Fantasy

The Hollow Heart

The Hollow Heart

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-11-01 09:51:09
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Marie Rutkoski
  • ISBN：1529357519
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Summary

Intrigue， romance， and magic abound in the heart-stopping conclusion to Marie Rutkoski’s Forgotten Gods duology。

At the end of The Midnight Lie， Nirrim offered up her heart to the God of Thieves in order to restore her people’s memories of their city’s history。 The Half Kith who once lived imprisoned behind the city’s wall now realize that many among them are powerful。 Meanwhile， the person Nirrim once loved most， Sid， has returned to her home country of Herran， where she must navigate the politics of being a rogue princess who has finally agreed to do her duty。

In the Herrani court， rumors begin to grow of a new threat rising across the sea， of magic unleashed on the world， and of a cruel， black-haired queen who can push false memories into your mind， so that you believe your dearest friends to be your enemies。

Sid doesn’t know that this queen is Nirrim， who seeks her revenge against a world that has wronged her。 Can Sid save Nirrim from herself？ Does Nirrim even want to be saved？ As blood is shed and war begins， Sid and Nirrim find that it might not matter what they want…for the gods have their own plans。

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Reviews

Wren Handman ，

This follow-up book to the midnight lie found us is unfamiliar territory。 Sid went home - and somehow I missed that she was the child of the main characters from the other trilogy！ It was a little hard to see my beloved characters as such godawful parents， and see how miserable their child was。 Made it a little disappointing to read， I would have preferred if it was a new series， to be honest。 I don't think it gained anything from its association with the other series。I really liked Sid's storyl This follow-up book to the midnight lie found us is unfamiliar territory。 Sid went home - and somehow I missed that she was the child of the main characters from the other trilogy！ It was a little hard to see my beloved characters as such godawful parents， and see how miserable their child was。 Made it a little disappointing to read， I would have preferred if it was a new series， to be honest。 I don't think it gained anything from its association with the other series。I really liked Sid's storyline， though， and her scenes with her parents were interesting and great。 Unfortunately， the other half of the narrative was less compelling。 Every scene felt very perfunctory。 It skimmed through huge important scenes without even showing them to you。 The final act was similarly rushed。 I felt like this could and should have been a trilogy。 There was just no time to go into any of the emotional arcs of the characters。 I wanted to see Sid and yes-I've-forgotten-her-name-sorry together， see Sid's slow growing realization that something was missing， see the push and pull between them。 But we got a handful of pages and that was it。 It was a good book， but I felt like it could have been a great book and just didn't quite get there。 。。。more

Anemone ，

New fav YA fantasy finallyyy， dark Nirrim has my whole heartP。S。 the way I snorted at "You are a woman？？？" of all the people in this book to say this lol New fav YA fantasy finallyyy， dark Nirrim has my whole heartP。S。 the way I snorted at "You are a woman？？？" of all the people in this book to say this lol 。。。more

