ARC given by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I really wish I could give this book a higher review.

This book, as much as I hate to say it, really let me down. It started off really interestingly with all the talk of necromancy and vampires but afterwards, it died down to almost nothing! All of a sudden, teenage (and highly unrealistic) drama became the forefront of this novel which I believe was an attempt to appease to the Young Adult market. Now, teenage drama is not necessarily a bad thing in books but only if it is done right. Teen drama is a slippery slope that absolutely needs to be well-written and purposeful in the text. As much as I wish not to say it, this book attempted teen drama but unfortunately, backfired to epic proportions. It was completely unnecessarily and I believe that if the original fantasy/paranormal storyline was followed closer than the fortified teenage drama then this book would have been more successful and enjoyable.

But it wasn't just that. The storyline was meant to follow Rook Dagger as she navigated her way through necromancy school. The whole prologue (which was hands down the best part of the whole book) was setting this all up from the start. The idea of "a life for a life" could have provided for a terrific book idea and an even better story but it just wasn't explored. I wanted to scream at the author for setting up such a great storyline but the end result was something completely other than what I was sold at the start.

On top of all that, Rook Dagger was a character I thought I'd grow to like. As it turned out, I started to get extremely frustrated by her characterisation and her fixation on love interest, G Gianni which proved to be highly insta-lovey and very much possessive. I was absolutely thrown off liking him (which was pretty hard to do since he was said to have blue hair which is a pretty likeable quality) simply because of descriptions like :

“But it was much more than that. He was a hurricane. My hurricane. And I hate how I feel when he’s this close to me.”

Which made me want to do anything BUT like him.

All in all, so much potential but poor execution, as much as I would hate to say it.

ACTUAL RATING: 1.4 STARS

I have to say that I do like books set in a boarding school, especially if there are paranormal creatures attending. The premise of this sounded good, a necromancer school?! Unfortunately it played out like the most cliche YA book and I felt like the writing was juvenile.

Rook has a cool name, but she's a stereotypical YA heroine. She has more power than she knows, she's a chosen one, she immediately falls for the popular bad boy at school. I found her shallow and unrelateable, maybe if I were a young teen I would have liked her more but as an adult, she didn't work for me.

The love interest was boring and his petty way of making Rook jealous made me dislike him. He has a secret that is revealed at the end, but it was pretty obvious what it was. Rook's friend was kind of cute, but she gained an immediate love interest and kind of disappeared.

I can say that this is very short so I flew through it and I liked the necromancer aspect. Other than that, I didn't care for the characters or plot and have no interest in reading the sequel.

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I received an eARC of this through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars.

This book strongly flickered between 3 and 4 stars for me due to the writing style. The blurb for this book is really what drew me in and I was thrilled by it's gothic star crossed lovers promise, but at times the writing style let the plot down and seemed a little juvenile.

I wanted more out of the world, so many interesting races were introduced briefly, but weren't expanded on and neither was the world itself. I wanted more details about the school, classes, students and teachers. I needed more world building and a little more depth to characters. They had so much potential. It does end abruptly promising a sequel in December of this year. So there are questions left unanswered by the end, and I'm on the fence if I will continue with the series. It really does have a lot of great story promise, I just needed more details with both world building and character development.

Admittedly these are all issues that could be rectified in the final version of this, as it had so much potential.

Fans of Twilight and the early years of Buffy (think when she was age 16/17 and a bit of a lovestruck brat) might enjoy this book.

This book is based in a world where there are 7 kingdoms of dragons, fae, 'raven-haired people', witches, warlocks, Lycans, centaurs, etc. Although this book has a lot of diversity in accordance with fantasy creatures, its main focus is on necromancers and vampires(I hope to see a lot more in the next book)

Our story revolves around Rook who is a human but also has powers of necromancy and something else altogether. When she is fifteen, she joins this academy where the children of all creatures bar vampires study.

Rook is a character I relate a lot, with her love for everything regarding books, obsessive crush on G Gianne (although I think there is a lot more in there than just that)

The Prologue seemed to be just perfect, I loved the way Rue Volley wrote there, it is filled with imagery and information about anything and everything. I also like the way she has portrayed a "special" child's mind. AND let me tell you that THE PROLOGUE IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT, DO NOT SKIP AND READ IT CAREFULLY.`

I was really excited to read it because-Hello! academy with magic and creatures.....hell yes!

