The Hollow
Jessica Verday
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: September 1, 2009
Pages: 513

Rating: 3.5 stars

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.

I have rather mixed feelings on this book. There were aspects of it I absolutely loved, while others I just was not a fan.

I really enjoyed the story, but it was very slow moving. It wasn’t until almost 200 pages in something sort of “big” happened. But this didn’t bug me while I was reading. It was when I hit the end of this 513 page book and I had come to no conclusion at all. I hadn’t even solved a LITTLE piece of the mystery. I really did like the plot. It was very original. The setting was just so cool. Who would ever have thought of that?

The writing in The Hollow was very good. Verday used such vivid descriptions, and you could picture everything in your head.

Abbey was a character I liked for the majority of the book, but towards the end she got on my nerves. She was SO dependent on Caspian at times, was whiny, and got on my nerves. I just couldn’t see anyone depending on someone that much, especially when they don’t even know the person. Their relationship didn’t seem all that real, I would much rather have seen Abbey with her friend Ben – where there was more chemistry than there was with her and Caspian.

I am intrigued for the next book, as I really am curious as to know how everything will turn out. I’m dying to know what happened with Kristen and who she was involved with, and how Capsian and Abbey will end up, and so much more. It is a really great read, the end just wasn’t tied up very well. Now, to wait for The Haunted!