Willowgrove (Hemlock #3)

                Hello happy readers!  I hope you’re having a great day, I’m so ready for the weekend myself.  Random facts, my vehicle accident from back mid-January that totaled my vehicle, still dealing with finger issues from the break but I’ve gotten good at adapting and most exciting…I finally got my replacement vehicle!  It’s a pre-owed vehicle and I got it within the replacement money the insurance gave and frankly I have my own vehicle again so I’m thrilled! Plus it’s pretty awesome, not super new but newer than what I had so moved up!  So personal news aside I wanted to share my thoughts on the final book in the Hemlock trilogy by Kathleen Peacock, Willowgrove.  I previously review Hemlock and Thornhill.  As this is the final book there will be spoilers for the first two books, duh.

Rating:  4.5 Stars

                The last book left off with our gang having escaped from the rehabilitation camp of Thornhill where horrible experimentations were being run.  But thankfully the crew along with Mac’s long lost dad and his were wolf pack managed to storm the compound and set everyone free.  This however has caused some serious panic around the nation and everyone is freaking out over the fear of infection.  Anyone with any type of scar is suspected.  Trackers and their fanatic followers are out in droves and Hemlock, their home town, is one major point of convergence.  Trying to stay safe while working to uncover how Thornhill was able to operate their experiments for so long trying to put an end to it and ensure no one is put through them again.  Down the rabbit hole.

                This was a fantastic conclusion and a great series.  This last book really had it all.  I was emotional and attached.  Our core group of Mac, Kyle, and Jason easily includes Serena, Trey, and Eve without question.  They are the ones you are rooting for and most concerned about and considering all but two of them are werewolves in this nightmare of a time that’s a full time job.  Things start crazy and just keep going and going.  The escalation of the public tension is insane and if you take out the whole werewolf aspect and make it any number of highly volatile social issues we are dealing with today and you could see it really happening.  That made this book real in a way I never expected, to read these events and think to myself this could easily happen is rather frightening but also made the book that much better.

                Willowgrove also delivers on characters as well.  Mac has been growing and adjusting as the series progressed but she is such a strong character.  She is determined to find answers and protect those she cares about even if what is best for them will hurt her.  You know who else grows, Kyle and Jason.  Kyle still isn’t thrilled about what he is but he does come to accept it a bit more throughout which is huge progress.  Jason finally realizes that he can’t keep hating all things wolves and assuming his friends are the exception but they are all people too, some good and some bad like normal humans.  He makes large strides there.  Serena also got more time in the story and watching her struggle with what was done to her and what she has done even if in self-defense was beautiful. 

                There is already enough going on in the story with the “infection” and the public outcry and uprising of sorts but they added in even more to make sure the story was amped up.  As Mac is determined to figure out who is behind the experimentations and hold them accountable she dives deeper into a family she that seems at the center of their group, Amy’s family.  As with anything when you start digging for one thing everything around you that you know starts to unravel.  The mystery within the story was rather great and weaved together nicely.  I was all sorts of emotions at the end of this series and that made it.  It makes you think of a larger picture and contemplate moral ambiguity and what’s acceptable loss of life to save others? 

                I would recommend this series to fellow readers and say to drive into a unique story that blends the werewolf into a tale of social injustice and human rights with just enough mystery and lots of action to keep it rolling smoothly.  Please share your thoughts below on Willowgrove and the whole series in the comments below. 

                Until next time…

Hemlock

                Hello happy readers.  It has been an interested few days.  Real quick reminder my giveaway for a SIGNED copy of Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman is still open with 4 days left (3/7/16) so don’t forget to enter here.  Many of you may have noticed I’m trying to put a huge dent in some of the books/series I have that have been sitting around for a while waiting to be read by me I find it refreshing I mean I clearly bought them for a reason, I wanted to read them.  Last month I read through the Hemlock trilogy by Kathleen Peacock which I rather enjoyed and plan to review them all for you guys.  But today we'll just review book one, Hemlock.

Rating:  4 Stars

                I admit I’d forgotten what this series was about prior to picking it back up.  Basically it’s about werewolves.  Lupine syndrome (LS) is a known thing in the world and werewolves are not looked upon happily but treated as a biohazard basically, something most fear.  Mac’s world has been screwed up since her best friend Amy was murdered by a white werewolf.  Since her death she’s been haunted by dreams of her dead friend.  When an extremist group known as Trackers come into her town of Hemlock, it’s to combat their werewolf problem.  While some might try to hide their symptoms and stay out of the camps others develop bloodlust, what they say killed Amy.  Unable to think of anything else Mac decides to investigate her best friends murder herself and is thrown into the danger of it all.

                The story moves along pretty easily and kept me interested and I learned what was happening in this world.  A small town with its social class divide and a string of attacks that were never solved and pretty interesting characters.  Mac lives with her cousin Tess, who is pretty much a punky awesome guardian, after her criminal father abandons her at a motel.  She has a crush on her best friend, Kyle, and is also looking after Amy's boyfriend, Jason, who has taken to making some rather questionable decisions since her death.  When we meet her Mac has already been through some stuff.  She has some issues of her own but she is strong and determined.  She was relatable. 

                Parts of the plot, a murdered best friend and trying to uncover what happened in a town with a strong economical divide, made me think of one of my favorite TV shows of times past, Veronica Mars.  Jason at times reminded me of Logan, Amy to Lily, and of course Mac to Veronica!  That only made me fly through the story more, and of course there was much more to the death than meets the eye.  But watching as they uncovered it was rather fun and some of the things that happen along the way were definitely something to keep your heart pumping.   

                More than a who done it, we have the moral implications of the LS being out there.  How it and anyone infected or sympathizers with infected are viewed in the new world.  Does being infected with LS make you less human?  What is the right way to handle the infection?  So many different questions, I loved how the story played on that throughout the whole series.  What makes one human?  That's all for book one I look forward to reviewing the next two books as well in the coming weeks so keep an eye on that.  I'd love to know what you think down below in the comments. 

                Until next time…