Hollow Heathens: Book of Blackwell

Tales of Weeping, Hollow 1

By: Nicole Fiorina

Narrated by: Lilly Drake, Vincent Skye, Zara Eden

From Amazon's number-one best-selling author in Gothic romance comes a haunting and forbidden love strong enough to murder fears and break centuries-old curses.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl named Fallon who was taken far away from home shortly after she was born. A home that held more than strange traditions and bizarre superstitions. Twenty-four years later, she returned to Weeping Hollow, a town she'd only heard about in stories during restless nights under a marble moon, to take care of her last living relative.

They called the nosy mortician a freakshow--a ghastly thing. They said I couldn't go near her. Still, there was this aching pull to Fallon Grimaldi that I couldn't escape. A nostalgic pull as if we'd been here before.

Once upon a time, there lived a mysterious boy named Julian with a curse as old as centuries wrapped around his soul. He was one of the four Hollow Heathens, the very dark creatures who caused the townspeople to live in fear. And the Blackwell name was stained with darkness and death. They called him a monster. Cold and hollow. They said I shouldn't go near him. Still, there was this aching pull to Julian Blackwell that I couldn't escape. A nostalgic pull as if we'd been here before.

Hollow Heathens can be listened to as a stand-alone or within the interconnected series. For a better listening experience, listen to the books in the order they are published.

©2020 Nicole Fiorina (P)2022 Nicole Fiorina

Confusing and drawn out

It wasn’t bad but wasn’t great either. The things that really bothered me was how confusing it was. So many things never get answered and the reader is left wanting. Whatever power the FMC has is left til the very end and I still have no clue what those powers are because nothing is explained. There’s no big reveal or badass moment where she embraces herself…nothing. She just gets her power and uses it to make a stupid decision. The MMC is trying to explain himself but instead of listening, she jumps off a cliff?? The whole miscommunication trope is a hated one. The FMC is also super naive and lets those around her treat her like a child. She chokes constantly when it comes to speaking up, leaving the villains/bullies to speak for her while she just stands there, neither denying or affirming what they say, leaving everyone to believe the villains. And this happens multiple times. She doesn’t speak up or defend anyone because her mind goes blank, making me believe the author wanted the FMC to be a complete imbecile who isn’t capable of making decisions. She also is aware that it’s not a safe town yet leaves her door open and guess what? She gets kidnapped and someone dies. There are no answers for why her father, mother, and uncle chose to not visit her even though she can see the dead. No answer for who the “find me” guy is. No answer for what happens to the coven that kidnapped her or if there is retribution. No answer for the revelations that the psychic said about the villains or if any of it comes true. It’s all very confusing and you’re left with questions that don’t come. And the ending doesn’t end on a cliffhanger and the 2nd book says it’s basically optional to read the 1st book, which tells me this is a standalone and there aren’t going to be answers in book 2. There is a HEA, but again, you’re left wanting because of how short it is. It’s a 14 hour book and most of the content wasn’t needed for the betterment of the story. I would’ve liked a longer story at the end after they break the curse to see them happy, than have to go through hours of nonsense that added nothing to the story.

Slow Burn with an interesting plot/story

Narration
The narration was absolutely amazing and intoxicating. it kept me entertained throughout the whole book. they made me giggle and feel like I was there. I was initially confused when I saw three narrators but I loved that they separated past character with the present characters.

Story
The story was captivating and made you want to keep reading to get more answers. Not to mention that covens, witches, and slow burn. The story read as a YA or as if the characters were high schoolers and not individuals in their 20s. This was a roller coaster read and the ending made me want me to continue the series haha

It’s perfect!!

I love this book so much! I’m so happy to have an audible version in my hands. The narrator is great. She brings Fallon to life. I also love Grandpa Benny voice. If your looking for a great spooky read this is the book for you. Hollow heathens has it all mystery, suspense, love, and found family. The characters are awesome and the narration does a great job bring this wonderful book to life. It even better than I hoped for. I am going to be listening to this book multiple times I just know it! 💕🥰😍

Haunting story brought to life!

I absolutely love Hollow Heathens - is the perfect read for spooky season. These narrators did such an amazing job being Julian, Fallon and co. to life! It felt like sitting around a campfire listening to someone tell a scary story.

Give this a listen if you like a story with equal parts dark magic, romance, mystery, haunted town, curses and MORE!

Love the Heathens!

I absolutely loved this audiobook. The voices were so captivating and the story was so beautiful and haunting.

Slow read

This read really slow and YA. I had to up the playback speed. Give it a try though it is worth the read and maybe

Amazing story!