Emma Cathryne ，

HUGELY disappointed。 This is the year of second books in a series just really let me down。 I adored The Midnight Lie and its unspooling mystery of magic， godly powers， and love， but The Hollow Heart popped my enjoyment like a soap bubble。 For one， I have never read The Winner's Curse trilogy and had not the slightest idea that Sid is the child of the main couple from that series。 This knowledge ripped me out of world I had come to know and dropped me squarely into the epilogue of a story I did HUGELY disappointed。 This is the year of second books in a series just really let me down。 I adored The Midnight Lie and its unspooling mystery of magic， godly powers， and love， but The Hollow Heart popped my enjoyment like a soap bubble。 For one， I have never read The Winner's Curse trilogy and had not the slightest idea that Sid is the child of the main couple from that series。 This knowledge ripped me out of world I had come to know and dropped me squarely into the epilogue of a story I did not understand。 Sid feels like a side character in her own story arc。 Even when she is making discoveries， reconnecting with her family， and trying to untangle the complex web of her feeling for Nirrim， her narrative is constantly usurped by references to her parents， their relationship， and their legacy。 I imagine this is a nice treat for people who read and enjoyed the other series， but I found it very frustrating as someone who had up until now been able to view this series as independent。 However， I did find Sid's relationship with her mother to be incredibly poignant; in particular her fear of not living up to her expectations and the barbs of resentment and misunderstanding regarding her queerness hit very close to home。Nirrim's loss of her compassion， while interesting， has the side effect of making her a terminally unlikable character。 She commits unspeakable atrocities and is somehow magically forgiven almost instantly at the end of the story。 I spent her entire arc being alternately bored， annoyed， and not remotely compelled。 Even Sid and Nirrim's romance， which was the crowning jewel of the first book， loses its luster as the pair spend nearly the entire book apart。 It feels very much like this novel is telling two completely separate stories and failing utterly to reconcile them。 Also， the pacing of this novel is totally off。 I have no sense of how much time is passing for any character at any given time， as Rutkoski routinely makes wild jumps between time and location。 The first three quarters covered what felt like a relatively short period of time， while the final quarter covered several critical plot points， not to mention an explosive final battle， in barely forty pages。 The ending collapses into one of my biggest pet peeves as it struggles to give everyone a happy ending while failing to consider any sort of aftermath or consequences of the central plot。 Overall， I felt this book never really achieved liftoff。 It was confused， ambling， and unsatisfying。 The meaningful and enjoyable parts （Sid's relationship with her parents， her quest to rescue Nirrim's heart） are drowned amidst my frustration and disappointment with nearly every other aspect。 。。。more

Laianna ，

I’m conflicted about this book。 On one hand， I loved the world-building and could read a whole series on the Hundred Gods。 On the other hand， I was here for Sid and Nirrim， and their story let me down。 As a general rule， I dislike alternating narration。 More often than not， it’s lazy writing。 In Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows （the exception that makes the rule）， the transition is seamless， with every POV in service of the plot。 I cannot say the same for The Hollow Heart。 Marie Rutkoski ends every I’m conflicted about this book。 On one hand， I loved the world-building and could read a whole series on the Hundred Gods。 On the other hand， I was here for Sid and Nirrim， and their story let me down。 As a general rule， I dislike alternating narration。 More often than not， it’s lazy writing。 In Leigh Bardugo’s Six of Crows （the exception that makes the rule）， the transition is seamless， with every POV in service of the plot。 I cannot say the same for The Hollow Heart。 Marie Rutkoski ends every chapter on a cliffhanger， delaying gratification until the reader gives up。It’s clear that the author wanted to say something with this book， but I’m not sure what it was。 Sid’s plot is an extended side quest， a predictable whodunnit with nothing to do with Nirrim or the events of The Midnight Lie。 Despite numerous references to her rakish reputation， there isn’t a hint of romance。 I appreciated her strained relationship with her parents （a refreshing departure from HEA fan service） but the coming-out narrative is out of place。 Sid’s perspective reads more like a continuation of The Winner’s Trilogy than the conclusion of The Midnight Lie。With Nirrim， we have an even worse cliché: dead/evil， the trope that when a lesbian’s partner dies （or in this case， breaks her heart）， she turns evil。 I liked Nirrim’s perspective more than I thought I would， but it’s difficult to empathize with a psychopath。 It was more impactful to see her through Sid’s eyes。Finally， we have the God。 Underneath the jumbled mess of a plot， there are the bones of a good story。 I liked the exploration of Nirrim’s parentage， and downright loved the God’s final lines， but the omniscience got old fast。 It’s like the author wrote two separate books and tacked on a third to bridge the gap。 There’s too much telling over showing; the God deserved better。Overall， The Hollow Heart feels more like a draft than the final product。 Plot and romance are swiftly abandoned （unless you count Sid’s parents） and even the writing style annoyed me。 The language is overly flowery， seeping with angst。 Don’t get me started on the many flashbacks， differentiated by neither italics nor page breaks， and which don’t include quotation marks。 I’m satisfied with the ending， but the execution was too chaotic。 I would still recommend The Midnight Lie， but only as a stand-alone。 。。。more

