Hollow Pike

Jan 28, 2012 Sam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arc-or-galley, fantasy-or-paranormal, paranormal, mystery

Mostly: 4 stars
At times: 3.5 stars

Hollow Pike tells a riveting story about witchcraft that is rich in mystery and suspense. I was wrapped up in the engaging tale of Lis London, our young protagonist who is escaping the troubled life she had in Wales to live with her older sister in the country. Vivid nightmares plague Lis London’s dreams and they are no less frightening in the eerie town of Hollow Pike, where the legends and whispers of witches still lurk behind every corner. I had high expectat...more Mostly: 4 stars
At times: 3.5 stars

Hollow Pike tells a riveting story about witchcraft that is rich in mystery and suspense. I was wrapped up in the engaging tale of Lis London, our young protagonist who is escaping the troubled life she had in Wales to live with her older sister in the country. Vivid nightmares plague Lis London’s dreams and they are no less frightening in the eerie town of Hollow Pike, where the legends and whispers of witches still lurk behind every corner. I had high expectations for this book, and, for the most part, James Dawson delivered.

The opening of this book had me completely and utterly hooked. Almost instantly, we are given a taste of the ‘creepy’ in this story. I was compelled by the tone of the writing, the lush and captivating way the words were crafted together to create the most vivid of descriptions. James Dawson can write, that’s for sure. There is nothing I enjoy more than meeting the main character when they are in a dark or dangerous situation; it is here I feel we are able to get a good understanding of what type of character the protagonist is and that is certainly the case for me with Lis. I was satisfied with my first impression of Lis, the teenager haunted by her own mind.

Due to the thrilling taster we are given at the start of the book, I was ready to plough on at full-speed through the rest of chapters. However, I think the opening may have given me too high a rush, so the few scenes that followed did dim slightly in comparison. My attention began to waver ever so slightly as the thrill of expecting a powerful and unique read evaporated with the introduction of some more clichéd ideas. The typical ‘mean girls’ inclusion frustrated me quite a bit, simply because such an aspect didn’t feel like it belonged in a book as dark as Hollow Pike. Then there is the whole ‘new girl’ idea where she is shipped from one clique to another, although more subtly done in this book than others. These were little details, but important ones nonetheless, that, to me, felt out of phase with the rest of the story.

In stark contrast, the rest of the book - the remaining half or so – was superb. The teenage drama is left behind and the mystery and supernatural elements of this book begin to creep in. I was completely enthralled by the suspense-filled plot and the development of the story line. Things really do shift up a gear in the second half of the book. The scenes are darker, the secondary characters become more alluring, and poor Lis London finds herself balancing precariously on the edge of a murder mystery. I was turning page after page in the anticipation of finding out the truth and having my burning questions satisfyingly answered. And they were. Eventually. When the novel finally drew to a close, I was, for a change, happy with the turn of events.

Overall, Hollow Pike, despite a few flaws, was an exciting thriller that I would be happy to read more of. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was an enjoyable read. If you are craving a chilling tale laced with suspense, Hollow Pike is the book for you.

(This review also appears on my blog)
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Mar 12, 2012 Mark Rice rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm not a 15-year-old girl. Some people may have noticed this. While reading Hollow Pike (which I agreed to review for Amazon Vine), I tried to get into the mindset of a female adolescent, as that was the only way I could give the book a fair review. This was more than a little scary, as I had witnessed Sonny Crockett going deep undercover in the original TV series of Miami Vice, then being unable to return to his true self. What if the same thing were to happen to me? How would a teen girl's pe...more I'm not a 15-year-old girl. Some people may have noticed this. While reading Hollow Pike (which I agreed to review for Amazon Vine), I tried to get into the mindset of a female adolescent, as that was the only way I could give the book a fair review. This was more than a little scary, as I had witnessed Sonny Crockett going deep undercover in the original TV series of Miami Vice, then being unable to return to his true self. What if the same thing were to happen to me? How would a teen girl's personality trapped in the body of a big, hairy Scottish bastard manifest itself? Well, if Hollow Pike is accurate, I'd accompany every verb with an adverb, I'd describe possible things as impossible (impossible eyes, impossibly long legs, etc.), I'd consider people my best friends two days after meeting them, and I'd be forever doomed to exclaim, "OMG!" when encountering anything at all. I took the risk, though. Embracing my inner teenage girl, I dived headlong into the OMG-fest.

Aimed primarily at teenage girls, Hollow Pike is a coming-of-age story. The main character, fifteen-year-old Lis London, moves from Wales to northern England in order to escape a campaign of bullying at school. The proverbial fish out of water in her new surroundings, Lis becomes plagued by recurring nightmares in which her face is held beneath the surface of a forest stream. OMG! Nightmares! She meets three new friends - Kitty, Delilah and Jack - who are part of the so-uncool-they-must-be-cool crowd. OMG! BFF! Lis discovers that Delilah and Kitty are lesbian lovers. OMG! Teenage lesbos! The ultimate outsiders! And if you're thinking things couldn't get any more nonconformist, you'd be wrong...Jack's sexuality is ambiguous. OMG! A homosexual, bisexual or possibly asexual boy! What is this Hollow Pike place? A modern-day Sodom in rural England? Being more traditional in her sexual predilections, Lis falls for former-fat-kid-turned-rugby-player Danny. OMG! Romance! Lis's flirtations with Danny don't go unnoticed by the beautiful and popular Laura, who has her own designs on him. Laura's bitchiness towards Lis drives the new girl further into the comfortable solace of her new friends. For a joke one afternoon, they plot Laura's murder. OMFG! Pretend ritualistic killing! Lis hears rumours that witches were once killed in Hollow Pike's woods. In a local charity shop, she finds an old book that confirms the town's dark past. OMG! Witchery and sacrifice! Right here in this quaint little town! Lis lures Laura into Hollow Pike copse, where Kitty, Delilah and Jack are hiding, dressed in hooded-monk robes. Their plan to scare the shit out of Laura works well. She flees screaming into the depths of the woods, where she is killed for real. OMFG! Actual murder! Wracked by guilt over leading Laura into the woods, Lis soon realises that she has more to worry about: she may be next on the killer's list. To give away too much more of the plot would spoil any surprises. The events that follow Laura's death involve schoolteachers with shadowy secrets, ancient sects driven by religious dogma, eccentric old budgie-keeping witches and...of course...teenage lesbians! OMG! PMPWE! (Pissing My Pants with Excitement.)

