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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is one of those books that is an enjoyable enough read if you're willing to overlook or go along with some jankiness. It felt like the explanation for what triggered the plot wasn't fully justified or foreshadowed, leading to a lack of a strong, known villain and the semi-sudden supernatural twist. I'm also not a huge fan of a pregnancy that was the result of sexual assault being treated as a plot twist, though that might get some narrative justification in the way some other twists in the book don't by being a metaphor for the island being mistreated by strangers after the protagonist promised to protect it.
Additionally, while the cast of characters is relatively diverse, the way aspects of marginalized identities are talked about (including the abrupt pronoun conversation, mentions of bisexuality discrimination, and discussion of a pair of siblings' history of struggle due to being Black) sometimes feels performative and awkwardly addressed by a writer who perhaps doesn't have the life experience of most or all of those identities, rather than fully woven into the narrative.
All that said though, it's generally a book that keeps you reading and is intriguing enough that I didn't feel like it was a waste of time, even with the stumbles in the second half. Just mind the content warnings, particularly regarding body horror and sexual assault.
Additionally, while the cast of characters is relatively diverse, the way aspects of marginalized identities are talked about (including the abrupt pronoun conversation, mentions of bisexuality discrimination, and discussion of a pair of siblings' history of struggle due to being Black) sometimes feels performative and awkwardly addressed by a writer who perhaps doesn't have the life experience of most or all of those identities, rather than fully woven into the narrative.
All that said though, it's generally a book that keeps you reading and is intriguing enough that I didn't feel like it was a waste of time, even with the stumbles in the second half. Just mind the content warnings, particularly regarding body horror and sexual assault.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Biphobia, Cancer, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Toxic friendship
Minor: Misogyny, Racism, Pandemic/Epidemic
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated
3.5-4 stars to Hemlock Island, a spooky thriller drenched in eerie atmosphere.
•
I haven’t read a lot of Kelley Armstrong's work, but what I have read I really enjoyed so when I heard she had a new one that leaned more into horror I had to grab it. And while some of this book didn’t work for me, it was a fun read with some great revelations throughout.
•
I really liked the characters and their relationships to each other. Laney and Madison’s was a really sweet auntie/niece/caretaker relationship, and Kit/Jayla were great siblings. If this was a romance novel, Kit and Laney had great chemistry.
•
I also absolutely loved the setting of a remote island with a long history, while a storm is brewing. It’s like catnip to me in books!
•
No spoilers-the ending was a surprising one, and will actually stick with me for a while, even if I don’t know how I feel about it.
•
I would definitely recommend this one for a slightly spooky but fast paced and fun thriller-it’s great to curl up with as winter approaches.
•
I haven’t read a lot of Kelley Armstrong's work, but what I have read I really enjoyed so when I heard she had a new one that leaned more into horror I had to grab it. And while some of this book didn’t work for me, it was a fun read with some great revelations throughout.
•
I really liked the characters and their relationships to each other. Laney and Madison’s was a really sweet auntie/niece/caretaker relationship, and Kit/Jayla were great siblings. If this was a romance novel, Kit and Laney had great chemistry.
•
I also absolutely loved the setting of a remote island with a long history, while a storm is brewing. It’s like catnip to me in books!
•
No spoilers-the ending was a surprising one, and will actually stick with me for a while, even if I don’t know how I feel about it.
•
I would definitely recommend this one for a slightly spooky but fast paced and fun thriller-it’s great to curl up with as winter approaches.