For as long as she can remember, twenty-year-old Finley Montgomery has been able to see into the future. She dreams about events before they occur and sees beyond the physical world, unconsciously using her power to make supernatural things happen.
But Finley can’t control these powers—and there’s only one person who can help. So Finley moves to The Hollows, a small town in upstate New York where her grandmother lives, a renowned seer who can finally teach Finley how to use her gift.
A gift that is proving to be both a blessing and a curse, as Finley lands in the middle of a dangerous investigation involving a young girl who has been missing for ten months and the police have all but given up hope.
With time running out there’s only so much Finley can do as The Hollows begins to reveal its true colors. As she digs deeper into the town and its endless layers, nothing is what it seems. But one thing is clear: The Hollows gets what it wants, no matter what. (Summary and pic from goodreads.com)
My Review: I’m
pretty excited to tell you about this book—it’s totally my jam (and maybe
yours, too!). I read it quickly, but also not. I don’t know if you’re like this,
but when there’s a book I really like I equally don’t want to stop reading but
also don’t want to keep reading because then it’s over and then I’m sad. Now
let’s get this straight right now—this isn’t some epic and sweeping classic
that is so heartbreaking and gut-wrenching that everyone still says it’s their
favorite book (here’s looking at you, To
Kill a Mockingbird,). But it is fast-paced and interesting with a story
that has some good twists and turns. It has some great characters—flawed and
believable—and a fun historical element to it that adds interest and depth.
I
have to admit that I’m a pretty grounded-in-reality kind of person. I am
extremely logical. I’m not one of those people who just do whatever they want because
their heart says it. I carefully plan, I rely on logic, and it usually works
out for me. However, in my reading I like a touch of magic. No, this does not
mean that I want wizards. We’ve been over this. I don’t really love fantasy.
But a psychically gifted girl and her grandma that work with a detective to
solve crimes? Yes. Yes please. I love that kind of stuff. So this book really did
it for me. It had a spooky mystery and it involved some interesting people. Some
of these people are interesting in a
way that I won’t get into because it was kind of a surprise. But the addition
of them was awesome as well.
One
of the strengths of Ink and Bone was the
creation of The Hollows, where most of the novel takes place. I think a
critical part of creating a novel is creating an atmosphere. Because of the paranormal
nature this book, atmosphere was everything. I loved that The Hollows was an
actual character, and one that played a huge part. I don’t live in a place with
hundreds of years of history, and so I’m always fascinated by places that do
have that kind of background and depth. I can appreciate the weight of the
events that happened and the impact they have had on a place, especially when
these events affect and shape long-term residents and their relationship to one
another. I think this kind of atmospheric creation is essential in order to
maintain a creepy feeling surrounding a mystery in a place—you have to be able
to believe that there are more than just humans who are forces for good or evil
in a story such as this. It’s a fun balance between reality and that almost-untouchable
hint of magic that maybe exists, maybe doesn’t, but certainly leaves an open
question.
I’ve
read quite a few crime and mystery books, and I’ve found that sometimes things
get muddy at the apex. I don’t know if the author is writing so quickly to get
all of her thoughts down, or maybe I skip through it, or maybe I just really
want such depth and details and I don’t always get it. For instance—a whole
book will be leading up to one moment, and this moment is supposed to be the
resolution of it all. So many times I feel like I am left a little confused or
maybe even just let down, like the apex moment didn’t live up to the rest of the
book. That’s totally disappointing, right? That’s not how I felt about this
book, which was great .There was one point that I was kind of confused at what
I thought was a resolution, but it was later described more fully and so I am
happy about that. I don’t like to be left confused. Especially when I have so
much emotional investment in a story and its resolution.
If
you are into crime/mystery and thrillers, I think this is a great book. I wish
it was the start of a new series! Alas, I think it’s a standalone. But it’s a
good one. And it’s a fast, fun read.
My Rating: 4 Stars
For the sensitive reader: I was
happily surprised by the lack of language and sex in this book. There is some
violence, but it is not horrific and I would say for the genre, it is very
tame. Overall I would give this book a PG rating.
1 comment:
I've been curious about this book for a really long time, so it's nice to read your thoughts on it. I love a really strong atmosphere like you described, and it sounds like this book does a really wonderful job, which makes me really want to read it! Glad the climactic point was strong, though! I totally know what you mean about a lot getting muddied. Great review!
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