Hemlock
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Publisher: Harper Teen
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Pages: 400
Series: Hemlock, book one
Source: ARC requested from publisher
About the Book: 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 supernatural mystery series filled with provocative questions about prejudice, trust, lies, and love. (from the back of the book)
My Thoughts: Hemlock is in turns heart-pounding and heart-breaking. And that’s all before chapter one even starts! The rest of the book continues in the same vein. I was so hooked.
Chapter one picks up five months after the death of Mackenzie’s best friend Amy. Mac is dealing with grief and guilt over the loss of her best friend as well as trying to get her life back to normal. Well, as normal as life can be when you best friend was murdered by a werewolf! And like, everybody knows and accepts this explanation! I was intrigued by a world where the existence of werewolves is a given. The idea of “Lupine Syndrome” as a disease had me fascinated. I liked learning about the way it was handled by the society and the different activist groups it brought to life.
Even though the description on the back mentions that Hemlock is the start of a “supernatural mystery series” I wasn’t expecting there to be so much to the mystery. I apparently glossed over that part and it ended up being one of the things I loved most. The twists and turns kept me guessing (and sometimes hiding under the covers! I am such a baby.)
Hemlock is a stellar start to a very promising series. The book is complete in itself but leaves some of the larger aspects open for further exploration. I cannot wait to see what Kathleen Peacock has in store for us next!
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