Maya Easter ，

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS BOOK！！ There was an added narrator in this book that wasn’t in the first and I thought that was an interesting choice but it all came together so beautifully。 I wish this was a three book series， mostly because I am sad it is over！！ Sid and Nirrim are now a favorite couple of mine。

Jane ，

2。5 ⭐ huh。。。

Janya ，

2。5

Ju ，

Too many commas

Maranda ，

The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski is the final book in the Forgotten Gods duology。 We leave off with Nirrim trading her heart to the God of Thieves， in return for her people's memories。 Because of this The Half Kith suddenly realize that they do not need to be slaves， that many of them are powerful and under Nirrim's emotionless rule， they will take what they are owed。 In the meantime， Nirrim's beloved， Sid， has returned to her home in Herran， where she finds her ailing mother and heartbroken f The Hollow Heart by Marie Rutkoski is the final book in the Forgotten Gods duology。 We leave off with Nirrim trading her heart to the God of Thieves， in return for her people's memories。 Because of this The Half Kith suddenly realize that they do not need to be slaves， that many of them are powerful and under Nirrim's emotionless rule， they will take what they are owed。 In the meantime， Nirrim's beloved， Sid， has returned to her home in Herran， where she finds her ailing mother and heartbroken father。 As rumors of a new power across the sea begins to grow， Sid must uncover the mystery behind her mother's illness and give in to duty。 When the two lovers meet again， will their meeting destroy the world or save it？ Meh。 I really liked Midnight Lie and I really could have put down The Hollow Heart at any time and not really cared。 Which is unfortunate。 The two books feel completely different to me， almost as if parting Sid and Nirrim， stole the heart from the story。 Sid's story wasn't strong enough for me。 Sid makes this big deal about how her parents don't understand her and how they are forcing her to marry and be someone she isn't， when in fact， she is the one putting all that pressure on herself。 She is the one who proposed the proposal and she is the one who wasn't reading her parents。 Maybe this was intentional but I had a hard time seeing her parents through her eyes by how they were written。 There were parts of Nirrim's story which felt lacking as well。 Though， I liked the conflict between her， Raven and Ardan， her rise to power felt way to easy。 The only saving grace for me was the Gods。 I really enjoyed the politics between the gods and wished Rutkoski would have played with that a little bit more。 In fact， a novella about their stories， would be nice。 I just didn't get the same vibe from the second book and so I am giving it a very mediocre three stars。 That's all for now！-M- 。。。more

María ，

Solo me interesaban Sid y The God como narradores， lo siento pero no me gustaba la traman de Nirrim。Y vamos que la gente que se ha leído el libro puede saber porque solo me interesaba la trama de Sid 👀， no era exclusivamente por ser ella la narradora ejem ejem。

John Clark ，

When waves of mistrust and misunderstanding come between two girls whose attraction to each other is incredibly powerful， it appears that those elements will spell doom for not only their love， but the countries they're close to ruling。 However， circumstances conspire to undo the worst， but not before there is an abundance of bloodshed。 A good choice foe libraries owning the first book as well as for ones where dark fantasy is popular。 When waves of mistrust and misunderstanding come between two girls whose attraction to each other is incredibly powerful， it appears that those elements will spell doom for not only their love， but the countries they're close to ruling。 However， circumstances conspire to undo the worst， but not before there is an abundance of bloodshed。 A good choice foe libraries owning the first book as well as for ones where dark fantasy is popular。 。。。more

