I was impressed by Patrick Delaney’s previous novel, The House that fell from the Sky, an entertaining spin on the haunted house tale, which was slightly let down by the fact that it was too long. However, rarely do you hear of buildings which quite literally drop out of the sky, an event brilliantly described in the opening sequence and the catastrophic destruction which follows, so it is also worth further investigation. The author does not make the same mistake twice and Silvers Hollows is a much leaner beast and a significantly shorter 186-pages, featuring a tightly constructed and streamlined story. Admittedly, proceedings may well have some readers scratching their heads (okay, everybody), but at the same time it was very easy to remain invested in reading a few extra pages in the off chance another piece of the perplexing jigsaw might fall into place (forget it).

The blurb mentions “Hitchcockian paranoia and the Lynchian surreal” and this is an honest hook which should be used to sell and hype Silvers Hollows. This is one of those books where it is very difficult to figure out what exactly is going on and the not knowing is a major part of the fun. Nothing is quite what it seems in this odd little town. Some readers might find this frustrating, as very little makes immediate sense, and everything is self-consciously weird or obscure. However, you will quickly find yourself being sucked into a mystery, in which the protagonist is not even sure herself what she is attempting to solve, as her memory is fragmented, but feels in her bones something is off.

Deliberately disorientating from the opening pages, a young woman wakes up in the train station of her hometown, a place she has not visited for years. She is immediately picked up by a policeman, he tells her things have changed and are now different (but from what?) and she vaguely recognises him from years earlier. She also has the impression little has moved on but does notice small and unsettling contrasts which put her on edge. Much of the plot centres around time and memory, how old is the woman? Is it really twenty years since she last visited? How much can we read into the hints of what has been going on in the previous two decades? Clues are dropped about a key episode from the past and there are very few people populating the empty streets. What the heck is going on? Welcome to a cross between The Twilight Zone and Blake Crouch’s Wayward Pines, or any other oddball town you can think of.

The main character obviously has baggage and there are flashbacks to when she was a kid, much of which centres upon her sister Ivy and the obscure issues she had with her parents. I do not want to say much more about the plot, as Silvers Hollows is best read not knowing too much in advance. The work also has an oppressive atmosphere which adds an extra layer to proceedings, this is topped by the clever descriptions of the location which might give a few indications to the direction the story is heading.

Much of the success of Silvers Hollows depends on how you rate the ending. Often books which have a convincing hook or concept are let down by their big finish or lack of it, but this is not the case with this story. As I was reading it, I played out various permutations, possibilities and wild guesses, a couple of which were not too far from the mark. One could argue the story was slightly one paced, in that everything revolved around the questions being asked by the main character and there was little in the way of threat. Ultimately the plot unfolded like a bad trip, with the reader observing an unfolding nightmare or experiment, following the protagonist discovering the breadcrumbs. You will have fun following the trail and I was pleased I guessed the ultimate direction of the plot.

Silvers Hollows is an easy and fast paced read which keeps the reader guessing with some decent twists, well described location and brooding atmosphere. Coming in at under 200-pages there is plenty of fun to hold your attention for a few hours. This was a very solid follow up from The House that fell from the Sky and also pleasingly different, a very good indication that Patrick Delaney is an author to watch.

Silver hollows puts the “creep” in creepy, that is for sure! I absolutely enjoyed how uncomfortable this book made me feel, and at times questioning myself! The writing style was easy to follow and it was definitely a page turner. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys a good psychological thriller.

A young woman who wakes up on a railroad platform with a headache and no knowledge of how she got there. It appears as though she's in her home town and .returning home to Silver's Hollow will turn out to be a trippy, nightmarish fever-dream. The town is different, yet the same. The few people she meets are familiar, yet changed. Something is off. What is "the emergency" everyone speaks of? Why are they so afraid?

