Introduction To ‘Hollow Book Summary and Review’
What is the one thing you would sacrifice to save the person you love most?
Hello. That profound question gripped me from the moment I first heard about Hollow, the electrifying first book in the Crown of Hearts & Chaos series. Having followed authors Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti’s work for years—their ability to craft truly addictive, emotionally wrenching narratives is unmatched—I had high expectations for their new dark romantasy world. And yet, the depths of the Cursed Forest, and the tragedy of the Necromancer King, still took me by surprise.
The central idea—a high-stakes competition to win a wish, set against the brutal backdrop of the Taking Trees—is pure fantasy gold. But the true genius lies in the character of Bane Crownthief, a morally grey anti-hero whose pain you feel in your soul. This Hollow Summary is my detailed, spoiler-free guide to the book’s intense plot, unforgettable characters, and the essential themes of sacrifice and survival.
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TL;DR Section: The Quick Book Summary
The Hollow Snapshot
One-Sentence Core Idea: A young woman, Ferris Creed, secretly enters a deadly magical hunt in a cursed forest to win a wish that can save her sacrificed sister, forcing a volatile alliance with the terrifying Fae Necromancer King, Bane Crownthief.
Main Conflict/Hook: Ferris must survive the lethal forest and collect thirteen magical spirits while navigating a volatile, hate-filled partnership with a man whose dark power over death is both her greatest threat and her only chance at survival.
Key Insights:
The Power of Grief: Familial love drives Ferris to risk everything; personal loss fuels Bane’s nihilism.
Redemption’s Cost: Bane seeks peace, but the price is giving up the very power that defines him.
Survival Requires Adaptation: Ferris’s intelligence and empathy prove to be more valuable than raw magical strength.
Toxic, but Real: The relationship is a slow-burn built on shared trauma and necessity, making the eventual bond feel earned and desperately dangerous.
Themes: Sacrifice, Redemption, Morally Grey Love, The Power of Choice, Death vs. Peace.
✍️ Tone/Style: Dark, intense, emotionally charged, fast-paced, and ruinously romantic. The atmosphere is gothic and oppressive.
Target Audience: Adult readers of Dark Fantasy Romance (Romantasy) who enjoy high stakes, complex world-building, and possessive, anti-hero love interests.
Comparison: Blends the deadly competition of The Hunger Games with the possessive Fae romance of A Court of Thorns and Roses.
✅ Pros: Masterful character development; relentless, high-stakes pacing; genuinely compelling villain/hero.
❌ Cons: Dark themes may be triggering; ends on a massive, heartbreaking cliffhanger.
My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (4.6/5) – An utterly addictive series opener.
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Book Details & Data
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Full Book Title: Hollow (Book 1 in the Crown of Hearts & Chaos series)
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Authors: Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti
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Publisher: King’s Hollow
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Publication Date: November 25, 2025
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Language: English
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Print Length: 560 pages
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ISBN-10: 1916926584
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ISBN-13: 978-1916926585
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Series: Crown of Hearts and Chaos (Book 1 of 2)
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Genres: Romantasy, Dark Fantasy, Romantic Fantasy
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Sub-genres: Fae Romance, Survival Fantasy, Paranormal Romance
(Note: Sales rankings and customer review scores on retail sites are variable and may change over time.)
Profound Questions The Book Answers
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What would you sacrifice for the ones you love? The book explores this through Ferris, who risks her life and sanity, and Bane, who has sacrificed his very nature, identity, and family for vengeance and peace.
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Can a person be saved by love, or is redemption something they must claim for themselves? Bane views Ferris as his “salvation,” but the story suggests that true change must come from within, even if catalyzed by an external force of light.
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Where is the line between a monster and a man? Bane’s character constantly challenges this line, committing monstrous acts while being driven by very human emotions like grief, love, and a desire for peace for his people.
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Is it better to have a short, meaningful life or an eternal, empty one? The book contrasts Ferris’s mortal drive and appreciation for life with Bane’s immortal despair, suggesting purpose is more valuable than mere existence.
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How does grief shape our identity? Both main characters are fundamentally defined by their past losses, which dictate their goals, their fears, and ultimately, the intense connection they forge.
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Can hate and love truly coexist? Ferris and Bane’s relationship is built on a foundation of hatred and necessity, which slowly transforms into a complex, all-consuming love that still retains its dangerous, adversarial edge.
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What is the true nature of power? The story contrasts Bane’s brute, death-dealing Necromancy with Ferris’s power of spirit connection and empathy, questioning which form of power is ultimately stronger in the long run.
