Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Hemlock

Title:Hemlock
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Series: Hemlock, Book 1
Number of Pages: 404
Date Read: 1/27/15
Genre: Werewolves, Paranormal, Fantasy, Mystery


Synopsis (Found on Goodreads.com)

Mackenzie Dobson's life has been turned upside down since she vowed to hunt her best friend Amy's killer: a white werewolf. Lupine syndromealso known as the werewolf virusis on the rise across the country, and bloodlust is not easy to control. But it soon becomes clear that dangerous secrets are lurking in the shadows of Hemlock, Mac's hometownand she is thrown into a maelstrom of violence and betrayal that puts her in grave danger.

My Review:

So I finally read this book that has been on my bookshelf for years and I found that I liked it. 

Basically the story is about Mac who lives in a world where everyone knows about werewolves and the illness called Lupine syndrome. Anyone who is a werewolf has to register with the government and is put in internment camps where they live the rest of their lives in with other werewolves. And the condition of the camps are said to be terrible. 


Now on to what role Mac plays in the book. She is in a group of four best friends: herself, Kyle, Jason and Amy. Jason and Amy were dating. Amy gets murdered by a werewolf in the beginning of the book and the wolf is never caught. Flash forward five months later (chapter 1) and Jason is a drunken mess, while Kyle and Mac are still best friends and all 3 blame themselves for Amy's death. Another murder happens and now an anti-werewolf group called the trackers come to Hemlock to capture werewolves to put in camps and to recruit new members. Kyle and Mac are against the trackers while Jason joins them to find Amy's killer. Which then leads Mac to go looking for Amy's killer with Kyle. There's a lot of secrets revealed in this book about the characters and there is a moderate amount of action. 


I liked Mac well enough. She was very loyal, kind and caring to people she loved. She never gave up on Jason who had gone totally downhill in his life and she always tried to help him when other people told her he was hopeless. She is a very understanding person and was tolerant of people who were werewolves. She didn't think they should be put into camps and that not all of them were dangerous. She was persistent and determined to find Amy's killer and she didn't let anyone stop or intimidate her. To me Mac was also a very real character and one that readers can relate to. She made stupid mistakes like everyone did and during attacks by both werewolves and humans she tried to help her friends even though she was only a human girl. She did simple things like tackle people or throw rocks at them. She wasn't afraid to run away. She was also a believable character because she got hurt during these attacks/action scenes. She wasn't all powerful and she got injuries just like anyone else would if they got into fights or tried to help someone who was in a fight. Actually this girl got hit in her head so many times, its a wonder she's not in a coma. 


I really liked Kyle. He was super sweet and helpful to Mac. He protected her all the time and was by her side for most of the book. He was the one to always save her in her sticky situations. He had secrets of his own but he cared about Mac a lot and was an all around good guy.
I liked Jason too but I felt bad for him because of his guilt about Amy. He completely lost it and started drinking heavily and getting into fights. He spent a lot of time being a jerk but he does care about Mac and tries to help her in the end. 


I can see a one sided love triangle happening. Kyle and Mac's romance was awesome. They are so good together and I love how much they love each other. I also love the fact that they were best friends for years before they finally admitted to having feelings for each other. Sometimes their fights were dumb and at times it seems like they were not going to be together but they couldn't stay away from each other. It was sweet and I loved it. Jason loves Mac too but she doesn't feel the same way about him. She only loves him as a friend. Which is why I say its a one sided love triangle. 


Personally I really liked the action sequences. The description of the werewolves shifting with their bones cracking and reknitting themselves made me squirm but I loved it. There was blood and injuries and times when you weren't sure if the characters were going to die. And it wasn't just Mac who was in danger. Granted most of the time it was her but Jason, Kyle and other minor characters were equally in danger as well. Each character had their strengths and weaknesses and each got hurt sometime during the book which makes them believable as characters. 


I can't wait to read the next book of the series.



Rating
B+  

2 comments:

  1. Usually I'm not a fan of werewolves but this book has been recommended to me for some time, so sooner or later I'll definitely pick it up!
    I have a blog as well, if you want to stop by I'd appreciate it so much! It's both in Italian and in English :3 -> http://frannieinthepages.blogspot.com/
    Ps.

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