I truly felt that the first half was very fast-paced and it was a bit difficult to keep up. But after I reached for the second half, I got acclimated to the pace.

The few chapters of the book feel like witnessing Hogwarts though the mind of Hermoine. so an intelligent mind. The next chapters are a whirlwind of crushing over G Gianne and the mystery surrounding the Forest of Emma Green. I absolutely loved this book, and I am waiting for the next book to release.

Hemlock is a nice easy and fast read in which you follow Rook when she gets into a private school for Necromancer. She not only has to adjust as the only person with no magical ancestors, but has to manage her feelings for a fellow student, G, while diacovering her powers, as well.
Over all I liked it a lot and want to read book 2 as fast as I can. However, the story is slow progressing and jumping forward a bit too many times which makes it a bit hard to follow.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
I liked the writing style and how detailed and expressive the author was. I loved Rook's experience of meeting all the different "creatures", and how she reacted. However, I think there are a lot of unanswered questions. Obviously this is part of a series, but it felt somewhat incomplete even with that in mind. I was engaged enough that I would read the next book though.

I received a copy of HEMLOCK by Rue Volley thanks to the publisher through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed reading HEMLOCK. The necromancy aspect really drew me in. And it wasn't the creepy bringing people back from the dead and enslaving them to you/turning them into zombies. Instead it was accepted as a valuable type of magic because they bring people back to life, essentially removing death from them (if done properly). There is no discussion about the darker side of necromancy, giving death to someone. Rook discovers this part of herself when she is five and told to never tell anyone. It didn't make any sense to me at first because life and death are two sides of the same magic. At least in most cases. I don't think that is the case in this magic system. Despite going to a necromancy school, not one of her classes discusses how to control this death power and she continues to keep it hidden. But, of course, one thing leads to another and... spoiler-adjacent?

I really like Rook and G (cute blue-haired boy... yes please!) and Nadia and Cole are so cute and such good friends to Rook. I really want to dive back into their world and am sad this one was so short. Thankfully, if the end note is still correct, book two comes out December 2020. So I will be patiently waiting (not) for the release because while the cliffhanger was expected, it is still a cliffhanger and I need to know what happens next!

I really enjoyed this book, was a quick read, had me tearing up in places, some bits were predictable but still enjoyable.
I will be on the lookout for the second book when its released.

This was cool. Its a spooky Academy story. Rook, the MC is a little anxious as she starts school. Her friend Nadia is fun. Great descriptions. It takes a little bit to really get going while she's setting the stage, but i still enjoyed it. I think the next in series will be great.

This wasn’t for me sadly, it didn’t feel like a finished book at all, it’s frustrating as it seemed to have potential, but it just felt empty and going nowhere, but the premise and ideas could be great, just disappointing

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Another unexpected home run. I loved this whole story about a necromancer born to regular people. I love the concept of Hemlock almost an ode to Hogwarts. I wasn't crazy about the romance part but not enough to make a huge difference.

Thank you to the author/publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

~Quick Statistics~
Overall: 5/5 Stars
Plot: 5/5 Stars
Setting: 4/5 Stars
Characters: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 5/5 Stars
Memorability: 5/5 Stars

~Quick Review~
I was very excited to get my request to review Hemlock accepted, mainly because I had heard that Rue Volley’s novels are amazing. And, based on my experience with Hemlock, I can confirm that her books are a work of art. Hemlock is by far one of my favorite books, the magic, romance, and plot of the first novel in the Academy of the Dead series is incredible.

~Other Information~
Publisher: CHBB Publishing
Page Count: 230 pages

~Book Description (via Goodreads)~
Every five hundred years humanity bears a child who has unlimited power over life and death.

