The Hollow by Nora Roberts is the second book in the Sign of Seven trilogy. It continues only a few weeks after Blood Brothers ends. The six main characters managed to hurt the demon in the first book, but they didn’t destroy him. Now they need to learn more about their past and their abilities before the Seven returns again.

I enjoyed The Hollow about as much as the first book. The main storyline hasn’t really changed. All six characters are still working together to figure out how to destroy the demon for good. However, this time the romantic focus shifts from Cal and Quinn to Fox and Layla.

A Brief Summary of The Hollow

Every seven years, the town of Hawkins Hollow goes through seven terrible days known simply as the Seven. During that time, a demon named Lazarus Twisse creates chaos throughout the town.

Fox has been dealing with the supernatural since he was ten years old and experienced the first Seven. He can hear other people’s thoughts, although his ability works best when he is relaxed.

Layla has the same ability. However, she didn’t realize she had been using it for years. In fact, it explains why she was so successful in sales. Without understanding what she was doing, she could sense what customers wanted.

Unfortunately, Layla also learns something much harder to accept. She is a descendant of Lazarus Twisse. She doesn’t like knowing that she has the demon’s blood running through her family.

Meanwhile, Fox and Layla need to learn how to control their abilities. At the same time, the six friends continue researching the past. Much of their research focuses on Ann Hawkins and her lover, Giles Dent, and what happened between them centuries ago. They hope that uncovering more of their story will provide clues about how to finally destroy Twisse.

What I Liked About The Hollow

One of my favorite parts of The Hollow was the research into the past. I wanted to know more about what happened with Ann Hawkins and Giles Dent and how their story connected to everything happening in Hawkins Hollow now.

The history becomes even more complicated because Lazarus Twisse raped Hester Deale, creating another connection between the past and the people now fighting him. As the six uncover more about their ancestors, they hope to find something that will help them defeat Twisse for good.

I liked piecing that history together with the characters. The research didn’t slow the story down for me. Instead, it was one reason I wanted to keep reading.

All six characters remain important to the story, too. Even though Fox and Layla are the featured couple, Cal, Quinn, Gage, and Cybil haven’t faded into the background.

Each person has different supernatural abilities. Therefore, they need one another as they research the past, search for information, and prepare for what is coming.

I liked that aspect of the first book, and it continues here. This really feels like one long story told over three books rather than three separate stories.

Fox and Layla’s Shared Ability

I also enjoyed watching Layla learn how to deal with her ability to read people’s minds. She didn’t understand it at first, and she certainly didn’t know how to control it.

Fox could help because he has the same gift. He’d lived with it much longer and understood how it worked.

I thought their connection was more interesting than their romantic connection. They could relate to each other in a way the others couldn’t because they shared the same ability.

Fox’s Life Outside the Supernatural

I also liked seeing Fox working as a lawyer and actually enjoying his career. With so much of the story involving demons, supernatural powers, and a centuries-old curse, his everyday work brought some normalcy to the book.

It reminded me that these characters still have regular lives to live. They aren’t simply sitting around waiting for the next supernatural attack.

Fox and Layla’s Romance

The romance between Fox and Layla was okay, but I wouldn’t say it felt very romantic.

They didn’t get together as quickly as Cal and Quinn did in Blood Brothers. Fox was clearly attracted to Layla and was willing to wait until she was ready.

However, once Layla decided she was ready, things moved very quickly. There wasn’t much easing into a relationship. Instead, their relationship seemed to involve a lot of physical attraction and sex.

Because of that, I didn’t feel as though I was watching two people gradually fall in love. Their attraction was obvious, but the emotional side of the romance didn’t stand out to me nearly as much.

Fortunately, the larger story interested me enough that this didn’t hurt the book too much.

Is The Hollow Scary?

Considering that The Hollow is about six people trying to destroy a demon, you might expect it to be scary. For the most part, it really isn’t.

Twisse comes across more like an evil man with supernatural powers than the kind of demon I would normally picture. His most dangerous ability is getting inside people’s minds and using their fears against them.

One part, however, did scare me.

Twisse isolates each of the six characters and creates a different situation based on that person’s individual fears. Layla, for example, is terrified of snakes, so he makes snakes appear around her.

The six know that what they’re seeing isn’t real. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t hurt them. The snakes can still bite.

That section worked because I genuinely wondered how each of them would escape. They had to fight what Twisse was putting into their minds before they could make it disappear.

Still, I wouldn’t consider The Hollow a horror novel. The supernatural elements create suspense, but the book never felt frightening overall.

The Hollow Continues the Sign of Seven Story

Readers should know that The Hollow doesn’t have a complete ending.

The six characters learn more, develop their abilities, and make progress. However, the battle against Twisse isn’t finished. The story simply continues into the third and final book.

Normally, an unfinished ending can be frustrating. In this case, though, I knew I was reading the middle book of a trilogy. By this point, I was invested enough in the mystery that I immediately started the final book.

I want to know more about what happened with Ann Hawkins and Giles Dent. More importantly, I want to see whether the six of them can use what they learn about the past to finally destroy Twisse.

Final Thoughts on The Hollow

I gave The Hollow by Nora Roberts 3 out of 5 stars, which is about how I felt about the first book.

The mystery surrounding Hawkins Hollow remains the strongest part of the trilogy for me. I enjoy watching the six characters investigate their history, discover more about their powers, and piece together information that might finally help them stop Twisse.

Fox and Layla’s relationship didn’t add much to the story for me. Although their shared mind-reading ability gave them an interesting connection, their romantic relationship felt more physical than romantic.

Still, the ongoing mystery kept me interested. In fact, I immediately moved on to the third book because I wanted to find out how the entire story ends.

So far, the Sign of Seven trilogy hasn’t made me want to seek out more Nora Roberts books. However, it has done enough to keep me reading all three books. For a three-star series, that’s actually a pretty good indication that the central mystery is working.

My Rating: 3/5 Stars