Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock
★★★★★★★☆☆☆
[caption id="attachment_573" align="alignright" width="314"]
Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock[/caption]The first few pages of this book reminded me of a box of chocolates.
Sit down, Forest.
I love chocolate, but I don’t much care for chocolate with nuts. I open a box of chocolates totally excited for CHOCOLATE, but I inevitably end up crunching into a big ass icky nut. It’s still good, but there’s this moment where I’m thinking, “ARGH! NO! NOT A NUT! WHYYYYYY?” It’s all very dramatic.
Hemlock gripped me within the first few paragraphs. A gruesome murder of a politician’s grandaughter. A self-destructive ex-boyfriend. An interesting heroine to solve the unfolding mystery.
And then I was all, “ARGH! NO! NOT WEREWOLVES! WHYYYYY?”
Werewolves aren’t my favorite supernatural boogiemen. They’re so…impulsive. They favor instinct over intelligence. They’re about as complex as our Boxer. They’re slobbery.
But the rest of the book was enjoyable enough to make up for it.
Five months ago, a werewolf murdered Mackenzie (Mac) Dobson’s best friend, Amy. It was one of several attacks in the town of Hemlock, but the fact it happened to a Senator’s granddaughter made headlines.
The sensationalized attack brings to town the Trackers – a group of werewolf-hunters that claim to protect the public, but their questionable tactics and militia-type behavior are more terrifying than the threat of werewolves.
Amy’s close friends are struggling with their own guilt about her death. Mac blames herself for blowing off Emily to study that night. Kyle blames himself for not answering the phone when she called. Amy’s boyfriend, Jason, blames himself for not picking her up on time.
But some have more reason to be guilty then they’re letting on. And, as Mac begins to uncover their lies, Amy’s death begins to look suspiciously like a premeditated murder than an attack from a bloodthirsty wolf.
The Good:
The mystery. I’d like to think it takes me a lot to be surprised and this plot definitely threw me off course. Clues were sprinkled like breadcrumbs throughout the surprisingly-lengthy book, but that made it easy to get stuck on one trail and forget about where the others might lead.
The pace. I didn’t get bored. There were only a few parts that I felt went on too long (will address in “The Bad”).
Mac. I’m a sucker for a good strong female lead. In fact, I think that’s prettymuch a required for me in most books. Mac was so intelligent and more of a no-nonsense type of girl. A difficult childhood made her a little rough (or, as it was put in the book, “hard to love”), but I think this made me appreciate her more.
The Bad:
The “kid” guardian cliché’. Tess, Amy’s late 20s-ish guardian, has pink hair and is, like, superfreakin’ alternative. That type of character is easily becoming one of my most hated YA cliché’s. They’re immature and, often, are cared for more by the main character than they take care of the main character. (To Tess’s credit, she was fairly likable, just a little irritating).
The boys. Oh my gosh, I seriously wanted to tell Kyle and Jason to change their freaking tampons. Their petty squabbling and passive-aggressive friendship was painfully drawn out. Grow up. Kyle's inner struggle crap irritated me – the whole becoming a martyr while trying to be the hero. Jason managed to be one of the most unlikable “good guys” I’ve seen in a long time. Even when he was helping out I wanted to punch him in the face.
I didn't struggle with my decision to give this book seven stars. I had a good time reading it and I can't wait to read the next in the trilogy.
0 comments :