Not what I was expecting, but it ticked a LOT of my wheelhouse boxes (and added more!)

✅ Bi protagonist
✅ Woodsy/pine tree setting
✅ Supernatural shenanigans
✅ Witchy shit

I don’t usually go for a mystery, but an actual mystery can technically be solved by the reader with the clues laid bare. This one made up for it with some twisty twists at the end.

I got quite a surprise when I read this book. I missed the first line of the description where it was a *horror* book. I was expecting it to be suspense, and I believed that until almost half way through the book. .

The story takes place during the pandemic, and Laney, like many other people, is not doing too well financially. To make ends meet and to maintain her beloved inherited island with a vacation home in one of the Great Lakes, she rents it out. She is also in the final stages of a divorce.

Her last renters left unexpectedly, and Laney and her niece go to the island to make sure that it is cleaned up and ready for the next group. She discovers one surprise after another on her property, and each one is worse. I thought the worst was when she discovered a hand sticking out from the ground but that was just the beginning.

Then longtime friends show up to support her - her ex-husband and his sister, and other people from their middle/high school days. By the time they discover that they desperately need to get off that island, they are trapped. Something does not want them to leave.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

I received an ARC of this novel from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I ... cannot believe how terrifyingly good this was. I've liked Kelley Armstrong's books since I was a teen (the darkest powers, anyone?) and as an adult, I have continued to read everything she publishes. I was, admittedly, a little surprised to see her writing a horror - not because I doubted her, but because I am used to the paranormal/mystery genre from her, and was not sure how exactly she would tackle this.

I shouldn't have been surprised. She went at this story like a dog with a bone. There was a rabid ferocity to the story, something that felt deeply symbolic of the overall horror of the book.

A quick breakdown: Laney has a home on Hemlock Island, and after she gets a call about some spooky stuff occurring, she and her niece, and their makeshift Scooby Crew, go to investigate. I won't tell you much more, because I spent 70% of the book being so genuinely baffled and terrified, and I wouldn't want you to miss out on that exact same feeling. It was actually scary at certain points, and so confusing - but in the best way possible. You spend most of the book trying to figure out what in the holy heck could possibly be happening, and still, despite, or maybe because of, that confusion, I was having a blast.

I loved this story. If you are squeamish, I'd consider looking up any trigger warnings. There is significant gore here, but nothing gross just for the sake of being gross.

Thank you Netgalley, and thank you Kelley Armstrong!

I didn’t really enjoy this one. I was expecting something with more of a creeping sense of dread than the slasher-style murders in the first 80%. And then the “big reveal” that the villain was an ancient nature spirit just…didn’t do it for me. The dialogue felt clunky, as did the insertion of social commentary in a way that felt almost like an op-ed or a news article about rape culture instead of an actual conversation.

This story is not at all what I expected. Oh I knew it was Horror but it totally blew me away. Just like watching one of those scary movies that make you jump at every tire this story is super creepy and shocking. When this author ventures into a new genre boy does she go all out.

Laney owns Hemlock Island a remote secluded place with no internet or phone reception. The perfect getaway or is it. When she gets a call that something has happened she heads out there to check it out with her ex and niece.

“Kid who is probably smarter than all of us combined?”

Things start going wrong almost immediately. Crazy things that can’t be explained.

Outside, dark clouds hover a looming threat over the lake, and I almost laugh at that. You think we’re afraid of a storm? Right now, that’s the least of our concerns.

Hold onto your hat because this is one terrifying ride.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review. The following opinions are my own.

I found it very easy to get into this book. I will say though I wasn't expecting how the book ended. There were some twists, but it felt awkward. There were elements of paranormal, mystery and horror. Which I love. But I'm not sure if I loved how it was arranged? I am happy that the author was able to fill in loopholes with the ending. I think one of the downsides this novel does struggle with is the characters dialogue felt very young adult.

I always find it hard to review horror/mystery thriller books because I don't want to give anything away. Anything at all.
Hemlock Island is creepy, claustrophobic, and very, very twisty. There are some unexpected elements and some general weirdness just to round things out. I had no trouble getting in to the story and feeling the spooky vibes.
As for the writing, I will always try Kelley Armstrong. Most of the time her books are a hit for me, occasionally they miss. With respect to Hemlock Island, I really got in to the story, even if I was a little frustrated in places.
Overall, I liked the book, and will check out more horror offerings in the future from Armstrong.

