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Erica Robyn Reads

a horror book review blog

[Book Review] Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

April 20, 2020      Erica Robyn      20 Comments

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton book photo by Erica Robyn Reads

Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton is an absolutely hilarious apocalyptic tale about a crow and a beagle. These two are are on a mission to save the other domesticated animals who are stuck indoors after all of the humans turned.

Shout-out to Barb of Booker T’s Farm – Books and Nails and Puppy Dog Tales for recommending this one to me! You were right; I LOVED it!

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton

When the story begins, our main character, a crow named Shit Turd (or S.T. for short) is beating himself up for not realizing that something was wrong sooner than he did… S.T. then lays out the day where it all started, he informs the reader that he’s here to explain everything, and then we’re off and running!

The story line definitely kept me engaged. The plot followed an apocalyptic focus, but it had such an original twist! I mean… what does happen to the poor animals that are left inside when the world turns and their humans don’t come back for them? Seems like there’s an obvious answer there, huh? Thank goodness for S.T. and Dennis!

I loved that we got to see things from the perspectives of the animals throughout the story. The bond that S.T. had with Dennis was so wonderfully heartwarming.

The writing style was amazing. It’s definitely the most lighthearted and fun novel that I have read in quite some time. I loved all of the quick little chapters that we got from other animal’s perspectives! The cat was hilariously cocky, as was the poodle. The polar bear broke my heart!

I couldn’t wait to see what other creature S.T. would run into next on his journey! It was so fun to see which creatures were dangerous, helpful, or other such things. It was also wicked fun to learn the dialects and tones of each creature! 

My goodness. You need to go pick this one up. It’s such a hoot! Or should I say… a caw?

My Favorite Passages from Hollow Kingdom

“Hello!” I squawked in perfect English. No response. “Hello there!” A goddamned talking crow and not even a raised eyebrow. Seriously? The world had gone to shit. 

“Never presume to know the journey of another, friend,” he said.

I enjoyed the pleasantness of the moment, surprised to find myself giddy, as if full of beer bubbles that fizzed their way to freedom. 

I got star struck at the sight of a snowy owl, because, I mean, Harry Potter. I had never seen these birds except for in pixel form, and here they were, shiny eyed and ruffling their magnificence. 

“Don’t worry,” he said in a jittery whisper. “I believe in you.” They were tiny words from a tiny bird, but perhaps sometimes all you need is a speck of encouragement, an acorn of belief. 

My Final Thoughts on Hollow Kingdom

While hilarious, this novel also has a whole lot of heart! I teared up so many times. This book was a home run for me!

I highly recommend this one to any reader that enjoys stories told from the perspectives of animals and for those that are looking for a read that will keep you laughing.


Snag a copy through Bookshop to help support local indie bookshops:

Thanks for reading!
If you’ve read this one, I’d love to hear what you thought! Also, if you read this and enjoyed it, I gotta also recommend The Limpet Syndrome by Tony Moyle!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paige Schildkamp says

    April 20, 2020 at 9:23 am

    Every time I see this cover I think about how eye-catching it is! I love it! And I had no idea what this was about but it sounds ridiculous, in the good kind of way.

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      Right?! I love the cover so much!

      Reply
  2. Karen Alderman says

    April 20, 2020 at 12:54 pm

    I had this from the library but couldn’t get to it in time. thanks for the reminder!

    It sounds like something my non focusing brain can handle right now lol

    Karen @ For What It’s Worth

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:18 pm

      Oh darn! It’s such a bummer when that happens. But definitely!! I’m in the same boat; it’s so hard to stay focused!

      Reply
  3. cathleen says

    April 20, 2020 at 1:04 pm

    Great review, thank you for sharing! I’m definitely interested in getting this book!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:21 pm

      Thank you and that’s awesome! I hope you love it as much as I did! 🙂

      Reply
  4. Nannette Demmler says

    April 20, 2020 at 1:35 pm

    Wow, this sounds like a really interesting book! Good review!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:21 pm

      It sure is! It’s such a fun read!

      Reply
  5. Barb @ Booker T's Farm says

    April 21, 2020 at 5:20 pm

    I really enjoyed your review and am so glad you loved this one. I am hoping for another book in this world eventually. If you don’t follow the author on Twitter or Instagram, you should, she’s super nice and actually has a pet crow!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:22 pm

      <3 <3 Ooh! YES! I would love another book! Oh my, I am off to follower her right now!!

      Reply
  6. ShootingStarsMag says

    April 22, 2020 at 7:47 am

    I didn’t know what this one was about, but I need to read it now!!! Thanks for sharing – and love your photo here. 🙂

    -lauren

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      Thank you so much! I would love to see what you think of this one when you have time to pick it up! It’s such an awesome read!

      Reply
  7. chucklesthescot says

    April 22, 2020 at 9:45 am

    I’m so looking forward to reading this book! One of the many hundreds on my TBR!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      <3 <3 I would love to see what you think when you pick it up!!

      Reply
  8. Barb @ Booker T's Farm says

    April 22, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    I am so glad you loved this one. I’m really hoping for a sequel someday.

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:28 pm

      That would be AMAZING!! <3

      Reply
  9. Jennifer | Book Den says

    April 23, 2020 at 9:22 pm

    Isn’t this book amazing? I just loved it so!

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      April 23, 2020 at 9:29 pm

      100%!! I loved it SO much!

      Reply
  10. Olivia Roach says

    May 7, 2020 at 6:07 am

    It sounds so cool and unique that you follow so many different povs and you get animals perspectives as well! Sounds like this was the perfect read for you and that you enjoyed it a lot ^.^

    Reply
    • Erica Robyn says

      May 7, 2020 at 10:26 pm

      It’s so so so good!!

      Reply

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Erica Robyn of Erica Robyn Reads
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