July 3, 2012

Review: The Hollow of Mont Noir, by Jennifer Krey


Author: Jennifer Krey
Title: The Hollow of Mont Noir
ISBN: 978-1470103019
Publisher: J. Krey (February 17th 2012)
Disclaimer: Received for review purposes

Buy your copy: PaperbackeBook

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Seventeen-year-old Allison Spencer thought her life was completely normal - or as normal as it could be for an animal empath known as "Crazy Animal Girl." But when her older brother disappeared and her parents moved the family 400 miles away to try to find some answers, she discovered friendship and love in a supernatural world she never knew existed and learned some shocking truths about herself and her family.” GoodReads’ blurb

There was one thing that compelled me to read this book. The crittervision. I mean, how cool of a superpower is that? And I have to say that it was nice to see how it was exploited; it’s not usual to see animal empaths in YA books!


I did take a moment to really get into the story, though. Our lead character seemed to whine a bit too much, and for all the wrong reasons. I mean, I get that moving away from your home to a lost place in the middle of nowhere is hard, especially in your last year of high school, but I believe she should have been more worried with other stuff... Say, her brother’s disappearance. Even if she had given up on him, I don’t think resentment for her lost normal life is a healthy feeling... Or at least it wasn’t a feeling I was comfortable with as a reader. In all honesty, I’ve not researched normal patterns so I can’t criticize beyond what “feels right”.

However, after an introductory part, things really picked up and I was able to enjoy the rest of the story a lot. The lead still had some moments, as I mentally referred to them, when she’d oscillate from normal to... not so much, but all in all the mystery behind her brother’s disappearance, and behind Riordan, kept me interested through the whole novel.

Who’s Riordan, you say? Well, the male lead. Who might or might not have a secret. Who talks to no one at school, lives no one knows where, might or might not be homeless...And you’ll think up your own theories to answer those questions as you read. He’s the mysterious type, in that he doesn’t talk much and not really about himself, but precisely because of that, my broody-oriented fangirl caught on fairly fast and found his character enjoyable.

I think this is a pretty good story, really, and would recommend it if you’re looking for a light summer read. I, for one, would love to read the next book by Jennifer Krey... I think she has some serious potential there!

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