So let's ask the important questions to determine the book's literary worth. Do we first meet the heroine in her ordinary world, then travel with her on a journey into new places and experiences? Yes, and the author does a good job of this. Does the story communicate that there's more to life than having a boyfriend (or girlfriend, if you happen to be a teenage lesbian)? Yes, but not convincingly. Does the author describe the subject matter (witchcraft, secret sects, ritual killing) with an adeptness that shows knowledge of those topics? No, not even close. Does the main character learn the importance of facing her fears (rather than running away from them, as she did at the beginning of the book)? Yes, and this seems to be the central theme of the novel; an admirable theme it is too. Is there an overriding moral to the tale? From what I can gather, it’s either 'lesbians have more fun' or 'trust your inner voice and have courage in the face of adversity'.

Hollow Pike is a decent story with a wee bit of originality. If the author had edited out 95% of the book’s adverbs, I might have awarded it four stars. Being bombarded by adverb after adverb is not only irritating, but also a sure sign of lazy writing. Constructive criticism from a stickler: choosing a strong verb removes the need for an adverb. Peppering a story with adverbs reduces its readability. I'm going to give this book to my 15-year-old niece without saying anything to create preconceptions in her. It'll be interesting to hear her experience of it.

As for me, I'm off to join a coven of teenage lesbo witches. I know, OMG, right?(less)

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Jan 03, 2012 Book Angel Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars

Utterly un-put-down-able

I make no bones about this one, this is going to be a gushy 5 glorious angel loves, so you really really NEED to read this book. James's writing literally swept me away. I started reading the first chapter one evening too tired to concentrate I decided to wait until the following day. This also happened to be the last day of the Christmas holidays. I could not put it down, seriously it is that FREAKIN'AWESOME. So what if the first day back in school was rapidly approachin...more Utterly un-put-down-able

I make no bones about this one, this is going to be a gushy 5 glorious angel loves, so you really really NEED to read this book. James's writing literally swept me away. I started reading the first chapter one evening too tired to concentrate I decided to wait until the following day. This also happened to be the last day of the Christmas holidays. I could not put it down, seriously it is that FREAKIN'AWESOME. So what if the first day back in school was rapidly approaching as I read through the small hours of the night. I could not have asked for a better back-drop either as the rain was lashing against the windows and the wind was howling around the chimney.

The third person narrative keeps tight reign over the plot, a necessary device when the plot is a twisty turny twisty thing. I was hooked. The central character, Lis, is WELSH *cheers* now that for a start gave it a big fat bonus from me. Plus James has the welsh tone depicted perfectly in Sarah, Lis's sister, believe me I know being welsh and all [ ; D ] Lis has left her home in Bangor to live with her older sister due to atrocious bullying. The emotions and behavior depicted as a victim of bullying was poignantly portrayed within the narrative and it was only after reading the book that I found out James specialized in Bullying and Behavior during his time as a teacher. His experience really shines through within the story.

I am not going into too much detail about the plot as YOU HAVE TO READ IT. I will say that right from the very beginning it is apparent that Lis is very intuitive. This is re-enforced by the mention of past events by her sister.

The atmospheric tension envelopes the senses. Fantastic use of metaphor within the narrative adds to the drama oozing from the pages. James's humour shows through with the Twilight reference and Macbeth has certainly never been used with such fun, easing the white knuckle ride for a moment. Throw a sprinkling of Glee over the top and you have pink glitter coated chills.

All the characters are quite quirky yet portrayed so realistically. I have to say that the quirky touches to the characterisation enriched the overall impact of the plot. I especially adored Danny, through him we are able to see how shallow cliques really are and the dilemma that a lot of teens face - is it easier to join the 'in' crowd with people that you may not necessarily like or be true to yourself and risk being an outsider.

The description of Hollow Pike itself was unnervingly similar to the town I live in; with its bargain shops and disproportionate number of pubs even down to the Italian restaurant. This may just be a very sad reflection of the times that many towns now look like this.

The research that has gone into the witchcraft aspects of this book is unbelievable and very, very impressive adding to the tension and the realism especially with the history of the witch trails woven into the plot.

This book blends important teen issues, teen angst, witchcraft and murder mystery creating a delectable cocktail of a book. Best sipped slowly so you don't miss a single drop.(less)

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Nov 08, 2012 Kate Neilan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: teen, horror, fantasy

She thought she’d be safe in the country, but you can’t escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her.

Lis thinks she’s being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn’t believe the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn’t believe that anything bad will really happen to her.

You never do, do you?

Not until you’re alone, in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps…

Hollow pike - where witchcraft never sleeps

Hollow Pike tells the sto...more She thought she’d be safe in the country, but you can’t escape your own nightmares, and Lis London dreams repeatedly that someone is trying to kill her.

Lis thinks she’s being paranoid - after all who would want to murder her? She doesn’t believe the local legends of witchcraft. She doesn’t believe that anything bad will really happen to her.

You never do, do you?