solee ，

i just finished this book a couple minutes ago and been on the verge of tears since then。 i did not quite think the hollow heart would have the same impact on me as the midnight lie had; and to say it did would probably be a lie。 but both of those books made an impact on me; for very different reasons。 i loved the hollow heart so much， and i think the dual （or 3） povs played a huge part in that as i always wanted and wished for sid pov since i read the midnight lie。 to get to know sid’s story， h i just finished this book a couple minutes ago and been on the verge of tears since then。 i did not quite think the hollow heart would have the same impact on me as the midnight lie had; and to say it did would probably be a lie。 but both of those books made an impact on me; for very different reasons。 i loved the hollow heart so much， and i think the dual （or 3） povs played a huge part in that as i always wanted and wished for sid pov since i read the midnight lie。 to get to know sid’s story， her journey through discovering herself and accepting herself but also how she dealt with her family and how she dealt with it was so interesting and im glad we could get a glimpse of it。 nirrim’s were also important to understand how she felt， even when she herself didn’t understand what she felt。 i loved the way through every nirrim chapter we get to see her see that what she gave to the god of thieves was not truly her heart yet she couldn’t understand what it was because the emotions she felt were distant; i think it’s something that we all somehow felt once in a complete different way: knowing we feel something but not knowing why or what is we feel。i adored the way somehow and ever so simply gender norms， comphet and to， by association， lesbianism were talked about through sidnirrim’s povs。 and i LOVED the god pov even if sometimes it felt unnecessary to have it， i loved how the pov was written and how it gave information we wanted and needed to understand the god aspect of the book！ anyways enough babbling。 i loved those two books and been in love with the characters since day one and i feel extremely sad to have to say goodbye to same but so thankful i got to read their story。 it would the time to say i preferred one book over the other but tbh i don’t even if i did。 the midnight lie has had an impact me that no other book has had since i’ve read this year。 and i don’t think any book will come close to what it made me feel。 but what i felt with the hollow heart was also amazing and i think saying that i loved both those book so much but in completely different ways yet to a certain extent the same amount would be the fair thing to say。 — 🌙 。。。more

Tamikan ，

Did I stay up past my bedtime to finish this？ Yes。 Was it worth it？ Kind of。 I was hoping for more of an epilogue from the main characters， not just the god。 This book also works as sequel to the Winner's Trilogy and I wish I had reread that before diving into this as I felt a little lost。 Did I stay up past my bedtime to finish this？ Yes。 Was it worth it？ Kind of。 I was hoping for more of an epilogue from the main characters， not just the god。 This book also works as sequel to the Winner's Trilogy and I wish I had reread that before diving into this as I felt a little lost。 。。。more

Emilka ，

breathless。 speechless。 mind f-d。

hannah ，

I adored this！ I loved getting Sid’s POV in this book and seeing what her life was like。 I liked how Nirrim’s narration was clearly different from her narration in the first book after the choice she made。 The only downside was that the ending felt a bit rushed， especially the last thirty pages or so。 I wish we could’ve seen a little more of the aftermath of everything。Still enjoyed it！ Love Nirrim and Sid so much！ 🥰

Maggie ，

Great wrap-up to a beautiful duology。 I can't wait to read what Marie Rutkoski has up her sleeve next！ Great wrap-up to a beautiful duology。 I can't wait to read what Marie Rutkoski has up her sleeve next！ 。。。more

Shea ，

Maybe it was because I spent a full year analyzing the first book in this duology for my senior English thesis， but this one didn't blow me away to the same extreme。 Regardless， I still fully enjoyed myself （and am glad to see my thesis argument still fits with the ending。。。）。 Now to go back and reread The Winner's Curse so I can finally finish the rest of that series （despite being thoroughly spoiled）。 Maybe it was because I spent a full year analyzing the first book in this duology for my senior English thesis， but this one didn't blow me away to the same extreme。 Regardless， I still fully enjoyed myself （and am glad to see my thesis argument still fits with the ending。。。）。 Now to go back and reread The Winner's Curse so I can finally finish the rest of that series （despite being thoroughly spoiled）。 。。。more

purnima✨ ，

I was glued to the page and things kept building up and it was all so incredible and then the book ended。 :'（ I need more。Go read my review for The Midnight Lie， and then pick up both that book and this one; you won't regret it。 I was glued to the page and things kept building up and it was all so incredible and then the book ended。 :'（ I need more。Go read my review for The Midnight Lie， and then pick up both that book and this one; you won't regret it。 。。。more

