Hallowed Oblivion by Katherine Silva is a tale of a search and rescue mission on Halloween night that suddenly becomes a terrifying life-or-death situation for the rescue team.
Content Warnings –
Death, blood, body horror, dismemberment, references to a car accident, drug addiction, alcohol consumption, animal attack, grief and loss depiction, and panic attacks.
Let’s dive in!
My Thoughts on Hallowed Oblivion by Katherine Silva
When a group of teenage paranormal seekers heads into the mountains to try to create a video to win a contest, one teen forgets to check in with family to let them know they will be staying out another night. Luckily for them, this kicks off a rescue mission. But will search and rescue get there in time or is it already too late?
Our main character, Hank, just wanted to have a nice Halloween with his daughter Evie. But when the call comes in about the lost teens, he has no choice. Bringing a volunteer with him, the two are hoping they’ll quickly find the kids and give them a lecture before sending them home. But when they find the first body, their mission becomes much more urgent than it already was.
While kicking off light, this tale very quickly spirals into the darkness just as nighttime begins to fall on the mountain.
The character development is lovely, and during the search for the teenagers, we get awesome glimpses into the strange things that are occurring in the woods. Of course, these strange things are focused on in more depth in The Wild Dark, but this is a lovely tease if you haven’t read the first book yet. If, like me, you have read the first book already, you will love this story as you get to see more from certain characters.
Definitely pick this up when you can read straight through. You’re not going to be able to put it down!
AND OH MY GOSH! That cover. I didn’t notice the wolf peering out directly at the reader or the other two off to the sides until I took the book photo! What a great cover!
My Favorite Passages from Hallowed Oblivion
Hiking Franconia Ridge was like crawling along the spine of some enormous beast. Its jagged rocks made the exposed trail treacherous.
All at once, the trees enshrouded like a closing mouth and the brutal wind diminished. Branches quaked overhead, their last clinging leaves like teeth chittering all around them.
My Final Thoughts on Hallowed Oblivion
While just 60 pages, this story really packs a brutal punch! From the terror of being hunted to the creatures that are doing the hunting, that was scary enough! But there’s also an element of grief riding just below the surface of the tale like a deadly undercurrent, ready to pull the characters down.
I read this after finishing The Wild Dark, and would recommend doing the same, though you could absolutely read it before that book as well! That’s such a neat thing about this world Katherine has created, you can dip into whichever tale strikes your fancy and read that first before exploring the others (other than reading The Wild Dark before the Wild Fall of course!).
Thanks for reading!
And a shout-out to Katherine for selling copies of Hallowed Oblivion in her online shop! I was able to snag a signed copy that I am so excited to own!
Related Reading:
The Wild Dark by Katherine Silva is a supernatural horror tale where the forest is overtaking the land, bringing darkness along with it. And within that darkness, there are more horrors than just the wolves that have been spotted…
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