Not until you’re alone, in the woods, after dark - and a twig snaps…

Hollow pike - where witchcraft never sleeps

Hollow Pike tells the story of Lis London - victimised and bullied at her old school in Wales, she’s moved hundreds of miles to live with her grown-up sister in Yorkshire, Hollow Pike to be precise. But when she arrives, to her horror, she recognises the place she’s seen in her dreams, or rather her nightmares.
And things only go from bad to worse once she arrives at her new school, to find the cliques and outcasts even more pronounced, and a girl called Laura Rigg ruling the school.
On top of all this, Lis is sure there’s something strange going on. Could some of the local tales of witchcraft be true?
I really enjoyed this debut novel from former teacher (and ‘Queen of Teen’ nominee) James Dawson. It was immediately obviously that Dawson has worked with young people, and that he’s got a really good understanding of teenage relationships - much more so than some YA authors - as the dialogue and school situations were realistic, within the context of the supernatural/paranormal genre that Hollow Pike inhabits.

I would say that I think this book is aimed at mid-to-older teens, given the age of the main characters (Year 11, 16 years old) and some of the topics covered (relationships, drinking, a bit of light swearing), but I really think the level of that content has been well-judged and shouldn’t put off any parents thinking of buying this for their daughter. I say daughter because it’s very rare for boys to read books with a female protagonist. I think that’s a bit of a shame, but I also think Dawson was aware of that when he chose his main character. Many teenage boys would drop the book in horror at the mention of a tampon on page 316!

Dawson has also made good use of his own background in Yorkshire to create a really believable setting in Hollow Pike and Fulton. Many people may know of the Pendle witch trials, which also, in part, inspired Raven’s Gate, the first in Anthony Horowitz’s The Power of Five series. These real historical events, along with references to the Salem witch trials via The Crucible, add to the ‘is it real, is it teenage hysteria’ mystery of the book, helping the reader to empathise with Lis and her feeling of confusion and disorientation.

I was pleased to see that Hollow Pike won’t have a sequel. It feels like a really well-rounded narrative, and I felt happy to say goodbye to the characters at the end of the book. However, Dawson has written a second, which, according to his website is with his editor now; it is a thriller for young adults, but won’t have a supernatural element this time. I’m interested to see what it might be able and will definitely be keeping an eye out for a publication date. In the mean time, I’m certainly adding Hollow Pike to my list of recommended YA fiction.(less)

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Nov 06, 2012 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Marvelously Brilliant and British!

Hollow Pike is the perfect blending of some of my favorites.. a good classic witch-in-the-woods scary story and my new love of British authors. This story follows a wonderful classic horror story of teenagers playing the proverbial game of "what if..." and the consequences that follow when you play with the game of fate.

I will tell you I was pleasantly surprised with the many twists and turns that this book took with keeping and building the storys' suspense, no...more

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Aug 26, 2012 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Hollow Pike tells the story of Lis London, a teenager who moves in with her older sister to escape bullying at her old school. When she’s befriended by the popular girls at her new school, she hopes she’ll get the new start she hoped for.

It soon becomes apparent however, that she’s drawn to three outsiders, and she has to make a decision between the two groups. However, when a prank ends horribly, she has to question everyone.

On one level, this is a tale about fitting in, friendship, finding out...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Stine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: witches, young-adult

Lis London has been having nightmares. Terrible nightmares that started the day she decided to move to Hollow Pike for a fresh start. In the dream she's running/crawling through a forest, a forest that looks like the one in Hollow Pike. Is it warning? Lis doesn't believe so, in fact she believes it's all a coincidence until someone dies.

This book surprised me. In a good way. It's been a long time since I randomly picked up a book in the bookstore without first checking the reviews on Goodreads...more

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Jun 13, 2012 LH Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

Debut YA author James Dawson has written a sort of surprising novel here. Initially I read Hollow Pike with a horrendously blase attitude. Witches. Yawn.

But then, it so got me. Dawson's produced a sexy (that front cover is very indicative of the style within) and dark novel which had me laughing out loud with glee at the simple audacity of the Big Twist. I won't even attempt to spoil it but the eventual location for the Big Bad? Genius.

It's written from the perspective of teenager Lis London w...more

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Feb 26, 2012 CuteBadger rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Lis London moves from Wales to live with her sister in Yorkshire to get away from bullying. But this means adapting to new isolated rural surroundings, a new school and some strange dreams where it would seem that someone is out to get her.

This is a book aimed at teenage readers, and I'm far from being one of those, but I still enjoyed it a lot. The portrayal of school life seems realistic and doesn't shy away from bullying, family problems, sexuality and so on.

The book has a genuine haunted fe...more

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Feb 02, 2012 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hollow Pike is an excellent debut from James Dawson that has a perfect blend of all the ingredients needed to make a great, witchy thriller. Our main character Lis London is having a hard time. Forced to move from her home in Wales because of bullying that was getting too much, Lis moves in with her sister, Sarah, in Yorkshire and attends Fulton High School, hoping for a fresh start. However, things don’t go to plan. Lis manages to befriend the popular crowd on her first day – and their leader,...more Hollow Pike is an excellent debut from James Dawson that has a perfect blend of all the ingredients needed to make a great, witchy thriller. Our main character Lis London is having a hard time. Forced to move from her home in Wales because of bullying that was getting too much, Lis moves in with her sister, Sarah, in Yorkshire and attends Fulton High School, hoping for a fresh start. However, things don’t go to plan. Lis manages to befriend the popular crowd on her first day – and their leader, Laura, seems more than happy to welcome Lis into the group. But Laura and her friends are cruel and treat the rest of the school like dirt – and Lis doesn’t think she can stay friends with girls so horrible. But breaking away from the group means facing Laura, and the whole reason Lis came to Yorkshire was to get away from bullying, not experience more of it. A prank gone wrong and a chilling murder, however, change everything, and soon Lis is dragged into something dark and dangerous than she can’t escape from. Who is the murderer? And what do they want with Lis?

