The Hollow Places by T. KingfisherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
After I finished this one, I wanted more. That is usually a very good sign. I enjoyed the story. It has a very strange, weird horror vibe. The Glory to God Museum of Natural Wonders, Curiosities, and Taxidermy is such an apt name for the museum where all this kinda-sorta takes place. I remember a similar kind of “museum” in Florida on the way to Panama City Beach that had a human fetus in a pickle jar. I wish now that I had paid to enter that place, but I digress. The main characters are quirky and odd in their own way, and for most of the book fit in perfectly with the oddities in this book but came off too cartoonish in some places. I have read elsewhere that Algernon Blackwood’s The Willows inspired this book. I cannot comment on any similarities as I have yet to read the latter. What I can tell you is that I will NEVER look at a willow the same way again. This other world is the stuff of nightmares. T. Kingfisher wrote a magical, twisted tale that wormed its way into my brain and took root. I know that what it left behind will stay with me and grow for a long time to come. I wish Goodreads had a sliding scale for their ratings as I wanted to, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to giving this s 4-star rating. Much of it is deserving of that and more, but some things the main characters did or didn’t do that broke the spell. And I wanted more of that Willow World.
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