Laney has had a lot of change in her life in the last couple of years. Her sister lost a battle with cancer, her marriage didn't make it through covid and now she is the guardian of her teenage niece. One of the only things Laney holds on to after the divorce is an off the grid island getaway her now ex-husband built for her, and she loves it dearly. But to be able to continue to afford it she must rent it out to tourists. When she hears reports from guests of blood-filled closets and occult symbols appearing, she knows it has to be vandalism, but she still goes out to investigate. She does not count on the motley crew of helpers she ends up with. Her ex-husband tags along with his sister, his new love interest and her brother - a local police officer. As they investigate a strange mystery, it unravels into bone chilling terror as they quickly become trapped on the island. Realizing they are not alone and not at all safe, they scramble to save themselves from an unknown horror, all while personal secrets are uncovered and bitter grudges are dragged out into the open. Laney knows that if she survives, her life will never be the same again.

Armstrong's first full blown horror novel is tremendously successful. This chilling story is a real page turner that is gripping and terrifying and has a mystery that will keep readers engrossed. Perfect for lovers of Supernatural Horror and for longtime Armstrong fans.

Title? Check. Cover? Check. Story full of supernatural horror and gore? Check and Check! I wanted to like this book and I absolutely did. Laney is a writer who just happens to own an island on Lake Superior where she likes to get away and write. Lately it's been a little tough to pay the bills so she decides to rent the house to vacationers. When she gets a call from one of them claiming to have seen what looks like a lot of human blood coming from one of the closets, Laney decides to head out to investigate - taking her niece Madison with her. Once she gets there, and of course, once she realizes she has company in the form of an ex husband, friend and ex friends all wanting to help out, Laney realizes all too quickly that there is something extremely strange and horrifying happening on her peaceful island. Something or someone that doesn't want anyone to survive.

I liked the dynamic between most of the characters, the fast pace of the plot and how it all plays out. I kept getting tricked right when I thought I knew what was happening - and I definitely had moments when my hand went to my mouth in shock. And the horror was well played! I needed this to deliver in that department and thankfully it did! Armstrong thinks of it all, giving the reader not only background into each relationship and why it matters, but also a thorough education in wilderness safety. The only issue I had with it was the sometimes juvenile discussion between the characters in a handful of scenes. Especially where Garrett was concerned. It felt out of place, almost like someone else wrote the scenes. Otherwise it did what I wanted: gave me scares, fast-paced action, and some very intense supernatural activity. Thank you St. Martin's Press for the chance to read this!

book is impossible to put down once you start it. The creepiness of the island will haunt you. I’m never going to an island with no wifi or where the only access is by boat! It started out as a locked room mystery then turned into a horror fest that I wasn’t expecting! (The downside to reading on a Kindle is you can’t read the book description.) I thought the setup of the characters’ stories was lost, as well as the locked room aspect. The writing was great and I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened in the end. I can see why the book ended the way it did, but I found it a big letdown. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Incredible!
Absolutely incredible!
I was captivated by this book from start to finish. The characters are so vividly depicted, and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my seat!

Laney's divorce settlement granted her ownership of a private island. In order to cover the expenses, she decides to rent out the luxurious house she and her ex-husband built there. However, her renters start experiencing mischievous pranks. Who could be behind them? Are they opportunistic vacation seekers, shady resort developers, or perhaps the previous owners of the island who were forced to sell to fund their matriarch's cancer treatments?

If you've been a fan of Armstrong's previous works, you may find a slight difference in this book as it delves into the realms of outright horror. Brace yourself for some truly gruesome scenes. However, if you're a fan of the horror genre, this book will undoubtedly captivate you.

Every time a new Armstrong novel is released, I can't contain my excitement. I've adored her time travel books, the gripping Bitten series, and the thrilling Darkest Power series.

The setting for Hemlock Island is an ominous one. Steeped in Native American legends, Lake Superior is the largest and coldest of the Great Lakes. Hemlock House is located on a small, private island in the middle of the lake and lacks any internet, cell, or landline phone access. For author, Laney, it’s a dream come true — a place to write without interruption, a place of inspiration. However, following the Covid pandemic, Laney and her techie husband, Kit, split and he leaves the island and house they built on it to her. However, it’s expensive to maintain and, following the death of her sister, Laney has become guardian for her niece, Madison, and must rent out Hemlock House in order to make ends meet. Sounds like a plan, but someone is messing with Laney — leaving hex signs on the property to frighten the renters. When her current renters call in the middle of the night saying they’re leaving because of blood in one of the spare bedroom closets, Laney knows she must take action.