Lis was a likeable main character and I definitely felt for her; she was just trying to leave her old, painful life behind her, but ended up getting into a bigger mess than before. She acted a bit helpless at times, but not in the annoying, too-stupid-to-live-way, and probably as a result of the hardship she’d faced over the years. I would have liked to have known more about her life in Wales, and Bronwyn, the girl that made Lis’s life a misery, but I think there was just enough to make it pretty easy to connect to Lis. I wanted her to succeed and find out who the murderer was, just because I thought she deserved some peace. I was also really intrigued by Lis’s nightmares – she kept having these horrible, dark and scary dreams and I wanted to know what was up with her! She could also be funny – especially when obsessing over her crush, Danny. She basically acted a little bit like a stalker, but she knew she was being shameless and didn’t understand why she had suddenly become obsessed with this one boy – it was so hilarious to read about. She was ashamed she was being so embarrassing but just couldn’t help it :P. Her relationship with Danny was very cute. They were a little awkward together, but it was sweet, and Danny seemed like a nice guy (though I felt like we could have gotten to know him a bit better). Some of their scenes were so funny (when Danny first met Sarah!) and I liked the romance overall (though Danny spoke using to many exclamation marks. It’s like he was excited about everything...)

I really liked Lis’s friends Kitty, Delilah and Jack, but Jack was probably my favourite out of all them. He was hilarious, and always came up with the funniest things when you least expected them. He was sort of the comic relief of the novel and I pretty much loved every scene he was in. Jack, Kitty, Delilah and Lis had the most amazing conversations at times (Cillit Bang!) that had me laughing out loud at times, and I’m really glad Lis found some people she could talk to. They did skip a lot of PE though, to have these chats (but then, who hasn’t skipped PE? Got to admit I used to skip PE a lot :P). Lis’s sister Sarah was another great character. As I said before, her scene with Danny was one of my favourites and she seemed to really care about her sister too, which was lovely. It was nice that Lis’s family were involved in the story, and helped everything seem a little more realistic.

I was wrong about Mr Gray, one of Lis’s teachers. Make of that what you will...

The plot was great and full of the suspense and tension necessary for a good murder-mystery. There was a twist that threw me off at the end, and the witchy aspect had me questioning what was really going on and who was involved. For me, the first half of the novel almost seemed contemporary, and dealt with school drama more than anything. The second half, however, was a lot darker and was more about the consequences of the murder. I liked the transition between the two and how we got to experience a mix of genres – it gave the book a really creepy feeling, sort of emphasising the fact that someone’s life can completely change in the turn of a page.

Overall, I really enjoyed Hollow Pike and would recommend it to fans of dark YA with a touch of supernatural/paranormal. I’ll definitely be looking out for James Dawson’s future works!(less)

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Oct 02, 2012 Emma Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-or-borrowed, to-buy

In one word, this book was satisfying. From the start I actually expected this to be a first book in a series so I was quite interested to find out it was a standalone novel.

Lis London has moved to Hollow Pike to live with her sister Sarah and her family after being bullied pretty bad at her old school. She soon makes friends with the school's most popular student Laura Riggs, and finds herself flirting with the much lusted after Danny, however as Laura catches on, Lis is subjected to much the...more In one word, this book was satisfying. From the start I actually expected this to be a first book in a series so I was quite interested to find out it was a standalone novel.

Lis London has moved to Hollow Pike to live with her sister Sarah and her family after being bullied pretty bad at her old school. She soon makes friends with the school's most popular student Laura Riggs, and finds herself flirting with the much lusted after Danny, however as Laura catches on, Lis is subjected to much the same bullying as her old school and teams up with the weird trio Kitty, Delilah and Jack, who bond over jokingly plotting Laura's murder. After a pretty nasty practical joke, Laura winds up dead, with rumours of witch involvement, and Lis battles with the guilt over the practical joke they played and the prospect of a murderer on the loose.

It was very well written, and Lis was a reasonably likeable character. There were only one or two things she did that annoyed me, but are forgivable given her panic over the murder. What I also appreciated was how Lis and Danny's little relationship wasn't all that forced. It was believable and well done. The whole 'who killed Laura' thing was a little Twin Peaks (okay maybe just the name but still - small town, random murder, father kind of suspected, supernatural happenings etc) but it didn't turn into anything Twin Peaks-y at all (thank god I wouldn't appreciate the nightmares thank you). As a whole the book was just really, really interesting and didn't have many dull moments. It wrapped up well, although it took a while to adjust to who was behind the murder (I won't spoil it), and had a rather satisfying ending.

The minor things that bugged me were mainly Kitty and Delilah. I didn't warm to either of them as characters but could see why they were necessary to the story, so I'm not going to call them out on being unnecessary quirky friend characters. Also it wasn't all that heavy on the witchcraft element. It was only SUSPECTED for most of the novel, and nothing heavily witchy was really woven in the story, so people may be disappointed in that aspect but I wasn't, because the murder mystery element made up for the lack of hardcore witchy stuff.

Otherwise, this was a pretty good read! The writing is very descriptive and telling the story in third person didn't take away anything from the creepiness or intrigue of the novel either. (less)

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May 20, 2012 Sofia Andersson rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really liked this book; I really did. The book gave me a good scare sometimes, but it wasn't overly gory and disgusting, which I liked. It was the suspense and mystery that scared me.

I could relate to Lis. She's 15, troubled and just wants to get away. We have all been like that sometime in our lives. We don't get to find out that much about her past, except that her best friend betrayed her and that she was bullied. It's small details of mystery like this that adds to the suspense. When she...more

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Apr 05, 2012 Joanne Sheppard rated it 4 of 5 stars

Even when I was a teenager, I found it hard to think from the perspective of a teenager, so I approached James Dawson’s young adult horror novel Hollow Pike with some trepidation. I read plenty of children’s and young adult fiction, but this, with a plot heavy on the school bullies and boyfriends, struck me as a book that might not have the same crossover appeal – for me, at least – as something like James Treadwell’s recent Advent. However, while I definitely think an adult has to consciously t...more Even when I was a teenager, I found it hard to think from the perspective of a teenager, so I approached James Dawson’s young adult horror novel Hollow Pike with some trepidation. I read plenty of children’s and young adult fiction, but this, with a plot heavy on the school bullies and boyfriends, struck me as a book that might not have the same crossover appeal – for me, at least – as something like James Treadwell’s recent Advent. However, while I definitely think an adult has to consciously try to put themselves into a teenage mindset to get into Hollow Pike, once I managed to do that I did thoroughly enjoy it.

