Fb2 The Hollow Kingdom: Book I -- The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy ePub

This book. THIS BOOK. You know those books that come along every once in a while that you utterly fall in love with to the point of hugging them? THIS BOOK. The last occasion I can pinpoint such a reaction was my reading of Howl's Moving Castle, so yes, this is BIG NEWS. There's just something about Clare B. Dunkle's writing that is simultaneously starkly real and utterly charming-it hits the heart in ways that so few books have the power to do, no matter how wonderful their stories may be. In fact, I knew after one paragraph this was going to be among my favorite books.

At its core, The Hollow Kingdom is a retelling of one of my favorite tales-Beauty and the Beast. It has all of the bare bone elements of that story that we are familiar with, and yet somehow becomes its own fully fledged tale of perseverance, love, and feminism. Yes, it is a small book at 240 pages aimed toward Middle Grade readers, but like my beloved Frances Hardinge, Clare B. Dunkle writes for an ageless audience, bringing a maturity and depth to the pages that will be appreciated by countless readers.

What struck me about this Beauty and the Beast retelling is that it's not about our Beauty (Kate) being locked away with the Beast (Marak, the goblin King) and slowly falling for him as he inevitably returns to a handsome state of being. It is about Kate's persistent resistance to Marak's propositions, and slow realization that monsters can wear human faces as well as kind souls can be hidden behind terrible features. Kate is a character who refuses to be robbed of her free will, even as those around her attempt to make her decisions for her, while Marak is a creature who remains as inhumanly ugly as he is inhumanly rude, but whose honesty and care for his people earns our love regardless.

Kate is innocent, but she is not stupid-an important distinction that is too often blurred in young people. In her world, it is easy to assume that those meant to protect you will, and that those ugly things that come to steal you at night are foul and loathsome-but she doesn't let herself be taken in by either. As the guardians of Kate and her little sister Emily slowly back her into a corner she begins to utilize the hard lessons of humanity, knowing that lies can save her where truth cannot.

Marak, however, never lies. The goblin King is honest and frank to a point of frightening Kate with the situation he intends to force her to, but he also withholds information from her when she chooses to assume the worst of his kingdom. Marak's frank conversations with the inquisitive and fearless Emily mark our ability to fall for him, knowing that he would never hurt Kate. I find myself disturbed that this was a book where I actively wanted the girl to end up with the stalkery guy who wanted to steal her away from everything, but I am so happy that nothing ever turns out quite as you might expect it to.

Marak sees Kate for who she is, not merely for the beauty she displays on the surface, and in time she does the same for him. While the human world is decrying Kate for her weak nerves she is bashing about proving quite the opposite. Both Kate and Marak are outrageously stubborn, the qualities they share being those that initially drive the biggest wedge between them, and later bind them oh so tight. Marak's protectiveness for Kate comes with a disturbing price, but a weaker character on either of their parts would spell defeat for all.

I love the fact that in a story where a King's wife can never be called a Queen, it is still the King's wife who proves most important to the kingdom. The Hollow Kingdom is a book that reflects acute grief and homesickness, joy and wonder, and also the inevitable mixing of the two. In the end Marak has never lied to Kate, and never been wrong in all of the cruel things he has predicted for her fate, and yet those days of tears and darkness pale to nothing in the light of love.

I absolutely love this book. This was one of my favorite books as a child, and it was an absolute pleasure to read it again. The Hollow Kingdom is about a girl named Kate who, newly orphaned along with her sister, Emily, travels to Hallow Hill to live with her new guardians. Enchanted by her mysterious surroundings, Kate enjoys her new life until she starts to have the reoccurring feeling that she's being watched. Soon Kate discovers that her secret admirer is none other than the Goblin King. A battle of wits ensues as Kate desperately tries to avoid being stolen away to become a goblin bride.
The book is definitely darker now that I read it as an adult, especially the fact that Kate is often made powerless. Whether its the king of the goblins or her guardians, Kate has difficulties getting other characters to listen to what she has to say. Often, they discredit her words and ignore her wishes for their own personal ideas. However, I was willing to forgive this substantial flaw because Kate is a really strong heroine. Even though the people around her ignore her, Kate never stops fighting for what she wants. Even when she loses a battle, she does so on her own terms. Despite ignoring her wishes at the beginning, towards the end all the characters grow to respect her and to realize the mistake they made by underestimating her.
What really keeps calling me back to this book however, is the world building. I absolutely love the goblin kingdom and I think it's one of the most unique and interesting fantasy worlds that I've ever read. I am most impressed by the diversity of the goblins. Dunkle isn't scared of putting off the readers by making her mythical creatures horrifying. In fact, Marak, the male protagonist, is absolutely grotesque. Through this choice, she illustrates a world in which beauty is not important and the most important thing to a race of people is strength and community.
So, although some people may apply the same arguments against Beauty and the Beast to The Hollow Kingdom, I feel that the good points of this book outweigh the bad. The writing is well done and the world building is wonderful. Kate's and Marak's relationship may stem from a terrible tradition, but it resolves itself into one of mutual respect.