Review: A Dark and Hollow Star by Ashley Shuttleworth

Release Date: February 23rd, 2021

Genre(s): Young adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Pages: 512

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

Content Warnings:

anger, arson, blood/gore, body horror (minor), death of a child, depression, disownment, divorce, drug use/addiction, grief/grieving, human trafficking, poverty, psychopathy, stalking, suicide (past, off-page), suicide ideation, toxic relationship/manipulation, trauma/PTSD, racism, violence/gun violence

Note: Thank you to Simon Pulse and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis

A Dark and Hollow Star takes place in the city of Toronto, where the Eight Courts of Law have lived and sworn to do no harm against humans. That is, until a series of murders rocks the city and threatens to expose faeries to the world, while a war is brewing between the Mortal and Immortal realms. The story follows four teens that each know truths about the murder and must work together to find the murderer.

Review

This was overall a really fun YA fantasy read! I’ve been anticipating this book for a few months now and it definitely met my expectations. Between the characters, urban setting, and the mystery behind the murders, it’s so easy to get lost in this book.

The blurb of A Dark and Hollow Star describes it as a cross of City and Bones and The Cruel Prince. I haven’t read The Cruel Prince, and while I didn’t personally enjoy City of Bones, it definitely fits the urban fantasy setting and the concept of supernatural entities secretly existing in a human world. (In fact, I liked the execution in this book so much that I’m wondering if I need to continue The Mortal Instruments!)

Book comparisons aside, I really liked what information we were given about the fae world so far. We’re learning about it through the main character, Arlo, who isn’t as informed about the fae world as the other characters, so it adds to the mystery behind the world and what’s yet to be explored as we get there through Arlo’s discoveries.

Speaking of characters, I also liked the main characters we were introduced to in A Dark and Hollow Star. There are definitely some elements of the different characters that do feel a bit trope-y, but at the same time, there were other aspects of the characters that I found to be unique. In particular, I liked Arlo’s character and how difficult it was for her to adapt to elements of the fae world (especially in dangerous situations). I feel like, in a lot of YA novels, the main character automatically knows what to do and is a natural fighter, which I never personally liked because I felt it wasn’t as realistic if they haven’t tapped into their powers before. So I ended up really liking Arlo’s clumsiness and the time it’s been taking her to adapt.

But at the same time, there were a couple of elements that I felt like was a bit of a cheap shot in the second half of the book. It seems like it won’t be used as much later on, but for these scenes, it was a tad too convenient.

Regardless, I had a ton of fun reading A Dark and Hollow Star – so much so that I’m revisiting some YA fantasy again! This will be a great fit for readers that enjoy YA fantasy and are looking to explore a new world and a cast of characters to love.

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