I can’t even begin to write this review. The whole story is captivating & epically told through some dark twisted history that doesn’t end or will make you think twice! I’m not a favorite of giving any type of hints or spoilers! This one should not be overlooked! Applause to this amazing author & mind blowing Narration! Those are hard to come by!

The audiobook you need this Fall

Audio Review:
When I heard one of my favorite fall reads from last year was getting an audiobook, I knew I needed it immediately to help me get into my fall feels once again.

The voice actors did not disappoint. Fallon’s voice actress had the most beautiful and lyrical yet whimsy voice that just added even more to the character. It was the perfect fit and made me fall in love with her all over again. The voice actor for Julian was not only the perfect fit for him, but beautifully matched Fallon’s. Together they made the chemistry in this book come alive and it was so freaking cool to hear it versus read it. They truly nailed their performances and I can see myself coming back to audiobook repeatedly in the future.

My only tiny complaint was that I didn’t particularly enjoy the voice actress for the flashback/history scenes. I would have preferred the other voice actress to read them, but even that wasn’t a deal breaker and it was nice to have a separate actress distinguish those scenes. The accent she was going for just threw me off a tad but it was such a small issue it’s not worth even considering deducting a star for.

Definitely the audiobook you need this fall!

Book Review:
When I first read the synopsis I thought I was going to be reading this super dark and scary story that would keep me up at night. Instead I got a beautifully written gothic love story that did make me question the shadows for a bit. I couldn’t put it down and I didn’t want to.

Hollow Heathens was this perfectly crafted story about love, lies and magic set against this romantic gothic backdrop. The world building was incredible and I can’t wait to explore Weeping Hollow further in the next books. Think Stars Hollow: Magic Edition or Forks, Washington but with feuding covens. For a small town it felt huge and there is still so much to discover. I was drawn to it’s small town vibes and the community that attempted to live harmoniously.

Fallon was a total bada** without even knowing it. Never changing herself for anyone despite her struggles with other people. She never let it jade her into being an awful person. I do feel like her personality got a tad lost at times within the love story, but like the strong and stubborn woman she is she always managed to pull it together at the right moments.

Julian was an enigma. Actually the Hollow Heathens as a whole were. I could never get a good read on them nor the pressures they faced from their coven. That all still feels like a mystery to me, but Julian was a heathen with a managed heart deserving of love. He didn’t chose the hand he was dealt but did his best to honor his magic and lead his people. A leader with a kind yet misunderstood heart. I swooned and hard. Dark, sexy, sweet and only eyes for his girl? Sign me up please.

Fallon and Julian made my heart hurt, each shunned and put down for things they can’t control. They have a lifetime of hurt, of being outcasts, until they find each other. *Cue the forbidden romance* It’s not an easy journey though with a ton of obstacles standing in their way. I loved their stolen moments and how I felt like an interloper in them while also simultaneously not being able to look away. I of course wish for more of those moments (smutty and cute) but am content with how their story ended.

There are still quite a few things in this book that I don’t quite understand though. It all seemed very low stakes until all of a sudden it wasn’t. It felt very much like a fever dream, real or not real? It was just how Weeping Hollow was though and with Fallon not having grown up there and most of the book being from her perspective, we kinda lose the rivalry between covens and how their power is divided. It was seen in Julian’s perspective a bit and I think that dual POV did help to balance the story. I do hope the intricacies of the two covens is explored more in the next books.

To say I loved this book would be an understatement. It’s one I see myself rereading for years to come and from the moment I met the Hollow Heathens, I knew each was going to get their own story (Team Phoenix and Fable 4ever!). We’ve just barely scratched the surface with this new world and I can’t wait to explore it more while also meeting new characters and seeing old ones grow in the background. In the meantime I’ll just be immersing myself in the Hollow Heathens playlist and day dreaming about Julian.

Paranormal Romance

🗝️ “Hate me, moon girl. Hate me like the rest of them. Hate me as I hate me. Because if you don't, one of us will kill you, and it will probably be me.”


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
🌶️🌶️🌶️
Paranormal Romance 📖🎧

I absolutely loved everything about this book! The romance, the plot, it was all a whirlwind of swoon, intrigue, and some spice. I listened to this story on audio as I read along on kindle.

🗝️Forbidden Romance
🗝️ Masked Heathens
🗝️ Paranormal Romance
🗝️ Angst
🗝️ Morally Grey MMC
🗝️ Witches
🗝️ Dual POV

It didn’t hold my attention at all…

I literally kept having to go back and listen to sections over again. And it seems weird that grown men walk around in town with masks on. And what’s with all of the Stephen King references? I have 13 hours left and Duma Key, Wolves of Calla, Lisey’s Story, It, Rose Madder and more have been mentioned. It’s distracting.