Hollows

by Grant Palmquist

115 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2026

Reviews

[Eunice Anne]

First off, the pacing is absolutely spot-on,as Goldilocks would say, it’s just right. Not too fast, not too slow. Honestly, it’s the exact kind of story you want to dive into on a cold, rainy day when you’re curled up on the couch or under a blanket, just completely eating up the pages from start to finish. (Which is actually how I read it,there was a typhoon rolling through, and I just sank into the world the author built and didn't look up until I was done!)

Going into it, I’ll be honest: I was expecting a bit more of the classic horror elements I usually gravitate toward-gore, guts, body slashing, and macabre bloodiness. But as I kept reading, I had a realization: it didn't actually need all of that. If it relied heavily on gore, it would have felt like just another standard horror story. Instead, I really appreciated how it leaned into a completely different, psychological style of dread. There are still parts near the end that hit hard, but it’s the subtle, eerie moments that really give you the heebie-jeebies just picturing them in your head. Instead of relying on heavy gore, the author builds fear through imagery that makes your skin crawl. It’s that lingering feeling of being watched from the dark, or looking up at something in the night sky and slowly realizing your brain is playing tricks on you about what you're actually seeing. It gives you the heebie-jeebies just imagining it, and it works so well.

Beyond the scares, the writing itself is fantastic. I love getting a peek inside an author's mind, and watching how the author weaves and narrates this story was such a treat.

There’s one line in particular that resonated with me so deeply:

"I didn't feel like I was losing control of myself, only the world outside me. I needed to grab hold of something to steady myself, but there was nothing to hold on to. Nothing at all." It’s just so heavy and beautifully written. You also can’t help but root for the main character, his bravery, his deep dedication to his parents, his loyalty to his friend, and, of course, his cute little crush.

If I have one real critique, it’s simply that I wanted more. Even though it’s a novella, the ending left me feeling a bit unsatisfied, or maybe that’s just my own wishful thinking hoping for a sequel! I caught myself craving a deeper dive into the full history of how it started, especially when it comes to the lore surrounding the threat lurking in Nice, Texas. Because of that brevity, I think this works amazingly well as a "buffer read." If you're currently tackling a heavy or slow-paced book that’s starting to drag, picking this up is the perfect way to break things up, keep your momentum going, and completely avoid a reading slump.

It’s an eerie, atmospheric read that’s well worth picking up.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

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BookSiren

[Elke]

The book was written from the POV of a ten year old boy, and while it shows, it is not irritating or childish as one may assume. From the beginning, the book gives off scary vibes and the strange things happening here are slowly creeping into reality - but only the boy seems to be recognizing them. All others, especially the adults, dismiss his observations as fantasy or dreams, so the boy understandably grows desperate as what to do or whom to trust when it comes to doing something about the evil that steals the children's spirits, turning them into mindless, hollow husks. The pacing was great, not too fast-paced but not too slow either, so that I was really feeling with the boy as he tried to figure things out on his own, desperately trying to do the right thing. My one critique is the ending, where I felt overwhelmed with too much going on too fast, like the author wanted to present a grand exciting finale but put too many ingredients in it. I had a hard time keeping up with the fast-switching action and the dialogues which were meant to explain what was going on, so I really had to go back and read it all again to make sense of what was what. For the most part, this was a very atmospheric read which had me glued to the pages.

[‎]

​Hollows is told from the perspective of a 10-year-old, and it really shows, in a good way. It feels authentic to a kid’s worldview without feeling dumbed down or overly simplified.

​The monster and the horror elements here are genuinely weird and unsettling. It’s not about gore or shock value, it leans more into uncanny valley territory and some liminal space vibes? It definitely gets under your skin.

I was completely hooked from the very beginning, but then at around the second half things got pretty confusing and disjointed. It felt like there was some potential with the premise, and there were some banger quotes, but I can't say I understood what actually happened (or maybe it was too complicated for little brain me).

​Still, at just over 100 pages, it’s a quick, atmospheric read you can easily breeze through in an afternoon if you're in the mood for some eerie, surreal, spooky vibes for the season.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mieke Janssens]

What starts as a creepy coming-of-age story turns into a nightmarish fever dream. I understand why the author made the switch, but it felt so very different from the first part that I couldn't get into it. While I felt very invested during the first part of the book, the author lost me in the second part.  It's hard to explain without giving away too much, but I think a lot boils down to preference.

I received an ARC copy for free through Booksirens and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[Julia]

I liked this, but it left me a little... disappointed and unsatisfied. The book started great and I had high hopes, but the second half just went in a completely different direction than I had expected based on the first half.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.