The Hollow King by Aaryan Mehta takes readers into the world of teenager Teagan Spawn after she discovers a hidden library and opens an unfinished book titled The Hollow King. Drawn into a realm built from abandoned drafts and halted plots, she meets Francis, a boy whose past was cut short when his story stopped mid-chapter. The world Teagan is unceremoniously dropped into is one of unstable rules, where pages rewrite landscapes, memories can be taken as payment, and a ruler known as the Hollow King feeds on what remains unwritten. As Teagan and Francis travel through forests of parchment, erased towns, and shifting chapters, Teagan learns that her own writing has shaped this place and that her choices have a lasting cost. To survive, she must decide how far she is willing to go to finish a story that resists being completed.

Aaryan Mehta’s The Hollow King is a wonderful fantasy that is both imaginative and immersive, with a unique premise that stretches the length of the story. Teagan is such a standout character and a relatable teen we want to root for as she makes decisions as a writer inside the book. None of them is easy, especially when she is forced to choose within a structure with a high personal cost. The settings are great, most notably the Inn Between Chapters, whose suspended stillness, guestbook of unknown departures, and candlelit halls feel positively cinematic. At the crux is the antagonist, the Hollow King himself, who clings to power through erasure and coercive bargains that steadily strip others of their identities. He is a terrifying counter to Teagan, and as the two main characters, they shape a novel that will appeal to teen and adult readers who value classic fantasy, especially those drawn to metafiction. Very highly recommended.

The Hollow King by Aaryan Mehta is a fantasy story written by a 15-year-old author. Teagan doesn’t like endings because that’s when things go wrong. Her dad died when she was just a baby, and her mom left when she was 7, never to be seen again. One day, she finds herself in a library, where she gets literally pulled into a book that hasn’t yet been finished. There, she meets a boy made of ink, Francis, and it’s down to them to solve the riddle of the hollow king before the story can finish writing itself – and them with it. Can Teagan solve the mystery and escape in time?

The Hollow King is Aaryan Mehta’s first novel, and it is a good one for a young writer. The plot is unique, and the characters are quite different from others in the same genre. The two main characters are well developed and likable, and there’s plenty of action all the way through. The prose is descriptive and makes you feel like you are there in the story, and the dialogue is to the point and easy to follow. The ending leaves you feeling like the story has only just started and that there may be a sequel to come at some point. It is an intriguing tale, and although it’s aimed at younger readers, I think a lot of adults would enjoy it as an easy read. It’s a great start for a debut novel, and it’s good to see younger people taking more interest in writing (and reading).