Book Recap: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock (ARC)

Cover Inspection:
Oh yes! This is one of those rare books
where the cover is just as beautiful as the story.

SUMMARY (book description based on GoodReads):
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.

BOOK REPORT CARD:

Cover	3.5
Plot	3.5
Writing	3.5
Characters	3.5
Ending	3.5
Overall Rating	3.5 Superior! (93% to 96%) * highest rating possible is 4.0

LOCATION/SETTING:
The story is set in the town of Hemlock. In the world created, people are getting killed by werewolves. There was also a virus that was spreading causing the Lupine Syndrome.

MAIN CHARACTERS:
The main character is Mackenzie, or Mac. She lives with her legal guardian as her mother left her and her father is a fugitive from justice. She is best friends with Jason, Kyle, and Amy. Mac works at an Italian restaurant; she isn't as well-off as her closest friends. She also has trust issues due to her past.

WHAT THE BOOK IS ABOUT:
The story opens with a funeral. Amy, Mac's best friend, was attacked and killed. Since Amy was killed, Amy has been visiting Mac in her dreams, and Mac believes that Amy is telling her about who murdered her. The book is basically an investigation by Mac on who murdered Amy. Along the way, she finds out that her other best friends, Jason and Kyle, have been keeping big and dark secrets. Add some teenage hormonal drama: Mac doesn't know how she feels about Jason, Amy's boyfriend, and is also starting to have feelings for her other best friend, Kyle, and you have an intoxicating story entitled Hemlock.

LOVE:
First of all, I loved the atmosphere of the story. The town of Hemlock has an air of mystery and intrigue. I also love the characters in this book. Each one is imperfect, but is always striving to be better. This fact makes them real. Jason is so broken and lost after Amy's death. Kyle is frustrating, but heroic. Mac made some incredibly stupid decisions, but was able to redeem herself anyway. Those flaws made the characters human, and therefore the readers of this book would be able to relate to one or more of the characters. In relation to this, I loved the teenage hormonal drama behind the murder mystery story. This book dealt with issues about imperfect friendships: trust, betrayal, and lots of secrets and lies. Plus, there are also best friends slowly turning into something more than friends, and two best friends loving the one and the same girl. Truly, the drama in this book is fantastic!

NO LOVE:
There are very few things I disliked about this book. First, the book has this element: "I'm a monster. I'm not good for you." This is just so commonplace! Second, is the fact that Amy can communicate to Mac in her dreams. This was strange to me at first as a ghost story doesn't really go well with a werewolf story. I didn't know what to make of it. But I got used to it, and I realized later in the story that it wasn't as bad as I thought.

FAVORITE CHARACTER:
Kyle and Jason. Oh, those two hotties and their secrets! They make me want more.

FAVORITE LINE:
Withheld. The final copy may contain some changes.

MUSINGS:
I am in love with this book! But I have to say that, there is really nothing unique about the werewolf lore in this book: people getting infected by the virus, people getting killed by a werewolf. Nevertheless, there is something special about the book as a whole. I believe this is due to the author's amazing writing and storytelling skills. I was hooked after reading the first paragraph. I couldn't stop reading because it was just completely addicting. Honestly, I didn't expect the book to be that good. It exceeded my expectations. I think it's a combination of the werewolf story in the The Dark Divine and the murder-mystery story in The Body Finder. This book is actually better than The Dark Divine! The plot is so wonderfully entangled and complicated! The suspense is a killer! Who is the wolf? Who is the killer? Is the wolf and the killer one and the same? As new characters are introduced, the reader would ask, is this character the wolf? While the romance in the story did not fully develop, there was an intense chemistry between potential love interest/s. The ending was very satisfying. The author was able to resolve the conflicts well, but left something to make the reader hungry for the sequel. And for a change, I am thrilled that there will be a sequel. Reading Hemlock was such a pleasure that I would gladly return to the world that Kathleen Peacock has created. 

DOODLES:
Bonus scenes

AUTHOR'S WEBSITE:
Kathleen Peacock

SIMILAR READS:
The Dark Divine by Bree Despain

The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting

CONTENT REVIEW:
profanity: mild to moderate
violence: heavy
sexual content: moderate
mature themes: moderate
age recommendation: 14+