It’s a sharp, witty book with an oft-used basic premise – teenager Lis London moves to a new town, doesn’t fit in with the cool kids and finds creepy goings-on afoot. The local drinking establishments are all named after pubs from horror films and Laura Riggs and her cronies, the roost-ruling queen bees at Lis’s new school, are straight from Heathers. There’s hints of The Craft in there, of Buffy, of Scream – but it’s all slick, entertaining and well-executed with the pace and tension of a well-constructed thriller, and it's crammed with clever pop culture references, homages and in-jokes.

Lis is a strong and believable central character, attempting to find her niche in her new school’s social hierarchy while plagued by strange dreams, haunted by the village’s reputed history of witchcraft and watched by mysterious birds. While the ‘horror’ in Hollow Pike ostensibly comes from the supernatural elements and mysterious deaths in the woods, the ordinary teenage fears and pressures Lis faces seem just as scary at times: trying to reinvent herself after being bullied at her previous school, it’s impossible not to sympathise when she realises that she’ll have to choose between hanging around with people she actually likes and making herself a target for bullying yet again, or staying safe with the cool kids while simultaneously becoming everything she’s ever hated. I was less sympathetic, and indeed less interested, when it came to her crush on geek-turned-hunk Danny, but to be fair, Lis herself isn’t very sympathetic to herself about it either at times.

The tone is sometimes a wee bit too excitable for my liking - too many exclamation marks and moments where Lis and her friends absolutely have to do things right now - and there were times when this felt more like reading the novelisation of a pre-existing film than an original story. I can imagine producers wanting to snap up the movie rights pronto, because in many ways I think this narrative feels as much like a teen horror movie as it does a novel.

However, I did still have a lot of fun reading Hollow Pike - it's a guilty pleasure of a rollercoaster ride that kept me turning the pages. Buy it for your teenage daughter and nick it when she's finished.(less)

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Feb 28, 2012 Lucy (ChooseYA) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-2012, 2012-challenge-books, received-for-review, chooseya-s-recommendations

Hollow Pike is James Dawson's debut novel and is a welcome addition to the British young adult movement. It tells the story of Lis, who has moved in with her sister and her husband in Yorkshire after being hounded out of her school by bullies.

When she is bullied again by the class tormentor, Laura, Lis bonds with the school outcasts; Kitty, Delilah and jack and they scheme to teach her a lesson. After a practical joke however, Laura is killed.

Now, Lis and her friends need to solve the murder bec...more Hollow Pike is James Dawson's debut novel and is a welcome addition to the British young adult movement. It tells the story of Lis, who has moved in with her sister and her husband in Yorkshire after being hounded out of her school by bullies.

When she is bullied again by the class tormentor, Laura, Lis bonds with the school outcasts; Kitty, Delilah and jack and they scheme to teach her a lesson. After a practical joke however, Laura is killed.

Now, Lis and her friends need to solve the murder because they were also in the woods that night and may be in danger themselves.

The novel is set in a small town filled withlore and legends of witchcraft and Dawson brilliantly sets up the suspense here. For me, I never doubted Hollow Pike and its superstitious residents and minor characters like Mrs Gilespie create this atmosphere.

James Dawson has been a teacher and worked within diversity and bullying and this shows in his writing. His depiction of bullying in schools is brutally honest, as are the teachers' reactions - I am pretty sure in middle school I p had the exact same conversation as Lis with Mr Grey when he learns of her bullying - and this makes the novel more authentic and creates a plot and characters that feel so real and honest, I think teenagers will find something to relate to within this novel and love it.

Dawson's use of sexuality and the relationship between Kitty and Delilah is another testament to his writing. While some depictions of anything other than heterosexuality seem to ignore the concept or existence of bisexuality - yes, Glee, I'm looking at you, Kurt - Dawson's characters are cautious and working out who they are, whether they like boys, girls or both and it is written very well.

I loved the romantic development between Lis and Danny and thought it was a great portrayal of a teenage romance and that all encompassing first love and the doubts you're good enough.

This is not a particularly supernatural book, it is more a novel about the fear of an act than the act itself - the Crucible by Arthur Miller is offered as comparison frequently throughout the novel. For me, Dawson's strengths were his depictions of bullying, family, friendship and romance. I really look forward to more of his writing in the future.

I received my copy for free through Orion/ Indigo and am grateful for this. I was even more excited when I realised it was a signed copy and would like to thank Orion for sending me this. The tone of my review or content has not been influenced by any of the above.(less)

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Feb 10, 2013 Emily Symonds rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think this is a great story. It is an interesting read and is definately a page turner. It grips you to the very last moment and sometimes the suspense is quite chilling.

The ending is surprising but completes the book.
A great read if you want a spooky supernatural read.

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Mar 24, 2013 Kate rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was lucky enough to win this book from a giveaway on Daisy Chain Book Reviews, I liked the sound of it and was looking forward to starting.

It had a dark and creepy opening that really set the scene well. Lis was going to live with her older sister in a place called Hollow Pike because she had been bullied in her previous school. When she started at her new school I was intrigued by the interesting mix of characters and as I read further I discovered that Hollow Pike had a witchy history that I...more

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Sep 06, 2012 Keely rated it 4 of 5 stars

Hollow Pike is one of those books I probably would have never read had I not been an active member of the book blogging world. Just gives me another reason to love this community so much :).

