Review: Hemlock

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: Kathleen Tegen Books
Pages: 400
Buy The Book: Amazon

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.

Kathleen Peacock’s thrilling novel is the first in the Hemlock trilogy, a spellbinding urban fantasy series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love.

There are an abundance of werewolf and vampire books out there on the market. I typically tend to avoid these, they just aren't my cup of tea! Hemlock enticed me in with its beautiful and captivating cover. I found myself wondering about the girl on the cover in the beautiful dress. Wondering why she looked so sad and what was going on inside her head.

I have to say, Hemlock is so much more than just a pretty cover! Kathleen Peacock ( don't you just LOVE her name?!?!?) did a really incredible job with this story. It was unique and original, and stands out in the sea of werewolf tales. I loved how she gave a voice to werewolves and gave them a heart and a soul. They weren't just monsters, they were people who had been infected by Lupine Syndrome. They wanted a normal life, just like everyone else. Above all they were people, with a soul, a heart, and feelings just like you and I.

I loved the way she wrote the character's. The main character was strong and I loved her for it! She's been through a lot and lost a great deal, but she's a stronger person because of it! She is determined to find her best friend's murderer, and I believed with every fiber of my being that she would!

There was a really great love triangle going on, and I enjoyed every minute of it! My heart was torn between the both of them. It's not very often that you see a really well written love triangle, but Kathleen Peacock did it!

There were so many plot twists and turns that I never saw coming! This book surprised me ( in a good way!) in more ways than one. It was such an amazing book and I can't recommend it enough. This is a truly stunning debut from Kathleen Peacock!

She masterfully combined werewolves, murder, mystery, suspense, and action. This book captured my attention from the cover to the very last page. I could not put this book down and I'll bet that you won't be able to either! Hemlock will go down in history as one of my all time favorite reads and I highly recommend it!