Search This Blog

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

"Hemlock" by Kathleen Peacock

Release Date: May 8th, 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Format: eGalley
Age Group: Young Adult

Mackenzie and Amy were best friends. Until Amy was brutally murdered.
Since then, Mac’s life has been turned upside down. She is being haunted by Amy in her dreams, and an extremist group called the Trackers has come to Mac’s hometown of Hemlock to hunt down Amy’s killer: A white werewolf.
Lupine syndrome—also known as the werewolf virus—is on the rise across the country. Many of the infected try to hide their symptoms, but bloodlust is not easy to control.
Wanting desperately to put an end to her nightmares, Mac decides to investigate Amy’s murder herself. She discovers secrets lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, secrets about Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, her good pal Kyle, and especially her late best friend. Mac is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her life at risk.


I'm such a fan of this book! This is the kind of story that reminds me why I keep reading paranormals, even when some of them feel a little redundant. Hemlock was nowhere close to being redundant. I really like the new take on werewolves and how they are out and known by the whole world. Being "infected" still isn't considered a good thing, but depending on who you are talking to, it's not completely terrible either. Unfortunately, in the town of Hemlock, there have been a string of gruesome werewolf attacks and some of them ended in death. When Mac's best friend Amy is one of the victims, it shatters their group's whole world.

Mac is such an awesome character. She comes from a difficult childhood, so it's definitely made her a little less warm and fuzzy in her teen years, but she has got so much spunk and isn't afraid to do what she has to for those she cares about. Granted, trying to solve the mystery behind a string of werewolf killings, isn't the best idea a teenage girl ever had. Fortunately, she has got some awesome friends in her life. Some more willing to help than others. She had such a great support system in Kyle, Serena, Trey, aunt Tess, and sometimes Jason. The mystery in this one was a doozy and it had so many twists and turns. Some parts were really shocking, others were easier to see coming, but all of them made reading such a fun ride.

And I really like the way Kathleen Peacock handled the love story for Mac. It all felt very genuine, and sometimes heartbreaking, but it moved at the perfect pace. I know that technically it is supposed to be a love triangle, but for now it feels more triangle-ish, which I really didn't mind. The relationships between Mac and the boys vying for her attention felt really authentic, and I am actually looking forward to seeing where it goes in the next two books.

This book has great action, an excellently told story, and compulsive readability. I only had just a couple of chapters left to read and I had to go to work. I spent the hours up until my break obsessing over what might happen. I don't usually read at work, but I had to with this one, because I couldn't wait to find out! I would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a different kind of werewolf, or anyone who is looking for a great action fillled story that will completely draw you in with it's wonderful cast of characters and exciting mystery.


*Cover photo and synopsis from Goodreads*

2 comments:

  1. You know a book is good when you are anxious to hurry up and get back to it. I'm not big on werewolves in books but I keep seeing review after review about how great this book is that I am going to actually pick it up and read it. Loved the review.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eeek! Lovely review. I adore Kathleen Peackock, and everyone agrees that Hemlock is fantastic, so I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. <3

    ReplyDelete

LinkWithin

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...