Review: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Book: Hollowland by Amanda Hocking

Stand-Alone or Series: Series, The Hollows #1
Pages: 312

Genre: Young Adult / Science Fiction / Horror
Purchase A Copy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords
Publication Date: October 1st, 2010

How Did I Get This Book: Purchased

First line:  "This is the way the world ends – not with a bang or a whimper, but with zombies breaking down the back door."
Description:  Nineteen-year-old Remy King is on a mission to get across the wasteland left of America, and nothing will stand in her way - not violent marauders, a spoiled rock star, or an army of flesh-eating zombies. 

After reading Hollowland, I have come to the following conclusion. Amanda Hocking is a rockstar. I did not know what to expect going into to Hollowland, I figured that it would be an exciting story, but I thought it would be a bit shallow. I was completely blindsided by this book; the plot was excellent, exciting and emotional and the characters were all beautifully flawed and realistic.

Remy is a truly badass heroine – she is utterly unstoppable. She spends the majority of the book kicking ass and taking names; she has no problem doing what needs to be done. The tough girl certainly isn’t a new concept in these types of stories, but Hocking does a remarkable job with Remy. There is so much going on beneath the surface with her. While she operates with a ‘take no prisoners’ attitude, in reality she is extremely protective of those she loves. It takes her a while to warm up to people – which is understandable in a world full of zombies, but once she lets you in, she won’t let go. Plus, home girl has a pet lion. How can you not love that?

I loved seeing Remy evolve over the course of the book – she starts of emotionally closed off from what’s left of the rest of humanity. The zombie apocalypse has obviously tainted her and it’s made her develop a wall around herself. The only person she really cares about is her little brother, who she gets separated from. She sets out to find him and on her journey she forms a few unexpected attachments; something she dreads. It was wonderful to see hr slowly start to accept, trust and even love these people. Out of the rest of the characters, my favorite was Lazlo. Lazlo is such a fun character and he is a great counterbalance to Remy. He was a rockstar before the whole zombie thing and he doesn’t really know how to take care of himself. As the book progresses he really comes into himself and he steps up to the plate.

Rounding out the rest of the wayward group is Harlow, a thirteen year old girl and Blue, a former med student. Both of these characters were also fleshed out beautifully. What I loved about this book is that all of the main characters were given such distinct personalities; they all brought something different to the table.

The pacing was INCREDIBLE people. Every single page packs an incredible punch – the characters are constantly being faced with a new obstacle. The entire book is basically a crazy cross country adventure where a ragtag group of misfits try to survive to see the next day. They spent time dodging bullets, escaping creepy cults and kicking a whole lot of zombie ass.

Hollowland is far and away my favorite Hocking book. It honestly blew me away; it exceeded my expectations in every way. it is obviously a horror story, but it is an extremely character driven one. The action and excitement are both expertly written, but it is the characters who make this book. They are what keep you on the edge of your seat, they are what keep you reading all night.

 

 Favorite Quotes:

 

“If anyone can survive the end of the world, it’s you, so I’m safer with you than anywhere else.”

“I don’t think I ever really lived until this. I’ve never done anything that mattered before, but now. I’m fighting to save my life, and yours. And I know it sounds really cheesy and lame, but I don’t think I ever really felt alive. Not until I met you.”

“I knew it.” He shook his head. “The second I saw you out in that field, all covered in zombie blood, fighting like a damn maniac. I knew you were trouble.”