Well, I was hooked from page 1, if that doesn't say enough. The writing was fine, though there was quite a lot of arm-crossing. I can't wait for the next in the series!

At least, that's what I originally thought. That next book has been out for nearly four months, and I have no immediate intention of of reading it. ( )

I enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I was going to. It wasn't just another teen werewolf thing there was actually a good story behind it, one that was intriguing enough to keep me reading. Will be keeping an eye out for the other two in the series. ( )

Oh dear, I said I was going to review this book, but then I forgot and now I don't remember what I had been going to say.
well, it was amazing. totally worth the read. it's on my to-buy list. ( )

***Possible spoilers, you’ve been warned***

The book starts off well and has a good pace and momentum throughout the book. The setting is also well done and small with a handful of characters so it’s simple and makes the reading enjoyable. I particularly liked the dream sequences Mac has with Amy. They can be cliche but it helps move the plot along and adds to the mood.

The werewolf aspect is interesting in the book. The notion of them having a ‘rehabilitation’ camp has a dystopia feel and there’s also Mac trying to solve Amy’s murder. So there’s different characteristics of the book to please YA readers which makes the experience reading this fun and enjoyable.

Of course you need a bit of romance in the story as well right? I’m all for Kyle and Mac being together. I found the love triangle aspect here irritating and forced on. Jason did not have sort of chemistry at all with Mac. It felt forced, awkward, and well...it just didn’t sit well with me (your boyfriend likes your best friend...just. No.) The love triangle just made things so cliche and sappy. The story didn’t need this. It was fine with just Kyle and Mac!

The mystery aspect was good throughout the novel. The crumb trail to figuring out who was behind the attacks wasn’t that obvious until the late third of the book and although it was already known who it was, the action sequence and climax of the story was pretty exciting and a lot of things are revealed. The revelations weren’t the type to blind side you, it fits well into the story and puts the pieces together. Which is fine. I think the action scenes are enough to keep readers interested.

I was happy with the way the book ended and I’ll be picking up the second one. Recommended for YA lovers who just want a good light read with some good action and a readable enjoyable plot. ( )

Mackenzie's best friend, Amy, was murdered by a werewolf. Mac wants justice for this death, but she also doesn't approve of the Trackers, a group dedicated to hunting down werewolves and either killing them or locking them away. Amy's boyfriend, Jason, is making a lot of bad life choices since Amy's death, and is starting to think about joining the Trackers. Mac's other best friend, Kyle, is hiding something....BUT WHAT COULD IT POSSIBLY BE? Mac's guardian is her older sister, whose boyfriend, Ben, is also hiding something.....BUT WHAT COULD IT POSSIBLY BE?

Hemlock is a 200-page book smashed into 400 pages. It's way too long for the amount of action in it, and most of the revelations we can see coming a mile off. Most of the pages were filled with Mac trying to come to terms with her friend's death, her other friends' problems, all of the secrets she uncovers, and the political wrangling of the Trackers and other anti-werewolf people, and those who think werewolves are human beings with human rights. However, some of the mystery was very suspenseful and there were some twists I wasn't expecting. Mac's constant dreams about Amy were pretty strange, though. I don't know, some of the stuff that seemed random or really drawn out might come back into the trilogy later, but for this book it made me wonder what the point of it was.

Mac herself did very little in this book. I spent a lot of time expecting her to do something, anything, besides yell at everyone else to stop being stupid or scream in terror-both of these are valid reactions but that's all you can do, girl? Why are you even the protagonist? Jason and Kyle deserve a lot of yelling from her, but they were frustrating to read too because all their choice are bad ones, it seems like. Ben was honestly my favorite character in this book. And that...I don't think that should be, considering who he is and everything that happens in the book.

My favorite part of the book was the world, which is very dark (especially if you're a werewolf) and intense. It reminded me a lot of Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson novels, if the werewolves "coming out" had gone horribly.

I gave Hemlock three out of five stars. I don't think I'll be reading the rest of the trilogy, but I hope Mac builds on the development she got in this book and becomes a more active character.

PS-Don't get me started on the pop culture references in this book. Just don't.

(review also posted on my blog, bahnree.blogspot.com) ( )