Hemlock

Glad I didn’t press my 19yo to listen along on the way back to college. What I thought was a thriller turned out to be mystery with a side of soft porn.

I'd consider this more romance than psychological thriller but it was still good and kept me guessing

I really enjoyed this book! Kept leaving me wanting for more!

Enjoyable, unpredictable, quick read.

See this review and more on my blog Lilybloombooks

I have been dying to read Hemlock for over a year. Sadly, my library doesn't have it and to be quite honest, I wasn't paying more than $5 for an e-book. But I digress. There are two paranormal "creatures" that I feel in love with and honestly, I can never get enough of. Vampires and Werewolves. Doesn't matter what is currently tickling my fancy, these will always be my favorite. Add in a mystery, well hello awesome. I wish I could say I loved this one. I was hoping to love this one. But I just didn't.

I have having a battle with this one. There was a lot I liked. Yet, there were things I felt weren't necessary, weren't plausible and also, a few inconsistencies. SO.

There was a lot going on in this book. It was almost like two separate stories were smashed into one. The main plot is the murder mystery behind Amy's death, among other attacks that have plagued Hemlock. How the characters are coping with her death and the abrupt move in of the Trackers; a group of people dedicated to eradicating/capturing those infected with LS (Lupine Syndrome). Then there's the added drama, the potential love triangle that just failed.

Mac was an OK character. She is torn up about Amy's death, which is understandable, but yet she expects others to react a certain way. She was emotional. Kyle was closed off and Jason drank himself into oblivion. She IS Jason's rock and more than once saves his sorry behind and I did feel like she was the stronger one of the three. Everyone felt responsible for what happened to Amy, all for their own reasons. After the Trackers move into town and a secret surfaces, she is determined to save EVERYONE and solve the mystery behind Amy's murder. Girl, you are 17 years old and not a cop. C'mon. Anyway. I thought she was pretty naive about those around her as well. It was OBVIOUS, to me anyway, that both boys had some sort of feelings for her. She is also a hypocrite. She mentions time and time again that is was a single wolf attack and that nobody should judge them as a WHOLE. Yet, that's exactly what she did. I didn't like that she kept things from pretty much everyone and then had the nerve to be pissed that others kept things from her. Pot, meet kettle.

As for the boys, well.. Kyle is Mr. Goody Goody with a hero complex and also feels like he must make choices for everyone around him, because hello, his word is law. I hate that. I hate how characters say, "I'm doing this for you." or "I need to leave to protect you." Seriously. Jason is just messed up. He is confused, angry and determined to hunt down all those infected with LS. As far as the romance goes; I wasn't feeling it. There wasn't much development in the relationship build up. It was "Oh, we are friends. HI." to "Oh, hey there sexy beast", and it just didn't' work for me. AND. This, in my eyes, was not a love triangle. The ending left it to where I am sure more will happen on this.. issue and the potential for a love triangle is there. I see you, love triangle... out there in the distance, aka book 2.

The few inconsistencies and non plausible outcomes, you say? Well, for starters, Jason was able to get his hands on a VERY important and very confidential document. Doesn't matter WHO you are, there is no way this can really happen. Also, Mac and Kyle take a trip to see the detective that was on Amy's murder case. He shared way too much information. Regardless if he was currently on the case or not, it just isn't logical that a cop would share so much. The "traits" of the wolves. One minute, they can;t tell WHO is one and the next, someone is sniffing out a wolf. What? Maybe it's only in "Wolf Form" but still. Get it straight. Can they smell each other or not? There were multiple times that Mac was ganged up on and injured. Yet, she is truckin along like nobody's business. She had no healing time. There is just NO WAY.

I really enjoyed the world though. I thought it was pretty interesting how the Country knew about the Werewolves. The segregation is horrifying to think about and it was implied that these "camps" aren't the best of places to venture to. Which in turn, adds the added anxiety about hiding if you have LS and has me way too curious for my own good just how horrifying they are. The Trackers were pretty interesting too. I was also really hung up on Mac's dreams. Where they REAL? Or where they just her subconscious messing with her? AH! I want to KNOW. I also applaud all the twist. There were a plenty and none I saw coming.

Overall- It was OK. I wasn't a huge fan of the "romance" and our Protagonist, Mac and there were just too many things I felt weren't plausible. However, I loved the murder mystery, the dreams and all the twists. Do I recommend it? Sure. Others my find this more to their liking than I did. To each his own.