If you've ever had the pleasure of remembering a remarkable, very vivid dream then Silver's Hollow will recall such a dream. The narrative is so effective if you think of it this way, the way that dreams go south and bounce between pleasant to scary to odd and back again. This is a dream/tale that I enjoyed greatly. It works best if you let your imagination go wild along with the story and just experience it.
Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read and review #Silvers Hollow. It was a fun trip.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - Silvers Hollow by Patrick Delaney, I could not put this down. I stayed up way too late last night (well this morning) reading this. Another Netgalley approval led me to this book. It’s everything I want in a book, horror, thriller, and twists. I don’t want to spoil anything!! I WANT a copy of this book when it comes out and have added it to my wishlist. Another book that has left me without words. Wow. #silvershollow #NetGalley #twisted #scary #lovedit #givememorebooks

Silvers Hollow follows an unnamed woman who inexplicably finds herself back in her childhood hometown. But this is nothing like the homecoming you’d imagined. Instead, the once idyllic Silvers Hollow is changed and the events which unfold before us are all at once bizarre, grotesque and utterly terrifying.

This book is quite unlike anything I’ve read before. It is pacy, atmospheric, tense, disturbing, confusing and everything in between. Patrick Delaney does an excellent job in conveying a dreamlike setting throughout the whole book. We are, like our protagonist, completely lost as the events unfold and the story screams towards its climax.

It is all at once dystopian, apocalyptic and nightmarish. It is also addictive. I finished it quickly...because how could I not? I needed to get to the end, to the answers. Like the main character, I wanted to understand what led us to this point and why all of these things were happening.

Delaney does a fantastic job of setting each scene up with just the right amount of detail to make you feel uneasy. Every chapter is as bizarre and confusing as the rest, but in an addictive kind of way. There is a disorienting dreamlike quality to the whole thing, which leaves you both detached and invested - very much like the narrator, in a way. We know nothing of her. No concrete backstory, personality traits, accomplishments, etc. Instead, we experience what happens to her through her. And, boy, is it trippy AF.

While the ending was a crescendo, it didn’t quite have the closure I was hungering for as I devoured the story. But I can’t help but think that’s rather the point. It does not end completely wrapped up with a neat bow but leaves a multitude of possibilities in its wake. Which is all at once frustrating and satisfying.

If you are looking for a horror/psychological thriller you can devour in one night and keep you up long after you’ve put it down...then Silvers Hollow is for you!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for the ARC of Silvers Hollow in exchange for an honest review. I loved every unhinged minute of it and I’ll be chewing on the ending for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for this copy.

What could be more disconcerting than waking up in a place you know from your past with no idea as to how you got there? On top of that everything looks familiar but at the same time is just a little bit off. The tension rises as the main character explores her surroundings and finds that the people inhabiting Silvers Hollow seem to be hiding something and there seems to be an “emergency” happening but nobody will share with her what that emergency is.

The story races along to a startling conclusion forcing the reader to try to decide what is real and what is imaginary. I can’t wait to read this book a second time and see if there were things that I might have missed after the first reading.

Huge thank you to Oblivion Publishing for the ARC of this book and the chance to review for you.

Wow - what a ride! Buckle up because this book doles out tension like sprinkles on a cupcake. From the very first page, I was totally gripped.
Patrick Delaney takes the reader through a mindbending journey around the nightmarish town of Silvers Hollow, where everything is not quite what it seems.
This book is not for the faint hearted! I’m not, so it was fine! 😂 it’s literally the definition of a pageturner! I couldn’t put it down - I just had to keep reading to find out what I’m hell was going on.
A fast paced, exhilarating read. I can’t wait to see what this author does next.
#netgalley #silvershollow

The story opens with an unnamed woman waking up disorientated in an abandoned train station in her home town, but with a touch of amnesia. She meets an uneasy police officer who finds her and attempts to get to where she needs to go. The only problem is that this unnamed woman has no idea why she is in Silvers Hollow and how she got there and that is only the beginning of her problems.

From the moment you leave the train station with the woman the story kicks into overdrive and you are thrown into a mystery thriller that doesn't let up throughout it's 160+ page run. The pace of the plot is quick, but coherent enough to follow with ease. The writing style was short, choppy, and claustrophobic - which perfectly fit for the theme and plot of the story.

