By A.J. Vrana
Black Hollow holds a secret and its inhabitants fear the return of the Dreamwalker and her revenge. We meet a girl touched by dreams, a boy possessed by a cruel spirit, and a doctor plagued by grief. What will happen when their paths intertwine to uncover the long-hidden secret of this small, suspicious town? Let’s find out!
Read if you like: contemporary fantasy, shifters, dream mysteries, forgotten history, fate and magic, slow burn, morally gray, greater purpose, gruff and mysterious MMC, always been different FMC.
Miya has always had a connection to the dreamworld, but when the telltale signs of the reappearance of the nefarious Dreamwalker draw near, she feels like she needs to find answers in the dark and dangerous woods. Kai struggles to maintain the balance between his two sides, especially since he is also inhabited by a malevolent being. With the history surround Black Hollow he should stay away from the town, but he keeps finding the same girl near his woods.
Mason is a young doctor trying to run from one wrong decision and finds himself in a small, superstitious town where he soon discovers a local legend that won’t let him go. In his search for truth, he begins to uncover more than the origins of the lore.
This book was a little dark, a little spicy, a little mysterious, and a lot of fun. I really liked Kai because it was fun to see all the parts of his character war with each other depending on the scenario. Miya is also a great leading lady with her edgy coolness and fringe encounters. She’s a great mix of kind and capable. The Mason storyline was an interesting addition of an outside perspective looking for truth in the middle of history and mayhem. We got a lot of background and lore surrounding the characters and their greater purpose within the legends and it’s easy to see that they will have another adventure dealing with the current repercussions of the past they’ve recently met.
What you don’t get is a lot of spice.From the cover I was expecting more, but it’s a slow burn, fade to black kind of romance.It was cute and sweet and I hope we get to see more of their relationship.My one big critique was that I wish there was a little more finesse in the composition.All the plot and lore and magic and the antagonist were all pretty solid, but the delivery was often on the nose.The book was, at times, quite lovely.I just wanted more of those lovely moments throughout the world building and storytelling.