Lis moves to Hollow Pike after the bullying at her old school becomes too much for any one person to handle. She wants a fresh start, new friends, new Lis. Little does she know that high school is pretty much the same drag everywhere. Well, mostly.

Lis wants to fit in so badly it's almost pathetic at first. Sh...more

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Mar 18, 2013 Luna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the biggest compliments I can ever give a book is: “I didn’t see it coming.” Was Hollow Pike completely unpredictable? No but I think you’d struggle to find that in any story but I was surprised (can’t say more without spoiling) and that doesn’t happen all that often.

I really enjoyed the atmosphere of Hollow Pike. It’s mysterious an intriguing without coming across as over-the-top. Lis was a little hit and miss for me but overall I think all the characters worked at hooking the reader, I...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Gary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a stellar debut. It's been a long time since I've read a book that's all-round excellent. More people should know about "Hollow Pike"!! Gosh, James Dawson is one hell of an author!

To be honest, I've never read anything regarding witchcraft before, so this was my first. And I'm so thankful that it's not the kind to do with bitchy girls meddling with love potions and charms over some guy they fight over. Instead, "Hollow Pike" is a real dark, creepy affair.

The Story:

Lis London couldn't stand...more

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Jan 30, 2012 TheBookSmugglers rated it 3 of 5 stars

Warning: this review contains a few spoilers

Lis London moves to Hollow Pike so that she can escape the bullying back home. She moves in with her sister’s family and hopes to start a new life and make new friends. To start with, she falls in with the popular Mean Girls who turn out to be the wrong crowd and to her horror, she experiences bullying from the other side of the equation. Disgusted with her new “friends”, she ditches them and joins the “freak club” – and her three new friends Delilah,...more Warning: this review contains a few spoilers

Lis London moves to Hollow Pike so that she can escape the bullying back home. She moves in with her sister’s family and hopes to start a new life and make new friends. To start with, she falls in with the popular Mean Girls who turn out to be the wrong crowd and to her horror, she experiences bullying from the other side of the equation. Disgusted with her new “friends”, she ditches them and joins the “freak club” – and her three new friends Delilah, Kitty and Jack become her new family and she starts to fall in love with Danny, a rugby player with both the looks and the brain. Unfortunately for Lis, the bullying doesn’t stop there and life at the new school is not the fresh start she was hoping for – not to mention that she is also plagued by the terrible nightmares in which someone tries to kill her.

Then their nemesis (Mean Girl) Laura is viciously murdered and Lis starts to wonder not only about her new friends but also about the local legends of Witchcraft.

Hollow Pike starts really well as a very atmospheric Horror read. There is an increasingly sense of disquiet about Hollow Pike stemming not only from (potentially) supernatural elements but also from the very human characters. Actually, in a way, the story is quite reminiscent of both Heathers and The Craft. One of the positive aspects of the story is how there is a real opportunity to draw comparisons between historical witch-hunting and present-day bullying especially as more information is disclosed about Hollow Pike’s past history of witchcraft and how those innocent women were mercilessly persecuted. Although I don’t think this parallel is explored with the depth it deserves, the potential is definitely there. The author has a knack for writing suspense and incorporating very atmospheric elements (whenever the copse was mentioned, I got the heebie-jeebies) and for creating genuine Teen-Brit dialogue. I also appreciated the diverse cast of characters (two of the main characters were Bisexual, for example).

That said, there is a marked difference in tone and pacing between the first two thirds and the final part of the book. The story went from a slow-paced atmospheric, scary read to a downright info-dumpy clichéd ending complete with Villain Speech and everything and I quote:

“Ok, I suppose there’s time for a brief history lesson.”

The romance between Lis and Danny goes from sweet and funny to melodramatic. Throughout the book she had been really cool and laidback about her feelings for Danny, totally owning up to the fact that she thought he was hot and she wanted to snog him then all of sudden it is super-dramatic:

“She had to leave; reason dictated it was the only thing that would keep her alive, but something inside her, something beyond reason, wanted Danny”

There is also an element of frustration that comes from my own personal relationship with Horror stories and I wonder: is it a truth universally acknowledged that Horror stories will – more often than not – feature characters doing stupid things and illogically reacting to events? Yes, I am aware that I am totally generalising but it sure feels like it sometimes. Or maybe I am just unlucky and end up picking up the wrong ones: the ones that follow that trope. The truth is though, I usually find myself extremely exasperated when reading Horror.

Your frenemy has been brutally murdered by someone on the same night you played a prank on her and you have actual footage of the killer? Keep it to yourself for fear of being considered a suspect. You are being chased by a killer and are pretty sure said killer is inside your house? Go looking for him in the dark when you are all by yourself. The killer has broken into the house and is a danger to you, your family and your baby nephew? Don’t you tell the baby’s parents or the police. Instead, keep the secret, share it only with your friends who are equally bent on keeping secrets, go about life as though nothing is happening (why not start dating the hot guy at school?) and when things get really tough, decide to leave town. Because YOU are the most important thing in the world and no one else deserves protection.

Can age of protagonist (15) account for all this remarkable irresponsibly? I am not so sure. Especially when said character is supposed to be smart and is actually very self-aware about her situation and even makes fun of horror movies heroines. Pot, meet Kettle. I also know that fear makes people behave illogically but it is hard to buy into it when events occur repeatedly and over a longer period of time.

In the end, Hollow Pike turned out to be a very frustrating read in spite of the positive aspects. (less)

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Apr 08, 2012 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-paranormal

When I first heard about this book, I was intrigued. It sounded interesting and mysterious. Besides, how can the mention of witchcraft not be enough to hook me in?

Lis London is escaping her life in Wales because of the constant bullying she suffered back home. When she moves in with her sister and her family in the small town of Hollow Pike, she's looking forward to a fresh start. And it seems to be going well.