In a town where there is no concept of night or day, time, people, or even the basic functions of town you are constantly questioning everything you read and learn from the little bits of information that the woman is given (which isn't a lot). The flashbacks to her childhood and family life in the same town that parallel the situation she is in are engaging and add another depth to the already saturated and disorientating story. If you feel confused half the time you're reading, then you're on the right track.

The imagery that Patrick Delaney paints about this desolate and confusing town is at times down right eerie, and you really begin to feel as panicked and confused as the woman in the story. From the constant mentioning of 'The Emergency' with zero explanation followed, to the strange neighbors that say and do things that further how truly bizarre the whole situation is. There was so much tension at times that I truly did not know where the story was going to end up going and to further that point, I think that is what I truly enjoyed the most about this story was that the mystery wasn't completely obvious. I had to really put myself in the Woman's shoes from beginning to end and discover the answers just as she did. There were at least five times I found myself thinking 'Did I miss something? what is going on now?' and flipping back a few pages to re read again to find out that, no, I did not in fact miss anything I just have to keep reading to find out whats going on. I loved the feeling of everything being so unpredictable and almost dream like.

As someone who really dislikes endings to almost every book I read, I didn't mind this one! It was vague and slightly confusing yes, but I let your imagination run a little wild for your own interpretation of everything that happened. I enjoyed it, which surprised me.

If you're looking for a solid horror-mystery-thriller read that you can devour in a single sitting, I highly recommend picking this one up! I will definitely be looking into the authors other works now!

FINAL RATING: 4/5 stars

*Special thanks to Netgalley and Oblivion for this digital reviewer copy in exchange for an honest review!

***Some spoilers***

This book is definitely creepy and thrilling. You’re left questioning what is going on and keep turning the page to find out answers! I literally read this in one day because I needed to know what exactly the heck is going on! The end is where I realize that maybe this whole thing is a dream...because why else did this world seem weird, the people acting strange, lack of “time” in this book...the fact that our unnamed main character describes how good she is at lucid dreaming. If you’re up for a mind blown psychological thriller, then this one if for you!

I’m not convinced I understood anything I just read, but I couldn’t stop reading. This story was completely enthralling and dark and mysterious. Overall I considered it great, but maybe I should have read the House that Fell from Sky first?

I am trying to find words to explain how I feel about this book. I fear I am not quite as eloquent as Mr. Delaney but I will do my best. So, this is a trippy book indeed. It starts off with a woman who is disorientated and it pretty much doesn't let up for the entire story. Throughout I found myself muttering, "what is going on" because that is how you feel. It is very much a fevered dream and that has pluses and minuses. I was desperate to know what was happening but then felt like in the end I still don't know.

Delaney can write and that is evident throughout. He knows how to spin a tale but he also was really good at keeping everything just mysterious enough that you had to keep reading. It isn't a long story, with no chapters and discernable page numbers it's hard to say how long, but it keeps you in its grip. However, I kind of felt by the end that it could have been just a tad bit longer and perhaps took place over the course of a bit more time. It is insinuated that all this happens is during one day but maybe not and of course that is on purpose to keep us confused, but I wanted more interactions with other people. Also, when it ended and what is happening is revealed, it felt anticlimactic. Although I will say once you learn why there are no timepieces and it's always dark you will be surprised but man is the ending vague as ever. If that's not your thing, you won't like this.

All in all, this was an enjoyable read. It kept me on the edge of my seat and made me feel dread at what was to come. That is what we can expect from a good thriller and this fits the bill.

Thanks to NetGalley and Oblivion Publishing for an advanced copy!

4.5 stars -- the immediate and escalating sense of cloying wrongness, the twisting of the familiar, is addictive. The surreal violence and desire for answers ended up gripping me -- and even though we don't get all of the answers, it feels perfectly right for this story. There's a simple accessibility to the writing, which allows the imagery and story to really shine through and keep the flow of the plot moving easily. Really enjoyed this!

