Hollow Heathens: Book of Blackwell by Nicole Fiorina || Book Review

I found another gothic fantasy recommendation from Goodreads but this one leaned more into a haunting town, cursed people and witchy vibes. And these themes piqued my interest in the book.

Hollow Heathens: Book of Blackwell by Nicole Fiorina is the first book in the Tales Of Weeping Hollow interconnected series of standalone novels. Set in a fictional town called Weeping Hollow, Maine, the story focuses on Fallon Morgan Grimaldi. She's originally from this elusive town but left when she was very young. Being an outcast her whole life and secretly called a witch by people in her community, Fallon packs up and leaves Texas once she receives a letter from her grandfather, Benny Grimaldi, urging her to return to Weeping Hollow.

Upon arrival, she feels a magnetic pull to the town and sees that magic is real. The superstitions and traditions she'd heard of her ancestral town are true. Then she meets Julian Blackwell, a masked stranger and member of the cursed Hollow Heathens. Anyone who sees their full face encounters their greatest fear and dies.

Fallon quickly makes friend with a section of the town's youth who belong to a coven yet she's drawn to Julian. The people warn her away from him and his group because of the curse and that they are part of another coven. Julian lays eyes on Fallon and his cold heart starts to beat again. He's drawn to her too but a certain coven is determined to tear them apart for reasons that date back centuries. Why do these people want them apart? How did the heathen curse come to be? Can it be broken?

Genres: Gothic, Dark Fantasy, Magic, Witches, Romance
Publication: October 2020
Pages: 475

My Review And Rating

I read this book for the Halloween vibes and the author delivered in this aspect. The setting is spooky, magical with dark gothic vibes that transports me into the atmospheric and immersive worldbuilding. This is my first book by this author and her writing style is lyrical, painting the story in vivid colours that pull you in. Her focus on a small haunting town grounds me in the story.

The plot is gripping with good tension that pulls you deep into the story. The stakes are also high. Though the book is a bit lengthy, the pacing feels uneven to me. The first 30% of the book is fascinating where the town and the characters are vividly laid out. But then the pacing slows where the author intertwines the past with the present to address the curse. I wish this is done seamlessly because it felt overwhelming and turned out a task to follow the story with the flashbacks. The pace picked up in the remaining 20% of the book with a satisfying and magical ending.

The characters are well developed. I like Fallon and Julian as a couple but feel their love was rushed. Though it plays out like a slow burn but they fell in love too fast in my opinion. Still, their chemistry is convincing and the way they blossom makes the story more fascinating.

The other Heathens are also interesting characters that I wish the author revealed more about them. I assume they will get their books since this is a series. Themes like discrimination and mild bullying occur in the book and are resolved very well.

Rating this book, I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5 because of the uneven pacing and flashbacks that are a little confusing. The author writes beautifully and the lore is gripping. If you enjoy stories about small, haunting towns with spooky vibes, you'll love this one.

Image above is from my E-library

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