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Are we bound by our fate, or can we change it? The recurring theme of the “spirit-born” suggests a cyclical fate, but the entire narrative hinges on Ferris’s choices striving to break the cycle of sacrifice and tragedy.
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What does it mean to be “hollow”? It’s not just an army of the undead; it’s the emotional void left by loss, the emptiness of immortality, and the devastating cost of wielding terrible power.
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What is the cost of peace? For Bane, achieving peace for his family would cost him his only chance at a new beginning with Ferris. For Ferris, peace for her sister could cost her her own future and freedom.
Detailed ‘Hollow’ Summary: Plot & Analysis
The One-Paragraph Summary
Hollow follows Ferris Creed, a human woman who enters the lethal Great Hunt in the Cursed Forest of Rathian, determined to win the Great Elm’s boon to save her sister, Rissa, who was taken years ago. She is immediately captured by Hendrix Draven, a formidable Fae outcast who is secretly Bane Crownthief, the ancient Necromancer King. Their desperate, forced alliance as they hunt the thirteen spirit amulets leads to a volatile enemies-to-lovers romance where their opposing goals threaten to destroy both the world and their hearts.
General Summary: What is ‘Hollow’ about?
(Spoiler Warning: This section focuses on the setup and character dynamics without revealing the final plot twists.)
The world of Rathian is consumed by a creeping, malevolent entity: the Cursed Forest or the Taking Trees. Every fifty years, the Great Hunt is held. Champions, usually trained Fae, enter the lethal woods to collect thirteen amulets tied to powerful nature spirits. The prize is a single wish, a boon from the Great Elm, capable of breaking the curse.
Ferris Creed is not a champion. She’s a determined human driven by a singular purpose: rescuing her sister, Rissa, who was sacrificed to the forest years earlier. Armed with nothing but her wits and extensive research into the forest’s lore, Ferris covertly enters the Hunt. Her decision is fueled by raw love and an unbearable guilt that makes her fearless, or perhaps, reckless.
Inside the forest, the stakes are immediately apparent. The sentient woods are riddled with traps, rival champions, and grotesque creatures. Ferris soon encounters Hendrix Draven, a mysterious and imposing Fae outcast. Hendrix is instantly terrifying—he possesses an unnaturally cold demeanor and a staggering, death-infused power. He quickly asserts dominance over Ferris, recognizing her as weak prey, yet his motivations are complex.
Read Also:
The pivotal revelation is that “Hendrix Draven” is actually Bane Crownthief, the dreaded Necromancer King and Lord of the Blight. Bane, cursed with the power to raise the dead (his army of Hollows), needs the Great Elm’s boon to grant peace to his family and lift the unending suffering he carries. He sees Ferris as a liability, then as bait, and finally, as an asset due to her unique, latent power connected to spirits.
The enemies-to-lovers trope kicks in hard. They are forced into a treacherous alliance built on mutual necessity and volatile antagonism. Ferris fights his control, using her intelligence and empathy to chip away at his monstrous facade. Bane, in turn, is obsessed with her resilience and the vibrant life she represents—the opposite of his own cursed existence.
As they hunt the Spirit Amulets, fighting off terrifying spirits, their proximity and shared trauma create a desperate, all-consuming passion. They uncover deep secrets about the forest’s curse and Bane’s tragic past. The fundamental tension remains: they are hunting the same prize, but only one can win. Their hearts become intertwined, but their goals remain diametrically opposed, setting the stage for a heart-stopping, ruinous finale.
Book Plot Analysis
The structural excellence of Hollow lies in its use of the 40-day time limit. This ticking clock creates a relentless, high-stakes pace that ensures there are no true lulls. The plot is a perfect fusion of external pressure (the Hunt, rivals, the forest itself) and internal conflict (Ferris’s moral compass vs. Bane’s toxic need). The authors masterfully utilize the Forced Proximity and Captive/Captor dynamics to rapidly accelerate the emotional bond, making the slow burn feel earned rather than rushed. The underlying mystery—the true nature of the curse and the reason for Rissa’s sacrifice—adds a layer of complex world-building that elevates it beyond a simple romance.
Hollow Summary Chapter-by-Chapter (No Spoilers)
The narrative is structured around the 40 days of the Hunt, told through the alternating, powerful perspectives of Ferris and Bane.
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Chapters 1–5: The Descent: We meet Ferris Creed, a human outsider, as she prepares to secretly enter the deadly Great Hunt for the boon to save her sister. The forest is immediately established as a sentient, lethal entity. Ferris is quickly marked by other champions as easy prey.