Reading Silvers Hollow feels like a fever dream in all of the best ways. It starts with our main character, who has woken at a train station in her home town with no real recollection of why she’s there. Everyone around her refers to “the emergency” but refuse to give an explanation as to what exactly that might mean. We spend the rest of the story trying to piece together the reality of the situation, which is presented slowly enough to retain interest. I’d definitely recommend this story to those that don’t mind using their imagination to fill in the blanks. I give this story 4 stars.

Thanks to Patrick Delaney and NetGalley for this eARC in return for an honest review!

Wow! Tension just flows from this book, where nothing is quite right!

It has a dreamlike quality, an unrealness that unsettles and yet urges you to press on. While it leaves many questions unanswered, I suspect the answers are open to your own interpretation. This is a book you may have to imbibe slowly, and perhaps digest in smaller chunks.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC to review.

So for this book, Patrick Delaney throws you down the rabbit hole and forces you to claw your way back out. Silvers Hollow was TRIPPY. I won't give too much of the plot away because so much of this story relies on the tiny breadcrumbs Delaney leaves for the reader to piece together. It starts with a nameless woman who wakes up on a train platform in her childhood hometown with little to no memories. So much of what she remembers is just bits and pieces but she remembers enough to notice that something is not right about Silvers Hollow. Everything feels just slightly off and Delaney captures that feeling extremely well. There were plenty of chilling and creepy moments wrapped up in the woman's amnesia. You feel her confusion and physical and mental trauma throughout the book. This is a quick read with less than 200 pages so the structure and pacing is not typical. I'm not gonna lie, Silvers Hollow melted my brain a little bit. I'm not even completely sure how I feel about it because I turned the last page and went "WHAT DID I JUST READ?". If you enjoyed the reality bending and mind twisting plot of Piranesi or other psychological thrillers, this one's for you.

This was my first introduction to Patrick Delaney as an author, and all I have to say is - WOW! The fast-paced, labyrinth-like plot flow was at sometimes confusing. However, the character’s thoughts were the same way, so it made sense that there would be no chapter numbers, short “chapters”, and quick moving thought patterns.

What first drew me to the book was the cover. I’m a sucker for “reading a book by it’s cover” so to speak, and this one really caught my attention. I’m not usually one to enjoy first person narration because I like connecting and knowing about all of the characters in a story. I did, however, enjoy the character development of the nameless protagonist; from utterly confused woman waking up at a deserted train station to the peaceful fate-accepting woman that ends the novel.

My only plight was that I found the follow almost too quick. I would often find myself having to backtrack and re-read some parts because I honestly didn’t understand what was going on. Even the ending left me with an overwhelming feeling of “what the heck did I just read”. Was it a good book? Yes. Would I have picked it up off of a bookstore shelf? Very likely. It would not, however, be on my top 10 list of books I’ve read so far this year.

Amazing. This book from the beginning had me racing, I could not put the book down. It is one of those WTF mind fucks that even once you reach the end you feel vulnerable and exposed. Really really fantastic. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Where can I begin with this book? At once a creepy mystery AND an apocalyptic thriller AND a sad story of family and loss.

Written in the first person by an unnamed narrator, the oddness of the town in which she wakes is palpable, almost pervasive. Meeting a string of interesting characters and trying to come to terms with a haunted past, the character quickly learns that she is way outside of her depth. The book quickly spirals into the last possible ending you could ever expect.

My next step is to find some of the other books by this author and read those as well. I was very impressed by the writing style.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my own.

First let me say thanks to NetGalley for my ARC for an honest review! This book was TRIPPY! I was about as confused as the main character. A woman wakes up at the train station in her hometown, she has no idea what happened or how she got there. It is all very confusing, is she dreaming? Is she not? It seems like it's "Dark" the whole book and just a very eerie feeling. Time seemed to drag on and I felt it took awhile before everything started to pick up. There seems to be hints of maybe molestation with her sister and dad? Or atleast that's what I gathered, and was actually blown away at the end when I found out what exactly was going on behind the red door in their house. Definitely a page turner!

My review was also posted to my goodreads account linked to my profile!

It's a rather short story and a quick read. It left me confused.. I would want to know more! What the hell was actually going on in this story? A weird book but because I was intriged I give it 3 stars.