Hollow Summary: A Cursed Forest, A Spirit Singer, and a Doomed Love
Introduction
The Taking Trees move when no one watches.
They swallow towns, choke roads, and demand human sacrifices to keep their hunger at bay.
In the land of Rathian, this creeping forest is just one nightmare among many.
To the west, the Blight spawns armies of Hollows—soulless undead—under the command of a cursed Fae prince.
To the east, the immortal Fae hide behind a stone wall, leaving humanity to rot.
Hollow is the first book in the Crown of Hearts and Chaos duet, where a Great Hunt draws twenty-five Champions into the forest to capture thirteen spirits and earn a single wish.
Ferris Creed is not a Champion.
She sneaks in anyway, chasing the voice of her sister, taken as an Offering eight years before.
What follows is a brutal, sensuous, and curse-laden journey that reshapes the boundaries between human, Fae, and the spirits who rule the wood.
On YouTube: Hollow Book SummaryÂ
TL;DR: A Hunt, a Necromancer, and a Cursed Bond
A desperate human girl enters a deadly forest to find her sacrificed sister.
She accidentally bonds with a dragon spirit, discovers she is a spirit singer reborn thirteen times, and falls for the mysterious Fae warrior who captured her—who turns out to be the Necromancer of the Blight.
She wins the Hunt’s boon and frees the forest’s Lost Children, but the Great Elm punishes her choice by binding her life to the Necromancer.
If they do not find the caged spirit Providence before the tree’s season turns to winter, she dies and his soul rots away.
Her returned sister steals a spirit mark and vanishes, leaving them no choice but to flee into the Blight.
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Hollow Summary: The Full Story (Spoilers)
SPOILERS AHEAD. This section recounts the complete narrative, including the ending.
Dive into our detailed chapter-by-chapter guide of the book
The Great Hunt begins as the Taking Trees surge forward, killing townspeople and dragging Ferris Creed and her suitor Axel into the cursed forest.
Axel dies instantly. Ferris survives, finding herself the only non-Champion left breathing among the twenty-five official entrants.
She allies briefly with the human Champion Colton Evast. He realizes the forest has a specific want for her. Their group is slaughtered by Hollows, and Colton dies protecting her.
Ferris is cornered by the undead until a powerful Fae warrior intervenes. He calls himself Hendrix Draven. He chains her, claims her dead friend’s Bear amulet, and announces he will use her as spirit bait.
Inside a magically preserved Fae castle, their dynamic shifts. Hendrix teaches her to summon spirits, and they capture the Fox spirit together.
An attraction burns between them despite his cruelty.
At the Dragon spirit’s nest, Ferris bonds with the beast through empathy rather than force. Her hair turns silver. The Dragon marks her as a spirit singer and reveals she has lived thirteen lives, always returning to this forest.
Hendrix’s mask cracks. He confesses his true identity: Bane Crownthief, the Necromancer of the Blight.
He was once a Fae prince who killed a corrupt king and was cursed to create Hollows unbidden. His family died and now exists as undead wraiths.
He entered the Hunt to win the boon and grant them true death.
Ferris and Bane grow closer. They share a night of passion in a ruined tower. Ferris also encounters her sister Rissa, now a spirit-born woman no longer the child she remembers.
The remaining Champions converge at the Great Elm, the forest’s heart. The Fae general Islasees Bellatorn has been murdering competitors to steal amulets. Ferris uses her spirit singer ability to call the remaining spirits to her side. She wins the Hunt.
She chooses her boon: freeing the Lost Children, all the sacrifices the forest ever took. Rissa returns to her alive, but the reunion is poisoned. Rissa steals the Serpent spirit’s mark from Ferris and vanishes into the woods.
The Great Elm is not finished.
It claims the spirit Providence is caged and demands Ferris and Bane find him. To enforce this quest, a miniature elm tree sprouts from Bane’s arm.
Its seasons now dictate Ferris’s lifespan. If winter arrives before they find Providence, Ferris dies and Bane’s soul rots forever.
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With Death herself in pursuit, Bane uses a stolen spirit cloak to transport Ferris to his nightmare castle in the Blight. The story ends as they cross into the wasteland, bound together and hunted.
Who’s Who in Hollow
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Ferris Creed | A human-born spirit singer with violet eyes and silver hair who enters the Taking Trees to rescue her sacrificed sister. |
| Hendrix Draven / Bane Crownthief | The Necromancer of the Blight, an outcast Fae prince cursed to create undead; enters the Hunt to win death for his trapped family. |
| Rissa | Ferris’s sister, taken as an Offering years prior, who returns as a spirit-born woman and betrays Ferris by stealing a spirit mark. |
| Colton Evast | A human Champion and Ferris’s initial ally who is killed by Hollows early in the Hunt. |
| Islasees Bellatorn | The Lord Protector of the Fae Queen who murders Champions to seize their spirit amulets. |
| Princess Drava | Bane’s great-aunt and a Fae Champion killed by Islasees during the Hunt. |
| The Dragon | A storm spirit that bonds with Ferris, marking her as its keeper and a spirit singer. |
| Chancellor Haydon | The leader of the human town Arringfall. |
| Axel Bradey | A human suitor of Ferris who dies when the Taking Trees first swallow the town. |
| Death | A falcon-headed spirit that trails Bane and ultimately assists him. |
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Frequently Asked Questions
How does Hollow end?
The Great Elm curses Ferris and Bane to find the caged spirit Providence; a miniature tree growing on Bane’s arm will kill Ferris when its season turns to winter. Rissa steals the Serpent spirit mark and disappears, and Bane transports Ferris to his castle in the Blight to begin the quest.
Is Hollow a standalone novel?
No, Hollow is Book 1 of the Crown of Hearts and Chaos duet by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti. The story continues directly in the next and final book.
What is the Great Hunt in this book?
The Great Hunt is a deadly competition held every fifty years where twenty-five Champions enter the Taking Trees to capture thirteen spirits and earn a boon, a wish powerful enough to break curses or reshape the world.
Who is the Necromancer in Hollow?
The Necromancer is Bane Crownthief, a Fae prince who was cursed after killing a corrupt king; his curse creates Hollows unbidden, and he seeks the boon to grant his undead family the peace of true death.
What are the Taking Trees?
The Taking Trees form a sentient, expanding forest that devours Rathian’s land and demands human sacrifices called Offerings to keep its hunger contained.
What is Ferris Creed’s power?
Ferris Creed is a spirit singer, a rare being who can communicate with and bond with the forest’s spirits through empathy, and who has been reborn thirteen times to face the same destiny.
Does Hollow have a cliffhanger?
Yes, Hollow ends with a life-or-death curse, a stolen spirit mark, and the two protagonists fleeing into the Blight while being hunted, setting up the final book’s urgent quest.
If You Enjoyed Hollow, You Might Also Like
Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham & Susanne Valenti — The same authors deliver Fae politics, dark romance, and high-stakes trials in a magical academy setting.
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — A human girl enters a deadly Fae realm, falls for a cursed high lord, and uncovers an ancient threat.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent — A dark tournament fantasy where a human survivor competes in vampire trials, blending brutality and romantic tension.
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — Dragon bonding, a lethal military competition, and a fierce romance with a morally grey hero.
Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole — A human woman navigates a world of cruel immortals while discovering hidden powers and resisting a corrupt system.
Gild by Raven Kennedy — A dark romantasy with complex, morally ambiguous characters and a world built on sacrifice and control.
For more summaries of their books, visit Caroline Peckham’s author page and Susanne Valenti’s author page.
