Book Review: The Hollow Sun by D.L. Wainright

I recently finished The Hollow Sun by D.L. Wainright.  It is the first installment in the Hollow Sun series, and Wainright's first novel.


TheHollowSun.com
Twitter: @thehollowsun
Facebook: The Hollow Sun Series
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Disclaimer: The author is a friend of mine, and I have known about some aspects of the book over the years as they were writing it. However, my love and loyalty to my friends does not over-power my sheer book nerdiness, and therefore this revue is my honest opinion. Friends come and go, but stories are forever!!


Description from the back cover:
Lucy Kincade is used to darkness, having lost her father in an accident when she was a child. Nothing, however, has prepared her for just how dark her reality will become. The truth should be an illuminating thing; but for Lucy, the more she discovers the more the light is leeched from her world. There's the monster who smiles at her from behind a human face, the friends who had lied about what they truly are, and the allies who promise protection while hiding bloody knives behind their backs. Just when she thinks she knows what's real, she's only found another layer of secrets waiting to be unraveled.

A supernatural fantasy book that drags you in, gets you hooked, and may have you running to your library's research section.

The story is about Lucy, a goth teenager just trying to get through school and enjoy life with her friends. But things start to change and she learns that the world around her is not what is seems.  Not only do things like vampire and werewolves exist, but they are a lot closer to home than she could have imagined. As she is learning about all the supernaturals in the world, she is also learning about herself and the father she'd lost so many years ago.  And this lesson is taking her on one hell of an adventure.

Wainright's story about teen Lucy and her discovering the secrets of the people and the world around her is laced with mythology and folklore from around the world.  And unlike most popular supernatural YA fiction, this folklore isn't pulled from film, tv, or the author's own creations.  More than once I found myself looking up some of the creatures and stories referenced because I wanted to learn more about it.  And more than once I was wishing that there was a nerdy community out there to discuss ideas and theories floating in my head about Lucy and her world! Told from her perspective, the reader is taken on the same journey that Lucy is on, discovering the truth about who her friends are, her family, and who she can and cannot trust.  The characters thwart the usual teen novel character tropes, while at the same remain familiar. You may see your own friends and enemies within them. If your friends and enemies are werewolves and vampires, that is.

The book is a fairly quick read, though sometimes I found myself stopping and finding passages to re-read to clarify the details in my head.  But mostly in the same way I would in an Agatha Christie story.  It combines the usual supernatural teen fantasy elements with folklore and has the feel of a mystery novel at the same time.  Almost like the Harry Potter series, even the most banal tidbit may end up being important later on.

So, I guess it's clear that I really liked this book. Ok, more like LOVED it.  The one complaint is that the sequel isn't ready yet, and I'm pretty sure D.L. is never going to let me read any bits before it's done, knowing how I want MOAR.

I would recommend this book to: teens and young adults; anyone who likes supernatural fiction; anyone who watches Supernatural; lovers of YA novels;  parents who don't want their kids reading Twilight; people who read Twilight and want less sparkle with their vampires; people who generally want supernatural fiction YA stories with a strong female lead and fewer Hollywood tropes; anyone who has ever argued about the historical folklore behind the Dracula stories; mythology and folklore nerds (I know my people are out there!), historically accurate goths; the curious folks.

Please go read this book so that I can talk about it with people!!!! It's no fun when the only person you knows whose read it is the author!!

Also, my friend totally finished that book he's been researching and writing for a long time, and I am so excited! Mostly because it's good. It would suck if I didn't like it. But how great is it to get to fangirl your friend?