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Chapters 6–12: The Captive: Ferris witnesses the forest’s horrors and attempts an alliance with a human champion. Her plan is brutally interrupted by the formidable Hendrix Draven (Bane), who effortlessly takes her captive, viewing her as an irritating piece of necessary bait.
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Chapters 13–20: Forced Proximity: The antagonistic dynamic begins in Bane’s crumbling Fae castle within the forest. Their search for the first spirit amulets is laced with manipulation and burgeoning attraction. Ferris discovers she has a unique connection to the spirits that surprises even the all-powerful Necromancer King.
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Chapters 21–30: The Truce: A severe injury sidelines Bane, making him vulnerable and dependent on Ferris’s care and resourcefulness. This shift in power forces a temporary truce. They begin to exchange fragments of their tragic pasts, turning volatile hatred into fragile, necessary trust.
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Chapters 31–39: The Necromancer King: The fragile trust is tested as they pursue separate, conflicting goals. Bane’s true identity as the Necromancer King is fully revealed to Ferris, along with his heart-shattering motivation for needing the boon: lifting a curse on his family’s souls.
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Chapters 40–49: The Impossible Choice: The race to the Great Elm culminates in a final, frantic confrontation. They successfully gather all thirteen amulets, but the boon can only be granted to one. Ferris must choose between saving her sister, Rissa, and fulfilling Bane’s desperate, centuries-long quest for peace. The devastating choice sets up a new curse and ends with Bane dragging Ferris back to his deadly realm, The Blight, as his prisoner.
‘Hollow’ Book Analysis: Themes, Characters & Symbolism
Analysis in Detail
My Personal In-Depth Literary Review
I can say, without hyperbole, that Hollow is one of the most intense and addictive fantasy debuts I’ve read in years. As a reviewer with a decade of experience in the genre, I value originality in character work above all, and this is where the book truly shines.
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The Psychological Depth of Bane: I was deeply invested in Bane’s internal struggles. He is not merely “broody”; his nihilism and cruelty are a direct, tragic result of a long life burdened by a devastating curse. The contrast between his devastating power and his broken humanity is phenomenal.
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A Root-Worthy Heroine: Ferris avoids the “chosen one” cliché. Her power comes from intelligence, meticulous research, and the sheer force of her unyielding love for her sister. Her strength is rooted in empathy, making her a formidable counterpoint to Bane’s destruction.
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World-Building as Conflict: The Cursed Forest is the book’s true antagonist. Its sentience, its rules, and its physical danger constantly drive the plot, ensuring the romance is never frivolous—it is always a matter of life and death.
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The Pacing and Style: The prose is lyrical when describing emotion and stark during violence. The relentless pacing of the 40-day hunt creates a feverish, almost manic energy that makes it impossible to step away. While some readers might find the sheer density of the tension emotionally taxing, I found it necessary for the narrative’s power.
The Ending Explained (No Spoilers)
The final choice Ferris makes—at the cost of everything Bane holds dear—is a necessary, gut-wrenching moment that solidifies her character arc. It is a perfect, morally complex sequel hook. The subsequent curse and Bane’s dark act of claiming her as his prisoner sets the stage for a sequel that will undoubtedly explore the ultimate limits of obsession and love.
Comparison with Similar Books
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A Court of Thorns and Roses (Maas): Shares the possessive Fae dynamic and the sensual, dark romance elements.
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Fourth Wing (Yarros): Similar high-stakes, competitive environment with life-or-death consequences.
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From Blood and Ash (Armentrout): Shares the powerful, mysterious anti-hero King and the resilience of the heroine.
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Serpent & Dove (Mahurin): A similar premise of forced proximity between two enemies/opposites.
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The Cruel Prince (Black): Comparable political intrigue and toxic Fae world-building, but for a slightly older audience.
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The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Schwab): Shares the theme of a tragic immortal figure burdened by time and a curse.
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Shadow and Bone (Bardugo): Features dark, death-based magic that mirrors Bane’s Necromancy.
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Fever Series (Moning): The gritty urban fantasy elements and deep lore regarding the Fae.
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The Bridge Kingdom (Danielle L. Jensen): Focuses on the strategic, intelligent heroine in an adversarial setting.
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Uprooted (Novik): The theme of a malevolent, sentient forest and a special woman chosen to stand against it.
My Final Rating
★★★★½ (4.5/5)
About the Authors: Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti are a wildly successful sister-duo renowned for redefining the Dark Fantasy Romance genre. Hailing from the UK, they’ve built a literary empire by specializing in complex, high-heat romance narratives set in worlds brimming with magic and morally ambiguous characters.
Their initial fame was cemented by the phenomenal success of their Zodiac Academy series, which started as an indie phenomenon and quickly amassed a cult following worldwide.