Laura ，

I was disappointed in this。 I found there was important info missing no build up things would happen then nothing。 And it just ended。

Jessica ，

Highly readable and enjoyable。Although （whoops） I missed the memo that this was part 2 in a series of books， I still was immersed in the universe and got attached to the characters。A solid work of fantasy - and yay for lesbian rep ！Now on to read the first part， lalala。

Michelle ，

I don’t know if it is the story or the writing but I found this captivating， magical， and beautiful。

Etta ，

The Hollow Heart is the sequel to The Midnight Lie in the Forgotten Gods duology。 Since the novels are continuous， it is best to read the first before moving to this one。 There are three perspectives given in this novel， Nirrim， Sid， and the God。 In this third perspective， the readers are given the God’s own story plus commentary about what they see with situations involving the other characters。The story begins where the last installment left off where Sid is returning home to see her mother， K The Hollow Heart is the sequel to The Midnight Lie in the Forgotten Gods duology。 Since the novels are continuous， it is best to read the first before moving to this one。 There are three perspectives given in this novel， Nirrim， Sid， and the God。 In this third perspective， the readers are given the God’s own story plus commentary about what they see with situations involving the other characters。The story begins where the last installment left off where Sid is returning home to see her mother， Kestrel。 In the first novel， the God of Thieves and Nirrim made a bargain， which is further explored in this novel。 With this bargain， heartless Nirrim has declared herself Queen behind the wall and is on a path to unite the people against the High Kith。 The novel transitions to Sid’s journey where she is on her way back to her country of Herran。 With the addition of Sid’s perspective， readers gain an insight in her vulnerability。 While she is more or less a carefree character in the first novel， this installment illustrates a more serious side to her。With the two main characters separated for most of the novel， it may not appeal to all readers as it is not always apparent how they tie together into one central plot。 With Nirrim refusing to go with Sid in the first novel， Sid is feeling heart-broken and trying to find a way to move forward。 Nirrim is in-turn missing Sid， so， although the two characters are physically separated in the story， the connection between them is still apparent。 The relationship between the two characters was one of the top appeals of the first novel， so it was great that the author kept it going through the longing and love despite each character’s circumstances。Overall， this was a satisfying end to the duology。 The ending does feel a little short compared to the slower buildup pacing of the previous novel， but it does work for the series。 Both Sid and Nirrim are not the same characters that were introduced at the beginning of the previous novel nor are they the same at the end of this one as they are at the start。 As Sid’s family is crossover characters from the Winner’s Trilogy， I definitely want to pick it up to try in the near future。 There are a lot of twists and turn in this story while the author has an ease to the writing which made this duology an easy read to get through while still providing a complex tale。 While the duology itself may not have been perfect， there is a lot to love about the story and characters。 I cannot wait to read more this author！ [3。75 rounded to 4] 。。。more

Jules Gallagher ，

I am soooo sad to only rate this book 2 stars when the first book is one of my favorites of all time。 Unfortunately， this just felt like a sequel to the Winner’s Trilogy， not a sequel to the Midnight Lie。 Heartless Nirrim was flat for me which sucks because I love a villain perspective！ The first book was so much about Nirrim having to learn to stand up for herself and I feel that she never did。 I loved that we got more of Sid’s perspective but feel that Nirrim got so slighted this time around。 I am soooo sad to only rate this book 2 stars when the first book is one of my favorites of all time。 Unfortunately， this just felt like a sequel to the Winner’s Trilogy， not a sequel to the Midnight Lie。 Heartless Nirrim was flat for me which sucks because I love a villain perspective！ The first book was so much about Nirrim having to learn to stand up for herself and I feel that she never did。 I loved that we got more of Sid’s perspective but feel that Nirrim got so slighted this time around。 Not to mention the ending was incredibly rushed。 This would have probably worked better as a trilogy。 I did love the VERY few Sid/Nirrim moments we got， which was a huge part of why I loved the first book， but even their relationship felt flat and unfinished to me。 。。。more

