A fantasy adventure with suspense and danger, one that will surely please fans of a magical world setting. At nearly 400 pages, new MG readers may not be ready for a novel of this depth. For others, be prepared for a journey full of twists and turns.

One look at the cover reveals the four major characters. Front and center is Merlynda. The great wizard Merlyn prophesized that his seventh descendant would be one with the ability to do miraculous magic. Known as the Septimum Genus, this honor was not something Merlynda ever expected as her magic has never been that good.

Upper right is her twin brother, Percy. He is a natural for magic and it was a surprise he was not chosen. He disappears from the story early on after vanishing through a portal and landing in the clutches of the magic stealing, mythical Hollower.

Merlynda takes off on a quest to save her brother. She is joined by best friend, Neci who longs to be a knight. They soon are reluctantly joined by Batu, a wandering musician, and is someone they don’t always trust. Both are pictured on the upper left of the cover.

Their mission takes them through many challenging worlds and quite the collection of magical characters. To defeat the ancient evil, Merlynda must face the fact she must learn the magic or forever lose her brother. The reveal in the latter third of the book will catch readers by surprise. Not all is at it seems.

The enticing debut dangles a few hints there may be a future sequel, one that fantasy readers would welcome. THE HUNT FOR THE HALLOWER is released this week and would be a perfect summertime escape.

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: THE HUNT FOR THE HOLLOWER by Callie C. Miller

1. The world building is marvelous. You’ll feel like you are there with the characters.
2. Merlynda’s gains a familiar upon learning of her magical status. A familiar is a creature who becomes a partner. In this case we meet Iggy, a wormlike creature who has aspirations to be something greater. Iggy is quick with the comebacks and is always looking for a tasty funnel cake.
3. The tale is interrupted several times by a brief explanation for some of the secondary characters’ backgrounds. It’s an unusual technique but works very well in this lengthy story.
4. All of the main characters have character arcs that work to perfection.
5. The themes are many and would make a great discussion starter for reading groups at home or at school.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Callie C. Miller is an animation writer, children’s book author, and a narrative writer at Riot Games. A lifelong purveyor of words, she delights in the quirky and is a sucker for black sheep stories. Callie wrote a Star Wars fanfiction novel when she was thirteen, and loves high fives and toast.

Callie received her MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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