Hemlock

A relatively fast-paced murder-mystery plot with likeable, if slightly stereotypical, YA characters and an interesting spin on the classic werewolf mythology makes Hemlock stand out amongst its peers!

With the government officially announcing Lupine Syndrome - or the werewolf virus - Hemlock immediately separates itself from most other YA titles, in that the general public acknowledge that there are paranormal creatures living among them! The disease is becoming increasingly more widespread, easily transferable as a mere scratch from someone who has been infected can pass on the disease, and with each new attack, panic levels rise. The rising hysteria easily explains why people are quick to revoke werewolves' rights and ship them off to rehabilitation camps, where they will spend the rest of their lives.

What I didn't find so easily explained were certain continuity issues. Like Mac's job, for example. Hemlock opens with her working as a waitress and there are a couple of instances where she specifically mentions financial issues being the reason for her needing to work. But as the plot progresses, her job is conspicuously absent. It's not until the epilogue that her job is mentioned again. The other main continuity issue I came across was Mac's guardian Tess and her flip-flopping parental concern. It seemed like Tess was only concerned about Mac when it was convenient for the plot for Mac to be stuck at home, or for her to feel guilty about betraying Tess' trust. Whenever possible, Tess was also conspicuously absent so as not to get in the way of Mac's sleuthing or love life.

The characters were all enjoyable to read about, but I didn't fully connect with any of them. I enjoyed Mac's dry sense of humour, especially in awkward or inopportune moments. I also loved her stubbornness and determination to solve Amy's murder regardless of her own safety - though it definitely got her into some dangerous situations!
Hoisting my brick, I aimed at the white werewolf's head and threw as hard as I could. The brick collided with the wolf's skull and then bounced to the ground.

It let go of Kyle and barked out a surprised yelp just as I realized my plan didn't have a step two.
Her relationship was Kyle was cute, even through her somewhat annoyingly naive insistence for the first half of Hemlock that they were just friends. I guess I didn't get to connect with Mac because of her self-consciousness about being a pretty blond who thinks she's plain, especially in comparison to her oh-so-gorgeous, wealthy and voluptuous best friend - it was a little too stereotypical for my liking. There was also the fact that I couldn't quite grasp Mac's history with her criminal father and how his abandonment affected her psyche.

I actually found both Kyle and Jason to be slightly better fleshed out then Mac, as I understood their inner emotional turmoil. The issues both boys were struggling to deal with, and the manner in which they expressed their angst, was both realistic and heartbreaking and I found myself looking for them when I was left alone with just Mac.

But the plot is where Hemlock truly captured my attention. I was desperate to figure out who Amy's killer was, the secrets Amy obviously hid from Mac, and what role Jason/Trey had in Amy's murder. As the clues piled up and Mac started to make connections, I found myself gripping the pages until my knuckles were white and the murderer was revealed. I won't say I didn't see it coming, but it was nice to see how Peacock tied up all the loose ends into something that made sense in a realistic way.

Some minor issues aside, I really enjoyed Hemlock. Even though I didn't fully connect with the characters, I was invested in what happened to them and I hoped for their safety/happiness. But Hemlock's saving grace was it's action-packed thriller of a plot, which caught me in it's grasp and refused to let go!

OH MY DONUTS!!
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!
It made me think one thing then another then another and completely twist it around
Life. Death. Life. Death
AND THE ENDING!
I WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT!
SURPRISE! SURPRISE!
I know i'm not making much since but the point is...
THIS BOOK WAS EPIC!

At first I wasn't exactly expecting a whole lot from this book. When I saw the word werewolves I literally groaned. Lately werewolves have been overplayed, only second to vampires. But the thing is that this book was completely original. Its different than those cliche werewolf novels that have been going around lately.

Let me explain
The book begins when Makenzie's (or Mac as she is usually called)best friend, Amy, is murdered by a white werewolf that has killed 3 other people and injured others giving them Lupine Syndrome.

What is Lupine Syndrome?
It is a virus passed on by a werewolf by a scratch or a bite. If you get scratched or bitten by a werewolf you get Lupine Syndrome(or LS for short)after about 30 days you eventually are able to shift into a wolf.

This all started about 12 years before the book begins when werewolves were found to actually exist causing paranoia and hysteria. Werewolves are thought to be entirely evil and dangerous.
And that's where the Trackers come in.
The Trackers are like vampire slayers only with werewolves. Although their job isn't exactly to terminate them but they do kill them if they don't "cooperate". No, their job is to take them to the rehab for werewolves which they will live their whole lives away from regs or regular people.
Basically this book reminds me of racism on steroids

Anyway...
Back to the main story
Amy's grandpa (who happens to be a senator) calls for the Trackers for them to look for the werewolf that killed Amy. But Mac doesn't trust the Trackers and decides to search for the truth herself. Discovering more truths than she ever thought she was going to find....

