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Hollandos: Eyes of the Prince
Not yet published
Expected 17 Feb 26Imagine the Netherlands with knights, prophecies, colourful animals, and magic
Bente is an ordinary girl from the Dutch town of Molenpoort. Between pressure from her girlfriend and guilt from her family, she keeps trying to do the right thing. This leads her to the abandoned mill in the centre of town, where one step takes her away from everything she knows.
She ends up in Hollandos, a world that mirrors her own in culture and geography but is wildly different in every other way. Yet beneath the wonder, danger stirs. The exiled Prince Viktor is preparing to claim the Starcrown and cast Hollandos into darkness. To return home, Bente must defeat him, but the more she learns about the prince, the more she wonders if defeating him is truly the right choice.
Will she rise as the hero she always hoped to be, or remain trapped in Hollandos forever?
Bente is an ordinary girl from the Dutch town of Molenpoort. Between pressure from her girlfriend and guilt from her family, she keeps trying to do the right thing. This leads her to the abandoned mill in the centre of town, where one step takes her away from everything she knows.
She ends up in Hollandos, a world that mirrors her own in culture and geography but is wildly different in every other way. Yet beneath the wonder, danger stirs. The exiled Prince Viktor is preparing to claim the Starcrown and cast Hollandos into darkness. To return home, Bente must defeat him, but the more she learns about the prince, the more she wonders if defeating him is truly the right choice.
Will she rise as the hero she always hoped to be, or remain trapped in Hollandos forever?
354 pages, Paperback
Expected publication February 17, 2026
1 person is currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
P.R.M. Hamer
2 books1 followerHey! My name is Pepijn R.M. Hamer, and I’m a writer and designer who lives in the Netherlands with my lovely wife, Sterre, my number one fan. In my free time, I enjoy watching movies and series, playing board games, and dreaming up new ideas for Hollandos.
With my background in designing amusement park rides and web shops, I try to blend my creativity with my love for storytelling. My mission is to turn my ideas into fun, adventurous stories inspired by history, magical worlds, epic fantasies, and my own life experiences.
I believes in the power of personal connections and stories that feel grounded. Through my writing, I invite you, the reader, to join me on exciting adventures that spark imagination and discovery.
With my background in designing amusement park rides and web shops, I try to blend my creativity with my love for storytelling. My mission is to turn my ideas into fun, adventurous stories inspired by history, magical worlds, epic fantasies, and my own life experiences.
I believes in the power of personal connections and stories that feel grounded. Through my writing, I invite you, the reader, to join me on exciting adventures that spark imagination and discovery.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 25, 2026
Mixed feelings about this one… 3/5 ⭐️
While I loved the premise and the idea of a magical alternate reality of the Netherlands and the plotpoints/storyline of the book, I personally missed moments to connect to the characters until the book was almost over and found it hard to relate to them. Moreover, there were moments where I thought characters acted unlike their established personality, which made certain scenes confusing. I also feel like I would’ve liked to know more about the relationship dynamics in the book, which didn’t really seem present for me apart from the labeling of “girlfriend/boyfriend”, lots of praise and nicknames, and the occasional argument.
This, combined with certain choices in writing style, dialogue and some errors in terms of language, made it hard for me to fall in love with this book.
Overall, I loved the plot idea and certain parts of the execution, but I did not really connect to or have strong feelings for the characters and the completed story in the ways I had hoped.
While I loved the premise and the idea of a magical alternate reality of the Netherlands and the plotpoints/storyline of the book, I personally missed moments to connect to the characters until the book was almost over and found it hard to relate to them. Moreover, there were moments where I thought characters acted unlike their established personality, which made certain scenes confusing. I also feel like I would’ve liked to know more about the relationship dynamics in the book, which didn’t really seem present for me apart from the labeling of “girlfriend/boyfriend”, lots of praise and nicknames, and the occasional argument.
This, combined with certain choices in writing style, dialogue and some errors in terms of language, made it hard for me to fall in love with this book.
Overall, I loved the plot idea and certain parts of the execution, but I did not really connect to or have strong feelings for the characters and the completed story in the ways I had hoped.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hollandos: Eyes of the Prince is zo'n boek met een premisse waarmee je mij meteen hebt: fantasy, maar dan met een volledig Hollands tintje; alsof vanaf de Tachtigjarige Oorlog de geschiedenis een totaal andere wending heeft genomen en we daar nu de uitkomst van lezen. Het is duidelijk dat dit het eerste deel van een serie is en dat er dus nog een hoop zaken uitgediept moeten gaan worden in de komende delen: personages zijn nog wat plat (het zijn er ook niet te weinig); relaties zijn nog niet zo sterk; het plaatje dat van Hollandos wordt geschilderd mist nog wat puzzelstukjes. Maar wat voor een plaatje is dat! Hamer heeft duidelijk goed nagedacht over de verschillende aspecten die hij in zijn verhaal naar voren wilde laten komen, en het kleine stukje dat ik tot nu toe heb mogen proeven, smaakt naar meer. Hij heeft duidelijk een voorkeur voor sterke vrouwfiguren, voor geschiedenis, voor een komische noot, voor personages die meer in hun mars hebben dan ze op het eerste gezicht laten doorschemeren.
Het eerste deel krijgt van mij vier sterren, vooral omdat ik verwacht dat het alleen nog maar beter gaat worden.
