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The Hollow (The Hollow #1)

3.74 of 5 stars 3.74 · rating details · 10,504 ratings · 1,121 reviews

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. It only makes things worse that everyone now treats...more

Kindle Edition, 548 pages

Published by Simon Pulse (first published September 1st 2009)

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May 20, 2012 Nataliya rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who actually enjoyed "Twilight"

Shelves: 2011-reads, this-was-quite-bad, first-in-a-series

Despite Washington Irving references, about 90% of this book focuses only on the lovestruck gazing at a mysterious friendly boy who likes to hang out at a cemetery - ~~Casper~~ CaspIAN. Not a 'friendly ghost' at all, why'd you ask???

Yup, I just gave away the big plot point of this book. Which everyone, except the protagonist, is able to see from a mile away, with all the anvil-sized hints the author drops.

Now, the idea of this story sounded interesting - our teenage protagonist Abbey knows that her...more

43 likes · like · see review

Sep 19, 2009 Nian rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009

I barely made it through one third of the novel. And that was ENOUGH for me. It wasn't suspenseful, as I expected ghosts and the supernatural variety, but instead, was met with the mysterious Caspian who was more boring than mysterious. I mean, he pops in and out of nowhere, with one or two words, and it's supposed to mean something?! Add to his enigma? It's just annoying to me. Get to the story, already. All this build-up is pretty pointless if it takes forever to get the plot rolling, which, b...more

24 likes · like · see review

Jul 21, 2012 Judith (Judith'sChoiceReads) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantastic-covers, un-finishables

Goodreads Summary

A love like no other...

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

...more

Goodreads Summary

A love like no other...

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.

My Thoughts

Where to begin? 'The Hollow' had me at its great cover and back story, I mean mysterious good-looking strangers and weird deaths are the stuff of greatness, right? Nope, I'm afraid I was wrong on that one. I really tried my best to get into this read because I hate not finishing a book! It makes me feel like I've given up and I'm an optimist so there's always that hope that somewhere along the pages it WILL get better. Wrong. The romance was not believable for me as I felt the 'connection' between Abbey and Caspian was weird with a capital 'W' and creepy with a disco ball Sparkly-Cullen.

I mean good-looking guys are all good and well, but seriously? One who randomly appears right where I am in the BASEMENT of my supposed 'dead' friend's house, one he claims he didn't know, and also at the CEMETERY for said friend's funeral?? It's perfect that he asks her to meet him there the next day, it solidifies his creepster status, but also portrays Abbey as the girl who eagerly rushes off to meet him there.

She doesn't even know the stud well enough and hurriedly FOLLOWS?!! No. No way. It was unrealistic and too sudden, so much so that Abbey looked desperate. There, I said it. The writing at the beginning was good enough, even a little quirky and had me chuckling a bit, but as It went on I just couldn't do it.

I get that she lost her best friend and Verday did an excellent job of portraying her loss, but really can't the protagonist be a little more interesting? I picked up 'The Haunting' and wanted to read that, but from my experience with 'The Hollow' I don't think I'll bother. Plus, the image of Caspian's hair was impossible to summon! A single black streak across white hair?! I think I got a headache from just trying to grasp that image...oops, there the *snap*,*crackle*,*pop* of my brain frying goes again! Maybe it's just me but this wasn't one to talk about. Sorry Verday! (less)

21 likes · like · see review

May 15, 2012 Suzanne rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourites, romance, young-adult, paranormal, books-i-own

I loved this book! The story is amazing and the writing is wonderful. I also have some favourite quotes from this book that I need to find again.

The story is centred around Abby living in a small town called Sleepy Hollow where her best friend Kristen has been missing for many months. I really liked how the writer focused the story around the town and its legend (The Sleepy Hollow) aswell as the people within the town.

The story builds up with Abby dealing with Kristen no longer being around an...more

12 likes · like · see review

Aug 26, 2012 Jude rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: in-my-shelf

http://inbetweenwritingandreading.blo...

I was walking through borders, [Before it went RIP] and I saw the cover of this book [the old one] and I just picked it up and bought it without reading the summary.

Once home and reading the summary I just dived in and I LOVED it! I saw a lot of reviews in which they argued the slow pace of the book, but, to be honest I just jumped into the story and it refused to let go until the very end.

There were so many things circling the story! Abbey's best friend m...more

5 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2012 Heather from NightlyReading rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Reviewed at http:www.nightlyreading.wordpress.com

I loved the storyline for this book. The setting was located in a creepy cemetery surrounded by The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Yes, Headless Horseman and all.

I was saddened for Abbey when she lost her best friend. Her sadness puts her into a depression and the only person that could pull her out of it was Caspian. Ahh…Caspian, how dreemy..literally! I knew their relationship was doomed when he would only meet her in the cemetary. I was not a big fan...more

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Jun 20, 2010 Kate rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Update June 2010: I change my rating for this book. After reading MANY books over the past few months, I realise The Hollow was actually not as good as I initially thought. The writing may be good but the plot was icky. Not much character development and no questions answered. I can rattle the names of many authors who expertly wrote books in trilogies with good plots and a least some questions answered.

---

Initially I did not want to post my review so early but since everyone is excited about H...more

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Aug 05, 2009 Yan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I must admit I’ve been dying to read this book since last year when word leaked out. In some areas The Hollow impressed me but in others, it fell short.

First off judging from the summary you can presume that the story will heavily revolve on the death of Kristen or some feature of her correct? Sadly it was about 10% Kristen and 75% Caspian swooning, 5% Sleepy Hollow legend, and 10% daily life activity.

Just chapters after the funeral with Kristen, Abbey somewhat falls in love with Caspian. I was...more I must admit I’ve been dying to read this book since last year when word leaked out. In some areas The Hollow impressed me but in others, it fell short.

First off judging from the summary you can presume that the story will heavily revolve on the death of Kristen or some feature of her correct? Sadly it was about 10% Kristen and 75% Caspian swooning, 5% Sleepy Hollow legend, and 10% daily life activity.

Just chapters after the funeral with Kristen, Abbey somewhat falls in love with Caspian. I was a bit shocked and miffed at this development. Even more so when Kristen is practically dismissed for the next couple of chapters while Abbey continues to swoon over Caspian. Verday though manages to deal with Abbey’s grief in the middle of novel of Kristen while inserting several flashbacks of their friendships throughout some chapters. We then get a peak of Kristen’s secret diary and a mystery “D” whom Kristen falls in love with. We dealt with that for about a chapter then nothing more until seemingly the last few chapters (only about a line or two). It’s all very much frustrating.

I enjoyed the little tidbits of how Abby creates perfumes, the fact that the author talked about the Legend of Sleepy Hollow for readers who may have never heard of it, and the many twists. The old couples? Yup. Caspian? Yup. Abbey running away when nothing makes sense? Definitely yes! Seriously I’m tired of people poking their noses into things that you shouldn’t. You know those scary movies where you’re screaming at the screen “No! You stupid idiot, run! Don’t open that door!” From that moment on I gained respect for Abbey (too bad it was like the last chapter when it happened).

And finally Caspian. I liked him in the very beginning with his weird, funky do (very pale yellow with a jet black streak) but then he plummeted on my “like” scale when he confessed to Abbey that he never loved her. Wow. You suck. Can’t believe you led her on for…24 chapters just to shoot her down. He started out promising; kind, sweet, a bit secretive for my taste, and edgy. The twist in the end I should have expected….

The secrets and mysteries of The Hollow are never fully answered. It just builds and builds, up until the point where I’m frighten that Verday may not be able to answer them all...or at least to the expectation that the readers may want.

Overall: A many missing holes. (less)

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Sep 16, 2011 Natalia Belikov rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

More reviews at http://dazzlingreads.blogspot.com/

The book was there on the shelf with a facing display and a the girl with Gothic makeup caught my attention. She looked at me, and somehow, I saw my own reflection. Then, I read the book title; The Hollow. This picked my curiosity so I took it from the shelf and started to read. It was something about a romance in the town of Sleepy Hollow and that was enough. Seconds later, I was running with the book in my hands toward the cash line.

This is how...more

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Aug 05, 2011 SimBim rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Verday's writing style is beautiful for a debut author and I really enjoyed this first and foremost. I also really liked the protagonist, Abbey; a refreshing change from some other annoying proagonist's I have read about in YA.

I could also really connect with the book; Abbey losing her best friend Kristen. The emotions, Ms.Verday puts into her book are torrid and undestandandable. I honestly felt Abbey's pain whenever she thought about Kristen. God knows what I would do if I ever lost my best fr...more Verday's writing style is beautiful for a debut author and I really enjoyed this first and foremost. I also really liked the protagonist, Abbey; a refreshing change from some other annoying proagonist's I have read about in YA.

I could also really connect with the book; Abbey losing her best friend Kristen. The emotions, Ms.Verday puts into her book are torrid and undestandandable. I honestly felt Abbey's pain whenever she thought about Kristen. God knows what I would do if I ever lost my best friend!

I also really liked Caspian, which was a surprise to me, because I checked out the reviews to the Hollow, on goodreads before I had read this book. From what I got, Caspian was a 'nice' boy, mysterious and frankly a bit annoying. Personally, I didn't find him annoying at all! I thought he was sweet, and sexy, the perfect blend of personalities for Abbey, with his boyish charm and mysterious aura! I fell for him wholeheartedly!

The plot of the book was based on the Legend of the Sleepy Hollow, which I thought was quite nice. It travelled on and the content maintained a high standard. Thankgod, there were no werewolves of vampires involved. I've had quite alot of books with shapeshifters and vamps, and I really wanted a break from that: I got it, alright! This book focused on ghosts. Nice. Original. My kind of book!

I also really liked Abbey. She wasn't annoying liked many protagonists and every emotion she felt, I believed she felt justly. HShe was genuinly funny and at times, quite witty. She wasn't purposefully 'feisty' (aka stupid) and I think she really stood out from the crowd of pretentious YA heroines.

However, the reason it got two stars was because it was nothing new, and I actually got pretty bored reading the book. I was hoping for something fresh and new concerning the plot line...the reason it didn't get more than two stars

So generally, a nice fast flowing book, with a good plot, good, deeloped chracters and nice male and female leads This book was quite a good way of spending my time (in Paris for the holidays) and I hope to read the second book of this series, soon.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 29, 2011 Kira rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Young paranormal romance readers

Recommended to Kira by: Borders

Shelves: ya, awesome-ya, could-have-been-worse, awesome-heroine, i-hate-that-i-love-you, lolwut

I liked this book. Not because the story was in any way symbolic, deep or profound; not because the characters were rounded or ever properly explained, not even because the setting convinced me; no, it was simply because no matter how hard I tried to pick fault with this book, tried to tell myself it was a bad YA crap-out by a lazy author, I couldn't. I enjoyed it too much.

It was fun, original and kept me entertained for a good six or so hours. The pacing was fine, and I liked that it was based...more

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Jan 23, 2010 ~Tina~ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: own, paranormal

I can see why not a lot of people liked The Hollow. It was slow paced and very detailed, but in this case that's why I liked it. It was a very vivid book filled with a lot of sorrow and regret. It was a charming tale that put a good spin on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The characters grief wasn't dulled down, so it made Abby more believable. Caspian (great name) is mysterious and alluring.
All in all this was a decent read and I'm looking froward to reading this trilogy!

5 likes · like · see review

Mar 29, 2011 Marzie marked it as to-read · review of another edition

I'm reading it on principle. You can read about why here:

http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/201...

and here:

http://jessicaverday.blogspot.com/201...

Oh dear, Trisha Telep made a big mistake and Running Press and Constable and Robinson did too little, too late, and too ambiguously to correct it. Oh dear, Jessica, I'm buying your books not the ones she's editing. Oh dear, I hope this garners you a lot of press and gets people to realize that oh, dear, gay people and bi people are allowed to have YA s...more

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May 15, 2013 Chio Duran rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I first started to read this book, I quickly discovered that it had a good concept and I that I also liked the contemporary ingredient in it too. I am not sure, however, about my overall feelings about the book because although I felt that the characters were likable and I sort of sympathize with them, the length of the story was overdone. I believe that the story could have been better without all those details about Abbey's daily life.

Speaking of Abbey, I could picture her being one real...more

1 like · like · see review

May 19, 2012 Bern rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, pervading-tediousness, wastes-material-needs-to-go-green, ya, stupid-mc-can-go-mary-sue-herself, brazilian-version

So, the story takes place in Sleepy Hollow (which just so happens to be the city in which Washington Irving's short story named The Sleepy Hollow happens - shocking) and tells the story about Abbey, a girl whose best friend Kristen has just killed herself under mysterious circumstances.

While dealing with her loss, Abbey meets a boy named Caspian and is instantaneously attracted to him, and as her feelings for him grow stronger, Abbey starts to think that the happiness that he makes her feel wi...more So, the story takes place in Sleepy Hollow (which just so happens to be the city in which Washington Irving's short story named The Sleepy Hollow happens - shocking) and tells the story about Abbey, a girl whose best friend Kristen has just killed herself under mysterious circumstances.

While dealing with her loss, Abbey meets a boy named Caspian and is instantaneously attracted to him, and as her feelings for him grow stronger, Abbey starts to think that the happiness that he makes her feel will be enough for her to forget about her best friend's death. But Abbey is going to find out that in Sleepy Hollow, nothing is what it seems to be...

Ok, so, after this brief synopsis (which btw is much better than the official one, you're welcome), i'll review this book in three parts: beginning, middle and ending. The beginning of the book is great. It shows you Abbey's grief in a way that doesn't get you bored and it also establishes a connection with the reader and Kristin, who despite only making flashback appearances is still a very charismatic character, and you'll end up wishing she hadn't died, just like Abbey does.

Almost by the middle of the book, Abbey starts to find out things that make her question what is it exactly that happened to Kristen, why did she die, was it really a suicide, among other questions. This far, the book is great, amazing even.

And then it all goes downhill. The plot leaves the mystery of Kristen's death behind and focuses on the new relationship between Abbey and Caspian, a mysterious guy she meets at the town's cemitery and soon starts swooning after him. This part of the book supports itself entirely on the fact that the reader is interested in this newfound romance, but there is cause for alarm:

1)they barely ever meet each other, which means that Abbey spends more time praying to god for that to happen than actually spending time with Caspian.

2)Caspian is not a charismatic character, not in the least. He isn't so bad you'll end up asking yourself "he's so boring, what the hell did she see in him?", but he is simply not interesting enough to hold your attention, which is strange since there are approximatedly 180 pages of Caspian, and Abbey yearning for Caspian, and Caspian not showing up, Caspian being mysterious, Caspian in the cemetery, Caspian not in the cemetery...

The final part of the book finds its pace in time to save the book from being a complete failure, since it's about Abbey finding out about what is it that goes on in that strange town of hers, why Caspian is so mysterious and why does he act so strangely whenever he is close to Nikolas, this nice janitor guy who works in the cemetery. Still, nothing else about Kristen is said and if you wish to know what the fuck was it that drove the girl to kill herself (or die a horrible death, whichever), you'll have to get the next book.

Now, some ranting, because it wouldn't be a review, and it wouldn't be one of my reviews if there was no ranting: this book could've been way better. If you've ever seen the movie Sleepy Hollow (or the animated disney version, which i found to be just as scary when i was like ten or something lol), then you know that this story is disturbing and creepy, and The Hollow being almost completely based on the short story by Washington Irving, Jessica Verday could've made better use of the legend. The result could've been much better and, who knows, way scarier.

As it is, the reader is left with a book that had everything to succeed, starts incredibly well but plunges into boredom halfway through it. Oh, and a underutilized legend. Have I said that already?(less)

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Dec 04, 2011 Myra Khan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Abbey's best friend Kristen is killed when she slips off the bridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and falls to the water and rocks below. Abbey refuses to believe that Kristen is gone at first- but has to come to terms with it when her body is finally found. While dealing with her loss Abbey meets Caspian, an incredibly good-looking guy who makes her feel better for the first time in a long time.

But then Abbey finds out that Kristen may have been keeping secrets from her. Dangerous secrets that may...more Abbey's best friend Kristen is killed when she slips off the bridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and falls to the water and rocks below. Abbey refuses to believe that Kristen is gone at first- but has to come to terms with it when her body is finally found. While dealing with her loss Abbey meets Caspian, an incredibly good-looking guy who makes her feel better for the first time in a long time.

But then Abbey finds out that Kristen may have been keeping secrets from her. Dangerous secrets that may have ultimately lead to her death. And when Abbey finds out something about Caspian, she starts to wonder if her sanity has been in tact at all since her best friend's accident.

I had high hopes for The Hollow. It's one of the rare books that I actually went out and bought (mostly I borrow and only buy what I can't live without). I'm glad that I bought it in paperback! The book ended up disappointing on several levels. But let's start with the good first:

The overall concept was interesting. It was different. It was new. I read a LOT of paranormal fiction/romance, and to have an idea that surprised me was impressive. There is a very heavy "Legend of Sleepy Hollow" element throughout the entire book and I thought that made it unique and spookier. The quotes at the beginning of chapters were a nice touch. Abbey was a pretty likeable character, she was hilariously endearing at times. Caspian was a little harder to tolerate but that's mostly because you're left clueless about his "secret" until the very end. Abbey's parents play a surprisingly large role in the story too. A lot of the book just makes you feel content (always nice) and it definitely fit in well with when I read it. The book goes through the holiday season and snow, so I was able to relate. :) The ending completely took me aback and I will admit that I did NOT see any bit of it coming.

But the writing was mediocre. :/ It was slightly juvenile and I couldn't help but think while reading it that it was comparable to my own writing of a few years ago. It never impresses me when a writer writes like I do, I don't consider my writing to be awe-worthy at all- they need to go above and beyond that! More frustrating than the writing was the line of events...or lack of. Nothing HAPPENS for the vast majority of the book. I was near the end and thinking, "Isn't...anything going to happen here? O_O" And it did. But not until the last chapter. And that left me more confused and annoyed than anything. Yes, the surprise was astounding but there was basically no conclusion whatsoever. I felt like Verday had a great idea and sort of dragged it along this book just so she could finish with a bang and leave us wanting to read the second (it's a trilogy). This is a clever tactic, but it was poorly executed. I've read countless other trilogies that leave you at least somewhat satisfied with the first book. They leave you with questions, sure, but they also give you a feeling of full compensation for trudging your way through 500+ pages. Which is exactly what I did. And now I wonder why I didn't just skip to page 450 or so and read the end. :/

I think the trilogy as a whole will be great. I think if all three books are read in one sitting, you won't feel quite as bad. I also feel as though because my expectations of this book were so high, my disappointment is even more palpable. I read this thinking it would be along the lines of Beautiful Creatures (Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl- fantastic book!) which also started slow, was a paranormal romance, and was the first book of a trilogy. (And had a lot to do with spooky graveyards and secrets.) But unfortunately The Hollow isn't quite that. The foundation for the series may be set, but I truly felt as if most of it wasn't necessary. I could be wrong!

I'll probably read The Haunted and The Hidden (books #2 and #3 respectively) but am in no hurry to do so. (less)

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Sep 05, 2009 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-ghost-theme

Hummmmm... I have mixed feelings about this book. I do like it, but I don't love it. Not yet. I guess there are going to be at least two more books, which is good. I can sort out my feelings then, plus there are so many unanswered questions. I'll save that for the end of this review, for those people who haven't read it yet.

If anything, this book has great quality of writing. Jessica Verday's beautiful way of detailing every day things or emotions was unique. I think I've read a fair amount of...more

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Sep 15, 2009 Sharon rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: debs2009, review-copy

The Hollow began with a promising start. I found it very easy to relate to Abbey as she deals with this loss of her best friend Kristen. The story started to go downhill for me when Caspian was introduced.

My problem with Caspian is that there was just far too much of him in the book. Based on the summary I was expecting a mix of both mystery and romance. Instead the book became 95% Caspian and 5% mystery. This isn't to say that Caspian isn't a swoon-worthy character because he totally was! I jus...more

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Jun 16, 2010 jo mo rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, fantasy, partly-read, series, reviews, 2-stars, bleh-or-snooze, ghosts-or-genies

Abbey's best friend Kristen dies or so the whole town believes, because the body hasn't been found yet. She finds consolation in doing the things she would've done were Kristen with her. Hanging out at Sleepy Hollow's cemetery. Talking to (dead) Mr Irving. Looking for new things. There she also meets ~~Casper~~ Caspian, who seems to be more than meets the eye.

I read 3/4 of the book and skimmed through the rest. The pacing of the book was kind of off. Slow. Not that much suspense. Mrs Verday must've...more

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Mar 07, 2010 Petra (Safari Poet) added it · review of another edition

I've never read The Legend of the Hollow, but that was the first thing I thought about when I saw the title. I realized that Washington Irving's story was the inspiration and plays a part in the book. Every chapter beings with a quote from the short story.

The whole time the anticipation of what the outcome was going to be, what this books was really about was building and then I realized I only had two chapters left. There were so many questions that would have to stay unresolved. I expected to...more

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Sep 06, 2011 Ichigo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.♥♥♥♥♥♥ It was SUPER awesome!!!!!!!!!! I COULDN'T STOP READING ITS AWESOMENESS IT WAS SO GOOD THAT I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT! O_O I CAN'T WAIT ILL THE NEXT ONE COMES OUT

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Jul 15, 2010 Asch-Lee rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: awful-books

This was a really depressing book, now that I think about it. Abbey really annoyed me. I don't know why...she just did. The plot was kind of boring because of the random details the author put in. And some of the dialoge was childish and unbelievable. After reading some of what the characters said I was like, "Nobody would ever say that!" I don't know...the story kept my interest for the most part. I wanted to know what happened in the end and some of the plot twists surprised me, but all in all...more

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Oct 30, 2010 Khadija Malik rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought this book was really amazing & i LOVED how completely real the main character's respond was when she found out what Caspian truly was

1 like · like · see review

Aug 07, 2012 Rachel rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

THE WORST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ! Actually, I can't even say that because I couldn't even finish reading it. It was so badly written, I knew it would be bad after reading the first chapter, yet I tried to continue, falsly trying to convince myself that it would get better. If I was this girl (which I would never in a million years want to be as she is the idiot of all idiots) I would actually say something at my best friends funeral, MOURN her death, and I would not be hanging out with some creep...more

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Aug 05, 2012 Wafiyah rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: No one of interest

Recommended to Wafiyah by: Toronto Public Library

Shelves: family, fantasy, horrible-romance, not-so-good, paranormal-romance, romance, stupid, mythology, sloooww-progress

These are basically my concluding opinions on The Hollow.

1. The cover - the original cover - is kind of creepy.

2. Caspian is not someone interesting. At. All. I find him rather boring and just how everyone says - Casper. He doesn't have anything out of the ordinary that actually interests me; sorry, but the whole "pale blond hair, black streak, beautiful, dazzling, compelling, [insert more adjectives]" thing did nothing to woo me like it did for Abbey.

3. Speaking of which, Abbey does horrible at...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cover:

I really liked the font used to write The Hollow, and I liked the dark purple used for the background. But before reading The Hollow, I wasn't exactly sure what the necklace was, my guesses were, that her best friend left it for her, or she was a princess in another world.

But actually it's a gift to Abbey from this mysterious boy she meets, named Caspian, who she quickly has feelings for.

I like the cover, but I really have to say, the last book in the trilogy is my favorite cover(:

My Thoug...more

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Jun 09, 2012 Katie Joiner rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When you read through the comments on Goodreads, or read an article, or even read an e-mail, people sound a certain way. Because you're not in dialogue with them & their responses don't need to be immediate, their sentence structure, word choice, and general prose reflect the fact that they are thinking about what they're saying.
And when an author (*cough* Jessica Verday *cough*) decides they want to tell a story in first person, they need to tell it like it's a person's voice, or a face-to...more When you read through the comments on Goodreads, or read an article, or even read an e-mail, people sound a certain way. Because you're not in dialogue with them & their responses don't need to be immediate, their sentence structure, word choice, and general prose reflect the fact that they are thinking about what they're saying.
And when an author (*cough* Jessica Verday *cough*) decides they want to tell a story in first person, they need to tell it like it's a person's voice, or a face-to-face dialogue between two people. That was my biggest issue with this book.
Verday's writing is not gritty, which is fine. However, what is not fine is the polish and thoughtfulness of direct quotes of characters. People do not actually talk like you write. For example: "Are they color coded? I noticed that you have several different colored tubes." (pg.198).
People. Don't. Talk. That. Way. It's too formal and far too thoughtful. I guess I've said my piece on that.
I also disliked the way the characters in this book treated Abbey's grief. I felt like there were a grand total of two people grieving for Kristen, even though many people supposedly knew and loved her. Those two people were Abbey and Mrs. M. The scenes between the two characters were raw and beautiful, but I thought the other characters--including Abbey's mother--were far from understanding. A group of cruel girls made fun of Abbey on Halloween for still being upset about Kristen, whose funeral was held two weeks before school started (in August or September). Similarly, Abbey's mom is less than understanding. She's constantly asking what's wrong with Abbey, disregarding the fact that her daughter's best friend died a few months ago. Several mentions of dead grandparents alert us to the fact that Abbey's mom has grieved before, so she should understand that her sadness isn't just going to go away.
However, I did like the quickness of the plot. I was never bored, even though THE HOLLOW lasted for 515 pages. Constant action and activity helped push me along. The mystery surrounding Kristen's death and Caspian's arrival were interesting.
Abbey was a good protagonist and very realistic. I knew exactly what type of girl she was, and her reactions were utterly...real. Let's just say that when the major twist was announced, she wasn't the heroine that immediately believes, or agrees or whatever. She has her human rational doubts about herself and the twist, and that does not get resolved at the end of the book.
The best part of the book was the ending. There are very few authors who know how to end a book well, especially one with a sequel, and it appears that Verday is one of those authors. Several major arcing plotlines are tied off, obviously meant to last one book alone, while others are gently left dangling. There was no cliff hanger, but I'm curious enough about the next book to read it. Subtle enticement is key in ending a book, especially one that you invest some time in. I was really pleased that Verday left me itching to know more, but not in an in-your-face Character-X-just-jumped-off-a-cliff sort of way.

It's a check-out-from-the-library and read. THREE STARS.
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May 30, 2012 Paranormal Reads rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Abigail has just lost her closest friend in what everyone is calling an accident, however Abigail just can’t get over the loss of her best friend and will not give in to the belief that she is dead since no body had been recovered…however eventually they do find her friend, and so begins the grieving process, this is when she comes to meet Caspian a boy not much older than herself that pops up when she needs someone to talk to the most. We also see her meet Nikolas and Katy who help take care of...more

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Feb 19, 2012 Bitten By Books rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My Review:
This book is about a girl named Abbey and her best friend Kristen who suddenly 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 though the motions of mourning her best friends death, but privately, she refuses to believe that Kristen is really gone. That’s when she meets Caspian, the gorgeous and mysterious boy with skunk hair and beautiful green eyes, who shows u...more

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Jan 10, 2012 LanHua rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bad-plot

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. No. Just no. I went into a local library a few days ago to find a great book to read. And oh, look at this? I see a book with a cool cover. (Yes, I do judge my books by their covers :p) So, I happily go home, waiting to read The Hollow

*Reads the first few pages*

*Pauses*

'Kay. So her friend dies. I totally hate tragedy books. And man, what a depressing scene (starts out at the funeral). I mentally debate if I should continue reading. So, my curiosity gets the best of me. I continue.

***

*Halfway th...more

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
To read or not to read	15	50	Apr 15, 2013 04:24pm
What was the secret that kristen was keeping from her?	13	53	Sep 25, 2012 03:46pm
was anyone else suprised that caspian was a ghost	48	95	Aug 31, 2012 02:57pm
Not good...	8	34	May 02, 2012 03:21am
How did the damn ghost eat cookies, I mean seriously.	23	60	Apr 27, 2012 11:05am
The (Not-So) Aust...: Quotes from: The Hollow series	6	10	Apr 20, 2012 03:33am
The Heart : What do you think of the books	3	4	Mar 25, 2012 11:08pm

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About Jessica Verday

Jessica Verday is the New York Times bestselling author of The Hollow Trilogy, published by Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse. She wrote the first draft of THE HOLLOW by hand, using thirteen spiral-bound notebooks and fifteen black pens. The first draft of THE HAUNTED took fifteen spiral-bound notebooks and twenty black pens. THE HIDDEN took too many notebooks and too many pens to count. Find out m...more

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“At that moment - in that small, concise, perfectly clear moment of time - I knew. It was that moment I fell in love with him. It actually caused me to stop, and time froze for just a second. But that feeling was so right, and so strong, that I knew I wasn't wrong.” — 126 people liked it

“I decided right then and there to make a snickerdoodle perfume to wear, so that one day he would sniff me like that.” — 84 people liked it

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