Synopsis:
The Hallow serum was once sacred to the Auld Bloods. Used to gain access to their lost ancestral powers, now it is regulated and administered by the powerful Providence Company. Evolved from the echelons of the Auld Church, the company exists to maintain the balance between faith, science and politics.
But keeping the peace between humans and Auld Bloods isn’t easy. Taking Hallow comes at a price. Providence Company Assessor Cam must deal with backstreet bootleggers, burnt-out addicts and floating nuns that won’t stay on the ground.
When a string of Auld Blood deaths appear to have been caused by a corrupted batch of Hallow, Cam begins to suspect all may not be as it seems. Bodies are piling up. Someone is hiding something, and the consequences are becoming monstrous.
Review:
The Hallows is part mystery thriller, part grimdark noir (so grimnoir as another reviewer coined) stirred together with a splash of horror to add spice to a cocktail of intrigue that had me hooked from page one.
Superb.
Tinsley has taken the concept of many a dark fantasy tale ‒ the fantastical race who are close to human with an eldritch past that many are looking to return ‒ and drawn it out of the epic fantasy genre where it often sits, and placed it firmly into a 1920s style setting. Hence, grimnoir, and to immerse the reader in this world, our MC, Cam, is knee-deep in maintaining and assessing the Auld Bloods access to the drug Hallow. It sounds a simple setup, yet Tinsley expertly weaves in subtle layers of world-building, including a tapestry of history surrounding the Auld Church, the politics of human and Auld blood collaboration, and of course, the flaws in our hero whose devotion to the cause is mired in forlorn love and a murky past.
And as the plot is woven into place with deft prose, disparate parts link, and the harrowing deaths we experience early on begin to make sense, leading us to a conclusion that draws Auld Bloods and humans into a crux point between the past and the future.
HL Tinsley has a talent for the twisted tale. The Vanguard Chronicles are a grime-filled and grimdark gaslamp example of her talent, and she rarely lets the reader rest on expectations with The Hallows.
I understand this book has reached the finals of SPFBO for 2026. I think that tells its own story.
The Hallows won’t be everyone’s cup of fantasy tea. I would recommend to anyone who loves their fantasy dark, their urban fantasy with a little more depth, or a superbly written mystery thriller. Not read it yet? Time you rectified that twisted grimnoir hole in your reading.
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