Kelley Armstrong dazzles readers with Hemlock Island, her newest standalone horror/thriller. This moody, atmospheric thriller is impossible to put down. Armstrong is at her finest - serving up a delicious dark and foreboding mystery.

We love a good whodunnit!

We meet Laney Kilpatrick, freshly divorced after the stresses of the pandemic took its toll on her marriage. Still reeling from the death of her sister, she is now guardian to her niece, Madison. The only way for her to keep her beloved vacation home and provide stability for her niece is to rent it out to strangers via an Air B & B style service. 

Hemlock Island is a vacation paradise - remote and idyllic, with no internet or phone services and only accessible by a five-mile boat ride. Renters prove to be a nuisance, right from the get-go. Initially, Laney is simply annoyed by the lack of respect for her property. Broken belongings and petty theft quickly escalate to hex circles, strategically placed dead animals and terrified renters fleeing in the night like they are running out of The Amityville Horror house.

When Laney and her niece show up to investigate, they are surprised to learn Laney’s ex, Kit, has also been informed of the disturbing developments and is there with his sister, Jayla, Laney’s former best friend. It’s a perfect storm of paranormal mystery and navigating through the human experience. 

The tension mounts with every flip of the page. There are whispers in the woods and Shakespearean levels of strangeness amongst the forest animals. Hidden in a grove of diseased trees is the shocking discovery of human remains.

Full review available at Wordpress.com/maisonmoonchild.com

Every time I see a new book by Kelley Armstrong I have to read it because Kelley has been a favourite author for years.

I enjoyed Hemlock Island.. it’s well written and I was hooked..
if you are looking for a good horror, I do recommend.

Unfortunately I was unable to download this book before the archive date, so I'm not able to leave a review. I look forward to reading and reviewing books by this author in the future.

Another great novel by Kelley.
Spooky, twisty and keeps you hooked.
Different than anything by her I’ve read before

This was my first Kelley Armstrong and I know that she has a huge following, but this book just wasn't for me. I will have to try another title

I read this on September 22nd 2023 and I didn't leave a table on goodreads. Sadly, even after reading the synopsis, I cannot remember anything about this book but I did give it 4 stars. Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors so I might have to go back and do a reread so this can have a proper review.

I've had several Kelley Armstrong books on my TBR but this is the first one I've read by her. Unfortunately, I didn't love this one. I couldn't really connect with the characters and the story, in the end, was pretty forgettable. This certainly wasn't a terrible a book - it was just ok. I wish we had gotten more depth to the characters. It may have helped to bring a connection to the story itself. I didn't necessarily care about any of them.

I may be at the point where I've read far too many thrillers, suspense, and horror novels that twists that are supposed to be surprising seem far too obvious to me. That may be the case with this one. I didn't really find anything surprising about it.

I did love the setting. An isolated island on Lake Superior? Sign me up! I grew up in northern Minnesota and spent a lot of time on Lake Superior, so it was fun to connect with the location.

While I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book, I certainly wouldn't dissuade someone from picking it up. It is a quick read and if you are a horror fan, then this might be the book for you. I definitely think I'll give Armstrong's books another shot.

This one started out full of gore and I was really excited about it. Unfortunately it turned into a bit of a slow burn for me and took a turn I wasn’t really expecting and was hard to believe.

Let me just say this started out as a spooky locked room thriller as 6 people are stranded on an island when they discover a body. Laney, the owner of the island, is estranged from her ex Kit without a clear answer why, and their friend Sadie seems to hint there's a darker background between her and Laney as well. To add to the cast of characters is Laney's niece, who she is a guardian of, her ex-BF and ex-husband's sister, and Sadie's very angry brother Garrett, who brings with him some very bad vibes.

The story is set up very nicely for an 'everyone is a suspect' whodunit. Then things start to get weird. Like totally go off the rails weird. Laney thinks she's seeing shadows. People are going missing. Unexplained things are happening. Dead bodies become reanimated (yup, I said what I said). I was desperately trying to figure out what was going on...

And then the reason for all of it just came out of nowhere. I don't mind a book with a supernatural twist but it has to make sense. And this one just didn't. Yes, the book did sufficiently creep me out and it could have been a good reveal if it had been set up properly. However, to spend most of the book assuming this was caused by someone doing this for revenge or to gain property, and then to just throw in a supernatural entity honestly made me feel like I was reading two different books. Maybe more than two. There were A LOT of different ideas thrown into this one.

Also TW for sexual assault and victim blaming.

This veered more into horror than I was expecting from the synopsis. I enjoyed the isolated island setting, the complicated personal histories between all of the characters, and the way the author slowly ratcheted up the tension. There are supernatural elements in this, and it definitely has some scary (and gross) moments. Overall, I liked it a lot!

Great for fans of Jennifer McMahon, Lucy Foley, and Ruth Ware.

Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This book confuses me slightly, like I want to love it but it also took me a bit to get through it. Not sure why. Like I love the premise of it, but things seemed to happen fast and yet it also seemed to be drawn out. The ending, that was something. Don't worry, you will always know where the characters are located. Lake Superior. Laney's time on the island is insane and then running into everyone. Once they all stay in the house, things take a turn even more, like I said I love thriller books but I am not sure why I didn't vibe with this one.

