutely breathtaking writing. Sutherland's phenomenal storytelling hooked me in good and didn't let me go until I finished.

The only thing I'm not completely thrilled about is that it has an open-ended ending, which, on its own, is a weak ending. And aside from this one thing that it leaves open-ended, it doesn't feel like a book that needs a sequel... not that I wouldn't read a sequel in a heartbeat, though hahah. And now that I think about it... I would be delighted if there was a prequel from Grey's POV.

*ARC received from BookishFirst show less

teen fiction (romance, psychology, mental health)
I really enjoyed this, loved the complexity of the characters, all the funny parts that were so unexpectedly romantic, and thought the mental health aspects were treated with the appropriate gravitas and seriousness as well. Esther's mom is addicted to gambling, her brother is consumed by fear/depression, her dad is agoraphobic and hasn't left the basement in many years. Jonah (who incidentally is Black) lost his mom in an accident a long time show more ago, and his dad has become drunk and physically abusive. Esther herself has social anxiety, among other things, while her best friend Hephzibah is semi-mute (speaking only to select people but choosing to communicate via ASL with Esther). There is so much going on here, but it's woven together masterfully and the result is a satisfying, fascinating read.

Ok, now I'm off to read Adam Silvera's tumblr post, "Happiness isn't just an outside thing," as recommended by the author. Stay hopeful, everyone, and please ask for help if you think you need it. show less

This funny and thought-provoking novel deserves a wider audience than the young adults it seems aimed at.
I enjoyed the quirky style of the writing which helped lighten the mood, despite describing sometimes awful situations, and several references to unfamiliar aspects of US popular culture did not detract from this too much. I really cared about what happened to the lovable characters and the story never flagged.
I was a little frustrated by some of the magical elements of the story when it show more was difficult to work out how much was supposed to be down to Esther’s vivid imagination. I also felt that certain changes in circumstances were not satisfactorily explained at the end.
However, the descriptions of anxiety felt true to life and the courage shown was inspirational. show less