Warning: Spoilers ahead if you have not read the first two books in this series.
The Dark and Hollow Places lived up to every single expectation that I could have placed upon it. This series has officially gone down in my own personal hall of fame. Aside from having the most fascinating and haunting titles of any books I've read in a very long time, every single book in this series has been completely unique, and yet set within a familiar world that has become downright terrifying.
In The Dark and Hollow Places, Annah and Abigail (who we know as Gabry) are reunited. For so long, Annah has carried the guilt of what happened the day in the Forest that she and Elias left Abigail behind. Separated as young children, Annah is now mangled and damaged, and struggles with the return of her sister who seems to have had an idyllic childhood compared to her own. I loved getting to read this story from Annah's point of view. All the same characters are present from The Dead-Tossed Waves, and unlike the jump of 20+ years between the first and second book in the series, The Dark and Hollow Places picks up almost immediately after the end of the second book.
The relationships between characters in The Dark and Hollow Places were what made it so intense. Along with all the flesh-eating zombies, of course. We still get to hear lots from Gabry and Elias, but the real star of the show was Annah and Catcher. Annah has so many insecurities borne from Elias' abandonment, her own shame at failing Gabry as a child, and the scars that a tragic accident has left her with. Catcher struggles with his own identity, living as something in between the dead and the living, and he's not sure if Annah could be infected by him. He's also not willing to take the chance.
Throw in a post-apocalyptic world that is just crawling with zombies, a police force that amounts to nothing more than sadistic bullies, and a very real fear that they may be one of the last surviving communities - and The Dark and Hollow Places will keep you turning page after page until you find out what will happen.
I wish this series wasn't over - but alas, if it must end sometime, I suppose that this was a great way to go out. Trust me, you'll never see it coming.
Read an Excerpt
The Dark and Hollow Places lived up to every single expectation that I could have placed upon it. This series has officially gone down in my own personal hall of fame. Aside from having the most fascinating and haunting titles of any books I've read in a very long time, every single book in this series has been completely unique, and yet set within a familiar world that has become downright terrifying.
In The Dark and Hollow Places, Annah and Abigail (who we know as Gabry) are reunited. For so long, Annah has carried the guilt of what happened the day in the Forest that she and Elias left Abigail behind. Separated as young children, Annah is now mangled and damaged, and struggles with the return of her sister who seems to have had an idyllic childhood compared to her own. I loved getting to read this story from Annah's point of view. All the same characters are present from The Dead-Tossed Waves, and unlike the jump of 20+ years between the first and second book in the series, The Dark and Hollow Places picks up almost immediately after the end of the second book.
The relationships between characters in The Dark and Hollow Places were what made it so intense. Along with all the flesh-eating zombies, of course. We still get to hear lots from Gabry and Elias, but the real star of the show was Annah and Catcher. Annah has so many insecurities borne from Elias' abandonment, her own shame at failing Gabry as a child, and the scars that a tragic accident has left her with. Catcher struggles with his own identity, living as something in between the dead and the living, and he's not sure if Annah could be infected by him. He's also not willing to take the chance.
Throw in a post-apocalyptic world that is just crawling with zombies, a police force that amounts to nothing more than sadistic bullies, and a very real fear that they may be one of the last surviving communities - and The Dark and Hollow Places will keep you turning page after page until you find out what will happen.
I wish this series wasn't over - but alas, if it must end sometime, I suppose that this was a great way to go out. Trust me, you'll never see it coming.