At school she's quickly adopted by the popular girls, even though she's drawn to the...more

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Jan 28, 2012 Ailsa rated it 5 of 5 stars

My thoughts: From the moment I read the description of this book back in November/December, I wanted to read it. I can totally relate to the paranoia here - I come from the middle of nowhere, and when I'm walking the dogs on my own, I always get jumpy. You don't really think someone is there, but if you here a sudden noise, it puts you really on edge. I love how, in the few sentences on the back cover it captures that jumpiness, which is something that runs throughout the book.

Hollow Pike was......more My thoughts: From the moment I read the description of this book back in November/December, I wanted to read it. I can totally relate to the paranoia here - I come from the middle of nowhere, and when I'm walking the dogs on my own, I always get jumpy. You don't really think someone is there, but if you here a sudden noise, it puts you really on edge. I love how, in the few sentences on the back cover it captures that jumpiness, which is something that runs throughout the book.

Hollow Pike was... not quite what I was expecting, at first. It starts with Lis moving to the village of Hollow Pike to live with her grown-up sister Sarah, to start over at a new school because she was being bullied. Yes, someone starting at a new school is something we've seen before in YA novels (a lot), but I like it. It's a good way for the main character and the reader to learn things at the same time, gradually, without having an info dump to get the reader up to speed.
In many ways, Hollow Pike is a story about bullying. Having come for her fresh start, Lis falls in with the 'popular' crowd, and watches as they bully other people. I hated seeing Lis just standing watching what her new 'friends' were doing. Even though I could sort of see why she didn't want to end up being picked on again, I think if she'd done something when she first saw what kind of people the girls were, and left to find other friends, she would have been fine. However, after an incident where Lis is seen talking to Queen Bee Laura's crush, the posse turn on her, and she finds herself a victim once more. The only good thing about this is that it leads are to some new friends, who actually seem genuine.

Of course the other big part of Hollow Pike is the witchcraft. In the first chapter, before she arrives, Lis dreams about crawling along a stream in the woods, and someone drowning her. It's a nightmare she's had a lot, and when her mum drives through a 'shortcut' in the woods to get to Sarah's house, Lis is shocked to realise that it's the wood from her dream. Witches are tied in to the history of the village - everyone knows it, but no one really believes it. Then a girl is murdered in the woods, and Lis's dreams get worse. Although she keeps telling herself she doesn't believe it, creepy things keep happening. She feels like she's being watched. Birds go quiet when she walks past. A creepy shop owner tells her that her dreams are a warning.

I spent the whole book trying to work out who the bad guy was. I was fairly convinced that there was something witchy going on, but still found myself questioning if that was just because of the stories about witches in Hollow Pike. I kept changing who I thought was behind everything, every time Lis found something new that seemed to point in a different direction. I really didn't guess who it was until it was far too late, just like Lis.

Bullying, in various forms, remains a theme of the book all the way through. I think it's a very good look at how it affects people, why people get caught up in it, and different kinds of bullying and prejudice. Woven through that is the paranoia of the witches, and trying to work out what is going on, if Lis is just imagining things, and if not then who is targeting her and why. It really is an excellent read, one of the best young adult novels I've read in a long time. I can't wait to see what James Dawson comes up with next. Writing this review, I realise just how well certain things were slipped in to the novel to emphasise the themes - I wish I'd had this book when I was trying to write english essays in high school, because there would have been so much to write about!

I could go on, but before you all get bored of reading, I give this book 10 out of 10. A brilliant, gripping story that fans of slightly more realistic young adult books will love.

~Ailsa
(This review was originally posted by me at The Book Bundle - if you liked the review, please consider following the blog! :) )(less)

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Jun 02, 2012 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This is a very, very good read, a thriller with supernatural overtones. 15 year old Lis London moves from Wales, where she has fallen out with her friends and been bullied, to live with her married sister in Hollow Pike, Yorkshire. Lis has been having dreams where she is being chased through a wood. On her arrival at Hollow Pike, she realises that the copse is the one in her dreams, and she seems to be being followed by birds.

On her first day at school, she falls in with the local mean girl, La...more

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Feb 11, 2012 Louise Pridige rated it 5 of 5 stars

The cover and the blurb on the back drew me into this book before I had even opened the cover! I wasnt disappointed!! !
A young girl, Lis, moves from Wales to Yorkshire after suffering terrible bullying at school. Lis has been having very real nightmares and when she arrives in Hollow Pike her dreams seem very real as, although she has never been there, its where her nightmares are taking place!
Lis must uncover the meanings of her nightmares and deal with all the scary things which are happening...more

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May 07, 2013 Leara Martell rated it 4 of 5 stars

Un 3.5

Empecé Hollow Pike, como a mí me gusta empezar los libros. Sin saber qué me iba a encontrar, aventurándome de cero en la novela, ciega y sorda a cualquier comentario que hubiera habido de ella. Por suerte para mí, esta vez ha sido una de esas ocasiones en las que das con una buena historia con la que consigues disfrutar y cerrar el libro con una sonrisita satisfecha en la boca.

El principal atractivo de esta historia es la incógnita constante casi desde la primera página. ¿Será Lis de ver...more

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Feb 04, 2012 SJH (A Dream of Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, for-review, witches

There has been a lot of pre-publication buzz surrounding this debut by British author James Dawson, so I couldn't wait to pick it up as soon as it arrived. I initially thought that it was going to be about witches and witchcraft but although that was an element of the story it didn't figure as predominantly as I'd imagined. The plot is actually more concerned with learning to start life over with a fresh slate in front of you and given that chance what you'll do with it. That's the dilemma that...more There has been a lot of pre-publication buzz surrounding this debut by British author James Dawson, so I couldn't wait to pick it up as soon as it arrived. I initially thought that it was going to be about witches and witchcraft but although that was an element of the story it didn't figure as predominantly as I'd imagined. The plot is actually more concerned with learning to start life over with a fresh slate in front of you and given that chance what you'll do with it. That's the dilemma that faces Lis London when she moves from her home in Wales to live with her sister in the town of Hollow Pike.

