Review: An amazing read!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 19, 2013
I'm one of those readers who hates reading the synopsis of a book before picking it up to read it. I like to base my judgments and reviews on the writing itself, rather than my impression of what the book should be like because I read the synopsis. In the case of HOLLOWED, I knew I *had* to read it simply because the author was Kelley York. I read and fell in love with her writing in HUSHED, which was published last year by Entangled Publishing. I knew that if the author could make me fall for the protagonist in HUSHED, that I'd read anything she wrote from here on out.So, in going with my no synopsis rule, I asked to be a part of the HOLLOWED blog tour without knowing anything at all about the book. And, man, I can't tell you how very happy I am that I didn't read anything about it first. If I had, I may have decided against wanting to be on this tour only because the main character becomes a vampire. I mean, aren't those *so* overdone?My verdict: NO. Not at all when it comes to HOLLOWED. This book was everything I never knew I wanted a vampire book to be like. Heck, it's way more than a vampire book, so let's just back off that category right now.Let's try that statement again: Briar was everything I never knew I wanted in a main character. She's funny, intelligent, loves her family more than anything, and she's totally unforgettable. From the start of the book, Briar has much to deal with and learn. It's not easy, but her emotions are vibrant, and real, practically jumping off the page in her oh-so-perfectly timed snark and tenderness. She is believable, and her character one I'm not likely to get out of my head anytime soon.The secondary characters in HOLLOWED didn't disappoint either. After Briar is attacked, she attempts to hide from what she's becoming, and to ignore the warnings of the two guys who have been helping her. But to Briar's horror, she learns the hard way that her old life is no longer available to her. Her job with her now dead roommate's brother is no longer secure, the police are probably looking for her, and her mysteriously absent boyfriend, Noah, nearly runs the other way when he sees her again. Things are not looking so good for Briar.Except Briar isn't one to just sit around and mope. Especially when there seems to be some sort of vampire fight going on, and she quickly acknowledges that she--and certain members of her family--are right in the middle of it. Briar barely has time to understand what her new life will entail before she's almost lost it again, and things quickly heat up supernaturally, when almost nothing she knew as a human is really true anymore. Her family. Her new friends. Not even her boyfriend.HOLLOWED is an excellent fast and thrilling read. I highly recommend it, and urge you not to judge before picking it up. There is no doubt that I'll be the first to purchase book two the second it is available.See the official review: [...]