THE HOLLOW AND THE HAUNTED by Camilla Raines – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Hollow and the Haunted by Camilla Raines
Series: The Hollow and the Haunted #1
Published by Titan Books on October 22 2024
Genres: Fantasy, ghost story, LGBTQ+, Young adult
Pages: 384
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: The Hollow and the Haunted is an impressive YA debut with humor, high stakes and a nicely done grumpy/sunshine romance.

You probably know I’m not a big YA reader, and when I do read it, it takes a lot to impress me. I’ve seen lots of enthusiastic reviews of The Hollow and the Haunted floating around, and I’m thrilled to say Camilla Raines’ debut is as excellent as I’ve heard. I loved the characters, I loved the author’s writing style, there’s a touch of slow burn queer romance, and the plot itself was fast-paced and lots of fun. YA fans will love this too, obviously:-)

Miles Warren and his family live in the small town of Thistle, one of a group of families with special abilities. The Warren family business involves helping people who are being haunted set those spirits to rest. Miles reluctantly does his part by digging up graves at night and reuniting dead bodies with things like missing jewelry or other personal items, but he has his heart set on leaving Thistle after graduation and going to art school.

Miles is surprised one day when he looks in the mirror and comes face to face with a strange boy. The boy is trying to tell him something, and he has blood running down his face. Miles is an empath, and he can sense other people’s emotions, but he’s certainly not a seer, and this “vision” suggests that the boy in the mirror might be in danger.

His fears are confirmed when he goes to a party and sees the boy from his vision. Gabriel Hawthorne is the son of Felicity Hawthorne, a powerful and cruel woman who holds a grudge against the Warrens, and when Miles tries to talk to Gabriel, he finds him just as mean as his mother. Gabriel takes Miles’s warning as a threat instead and brushes him off, but Miles is certain that his vision is important.

Eventually Gabriel agrees to help Miles figure out what’s going on, but as they start digging into their family histories, the two boys uncover long buried dark secrets, secrets that could destroy them both.

This is such a well rounded story, with lovable characters, lots of high stakes action, and great dialog. Miles is gay but he hasn’t told anyone yet, and so his mother keeps pushing him to go on dates with girls (it was so awkward!). Although Miles loves his family, he wants to go off and do his own thing, just like any normal young adult, but he feels trapped by obligation. When he meets Gabriel, he decides he’s going to save his life, even if Gabriel doesn’t want him too. This is a grumpy/sunshine romance, and I was completely on board with their adorable, slow burn relationship.

The rest of the characters aren’t as well developed, but I was OK with that because I loved Miles and Gabriel so much. I did like the way the class divide was handled. The Warrens and Hawthornes barely speak to each other because of something that happened in the past, and although Miles has no idea what this event was, he’s been told by his parents to stay away from the Hawthornes or else. Of course, when he and Gabriel start working together, it means they have to sneak around so they don’t get caught. I loved the tension this set-up created, and as the two boys get closer to uncovering the truth about Gabriel’s possible fate, every decision they make brings them closer to danger.

The story ends on a cliffhanger, which I was not expecting! I’m a little grumpy about that, because the sequel hasn’t even been announced yet, so there’s not even a book title or release date to make me feel better, lol. I can’t wait to read more of Miles’s and Gabriel’s story, especially after that ending. I highly recommend The Hollow and the Haunted for readers who love engaging characters and high-stakes stories about dark magic.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.