Review: Willowgrove by Kathleen Peacock

Title: Willowgrove

Author: Kathleen Peacock

Publisher: Katherine Tegen

Publication Date: 1.6.2015

Pages: 368

Genre: Paranormal, Young Adult, Werewolves

Series: Hemlock #3

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: 4 Stars

Summary (from Goodreads):

Willowgrove is Kathleen Peacock's riveting conclusion to the Hemlock trilogy, a dark, romantic, paranormal suspense series that pits friendship against survival, and trust against love.

Ever since Mac's best friend, Amy, was murdered, Hemlock has been a dangerous place. But now that Mac, her boyfriend, Kyle, and Amy's ex, Jason, have investigated a mass breakout from Thornhill, a werewolf "rehabilitation" camp, the danger has only grown. Fear of the infection spreading is now at an all-time high, and anyone with a scar is suspected of being a wolf.

What makes Mac even more afraid, though, are the dark experiments that the warden of Thornhill was performing on wolves in a secret asylum called Willowgrove. Uncovering the truth about what happened may be the only way for Mac to save everyone she loves and end her nightmares for good.

Review:

LOOK! LOOK! I finished another series! LOOK AT ME GO!

Finishing a trilogy is a monumental feat for me, but once I had a copy of WILLOWGROVE in my hands, there was no stopping me. After everything that had happened in Hemlock and Thornhill, I was desperate for some answers and closure, not unlike our hero, Mac.

It’s hard to get into the particulars of WILLOWGROVE without giving away crucial details for the first two books, but suffice to say Kathleen Peacock wraps up this series wonderfully, tying up all the loose threads and answering long-lingering questions. She stayed true to her characters from book one through book three, and I absolutely adore her for that.

If you’re looking for a paranormal fix with a lot of mystery and suspense (and a couple of seriously hot boys – hands off Kyle, OK? I have dibs!), then I urge you to pick up this series by Peacock. It’s fun, fast, and absolutely fantastic to read.

Hey—I even finished this series, people. We all know how rare that is for me.

Buy Willowgrove by Kathleen Peacock

Review: Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock

Title: Hemlock

Author: Kathleen Peacock

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Publication Date: 5.8.2012

Pages: 400

Genre: Paranormal Romance, Werewolves

Series: Yes (Hemlock #1)

Source: ARC from publisher

Rating: A+

Summary (from Goodreads):

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.

Review:

I’m a huge fan of the paranormal genre, especially when it has an element of romance thrown in for good measure. I did not, however, expect to fall so completely and utterly in love with this novel. Hemlock completely took me by surprise, forcing me to frantically flip through the pages until the wee hours of the morning so I could see how it all ended. Kathleen Peacock is a name you’re going to want to remember guys; she’s here to stay.

Mac is one of the best, most compelling heroines I’ve read. She’s strong and capable, tenacious and vibrant. She has this emotional vulnerability that makes me want to hug her as I cheered for her. And I loved the boys—Kyle and Jason are great in their own right. I waffled nearly the entire book over who I wanted Mac to end up with. Jason has the bad boy thing in spades, and even when he was being an ass I still adored him. Kyle stole my heart, though. He’s just … epic, for lack of a better word. While I saw the twist to the triangle coming, it didn’t detract from the story at all.

I absolutely love this spin on werewolves. Werewolves have sort of become the new vampire, and I felt the genre was growing stale for a while until I read this. I love the concept that Lupine syndrome is a known “disease” that the public acknowledges and tries to battle. Peacock creates a sense of fear in the community because of the Lupine syndrome that is palpable. Like with every disease, people fear what they don’t understand.

I cannot endorse this book enough. I’ve already preordered my copy, and I recommend you do the same. This series is going to be phenomenal.

Buy: Amazon | The Book Depository