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Hollandos: Eyes of the Prince is one of those books with a premise that immediately captivates me: fantasy, but with a completely Dutch twist; as if history has taken a completely different turn since the Eighty Years' War, and we're now reading the outcome. It's clear that this is the first book in a series, and therefore a lot of things still need to be explored in the coming installments: the characters are still a bit flat (and there aren't too few of them); relationships aren't very strong yet; the picture painted of Hollandos is still missing a few pieces. But what a picture it is! Hamer clearly thought carefully about the various aspects he wanted to highlight in his story, and the morsel I've been able to sample so far has left me wanting more. He clearly has a preference for strong female characters, for history, for a touch of comedy, for characters who have more to offer than they initially show on their surface.
I rate this book at four stars, mainly because I expect it will only get better in later installments.
Het eerste deel krijgt van mij vier sterren, vooral omdat ik verwacht dat het alleen nog maar beter gaat worden.
--
Hollandos: Eyes of the Prince is one of those books with a premise that immediately captivates me: fantasy, but with a completely Dutch twist; as if history has taken a completely different turn since the Eighty Years' War, and we're now reading the outcome. It's clear that this is the first book in a series, and therefore a lot of things still need to be explored in the coming installments: the characters are still a bit flat (and there aren't too few of them); relationships aren't very strong yet; the picture painted of Hollandos is still missing a few pieces. But what a picture it is! Hamer clearly thought carefully about the various aspects he wanted to highlight in his story, and the morsel I've been able to sample so far has left me wanting more. He clearly has a preference for strong female characters, for history, for a touch of comedy, for characters who have more to offer than they initially show on their surface.
I rate this book at four stars, mainly because I expect it will only get better in later installments.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Ik ben normaal gesproken niet zo’n fantasy-lezer, maar dit boek trok meteen mijn aandacht en heeft me absoluut niet teleurgesteld.
Dit boek geeft in het begin veel informatie over de wereld, maar naarmate je verder leest valt alles steeds beter op zijn plek en word je volledig meegenomen in de wereld van Hollandos. Het verhaal leest fijn en vlot, waardoor je er makkelijk in blijft hangen. De personages zijn allemaal heel verschillend en hebben ieder hun eigen persoonlijke doelen, wat ze geloofwaardig en interessant maakt.
Het verhaal is duidelijk geïnspireerd door de Nederlandse cultuur, en dat zie je op een leuke en natuurlijke manier door het hele boek terug. Het is leuk om fantasy te lezen waarin Nederlandse aspecten zo’n duidelijke rol spelen. In het begin lijkt alles vrij snel en misschien zelfs wat “makkelijk” te verlopen voor de personages, maar gaandeweg wordt duidelijk dat het verhaal veel gelaagder en complexer is dan je eerst denkt. De spanning bouwt zich steeds verder op en neemt je echt mee in het avontuur.
Ik kijk nu al uit naar deel 2. Echt een aanrader!
Dit boek geeft in het begin veel informatie over de wereld, maar naarmate je verder leest valt alles steeds beter op zijn plek en word je volledig meegenomen in de wereld van Hollandos. Het verhaal leest fijn en vlot, waardoor je er makkelijk in blijft hangen. De personages zijn allemaal heel verschillend en hebben ieder hun eigen persoonlijke doelen, wat ze geloofwaardig en interessant maakt.
Het verhaal is duidelijk geïnspireerd door de Nederlandse cultuur, en dat zie je op een leuke en natuurlijke manier door het hele boek terug. Het is leuk om fantasy te lezen waarin Nederlandse aspecten zo’n duidelijke rol spelen. In het begin lijkt alles vrij snel en misschien zelfs wat “makkelijk” te verlopen voor de personages, maar gaandeweg wordt duidelijk dat het verhaal veel gelaagder en complexer is dan je eerst denkt. De spanning bouwt zich steeds verder op en neemt je echt mee in het avontuur.
Ik kijk nu al uit naar deel 2. Echt een aanrader!
Review of advance copy received from Autor
Hollandos was such a pleasant surprise! I couldn't put it down.
It's a fun, light read; at the same time, it's exciting and makes you want to know more about what will happen.
The worldbuilding is very interesting - I can't wait to learn more about it in the next books!
The characters are interesting, and I really enjoyed Bente's character development throughout this first part.
Also, I'd never had much contact with the Dutch culture and it's quite intriguing to learn more about it.
10/10 recommend this book for anyone who likes reading adventure stories, strong character development and well-built fantasy worlds!
It's a fun, light read; at the same time, it's exciting and makes you want to know more about what will happen.
The worldbuilding is very interesting - I can't wait to learn more about it in the next books!
The characters are interesting, and I really enjoyed Bente's character development throughout this first part.
Also, I'd never had much contact with the Dutch culture and it's quite intriguing to learn more about it.
10/10 recommend this book for anyone who likes reading adventure stories, strong character development and well-built fantasy worlds!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Had the privilege to read it before the launch and I can say that I was very suprised. Normally I don’t read fantasy so I was afraid that it was a hard one to sit trough but I finished it within 2 days. I can’t wait to read the next 6 books of this 7 part series!!!
Review of advance copy received from Author
Hollandos: Eyes of the Prince is one of those stories that cannot be compared to other stories, due to it's uniqueness. The story is rich in history and world-building, all of which is shared with the reader through the eyes of protagonists who are just as new to the world. For a Dutch person, it is fun to see so much of our own culture used in a fantasy book and I imagine that it would give the same fresh feel to people from other cultures.
The story is relatively straight-forward, but done well enough to stay interesting.
I would recommend it mostly to people who are drawn to Young Adult fiction, as it will tick a lot of the boxes those readers look for in a book.
The story is relatively straight-forward, but done well enough to stay interesting.
I would recommend it mostly to people who are drawn to Young Adult fiction, as it will tick a lot of the boxes those readers look for in a book.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews