Backlisted Review - The Hollow by Jessica Verday

The Hollow (Hollow Trilogy #1)

AUTHOR: Jessica Verday
Debut Novel
PUBLISHER: Simon Pulse
PUBLICATION DATE: 1 September 2010
Rating: 5 / 5 Stars

When Abbey's best friend, Kristen, vanishes at the bridge near Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, everyone else is all too quick to accept that Kristen is dead?and rumors fly that her death was no accident. Abbey goes through the motions of mourning her best friend, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. Then she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy who shows up out of nowhere at Kristen's funeral, and keeps reappearing in Abbey's life. Caspian clearly has secrets of his own, but he's the only person who makes Abbey feel normal again...but also special.

Just when Abbey starts to feel that she might survive all this, she learns a secret that makes her question everything she thought she knew about her best friend. How could Kristen have kept silent about so much? And could this secret have led to her death? As Abbey struggles to understand Kristen's betrayal, she uncovers a frightening truth that nearly unravels her—one that will challenge her emerging love for Caspian, as well as her own sanity.

Review:

Oh my gosh, how I love this book! It was so, so good. I think I am in book love. What a unique story! And the ending! It was so unexpected. I think this is my new favorite book! It's such a dynamic story. I could not put it down! This book gets 6 stars which is rare. It's an absolute must read. It's been so long since I've been this surprised by a book. I can't really put into words just how much I loved this story. I am going to burst with anticipation by the time August 31st rolls around with the release of The Haunted. I really wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book. I was kind of worried at first when it was slow to start. While most of the story is somewhat slow paced, it doesn't detract from the story.

The book kept me continually guessing. At first I thought Caspian had something to do with Kristen's death. I was absolutely convinced of it. He just seemed kind of creepy and ominous. I still don't quite get his thing with time, and it's just weird to me that he calls Abbey, Astrid. He kind of seems like he's from the far distant past. I even thought maybe he was a vampire for a short period of time. (No, he's neither of these, which I'm rather grateful for. Don't get me wrong, I love a good vampire novel, but it would have felt silly with the rest of the story.) Then for quite awhile, I just had no clue what to expect. I knew something was off, but I just could not figure out what it was. Then at Christmas time in the story, I really was thrown off. I don't really want to explain more than that because you should really read this book, and I don't want to give anything away.

Verday is able to capture the uncertainty of a relationship between two people so well. I think that's something I've missed in books recently. The last few books I've read take a very romantic view of relationships, but this one seems so much more realistic. Caspian is a bit eccentric, but then again Abbey is too. I will say that I can't quite reconcile the girl on the cover with Abbey. It's just not the same person I create in my head as I'm reading the story. Abbey is somewhat stubborn and opinionated. While having moments of self-doubt, Abbey for the most part seems very resolute about who she is and what she wants from life. This is probably my favorite aspect of her personality. Wishy-washy characters don't do much for me.

I highly recommend this novel to YA readers!