Thank you, NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong 4 out of 5 stars Laney is a teacher and writer, struggling after a pandemic-fueled divorce, the death of her sister, and becoming the guardian of her teenage niece. To help make ends meet, she decides to rent out the private island her tech company CEO ex-husband bought for her. But renters can be a nightmare, and she keeps finding hex circles and other acts of ritualistic vandalism left behind. When the latest renters flee in the middle of the night after finding bloody scratches on the inside of a closet– as though something was trying to get out– Laney decides it’s time to take a look for herself. When Laney and her niece, Madison, go to check things out, she is less than thrilled to find her ex and his sister (and her former best friend). And then another old high school friend and her brother (now a cop) join, uninvited. Once they get to the island, Laney and crew expect to just find some pranks former renters left to spook other guests. Instead, they find more ritualistic drawings, vandalism, and a disembodied hand. As the situation escalates, the tensions among the group rise and the danger increases. Will Laney and the rest make it off the island alive? Y’ALL. I was expecting this to be another Kelley Armstrong thriller, but HOLY MOLY. It immediately had me enthralled, I didn’t want to put it down, and it was SCARY. I’m not usually one to find books particularly scary. Unsettling? Yes- but not really scary. This book? It had me afraid I was going to have nightmares. I loved the creepiness and the horror. While it was pretty graphic at times, it didn’t feel as gratuitous as some horror seems, but still beware if you don’t like gore. I would give this book 5 stars, but there were some side plots that created long explanations and conversations between the characters so they could work it out– which is fine. But when it’s thrown in the middle of a book filled with horror and jump scares and the tension is off the charts? It kills the mood a bit. Even though, I guess if you’re facing unspeakable horrors, you might as well finally have all the conversations with your loved ones that you’ve been putting off. Overall, this is a solid horror. Aside from the lulls when the conversations are happening, the action does not let up and it is just so gripping. I will absolutely be recommending this book to others, so they can have nightmares, too.
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AuthorI'm HaileyAnne! I'm a queer librarian who loves books and kpop. Archives
August 2023
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