And now she's a teenager.
Rook Dagger spent the first fifteen years of her life safely tucked away in a beautiful cottage on the lake, enjoying home-cooked meals and homeschooling far away from the rest of the world.
But her power couldn't be hidden forever.
The time has come for her to be enrolled in Hemlock Academy, a centuries-old institution designed to cultivate and create the greatest necromancers in the world.
The children who attend will one day be placed among the seven kingdoms of magic, serving Kings and country for as long as they're needed.
To harness the power surging through her veins, Rook will need guidance in the art of giving of life... and taking it away.
This power makes her unique.
Dangerous.
Different.
Her abilities could make her an unstoppable force of nature, if she wasn't hung up on a boy.
G Gianni--a beautiful distraction with pouty lips, pale skin, and a sharp tongue.
His attention consumes her. His scent entices her. His words infuriate her.
She loves to hate him.
He hates to love her.
And together? Well, together, they could destroy the world.

~Characters~
Hemlock follows the story of homeschooled Rook Dagger and her journey in attending Hemlock Academy where she discovers her friends, Nadia, Cole, and most important of all, Gianni.

First of all, I have to say that I entirely loved Rook’s character; I found her very relatable and she was very easy to read about. Also, she’s a bookworm. Of course, I absolutely loved that about her. Anyways, I felt that in general, the characters were your stereotypical teen, however, they were well developed.

Rook and Gianni’s romance is somewhat interesting as more and more is revealed about Hemlock Academy and the mystery surrounding Emma Green and her lover’s deaths years before (resulting in the founding of Hemlock Academy). I cannot say much for the sake of spoiling the book, but I entirely loved the connection between the two romances and am excited to learn more about it in the next novel in the series.

~Writing and Setting~
Rue Volley’s writing style is complete magic. I could not stop reading Hemlock, it was just too hard not to. The writing was descriptive in all the right places yet was easy to read without confusion.

The only thing that (slightly) bothered me about Hemlock, was how it seemed that the worldbuilding was promising, yet the reader learns virtually nothing about the necromancers’ magic throughout the entire novel, except that Rook can kill things and bring them back from the dead (though even this is not explained very thoroughly). I found myself wondering whether all of the students share Rook’s power or whether they all have different powers. However, I have to commend Rue Volley for speaking somewhat about the circumstances of the world that Rook lives in. As far as I’ve gathered, Rook lives in a world split between humanity and magic, where there are several kingdoms for Hemlock Academy students to be assigned to, while there is also internet and modern books/movies like Twilight. So, as far as I can tell, Rook lives somewhere on Earth during the 2000s, but now there’s also magic.

~Plot~
While I was somewhat confused by the ending of the novel, I believe it is part of a cliffhanger for the next book in the series. Throughout the novel, Rook has a fascination with Emma Green and her lover, who both died together so that they would never be apart (their dating was forbidden by Emma’s father, who did not approve of her vampire boyfriend). This is somewhat foreshadowing what takes place near the end of the novel, where she learns the truth of Gianni.

~Overall Review~
Overall, I am so glad I read this novel and am honestly very excited for the sequel to be released (whenever that will be).

If I had to describe this book, I’d say it’s like Crave meets Hex Hall with a hint of Mara Dyer!

Hemlock is a fast paced story following Rook as she leaves home at fifteen to go to school for the supernatural. She was born as with the ability to kill things (and bring them back to life for a price) even though both of her parents are human.

Once Rook finds herself at the school for those of the paranormal world, it’s like the blinds are removed and she’s seeing so many new things for the first time.

With her roommate Nadia (who also happens to be the headmaster’s daughter) helps Rook settle into the school and teaches her the ins and outs of the school and those attending.

On the first night there, the students have there usually Spin the Crown which is similar to spin the bottle with the guy whispers a spell to the crown and it finds his soul mate(?) and seals the bond with a kiss. Well, the boy that caught Rook’s attention goes and the crown lands on her… but what if there relationship is never meant to be anything more than classmates despite the pull to the other.

In this first book to a deep story, Rook learns more about herself and digs deeper into one of the guys at school who is mysterious to everyone. She has to decide if she’s going to let her powers dictate her life and cause her to keep those she loves at an arms length.

This book was okay. Very YA so the tag fits. I like a lot of YA and try to remember the audience it's aiming for, however, sometimes it's just too juvenile.