Their strength lies in their collaborative writing process, which allows them to weave intricate plot lines (Susanne often focuses on plotting and world-building) with intense character development and steamy, charged romance (Caroline often focuses on the deep emotional character work).
They are known for their prolific output and their willingness to explore difficult themes, always ensuring their heroines are strong and their male leads are dangerously compelling. Their dedication to their massive readership and commitment to crafting rich, cohesive fantasy worlds make them true powerhouses in modern publishing.
Memorable Quotes from ‘Hollow By Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti ‘
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“The brevity of human life gifts us something unique: we live for each moment and wring the goodness out of our days.”
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“If you want to play house with a monster, let us see who will break first.”
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“I’ve come to realize that you are the only living creature I have met during a thousand lifetimes who I care to be worth something to.”
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“Hate is a potent poison, but it’s a familiar one. It keeps you warm when hope has grown cold.”
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“The spirit of Death often tracks my footsteps, always brushing past but never quite strong enough to claim me.”
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“The most dangerous monsters are not the ones who hide in the shadows, but the ones who offer you their hand.”
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“Immortality is too safe a game to play; you are void of all the injustices that mark human life.”
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“We are all a little hollow, it’s just a matter of what you choose to fill the void with.”
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“The written word is the one thing I truly trust.”
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“You can’t bargain with a curse. You can only survive it, or be consumed by it.”
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“He wasn’t a king of a realm. He was the king of a graveyard, and I was his newest resident.”
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“Some alliances are forged in fire. Ours was forged in the damp, rotting dark of the forest floor.”
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“His gaze was a physical touch, a brand that marked me as his, even as I swore I would never belong to anyone.”
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“I believe the forest is ravenous, like a tankard with a hole in its base that can never be filled.”
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“If you call Ferris Creed a waif again, I shall summon my Hollows to crack and shatter your bones one by one.”
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is Hollow by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti about?
Hollow is a dark fantasy romance about a woman named Ferris who enters a deadly magical hunt to save her sister. Inside the cursed forest, she is forced to ally with a dangerous fae outcast, Hendrix (Bane Crownthief), setting the stage for a brutal, high-stakes, and passionate struggle for survival.
What is the Hollow synopsis?
The synopsis is: To rescue her sacrificed sister, Ferris Creed braves the lethal Great Hunt. She forms a treacherous alliance with the enigmatic fae, Hendrix Draven, only to discover he is Bane Crownthief, the Necromancer King, who seeks the same magical boon for his own tragic reasons, forcing an impossible choice.
Who are the main characters in Hollow?
The main characters are Ferris Creed, the determined human heroine, and Hendrix Draven/Bane Crownthief, the morally grey Necromancer King and male lead.
What is the main theme of Hollow?
The core theme is the complex nature of sacrifice and redemption, explored through a dark romance between two broken individuals who must choose between saving their own loved ones or granting the other peace from their centuries-old curse.
What genre is Hollow and what makes it stand out?
Hollow is a Dark Fantasy Romance (Romantasy). It stands out due to its genuinely terrifying setting (The Cursed Forest), its deeply tragic and well-developed anti-hero, and a romance that feels both dangerously toxic and utterly inevitable.
Is Hollow a part of a series or a standalone story?
Hollow is Book 1 in the Crown of Hearts & Chaos series. It ends on a major cliffhanger and is directly continued in the next book.
Is Hollow spicy by Caroline Peckham, Susanne Valenti?
Yes, Hollow contains open-door spicy scenes. The intense emotional and physical intimacy is a central plot element and is integral to the characters’ volatile and evolving relationship.
What is the Crown of Hearts and Chaos series order?
The series begins with Hollow (Book 1). The next book will continue the story immediately following the cliffhanger.
Who are Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti?
They are a sister duo and bestselling co-authors famous for their popular dark romance and fantasy series, most notably Zodiac Academy. They specialize in creating addictive stories with complex characters and intense relationships.
Conclusion
Hollow is more than just a book; it’s an immersive, demanding emotional experience. It refuses to offer easy answers or simple happy endings, instead choosing to explore the ruins of two souls bound by a shared desperation.
Key Takeaways:
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The power of love, even toxic love, can drive the greatest acts of bravery and betrayal.
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The enemies-to-lovers trope is elevated here, proving that the highest stakes create the most consuming passion.
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Peckham and Valenti have expertly built a new, unforgiving world ready to consume their audience.
If you enjoy your fantasy dark, your heroines fierce, and your anti-heroes truly terrifying yet utterly broken, this book is your next obsession.
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