The only things I did not like this book was the few cliches (I hate cliches)
for example: the jealous girlfriend, and goodbye note

But I literally jumped with joy throughout the book because I didn't find any love triangles!
HOORAY!
But sadly I feel that there will be a dreaded love triangle in the next book. :(
DUN! DUN! DUN!
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Another thing I need to mention is the ending
It's not exactly a cliffhanger (and I absolutely hate cliffhangers!)
but it's very close to one.
But it's not like all the main character's fiends are trapped in a burning building with demons on the loose and no magic (if you know what book i'm talking about CONGRATS!)
So that's a relief

For a very short recap....
THIS BOOK WAS AMAZING!

-

~Okay, who got ripped to shreds just now?~

So, the UNTHINKABLE happens. This Amy chick gets herself brutally killed in a deserted alley. And, boy, the fear is adrenaline overdose. Peacock sure knows how to orchestrate a solid, fast-gripping chase. Anyway, Amy here is found in pieces—if I remember right—and everybody’s all very devastated. Amy, as we are soon to discover, is one of the town golden girls, granddaughter of this Senator with LOADS of influence and power. She was a granddaughter, a best friend, and a girlfriend before she was found OVERKILL-dead, and the people who cared about her are unsurprisingly anguished but for unexpected reasons. Everyone—Mac, Kyle, Jason, among others whose identities remain delicious secrets—has dirty little secrets about their involvement in Amy’s shocking death. It’s all very much like an episode of Pretty Little Liars. Only WAY BETTER.

Mackenzie, or more fondly known as Mac, is/was Amy’s bestie and is in a really shizzy place mentally and emotionally even after months have passed since that dreadful, dreadful day. Now, Mackenzie is living her life one painful, dull moment at a time while doing her best to look after the only two other people who mattered to either Mac or Amy—Kyle and Jason. Jason has become a walking downward spiral, aka a pathetic drunkard; Kyle has gotten himself into some deep shizz with a psycho ex and has been pulling away more and more. Mac is all WHAT THE EFF IS GOING ON HERE? She’s tearing herself in two trying to save both of them, when neither of them really deserve all that attention and concern and looking after. Mac has the patience of a saint, if you ask me, to hang onto these two guys who bring nothing but strain to her day-to-day.

It’s never really explained why Amy mattered so much to Kyle and Jason, but you get Mac’s despair. Friendless nearly all her life, to have someone so close be torn away… Mac loved Amy because she made a difference in Mac’s life, and I FELT for Mac. It isn’t until the pieces start falling into our laps, however, that we all realize Amy may have been hiding a few of her colors.

~I’m so proud of me and my guessing skillz~

And THAT, quite honestly, is the best part of Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock. Figuring that most of the townspeople of Hemlock are not AT ALL who they say they are, who they pretend to be. In fact, many of them are curtaining buckets of secrets and it’s up to Mac to sort through and connect them to the attacks and Amy’s death.

I LIKED being suspicious of everyone I met, wondering about their well-kept secrets and who would have the most damning motive. Although I puzzled out who the villain was fairly quickly—because I’m a G like that—everyone else’s true identity is certainly not as easy to rationalize.

~Mac’s daddy issues and boys in need of slapattacks~

Mac, as I said, is really bent out of shape over Amy’s murder, and can’t resist blaming herself for everything that has gone wrong since then. She blames herself for not being Kyle and Jason’s white knight, saving Jason from himself and Kyle from whatever secrets are causing those shadows under his cute eyeballs. Rather than feeling annoyed, I actually found that this quality makes her endearing rather than irritating. She’s had a rough childhood with really terrible parents, and all she knows is what awfulness her father managed to leave imprinted in her subconscious. She views herself as dispensable, disposable, and it makes her sad, vulnerable, and lonely in ways that make her half-deserving of a hug. Daddy issues or not, however, I do so enjoy the way this girl goes about saving the day—a little impulsive, logical, and a lot brave (or maybe stupid?).

While on some level, I dug Jason and Kyle, the other half of Mac’s dwindling foursome, I had my issues with them. Although it’s voluntary, Mac puts herself through a lot of crap on her remaining bffs’ behalves and neither fully appreciates and values all she does. Their actions, at least, say that. She reads more like a mama bear half the time than a best friend or a love interest for all the babysitting and confronting and intervening she starts up. I didn’t fully grasp the attraction to either of them for that reason. They may both be smokin’, but they’ve got too many issues to count and Mac comes off more like a den mother than anything else. Secrets, lies, betrayals, they’re both culprits, and some of their actions are immature to say the least, in a grating way as opposed to a They’re Evolving and Learning Throughout the Book way, which is actually attractive.

~Ready to end this~

Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock is definitely delightfully entertaining and all, but there are certain points that tend to drag, and I would’ve liked to have seen the story condensed a bit more. There’s so much drama and general mayhem, yes, and it’s effective, but I could’ve done without some of it.

I don’t know how Peacock is going to stretch out this series, and I’d hate to see it be dragged on for the sake of the all-important love triangle *eye-roll*, which I have no definitive stance on. Let’s pray that Peacock has more pressing matters mapped out for Mac and the gang, and that the next mystery is as exciting as Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock.

Want something similar to read? Check out Something Strange and Deadly by Susan Dennard and Velveteen by Daniel Marks.

Originally posted at Paranormal Indulgence, 6/14/12