After a recent divorce, Laney is renting out her isolated mansion on a private island to vacationers in order to pay the expenses. When her most recent renter calls Laney to tell her that there is blood and nail marks in the closet before running away, Laney and her niece Madison flee to the island to see what's going on. There she meets her ex-husband Kit and his sister/Laney's former best friend Jayla, who were also summoned. Also her former friend Sadie and her brother Garrett show up, and then I wonder why so many people can come to a private island at a drop of a hat.

Things become *interesting* as soon as the group arrives. They find a severed hand, and soon after Laney finds the body that had been attached to the hand. Soon it's evident that they are dealing with either a serial killer or a supernatural entity. On top of that, you have secrets that are revealed when all these former friends are back together again.

This novel is very creepy, and it would make a great horror movie. It's very atmospheric to be in a mansion on a private island during a storm.

I have never read this author before, and I will pick up one of her novels again.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

I will read anything Kelley Armstrong writes, and she's done it again with this book. The mystery really drew me in and I just couldn't put it down!

I couldn’t put this book down at first but at little more than halfway through it started to feel repetitive and a little drawn out. Fast forward to the ending and what started out as a wonderful plot became too far fetched for me.

Look, I love Kelley Armstrong. So I knew I was going to pick up this book, no matter the genre. That being said, I am not a horror read typically, I have a very active imagination and as such I’ve been having nightmares of rats since I finished this book.

That being said, I actually did love this book. It kept me tense the entire time I was reading it, and I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know what was going to happen next, who it was going to happen to and of course with any horror story, who would survive.

That being said but if your husband (who I loved btw) offers to buy you an island with a poisonous name, maybe don’t accept? Even if the views are killer (literally).

The cast of characters in this novel were very interesting to me, especially when you realize how they know each other, and why some of them dislike each other. And oooh boy did I hate some of them after learning why.

The island has a creepy factor from the very beginning and the crescendo had me clutching my blanket around me and wishing I could somehow consume the words quicker.

There is a paranormal aspect to what’s going on, but it was not what I was expecting, and I really did appreciate the plot twist.

The fact that Kelley Armstrong also managed to have character development and growth built into this novel during such high tension moments was something I also appreciated.

The ending also packed a wallop. So be prepared.

And maybe if you’re a big fraidy cat like me, read it during daylight like I did.

I just love it when a book reads so easily, I can see the movie in my head !! ( hello, Netflix !! come on down !)
This book is so smoothly written, and so well paced, that it was a delight to read.
The premise is of creepy things happening on the island that is being rented out as an AirBnB-type situation. At first it's just bad tenants, setting fires and breaking things, but then it escalates to hex circles, weird wind chimes, and other peculiar things. The situation comes to a head when the most recent renters find bloody scraping hand prints INSIDE a closet. They call Lainy and freak out on her, so she ( and her niece) go out to investigate. They are met by her ex-husband ( who gifted her the island for a wedding present), his sister ( and her best friend), and an old friend and her brother.
Things escalate while they are on the island, people disappear, other people appear, and the pace quickens to a full-on exciting finale !!

I loved the twists and turns, and the whole thing engaged me from the first page.
thanks to Netgalley and St Martins Press for the ARC.

Hemlock Island was a very interesting book. I did like the group of people in the story. Laney owns a remote island her ex-husband Kit bought her in Lake Superior. She is raising her niece after her sister passed away so she lives in the city and not on the island. She needs extra income so Laney has been renting the house on the island as a vacation spot. Weird things start happening on Hemlock Island so Laney, her niece Madison and a few others (including her ex Kit) go to the island to see what is going on. Weird things is kind of an understatement! This book really kept me reading! Who is messing with the island, is all the drama faked or real? I really felt the story was going one way and then thought oh it's something else causing it only to realize it was something totally different that I have never encountered in a book before. I thought the book was going to be more like a thriller mystery but for me it was horror. I just kept thinking what the heck is going on. If you like scary, sometimes gory books this one is definitely one to pick up. No spoilers but I will say even though the ending wasn't what I thought it would be it was satisfying and made sense. Good book!

Kudos to Kelley Armstrong for crafting a tour de force in terrifying WTF-ness with HEMLOCK ISLAND. As the grisly and difficult to explain discoveries add up, readers will be reading with their hearts in their throats as they race through the pages to find out who, if anyone, among Laney Kilpatrick and her entourage will survive their outing to the beautiful but isolated island. Recommended for fans of T. Kingfisher.

3.5 stars rounded up

Hemlock Island was one of my most anticipated books for 2023. There are elements of this story that I absolutely loved, but those elements were balanced out by a few things that didn't work as well for me and which took away from my overall enjoyment of the book.

