Review: The Hollow of Mont Noir by Jennifer Krey

The Hollow of Mont Noir

Author: Jennifer Krey

Publication Date: February 17th, 2012

Publisher: Self-Published

Genre: YA/Romance/Paranormal

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Synopsis:

Seventeen-year-old Allison Spencer thought her life was completely normal - or as normal as it could be for an animal empath known as "Crazy Animal Girl." But when her older brother disappeared and her parents moved the family 400 miles away to try to find some answers, she discovered friendship and love in a supernatural world she never knew existed and learned some shocking truths about herself and her family.

My Thoughts: This is  not a fast paced, edge of your seat read. But it is still interesting nonetheless. The story starts off telling us about Allison's unique ability to sense animals. She can tell you what species it is and what it's feeling. She calls it her 'Crittervision'. I thought that was a pretty cute name for it :). And then it tells us about her older brother Logan who has suddenly disappeared into thin air. The rumor is that he ran away with his girlfriend. The police and pretty much ruled it as such, and aren't really putting to much work into hunting him down. Allison's parents decide to take matters into their own hands by moving closer to where he disappeared and conducting their own search and investigations. The place the move to is called the Hollow of Mont Noir. Allison is pretty upset because, it's a tiny town with nothing in it, in the middle of nowhere. Plus it's her senior year, and she has to leave all her friends and her boyfriend behind to spend her last year of high school with a bunch of people she doesn't know. I sympathized with her, but at first I found her to be a little annoying. I thought she seemed a bit spoiled and bratty. She would talk about how it was all her brother's fault for disappearing, that she has to leave her city and shopping malls and her boyfriend/friends. But my opinion of Allison changed dramatically as the story progressed.

It turns out, Allison is actually a really wonderful person. She is someone I would want to be friends with. The number one thing I like about her, is that she does not let the opinion of others effect her own in any way! She makes her own opinions and if that goes against the majority, well that's the way it is. If all her friends thought some song was lame, but she liked it, she would rock it out without a second thought. The best example of this, is when she moves to her new school there is a boy named Riordan who the entire school has pretty much exiled. She decides she is not going to let everyone decide for her whether she will like this person. She gives him the benefit of the doubt and finds herself a new best friend, and eventually, head over heels. Another thing about Allison is how she cares for people no matter what. She encounters these people who could be the ruin of all her happiness, but yet she treats them with respect and cares for them. She also has a fierce determination to protect those she loves, and the need to take care of her friends/family. So needless to say, in the end I really loved Allison, I respected her and really enjoyed reading the story from her point of view.

Almost immediately upon arriving at their new home in Mont Noir, Allison can feel this animal presence that she can't identify, which is very strange for her. Not only can she not tell what kind of animal it is, the emotions it's giving off are something like resent, and anger. What could the mystery animal be? And why is it emitting emotions that she doesn't normally pick up from animals? You'll find out when she eventually comes head to head with said animal.

It's not really an action packed, eventful,  story. But it has a nice pace and flow, enough to make you want to continue reading. We've got Allison's new animal trouble, the hunt for her missing brother, and a love interest with a boy who just doesn't seem to like people in general. But Allison does eventually break through to him, only to discover a world shattering secret about him, and the world around her. I really enjoyed the relationship between Allison and Riordan. We got to watch it grow and develop, instead of instant attraction and obsession. The connection was very intimate without  being physically intimate. And they both felt so very protective of each other.  Towards the end of the book the action really picks up. And at that point I really couldn't put the book down. It was a nice, gentle read, that went out with a bang!

If you like supernatural and romance, you will probably enjoy this story. I am not going to tell you what supernatural elements it packs, because I went into it without knowing and it was a fun surprise. I want it to be one for you to. I want to say a big thank you to Jennifer Krey for sending me a copy of her book and letting me read/review it!