2 Book Lovers Reviews

Kelley Armstrong is one of those authors who has been around for a while, she has a few books under her belt and is an author whom I have not previously read. Hemlock Island looks like a book that has a lot of good things going on, a real Airbnb gone wrong, complete with hexes and exes.

I don’t know if this says more about me or the book or both, but I had a really hard time enjoying Hemlock Island. I understand the marketing aspect of the business; boxes need to be ticked off, not readers; you cannot go too extreme without isolating someone. I feel like these books written for the masses become, well, too vanilla. Predictable even. As a reader, I have a pretty good idea of where this story is going, because generally speaking, people want stories to go in familiar directions. It makes them feel safe and comfortable.

My personal preference are stories that push my boundaries, that make me uncomfortable, while I am in the safety of a good book. I want my books to do something different, check off all of the boxes you want, but make sure to check the one that I am looking for: something completely different.

All of this is not to say that Hemlock Island is a horrible book. I get the mass appeal. The writing is very good; the story is well-thought-out. The biggest flaw is that the twists were visible a mile away, the people that made the twists really felt inserted into the scenario, when they really had no business in the story at all.

*3 Stars

See more of Greg's 

Contemporary Adventure

Hemlock Island

​By Kelley Armstrong

Please feel free to comment or share.