Hemlock Review

TITLE Hemlock (Hemlock #1)
AUTHOR Kathleen Peacock
PUBLISHED May 8th, 2012 by Katherine Tegen Books
READ May 13 - 14, 2012
BUY IT Amazon / The Book Depository

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.

I have been waiting for Hemlock for a very long time. I remember starting my blog it was one of my very first WoW's, so going into reading this it had a lot to live up to in my mind.  It did, it lived up to all of my expectations and surpassed them.  I would even say that this is the best book that I have read in the past 2 to 3 years.  I loved everything about it, the pacing had me turning the pages and the suspense had my stomach twisted into knots. Each chapter ends with a cliffhanger of it's own and you just Can't. Stop. Reading.

Mac was an awesome MC, she was witty, realistic and she could hold her own.  I loved being inside her head and reading her inner dialogue.  She was level-headed and had an astounding amount of empathy and compassion for those around her. Mackenzie had a very rough upbringing and when she was abandoned in Hemlock with her cousin Tess she finally found a group that she belonged in. The characters are so well written within the group that I didn't find myself groaning at the love triangle.  I really enjoyed Kyle and Jason! Sure Jason had his flaws, but there was always a level of humility in him when it came to Mac. And Kyle was such a sweetheart. The glimpses of Amy through Mac's dreams provide a very dark, ominous feel and every time she popped up I cringed, expecting the worst.

Kathleen Peacock has taken very familiar elements and constructed a very unique story. People in Hemlock know that werewolves exist and there is even a team of Trackers whose sole mission is to take them down. This really made for a refreshing read in a genre that I have read a lot of.  There is no shortage of twists that keep you sucked into the story to a point that you almost feel as if you can't breathe!

At this point, all I have to say to you, reader of my review, is "What are you doing reading my review?! Go read Hemlock! NOW!"