HOLLOW BY RHONDA PARRISH: BOOK REVIEW

This book may be my favorite read so far this year.  It’s a YA novel, but I sometimes really enjoy reading books aimed at an audience younger than me.  But it was a very enjoyable read and I found myself looking forward to reading it every day.  Between the believable characters, the clever storyline and Rhonda’s writing style, this is definitely one to pick up.
 
I liked the first-person narrative very much.  Rhonda did a very good job of writing in Morgan’s point-of-view.  Morgan is dealing with a couple of recent traumatic life events - one that has deeply affected her entire family - and another she is afraid to speak about and is trying to work through it alone.  I was able to see a deep and realistic world through the eyes of a teenager but also get enough perspective of the world around her to where I felt like I was part of her world.  I know that writing in the first-person POV can be a challenge, and I know some readers don’t like reading in that POV at all, but Rhonda did a beautiful job of helping me experience Morgan’s world like the teenager she is.
 
Rhonda has a very pleasant writing style.  Everything is easy to understand - there was no having to re-read anything because everything flowed so nicely.  Her dialogue between characters was very natural.  And I loved the detail she gave to the characters’ actions - their facial expressions, body language, and nonverbal cues were so realistic it was like watching a movie.   
 
While it took awhile for the action and the creepiness to pick up, overall the storyline was fantastic.  Every time I thought I’d predict a situation’s outcome, it would turn in a totally different direction.  And the parts that were meant to be creepy, where really creepy.  Some of the scenes took place in an old, abandoned hospital with a dark history and rumors of a ghost.  That always puts me in the mood for a creepy story.  I love abandoned buildings, so experiencing the creepy hospital with Morgan was a real treat.  I also liked the concept that a Polaroid camera could draw out the absolute worst in people with just a simple snapshot.  And there was some real beauty painted into the scary, nightmarish scenes near the end.
 
My only complaint with the book is that it was a little heavy on the inner workings of Morgan’s mind.  I know she was working through some very believable and very traumatic events, but I was hoping for more scares.  The ending felt rushed and I was left with a few big unanswered questions.  Normally that would bother me, but honestly I enjoyed the book’s overall atmosphere and Rhonda’s writing style so much that I’m willing to overlook it.  And maybe it was purposefully left open-ended to make room for a sequel??  I would totally dig a sequel.
 
If you enjoy YA novels or know of a teen looking for a horror book that’s not so much about being scary as it is about dealing with sad and traumatic past experiences, this is one to consider. ​

Hollow by Rhonda Parrish

A car accident shattered sixteen-year-old Morgan's family. Now her brother’s dead, her mom's paralyzed in more ways than one, her dad lives at work and her seven-year-old sister Amy tries too freaking hard to salvage everything. What’s more, high school is its own special kind of hell, where her ex-boyfriend delights in spreading rumors that shred her reputation and make her feel like a loser.
 
When she finds an old camera in a creepy abandoned hospital, it seems like her luck is finally changing. And it is changing--from bad to worse. Because of course it is. Each time Morgan photographs one of her classmates they become corrupted versions of themselves. It's like the camera steals their goodness, their essence, and leaves them hollow.
 
Then her sister uses the camera to take a selfie.
 
No matter what the cost, Morgan will find a way to reverse the effects of the cursed camera and save Amy, before her already-fractured family completely self-destructs.

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