Review Detail

The Dark and Hollow Places had a very different feel to it than the other two books in this series which I really liked. The Dark City was a place completely different than I, or the original characters in the series had imagined. Initially it was supposed to be a safe place that was highly protected from the Unconsecrated but it turned out to be a ragged shantytown where you can't even trust your neighbor. It reminded me of a really far gone Gotham City meets the post-apocalyptic world in The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

Annah, the newest character of the series, was extremely likable to me. She's flawed, scarred, guarded and there's a real grittiness to her that I didn't find in Gabry; the girl has some fight in her. I guess the reason I like her over Gabry is because although Carrie Ryan puts both Annah and Gabry in many dire situations, I feel like Gabry is a little helpless and always has to be saved (by a boy, usually) while Annah doesn't expect anyone to save her, so she'll do whatever she needs to survive. Female characters like her are rare, although hopefully that trend is changing in YA.

This story also has another love triangle of course, but with a twist. The story finally gives Catcher the limelight rather than Elias which is fine for me since Catcher has much more depth as a character. Some of the scenes between Catcher and Annah were pretty steamy whereas Elias and Gabry are just so clingy.

The Dark and Hollow Places was a good end to the series and I enjoyed this book the most. There was more action and rawness to it and the Dark City was a much scarier place than the Forest of Hands and Teeth which, looking back, looks like a safe haven. This series had a lot of ups and downs for me but overall I enjoyed reading. Plus, gotta love those covers.