I'm all for the romance aspects, but this go round they had maybe 4-5 interactions and yeah, you guessed it, they were in love.

The thing I liked most about this book was the story of the Green girl and her demise after falling in love with a vampire. I'd catch myself wishing I was reading her story instead.

*thank you netgalley for an eARC*

This book was received from the Author, and Publisher, in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

A great start to a wonderful Ya magical series

A captivating haunting tale about fifteen year old rook as sets off a journey attending the Hemlock Academy. An academy that specializes in students with magical gifs.
There she will expand and develop her magical abilities. Rook is a necromancer with exceptional abilities. Sometimes exceptional may not necessarily be a good thing.

The students who attend Hemlock Academy will one day be placed among the seven kingdoms of magic, serving Kings and country for as long as they're needed.

This was enjoyable and a faced paced read. Vibrant characters and well written storyline will keep you glued to the pages.

Hemlock follows Rook Dagger, a teenage girl and necromancer. She's also human. A human with magical powers only happens once every 500 years. She begins attending Hemlock, a school for necromancers. It's filled with other magical beings like shifters, fae, and kelpies. She quickly makes a romantic connection with another student, G Gianni, but they dance around their feelings. There's also a tragic love story about previous attendees of the school that haunts Rook's thoughts.

The good things about this book is that there is a unique and interesting magical world, a magic school, and entertaining side characters. For the not so good things, one is that the world is not really flushed out. There are seven kingdoms but I didn't really understand how they fit into the human world, I don't know if a map would have been more helpful. It's not really critical to the story but it's something that bothered me. Similarly I have no idea how the magic system works. Rook would sort of just get a feeling and then something would die or be brought back to life. Same with the magic classes. I think this was supposed to have a Harry Potter type feel but there were no real details about what they were actually learning. Overall the story felt more like a modern day high school drama. The other shortcoming was the interaction between Rook and G. It was very much insta-love and I didn't feel invested in their relationship at all. I also saw the major plot twist at the ending coming from the beginning.

I would recommend this to fans of insta-love and high-school romances with a twist of paranormal magic that are looking for a quick and light hearted read.

When I first saw the book, the prequel and cover became my one of my favorites, but after reading the book it felt like I wasn't the target audience. I loved the characters but a little bit more detailed background was actually preferred. Besides, I found myself struggling to keep up with the off pacing constantly.
Overall, I would say for the start of a series, the story didn't quite catch the attention like the prequel. Even though it was a decent quick read, I hope it'll get more better with the other series. Thank you.

Excellent read, I felt like something was missing but I can’t put my finger on it. It was a nice quick read and will be great to try again during spooky season

The premise of this book was very intriguing. We have Rook, the rare human born with necromancer powers. She's able to not only give life, but also take it away. But that's pretty much all we know. Do everyone's powers work the same? Is the being brought back to life controlled by the necromancer? Apparently not if we consider Bitter Bat... Then we're introduced to the town of Hemlock and the variety of magical beings that reside there. We get a quick glimpse into what is possible, but that's it. There is no real detail about the residents or their world. And the "big reveal" at the end was entirely predictable from the knee scrape kitchen scene.

Overall, this felt like a very basic first draft. There is no character development, the pacing is off, and we were introduced to ideas that never feel fully formed. I think this story has a lot of potential, but in its current state is just bare bones. While it was a very quick read at 230 pages according to goodreads, it felt more like a prequel novella than an actual introduction to a series.

Hemlock is such an interesting and unique book! The worldbuilding is SO cool. It takes all of those elements of YA books that we love and intertwines them into one really cool story!
This was definitely written for a younger audience so I struggled to connect with the main character a little bit, but I still thought she was so independent and cute. It was cool to see her try to grow into herself and figure out who she is.
The romance was a little confusing. It was very instant and there wasn't much development.
I do wish there was a little more background and development of the side characters. The characters were all so unique and they all had very clear personalities which I really liked. I just wish I got to know who and why they are a little better!
For such a short story, there was a lot accomplished. It's very fast-paced and easy to read! I am curious to see what's to come next! Especially after that crazy cliffhanger!