Paige ，

Maybe more or a 3。5？ Idk。

Sammm ，

At the time I gave my rating， the average rating was 3。83 by less than 1K people。 I'm giving it a 4 for 4。5 for now， but if the average is still below a 4 by 10K ratings， I wouldn't hesitate to raise mine to a 5。I was skeptical。 Multi-POV books to me has this shortcoming that， if a lot of the POVs don't interest me， the book as a whole would be less enjoyable。 I hadn't felt like I particularly liked either of the characters for it to not go south， but in my case， it was a fairly pleasant surpris At the time I gave my rating， the average rating was 3。83 by less than 1K people。 I'm giving it a 4 for 4。5 for now， but if the average is still below a 4 by 10K ratings， I wouldn't hesitate to raise mine to a 5。I was skeptical。 Multi-POV books to me has this shortcoming that， if a lot of the POVs don't interest me， the book as a whole would be less enjoyable。 I hadn't felt like I particularly liked either of the characters for it to not go south， but in my case， it was a fairly pleasant surprise that it turned out alright。 Some may argue that it's all wrapped around so neatly that it's just too simple and perfect， well， when a very plausible scenario is presented， I'd take it over something so outlandish， random， and unbelievable。Oh， I would not be surprised if there later is yet another companion book set in this world， a collection of the stories of the gods。 >:3 I know a lot of people hate it when authors do this， feeling like they just couldn't leave what's finished alone， I can respect this line of thinking， but for this duology， our gals have a happy ending， yay， but that's that， nothing about all stories told。 I wait for the god of stories to give us more about their daily quarrels， particularly interested about the god of night and his favorite cat， muahahahaha。 。。。more

Jan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ah yes the sequel to the midnight lie。 I was worried at first， thinking it wouldn't be that good but my god was it intense。 It was gorey and emotional and I loved it。 It's completely different from the first bookThe first book focuses only on Nirrim's pov。 The second book has 3 povs！ Nirrim's， Sid's， and "The God's" who later turns out to be one of Nirrim's mothers。 It felt like there were 3 different stories that eventually tied up together at the end。I loved the flashback scenes since Nirrim a Ah yes the sequel to the midnight lie。 I was worried at first， thinking it wouldn't be that good but my god was it intense。 It was gorey and emotional and I loved it。 It's completely different from the first bookThe first book focuses only on Nirrim's pov。 The second book has 3 povs！ Nirrim's， Sid's， and "The God's" who later turns out to be one of Nirrim's mothers。 It felt like there were 3 different stories that eventually tied up together at the end。I loved the flashback scenes since Nirrim and Sid were apart and that was mostly what we had to rely on。 It was nice to see Nirrim and Sid have some domestic moments that we didn't see in the first book。 I'm guessing it was so the author didn't derail from the plot。From the flashbacks we see how much they cared for one another and how much sex they had 😭😭😭😭Also I know some readers weren't happy with Nirrim being evil but in some cases I agreed with her getting rid of the rich and having revenge on her abusers。And ofc my fav character of all Sid。 God she is too funny。 I'm so glad we got to learn more about her and her life as a princess， trying to save her lover。 She risked so much to bring back Nirrim's heart。 🥺🥺🥺 I wish the story continued。 It was fun， thrilling， and passionate！Does this beat the midnight lie？ Absolutely not but it's safe to say this is currently my 2nd favorite sapphic book after the Midnight Lie 💞 。。。more