Laney, with Madison in tow, travels to Fox Bay where her boat is moored and are surprised when they find Kit, his sister (Jayla) and another former high school friend (Sadie) and her brother (Garrett) on the wharf planning to go with them. It’s obvious that there are secrets amongst this motley crew — secrets that go back to their high school days together. Secrets that could prove deadly.

Hemlock Island is a scary read and I, for one, couldn’t help but keep turning those pages wanting to discover who or what was behind all the mayhem and madness that takes place. Secrets are finally revealed and someone will have to die. But who? And, why?

I really enjoyed this novel. It gets a little hokey at the end, but it still kept me up late at night wanting to find out what was going to happen. Highly recommended for those who love Gothic mysteries, horror stories, and stories rooted in the malevolent forces of nature.

Laney is a teacher and writer, struggling after a pandemic-fueled divorce, the death of her sister, and becoming the guardian of her teenage niece. To help make ends meet, she decides to rent out the private island her tech company CEO ex-husband bought for her. But renters can be a nightmare, and she keeps finding hex circles and other acts of ritualistic vandalism left behind. When the latest renters flee in the middle of the night after finding bloody scratches on the inside of a closet– as though something was trying to get out– Laney decides it’s time to take a look for herself. When Laney and her niece, Madison, go to check things out, she is less than thrilled to find her ex and his sister (and her former best friend). And then another old high school friend and her brother (now a cop) join, uninvited.
Once they get to the island, Laney and crew expect to just find some pranks former renters left to spook other guests. Instead, they find more ritualistic drawings, vandalism, and a disembodied hand. As the situation escalates, the tensions among the group rise and the danger increases. Will Laney and the rest make it off the island alive?

Y’ALL. I was expecting this to be another Kelley Armstrong thriller, but HOLY MOLY. It immediately had me enthralled, I didn’t want to put it down, and it was SCARY. I’m not usually one to find books particularly scary. Unsettling? Yes- but not really scary. This book? It had me afraid I was going to have nightmares. I loved the creepiness and the horror. While it was pretty graphic at times, it didn’t feel as gratuitous as some horror seems, but still beware if you don’t like gore.

I would give this book 5 stars, but there were some side plots that created long explanations and conversations between the characters so they could work it out– which is fine. But when it’s thrown in the middle of a book filled with horror and jump scares and the tension is off the charts? It kills the mood a bit. Even though, I guess if you’re facing unspeakable horrors, you might as well finally have all the conversations with your loved ones that you’ve been putting off.

Overall, this is a solid horror. Aside from the lulls when the conversations are happening, the action does not let up and it is just so gripping. I will absolutely be recommending this book to others, so they can have nightmares, too.

Wow! This was a surprisingly good read that I don’t think I was expecting. I really love the setting. It makes the creepy factor extra high and the whole situation makes a great horror mystery location. The storyline was also very intriguing! As new characters were introduced the tension levels would rise. There was horror/ mystery, suspense, and thrills. I do feel like because it was such an easy read that perhaps it was more of a YA type category? But simple and easy read is fine with me! I was shocked by the ending and I will say it was just ok. But overall I loved the read and think it will be perfect for the start of fall. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

This book wasn’t what I expected, and I say that in the best way possible. What started out as a basic thriller premise morphed into something more akin to The Evil Dead. Toss in some eco-horror and a couple of frenemies, and you’ve got the story of Hemlock Island.

There were ultimately less stakes than I expected, but Hemlock Island still worked its claws into me. If you want some good old-fashioned horror, be sure to check it out!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

Pretty good horror whodunit story! I loved how it went from strange to spooky, it will be a great fall read. The only thing I didn't love were the subplots, it took away from the story for me.

I haven't been in the mood to read horror books in a while but this was a great read. The horror story itself is intertwined with the drama of the strained relationships, long buried secrets and the possibility that her former friends could be involved or die on Hemlock Island.

You can feel the tension between the characters in the writing as well as the confusion as they deal with everything going on and struggle to understand what is happening to them. The gore is there but limited mostly to the end of the book and not overly descriptive. The ending may not be for everyone though.

It mixes a bit of mystery, death, supernatural forces and the isolation of a private island with no way off. Stuff like this is why I would never spend time on an isolated small island. The idea of the peace and gorgeous surroundings vs anything could go wrong and help is so far away.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and it would probably make a great movie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, St. Martin's Press, for the ARC.

I was on pins and needles this entire book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Could not figure out how this was going to end.

