I’m very proud of myself. I’ve been making a real effort lately to do more reading…and to actually share my thoughts on my book choices, too. I don’t know how valuable those thoughts are to others, but I’ve discovered an enormous side benefit for myself. It turns out that taking the time to analyse someone else’s writing is making me a better writer: I’m paying more attention to the whys and hows of my story-building, and becoming more critical of my reasons for making certain choices.
So without further ado, here is my review of Hollowland, the first book in Amanda Hocking’s Hollow series. (Oh, and if you’ve read the book, I’d love to know how my thoughts compare to yours…please leave me a comment!)
Why I read it:
I picked this book up for two reasons: (1) it was on sale; and (2) I was curious about Amanda Hocking after her meteoric rise in publishing.
What I liked about it:
I really liked how Hocking hit the ground running in this. She writes a good action scene, and there was plenty of action in this book. The world-building was also solid, and I loved the main character, Remy (at least, throughout most of the story), finding her toughness and determination plausible given the circumstances.
What I didn’t like:
At about the 3/4 point, the story started to fall apart for me. Hocking had made all her characters more or less three dimensional until that point, but then she introduced a new one who behaved too much like a puppet for my taste, seeming to exist only to help her get the story to where she wanted it to go. The ending itself was a disappointment as well, feeling loose and rushed and not really fitting with Remy’s character. The book could have used a heavier copyediting hand as well, especially with regard to misused words.
Final thoughts:
Hollowland was a decent read, and I think Hocking has some serious storytelling potential. I’d be interested in reading her later works (I had the impression this one was from earlier in her career), but I won’t be continuing this series.
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