Nora Martinez ，

Years ago I read the Winner’s Curse and was flabbergasted by its romanticization of the slaver and the enslaved relationship， of a white girl buying， owning， then conveniently falling in love with an enslaved brown boy。 And this is in a YA fantasy book。 There is no world in which the master-enslaved romance is in any way endearing; it exudes a special kind of venom in our world because no book， not even YA fantasy， exists in a cultural vacuum independent of historical and ongoing systems of colo Years ago I read the Winner’s Curse and was flabbergasted by its romanticization of the slaver and the enslaved relationship， of a white girl buying， owning， then conveniently falling in love with an enslaved brown boy。 And this is in a YA fantasy book。 There is no world in which the master-enslaved romance is in any way endearing; it exudes a special kind of venom in our world because no book， not even YA fantasy， exists in a cultural vacuum independent of historical and ongoing systems of colonial hegemony。 So when I realized that The Hollow Heart is set in the world of The Winner’s Curse， I felt duped。 It’s really my own fault for not picking up on earlier clues or familiarizing myself at all with the promotional materials for this spinoff series。 I probably should have known。 That said， I loved The Midnight Lie so much that I thought surely Rutkoski is attempting to earn some kind of atonement by writing a gorgeous anti-bourgeois love story between two courageous young women。 Discovering that Sid is the daughter of The Winner’s trilogy’s Kestrel and Arin completely undid any magic I thought Rutkoski accomplished in the first novel。 One of the ideas hammered into The Hollow Heart is that Kestrel and Arin have a love of ages， a love so special and amazing that they are perfectly beloved。 Again， their origin story is far from being a meet cute。 Need I remind Rutkokski that Kestrel bought him？ （She seemed to remind herself in a self-aware moment that only made me cringe。 （view spoiler）[ Lirah， a formerly enslaved Herrani like Arin， attempts to kill Queen Kestrel because she loathes her for starting wars just to be with Arin， and because Kestrel bought him。 Among other less interesting things。 Big girl boss moment for Lirah。 But oh！ Poor Kestrel。 Saved from the Vengeful Brown Woman who has the audacity to hate her former oppressor。 （hide spoiler）] ） This idea was nearly enough to make me abandon the book altogether。 I could go on。The Hollow Heart is also tragically messy。 The plot wanders， stagnates， then spirals at warp speed in the last few chapters。 The prose is uninspired despite clear attempts to beautify it with melodramatic word choice and dialogue so pristine that you really just can’t believe in it。 And the premise—which once had interesting things to say about class and privilege—devolved into a weakly executed Evil Queen trope。I did appreciate a few moments that I thought carried particular weight， such as Arin’s suggestion that he write gay marriage into law。 And… I can’t think of anything else。 So there was only one moment。 The Midnight Lie can be read as a stand-alone。 The Hollow Heart adds very little to the magic that Rutkoski spun into the first installment of the series。 。。。more

senna ，

4。5/5i am a shell of my former self。 i do not know what love is。 i do not know what life is。 i only know the deep swarming abyss that cradles me like a blanket。（honestly it would be a full 5 stars if we had more of sidnirrim and also idk how i feel about the redacted thing like i feel like that could’ve been done better）

gina。 ，

I love it。I especially enjoyed Sid’s part and her family conflict （not guilty that I’m biased because I just miss our characters from The Winner’s Cruse Trilogy too much） much more than The God’s and Nirrim’s part。I always suspect that Marie Rutkoski will end this book in a full circle way， as if bringing us back to the start。 And she did （somehow）。But still， as much as I love everything in here， I can’t lie that I expected so much more for the climax。But， oh well。

Silvia （roomforbooks） ，

4。5CW: homophobia （brief） Rep: lesbian MCs （one is a poc）， gay black side character， poc side characters CHE DOLOREEEEEE

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Hollow Heart

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Hollow Heart&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Hollow Heart&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0