Told in a third person narrative, I was impressed that a male author could write so convincingly from a female point of view. The dialogue was fresh and engaging and I immediately felt a connection to Lis who was bullied at her old school and has moved away to escape the people who've taunted her for so long. The book conveys quite a serious message about the impact that bullying can have on people and this was dealt with in a sensitive manner but without pulling any punches about the damage that it can cause.

I found the start of the book a little slow going which mainly focused on introducing the key players and establishing the plot. However, the second half was much better with the tension really being ramped up, leading to an explosive ending which sent shivers down my spine. The story itself seemed to change direction quite rapidly, but I thought it cleverly combined different genres, mixing together a paranormal tale about witches with a contemporary modern day thriller. I would have liked to have seen more of the romance between Lis and local boy Danny, but on the other hand, it was nice to see girl power trumping the boys for once!

Overall 'Hollow Pike' was an enjoyable and exciting read which continually left me guessing about all the secrets that the characters were keeping hidden. I often didn't know who could be trusted and who was hiding something. I'm really looking forward to future offerings from this very talented British author.
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Feb 05, 2012 Beth Kemp rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: review-books, ya-thriller-chiller-horror

I was really excited about this one, having first seen the cover in the summer - and what a cover! Witchiness, forest, birds - it's all there and all are important in the story. This was an excellent read which was more subtle in its witchiness than I expected, and all to the good. Sometimes the books you're most excited for can disappoint, but not so here. This debut demonstrates skill and control, above all: control of plot, character, setting and tension.

This is, primarily, a chiller which ha...more

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May 24, 2012 Annabelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've always been interested in witchcraft, the mystery and suspense surrounding it all. But more so the history of it all. Hollow Pike contains witchcraft and it's horrifying history, so naturally I was drawn to this book. Even more so when I realised the author was British. I received this book from Indigo recently but I've only just got around to reading it and damn I wish I'd read it sooner. It's so good. In Hollow Pike the teenage characters are so real, they are probably the most life like...more I've always been interested in witchcraft, the mystery and suspense surrounding it all. But more so the history of it all. Hollow Pike contains witchcraft and it's horrifying history, so naturally I was drawn to this book. Even more so when I realised the author was British. I received this book from Indigo recently but I've only just got around to reading it and damn I wish I'd read it sooner. It's so good. In Hollow Pike the teenage characters are so real, they are probably the most life like book characters I've read recently. James Dawson seems to have a talent when it comes down to writing as a teenage mind. Hollow Pike has humour and some seriously dark themes woven together to make a perfect novel that makes the reader laugh and freeze with suspense. It's the perfect mix of humour and seriousness making the novel very enjoyable and leaves the reader gripping on to the pages wanting to know more.

Hollow Pike follows Lis London as she moves to Hollow Pike to live with her sister. But Hollow Pike's no average town, it has a dark past with witchcraft thoroughly woven into it's history. Everyone knows of the myths but it's not real right? Lis starts having nightmares, the same one repeats itself over and over. In it someone is trying to kill her, Lis thinks it's nothing to worry about but she knows somethings not quite right with this new town. The town's gruesome past has a life of it's own and it will not be silenced.

I loved the character of Lis. She knew pain and was vulnerable inside. After having to face bullying at her old school, she knows how bad things can get. She swears that at this new school she won't let it happen again. She takes a different approach but it backfires and puts her back where she started but here there's a group of fellow freaks and together they are strong. Gaining confidence with her new friends we see Lis grow as a character and into her own. She was also clever and strong. Her courage appeared when she needed it, she was such a believable character.

Laura is the queen bee at school. She's the typical bitch but we finally see that deep down she's so alone, there's no one she can really share her feelings with. Kitty, Delilah and Jack became Lis's friends and each were unique in their own little ways. They made a great team together. Danny was the geek gone rugby player and he was so cute. I liked him instantly and hoped he and Lis would get together. The secondary characters were fleshed out really well and each were memorable in their own little ways.

Hollow Pike is an exceptional debut novel. From the first page the reader is hooked. The book's fast pace keeps the reader's attention, I didn't guess any of the twists and turns in the book. I read this book in a day, I was so engrossed the day flew by without me realising. It's a new unique take on the paranormal genre. With witchcraft a key theme more like a key character in the book. There's no spells and hexes like in Harry Potter instead it's creepy old folklore. Hollow Pike is also it's own character, it's creepy and spooky the best setting for a horror novel. I would say this could be classed as horror but it's not full blown gore more like adrenalin pumping suspense. It really keeps the reader at the edge of their seat. This is a brilliant novel by a very talented debut author. I really recommend you go and pick this book up. It's great to see a British book shining brighter than other books in the genre. It's a must read!
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Sep 15, 2012 Brett rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I debated giving this book 2 stars, but decided to give it 3 on the strength of Mr. Dawson's writing; it's not that his writing is flawless (he has a tendency to use an overabundance of adverbs rather than taking the time to chose a more powerful verb), but he has a certain style that I felt flowed well without being trite. However, this plot of this book is so pedestrian and clichéed as to almost make it laughable - it reads like a bad soap opera! It seems that Mr. Dawson had no original ideas...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Rachel "Rai29" rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was sent an ARC copy of Hollow Pike to review by James Dawson, and I absolutely loved every moment of reading it! I found this book to be a bit like a paranormal version of Mean Girls or Pretty Little Liars. My favourite characters were Lis and Laura. Laura was the classic popular girl, that everyone both admired and hated and Lis was the new girl. Laura was one of my favourite characters because of her sharp tongue and fierceness. Lis was also one of my favourite characters because of her ind...more

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