This was definitely a horror romance! It got pretty creepy and at times cringeworthy slasher. I enjoyed it and the characters very much. Being trapped on an island with no way off, with people dying and then rising, was so creepy, and the concept of what was happening was shocking and intriguing!!

The romance aspect wasn’t front and center of the plot, but really added to the story, along with friendships and family.

The narrator did a really good job of capturing the creepiness of the story!

Im very surprised. i liked this book as much as I do. I read a book by the author earlier this year. Sadly, it was a romance, and i didn't care for it at all. But this author is good at horror. Who knew i would enjoy bodygore as much as i did. This book does take place on an isolated island, which is one of my favorite tropes in a book.

It was really easy to get into this book! While I did enjoy it, I was expecting to like it a lot more than I did when it was over.

This horror book was just alright!! I was spooked throughout but had a hard time connecting with the characers. I do love a supernatural element though!

2.5 stars

Kelley Armstrong's "Hemlock Island" started out well enough, to where I was invested in the characters and the story, curious to see how Armstrong would resolve the evil happenings on the island. But then the final act came around, and the story spiraled into absolute ridiculousness.. The last straw was when the protagonist, Laney, actually tried to reason and negotiate with the demon. It almost made me cringe from embarrassment, it was so comical and unbelievable.

This is my second Kelley Armstrong read, and I still will try a third, though. I enjoyed "A Rip Through Time," so I'm hoping "Hemlock Island" is just a bad one off.


My sincerest appreciation to Kelley Armstrong, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the digital review copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong is an engaging and atmospheric thriller that delivers on its promise of suspense and intrigue. Set on a remote island, the novel plunges readers into a world of isolation, where the line between reality and the supernatural blurs, creating a tense and eerie backdrop for the unfolding drama.

Armstrong’s writing is vivid and immersive, painting a detailed picture of Hemlock Island’s haunting beauty. The sense of isolation is palpable, adding to the tension as the characters confront their surroundings and inner demons.

The characters in Hemlock Island are well-developed, each bringing their complexities to the story. Their interactions and the secrets they harbour add depth to the narrative, making it more than just a straightforward thriller. Armstrong explores themes of trust, guilt, and redemption, weaving them into the fabric of the plot in a way that feels natural and organic.

One of the strengths of the novel is Armstrong’s ability to balance the supernatural elements with a grounded, psychological tension. The eerie occurrences on the island are unsettling, but they never overshadow the human drama at the story’s core.

That said, there are moments when the pacing slows, and certain plot developments might feel familiar to readers who are well-versed in the genre. Overall, Hemlock Island is a solid 4-star read that combines atmospheric storytelling with a gripping plot and memorable characters. Kelley Armstrong has once again proven her ability to craft a thrilling tale that lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, the publishers, and Kelley Armstrong for allowing me to read and review this book.

This is a stand alone horror novel that takes place on an isolated island. Laney is renting out her vacation home to strangers, but this continues to give her panic attacks. The island and home are the only things she owns after her divorce. And bad things continue to happen on the island: out of control campfires, bloody bones, hex circles, and claw marks.

Laney shows up to investigate with her teenage niece and finds her ex and his sister/her former best friend there to help. There is tension, secrets, sabotage, whispers, and then a dead body. Something is on this island with them, and it is making sure none of them leave alive.

I would recommend this book to any horror fans. There is not a whole lot of gore in this book. But there is a lot of traps and psychological intrigue.

Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong – 3 Stars

I was kindly granted an advance copy of Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong, and many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC! All opinions are my own.

Hemlock Island centers around Laney, who sees her secluded island home as a retreat for creativity and solace. Unfortunately, after her divorce, she’s forced to rent it out to make ends meet. But the island has become the site of strange occurrences—fires, hauntings, and hex circles—that have spooked potential renters. Laney and her niece Madison head to the island to investigate, only to find their plans complicated by the arrival of Laney’s ex-husband, his sister (Laney’s former best friend), and two more individuals from her past.

At its core, Hemlock Island is a blend of mystery and supernatural thriller, with a touch of horror. However, the balance between genres feels off. The focus on interpersonal drama and romance often overshadows the eerie elements that initially promise a gripping story. By the time the supernatural aspect takes center stage, it feels somewhat diluted, lacking the impact it could have had if it had been more consistently developed.

While the book offers an intriguing premise and some engaging moments, its attempt to juggle multiple genres results in a plot that doesn't quite excel in any one area. It’s not a bad read, but it falls short of the potential it hints at.

I have mixed feelings about Hemlock Island, but I have to admit Armstrong has a way of drawing me into her stories. I love the ominous feeling of the book and trapped island scenarios always create a sense of panic. Since it was an Armstrong book, I did expect some supernatural elements to come into play, but the reveals were a little out there. SPOILER AHEAD: An AirBnB demon revenge story wasn't what I expected at all and not in a good way. And the lawyer negotiating with the demon had me cringing.
There are way better Armstrong books, but if you want a quick Halloween read, this is a good fit. 3.5 stars.