CW: for rape, sexual harassment, and abuse.

This was interesting, though not quite what I expected. Having read Monahan's Mary Duology (and loved it), I was expecting this to be more of a horror novel, but I honestly wouldn't classify it as that. Is it a dark story? Yes. Is there gore and violence? Yes. But is it really horror? I guess that's debatable, but in my opinion no.

It is a story of revenge (which I do love a good revenge story), however with this I just felt the pacing was off and could have been improved. We spend quite a bit of time in the beginning getting to know the characters and setting up the world. This part could have been shorten a bit, and we could have gotten to the inciting incident sooner. I thought the majority of the story would have focused on Bethan (our MC) getting revenge on the boys who abused/assaulted her, however this part of the story was not as long as I thought it would be.

I thought it was interesting seeing the internal struggle Bethan went through between wanting to get revenge and hurt the boys who abused her and not wanting to engage in violence and become a monster herself.

Overall, I did like the story, it just wasn't exactly what I was expecting. ( )

Featured in a blog post at https://booksbeyondbinaries.blog/2019/08/19/femme-rebels/ ( )

This is such a powerful book. It really packs an emotional wallop. I cried off and on through the entire thing. And then I didn't want to read anything else for a week after.

Full review to come. ( )

Librarian Review (See below for student review)
Literary Merit: Good
Characterization: Good
Grades: 9-12
Recommendation: Recommended for larger collections

Bethan is the adopted daughter of the drabarni of a caravan of Romani people. The drabarni is the heart of the people, trusted as a healer and herbalist, but she also has magical powers that can sometimes be used for dark purposes. It is Bethan’s responsibility to sell the herb bags she and Gran assemble in the town market. Unfortunately for Bethan, she has attracted the attention of Silas, son of the chieftain of the caravan. Silas looks for opportunities to catch her alone and proposition her even though girls are expected to remain pure until they are married. While hawking her wares at the market one day, Bethan meets Martyn, who is selling items from his farm at the stand next to hers. The two strike up a cautious friendship after Martyn defends her from the town drunk when he tries to start trouble. Unfortunately, Silas takes notice of their friendship and sets in motion a disastrous chain of events that leave Bethan with one desire...vengeance.

Readers who are put off by descriptions of violence should be warned that, although it is not gratuitous, violence is central to the plot of this book. A rape occurs mostly off the page, and there are multiple dismemberments. If you can handle all that, Bethan’s is a compelling story with some unexpected twists, and though her actions are brutal at times, it was darkly satisfying to see these boys pay the price for their part in the crimes committed against her. The juxtaposition of Bethan as Martyn’s savior after he played the hero in the beginning of the book added to the feminist themes present in a book about a patriarchal culture. Though there are gory moments, I wouldn’t describe this as a horror novel. I never experienced those feelings of suspense and dread that I associate with the genre, but this is a solid section for those looking for a dark story of revenge.

Student Review by Anita O (Grade 12)
Book Grade Level: 9+
Genre: Young Adult, Horror/Thriller, Fantasy
Characterization: Interesting
Literary Merit: Good
Hilary Monahan’s The Hollow Girl is about a Romani girl named Bethan who lives with her gran, Drina. Drina is not only a great healer, but she is also a powerful witch who is both feared and admired in their Romani Welsh clan, giving her the title of drabani. However, this isn’t enough to stop Silas--the Chieftain's son--and his four other friends, from taunting Bethan. Their constant harassment gets so bad that they brutally assault Bethan and her friend, Martyn, leaving him practically dead. However, Bethan has dealt with Silas’ abuse for far too long, and will do anything to bring Martyn back to life, even if it means completely changing and becoming someone she is not.
I’ve definitely never read anything like this book before, and I’m glad to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Maybe it could be due to my slightly sadistic tendencies, but I loved every bit of the revenge that Bethan served those five boys. What those boys did to Bethan was not only unnecessary, but it was beyond cruel and disgusting. They deserved every bit of pain that she dished out to them, and even more. also, the plot twist that occured in this book was appalling and I loved that. Most movies and books today have plots that are very predictable, but I never would have been able to guess or figure out anything about the plot twist prior to when it was revealed, and I wish I could have the opportunity to read other books that are able to interest me with every page and keep me on my toes as The Hollow Girl managed to do.

Another librarian review:
Literary merit: okay
characterization: nope
age: high school

The author's forward warns that the book's plot revolves around a rape. However, the rape doesn't happen until page 113 out of 259. It felt awkward reading along, trying to get past the rape (rather than getting to it). Furthermore, Bet's kind of concerned about the whole "eye for an eye" thing and is constantly reminding readers and outsiders that the Romani actually practice Christianity. But then there's also the whole divination thing: spells, voodoo dolls, harvesting body parts that makes WWJD kind of a STRETCH for me. Finally, as far as characterization, I can't say it better than Kirkus this time, so here's a quote: "While Gran explains that her magic doesn't come from Romani blood, the clan's caravan life is dominated by the drabarni's dark spells. The result leaves an earnest narrator attempting to depict Romani life as neither criminal nor magical, while the tale itself is about Romani who are at least one or the other. A cathartic revenge fantasy of rape recovery, Quentin Tarantino-style, weakened by the stereotype-laden depiction of Romani people." ( )

So, I'm not really sure what to say about this one. I was really looking forward to a spooky read for October and I don't know if I read the synopsis wrong or what but it wasn't really what I was hoping for. It was still an interesting read and had some spooky elements but I had a hard time connecting with the characters. ( )