I enjoyed the setting of this book, a remote island. I felt that the subplots were kinda just dropped in at random times and didn’t really mesh well with the story. The story would be suspenseful and then the characters would stop to talk about their marriage or something random. I enjoyed the back stories but they weren’t placed well. It is a suspend read though that’ll have you guessing til the very end.

Hemlock Island was fantastic. I haven’t read a lot in the horror genre so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Hemlock Island has everything I love about Armstrong’s writing but is also a truly new story from her, which is exactly what I’ve been itching for. I enjoyed the little clues and being able to figure out the secrets shortly before they were revealed. Given Armstong’s body of work, I had no idea where she was headed in terms of villain. There were many potential options and they all would have been very unsatisfying. The actual villain (if you can even call it that) was totally unexpected to me and worked perfectly. I was really concerned Armstrong was going to fulfill a common horror trope, which instead she circumvented for an outcome that was even more horrifying.

Atmospheric and intense, this book reminded me of Jennifer McMahon's books as it had the same twisted, creepy vibe.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Who will make it off the island?

An isolated island with no means of escape, nail-biting twists, and platefuls of eeriness and creepiness, this book had me hooked from the beginning. Six people with a long and complex history among them, are trapped on an island and their secrets begin to unfold. I literally felt the claustrophobia and horror as somebody played a deadly game with them, creating a story that was part thriller and part horror. The author skillfully created hidden tensions among the group, causing me to frequently change my mind about the evil culprit.

I would have enjoyed this book much more without the supernatural element, despite my love for the message behind that element. I'm not really a fan of paranormal meets horror, but did enjoy the symbolic element.

Trigger warnings apply: torture, death, occult, sexual assault

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sharing the advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 2.97 leaves out of 5
-Characters: 2.75/5
-Cover: 3.75/5
-Story: 2/5
-Writing: 1.75/5
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
-Fantasy: 4/5
-Horror: 2/5
-Mystery: 3.75/5
-Suspense: 1.75/5
-Thriller: 2/5
Type: Ebook
Worth?: Uuuhhhh

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book.

Oh god okay, let me see if I can write this review through the headache. I will start off with the good. I liked the setting. I could see where the story was at and the place it was. Sometimes the characters were really good. It was a quick read. The story had promise.

Now for the bad. Where the describing of the place was good the characters were... 2 dimensional. There wasn't much for us to really grasp on to and have a connection. Though it was quick read it was a hard one. Not only for the cringe of some characters and scenes but because of how the story was written. I do get that Kelley wanted to give when doing those scenes of things happening back to back but I think some time studying how those are done would have done the story justice. With that being said I liked the premise of the story. The concept of it all was interesting. I think if Kelley took the time to study more of the writings from people in the genre she is writing about it could do some wonders.

Thank you NetGalley and St.Martian’s press for an ARC of Hemlock island. This was my first book by Kelly Armstrong and it did not disappoint. I really enjoyed the fast pace and closed environment. Definitely a page turner and kept me up late dying to finish.

Laney got Hemlock Island in her divorce and she loves it. To hold on to it, she rents it out until strange things start happening. When she goes to investigate with her niece, her ex, a friend, and two others they end up stranded. ARC from NetGalley.

What a ride that was! I always love a good horror book that straddles the line between gross and TOO gross. You give me some old fashioned intestines-falling-out horror and I'm turning a little green. Hemlock Island built up the suspense and the action for the first 70% of the book before crossing into horror territory, but didn't go overboard with the super gross factor.

Laney and her niece travel to a wilderness level island, to check out some complaints on the family
Airbnb. There have been some early troubles concerning "witchy" items found on the island, and it starts to built up suspicions and questions in the reader's mind. Laney and Madison meet up with Laney's ex and a couple of old friends that show up unexpectedly. One thing leads to another, they're trapped on this island and trying to unravel the mystery.

What starts out as a thriller/whodunit, begins to reveal itself as something more supernatural and horrific. Definitely giving off some Evil Dead vibes, with a pagan understory. I really enjoyed it and had a hard time putting it down. (A quick read for sure.)

Thanks so much to Netgalley and St. Martins Press for the advance copy!

I love Kelely Armstrong's Rockton and ripped through Time series so I thought I would give this book a chance and I'm glad I did! It was definitely paranormal, the horror aspect was there but not blown out of proportion or anything which I appreciate, the writing of course is superb and the plot itself was fast-paced and literally kept me up all night reading because I needed to know what happened! Once again, I'm super glad I gave this book a chance because it isn't the usual type of book I read, definitely 5 out of 5 stars, thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this Arc in exchange for an honest review