What I loved:
I adored the dark, moody setting of Hemlock Island in the autumn. I think the author did a wonderful job with setting this story on a secluded island in the middle of Lake Superior as a storm approached. It created a claustrophobic, gothic atmosphere that really added to the story's creepy factor.

I enjoyed the main plot centered on the mysterious events taking place on the island. I love both locked room style thrillers and horror in a remote, inescapable location, so the marriage of these two genres had me quickly flipping the pages as the situation on Hemlock Island got more and more dire and intense. I thought the ending made sense, provided a satisfying level of resolution, and was a perfect fit for the type of story being told.

What didn't work as well for me:
The characters are in their early 30's, but their conversations, relationships, and misunderstandings felt more like teenage interactions than those of adults. This gave the book more of a YA than adult horror feel.

I would have enjoyed the story more if the focus had stayed on the main plot with less relationship drama. I thought the main mystery was fantastic so was really frustrated when the story kept detouring back to subplots about the character's personal problems. It disrupted the building tension and broke up the flow of the more intense aspects.

There are a lot of hot topic social issues at least briefly mentioned in this book. There are so many that it gave me the feel of there being a social commentary checklist that needed to be followed, even if the inclusion of some of the commentary felt forced and awkward.

Overall, I really loved the main storyline, setting, and atmosphere of this book. I just wish there'd been fewer things distracting and slowing down the momentum of the story.

Than you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for providing me a copy to read and review.

Okay so that was...really really weird. I've been reading Armstrong's novels for a long time, in YA and general adult, and I like her writing style. She drew me into this one very quickly - and because I know her as a supernatural tale writer, when things started to get weird I stayed with it because I expected the type of fare I am accustomed to from her.

Wow, was I wrong in where things were going though! This one took dark turns fast and it became quite gruesome and graphic in a way that I don't really enjoy. I did feel that some of the suspense and drama were overly drawn out, and there were sections in the middle that plodded along a bit as a result, but once the big reveal was made - a revelation that I admit I did see coming from fairly early on despite the oblique references - things kicked into overdrive in a way that felt horrifying and rushed and grizzly and I almost started skimming just to see how it would wrap up. I persevered, and am mostly glad I did but yikes - this was NOT for the faint of heart!

This was bizarre AF! And I loved it. I haven't read Armstrong since 2017 so I'll need to root through her catalog to find some more gems. This locked room horror mystery is frightening and a tad absurd--but in a good way. Laney has found her own private paradise but she can't afford it so she rents it out (to only douchebag clients it seems). She's not the only one that treasures the island (see what I did there?). Other people want it and they try some creative and nefarious schemes. But then shit gets REAL crazy. The secrets between Laney's small group of friends and family are pretty juicy too. This would be a fun read anytime of the year. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC

Wasn't expecting a horror novel from this author, but I was pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed this one.
Thanks for the chance to read and review!

This story was the best! I have read horror stories before and they were usually full of fakeness, weird and totally unbelievable . But this one was so different. I was totally engrossed in the story and the characters. Even though it was a horror story, it all made sense. I loved it and would love to see this as a movie.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I don't usually read horror novels but this was written by Kelley Armstrong and I would read the back of cereal boxes if she wrote the copy. I finished it in two sittings.

As a horror novel it works on every level. Take six people with a history and isolate them on an island in the middle of Lake Superior. Laney Kilpatrick owns Hemlock Island as a result of a divorce settlement but she cannot maintain it unless she rents out the luxury home she and her ex-husband had built. When her current renters frantically inform her that there is blood all over the inside of a closet she and her teen niece go there to investigate. Also, through tenuous excuses, her ex, her best friend (her ex's sister), a former very close friend and her policeman brother also show up,

The blood is real and odd things start to happen. Laney sees something on a cliff. A trespasser? Voices seems to echo in the wind. Everything can be rationally explained, but still. When Laney falls into a shallow gorge and discovers the body of her young handyman-caretaker, she is shattered. Then he appears to move, although he is long dead. There is evil on the island but who or what it is, is the puzzle. Kelley Armstrong presents two distinct alternatives: humans who are staging an elaborate hoax to lower the value of the island or some primal force from the island itself. Or both?

The conclusion is scarey, powerful, and fair. This is a wonderful, very satisfactory read. I strongly recommend it.

PS. As well as a great story, the author uses current social topics as part of the plot. Gender identity, date rape/victim blaming, and destruction of the environment are woven into the core of the story.