What to read next
10 books like The Hollow Places
The bunkers, islands, and willows make every doorway feel like exposure, while Kara and Simon's practical bond prevents cosmic horror from becoming emotionally empty. The picks below take that appeal in different directions.
Read our review of The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher.
Best matches
Three strong places to start
If you only want three picks, start here.
Best overall
Fastest read
Best alternative
Choose by reading mood
Where to start
For the fastest read
Wolf Worm
BalancedFor the darkest read
The Curse of Hester Gardens
Very darkFor the strongest romance
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
CentralFor the easiest entry
The Twisted Ones
AccessibleThe full shortlist
Why each book belongs here
See what each pick shares with The Hollow Places, and where it goes in a different direction.
1
The Twisted Ones
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Different because
- The Twisted Ones uses rural folk horror and a discovered journal; The Hollow Places is more spatial and cosmic.
2
What Moves the Dead
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
Why this matches
- Different because
- What Moves the Dead is tighter, more Gothic, and more biologically explanatory, with less banter.
3
The Shining
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Why this matches
- Different because
- The Shining offers a slower, psychologically denser haunting centered on family and addiction rather than friendship.
4
A Sorceress Comes to Call
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
5
Wolf Worm
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Very dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
6
The Curse of Hester Gardens
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Very dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
7
Someone You Can Build a Nest In
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Central
- Difficulty
- Accessible
8
Between Two Fires
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Very dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
9
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Accessible
10
The Metamorphosis
- Pace
- Balanced
- Darkness
- Dark
- Romance
- Minimal
- Difficulty
- Moderate
Side-by-side
Pace, darkness, romance, and difficulty
| Book | Pace | Darkness | Romance | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Hollow Places | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Twisted Ones | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| What Moves the Dead | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Shining | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Moderate |
| A Sorceress Comes to Call | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| Wolf Worm | Balanced | Very dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Curse of Hester Gardens | Balanced | Very dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| Someone You Can Build a Nest In | Balanced | Dark | Central | Accessible |
| Between Two Fires | Balanced | Very dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Accessible |
| The Metamorphosis | Balanced | Dark | Minimal | Moderate |
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