I really enjoyed this book…until the end. The atmosphere of this book was top notch. And I loved the creepiness of the island. Being stranded on it was perfect for the story. I also loved that everyone started to turn against each other. The ending just really ruined it for me, unfortunately

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong.

Laney has just gotten a phone call that she did not need. The residents currently renting her remote home on an even more remote island have just discovered blood in home, and are getting out of there. Reluctantly, Laney and her niece go to the island to figure out what is going on. But she gets an even bigger surprise when her ex husband Kit, and his sister also show up. From there, hopefully they will finally figure out what has been going on with that Island, and get out safely.

Gosh this had so much potential, but it was just too wishy washy? There were way too many weird turns with the relationships, as well as the mortality status of each character, it didn't take long to totally lose interest. I appreciated the story development of the characters, but I don't know if it was enough to make up for how hard it was to keep track of the rest of the story.

I am not a fan of horror, but if Kelley Armstrong writes it, I will read it. I’m so happy I gave Hemlock Island a chance because I loved this book and absolutely devoured it.

As always, Armstrong write such complex and well developed characters, including strong female leads. The story was fast paced with a few twists I did not see coming.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for thé ARC Im exchange for am honest review.

This was a fast paced read! The atmosphere was creepy and be forewarned there are some gory parts. A shared secret among the friends unfolds as the story progresses that draws the reader in and the scary twists kept the pages turning. Several sub plots made it a little chaotic to read but the author wound everything together nicely at the end. There was also a lot of running around the island and I had a hard time visualizing the layout but overall I enjoyed this strange, scary story with its paranormal twist. If you’re wanting to give the horror genre a try this would be a good book to start with. ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favourite authors (and huge bonus that she is Canadian). When I saw she had a horror novel I had to give it a go and am so glad that I did!

Kelley is an amazing author that can write anything. Hemlock Island had amazingly creepy vibes and I had no idea where it was going to go.

Highly recommend this one for Halloween season, you will not be disappointed!

A twisty and spooky mystery that will keep you guessing. Is it all real? Are there supernatural forces at play? Or just crazy people trying to scare them away from their happy place?
This book jumps right into the action and keeps you guessing if you can trust what the characters are seeing or not.
I was worried the larger group of characters would make it difficult to keep track of them, but it ended up perfect. I was on the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen to them all.
This is a great book for fans of scary thrillers. You will be racing along to get to the end.

Stormy, Scary, and Supernatural


Laney had hurried to the island to check for damages after complaints from bad tenants. That sounded like trouble. What she found there was strange, but as she and her niece looked around, Laney's ex, friends, and frenemies unexpectedly arrived to "help." The plot meshed well, complications quickly escalated, and I was hooked.

Laney's heart is still broken over her ex and she's still mourning the loss of her sister, but she's a tough female lead. Her resourcefulness and drive to keep and care for her beloved island home are admirable. She's loyal to friends and devoted to her orphaned niece. Her niece displays a similar courageous spirit. Rooting for them as they contended with trouble was easy. For a few of the others, not so much.

Trapped on an island in Lake Superior, the storm blowing up was hair-raising enough that they took cover without time to consider who else may be on the island with them. As the winds blew and rain came down in sheets, that someone or something was there became apparent.

The unusual twisty turns and jump-scares had me turning the pages frantically until the shocking conclusion. Hemlock Island may have a romance at its heart, but the near-Lovecraftian elements made me remember that I'm scared of the dark.

I selected this novel because I've read other excellent books by Kelley Armstrong. Her style often features strong female characters in plots packed with supernatural horror-fantasy and romance. Her excellent Otherworld series was made into the SyFy series, Bitten. Those books were great but I must say, this novel was even scarier.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the free advance reader's copy. My freely-given honest review is uninfluenced by my gratitude. Kelley Armstrong's skillful writing made Hemlock Island original, startling, and terrifying. I am sleeping with a nightlight again.

First half, great A+. Then the second half dragged and Laney's martyrdom wouldn't stop. And the antagonists constant whining, brought my rating down

Short synopsis: After Laney gets divorced from Kit, she has to start renting out their summer island on Lake Superior for extra money. When a renter calls to complain, she heads to the island to find hex circles and blood.

My thoughts: This one sure started off with a bang and kept me gripped to my seat the whole way through. The perfect “locked door” atmospheric thriller that quickly turned to more of a horror with bits of paranormal interspersed.

Parts of this got quite gory, and there was lots of throwing up bile and dead body parts. Don’t read this while eating lunch, or in the dark, or when alone!

Read if you love:
- Locked door mystery
- Secluded island getaways
- Paranormal aspects
- Mother Nature
- Fast paced thrillers

I did most of this on audio, and the narrator told the story with just the right amount of spooky factor. This is perfect for your October spooky TBR! Out now!

This was phenomenal. The eerie vibes were just right. The drama and history between the characters was even better. The twists and turns and ultimate reveal of what was going on made me not want to put it down. This was perfect for spooky season.

Laney Kilpatrick is still working through her feelings of being divorced from the love of her life (Kit) when they struggled through the pandemic. Since the divorce, Laney has has had a difficult time with finances since she has also become guardian to her niece (Maddison) so she has to rent out her beloved vacation home on Hemlock Island which was a wedding gift from Kit. Laney gets a call from her current tenant saying strange things have been occurring in the house so she and Maddy go out to the island and find Kit has been contacted also so he brings his sister along since he's determined not to let the girls go to the island alone especially since there has been hex symbols and items of satanic origin that have been previously found around the small island. They don't understand why their young caretaker didn't meet them when they docked instead they just found an uninvited and unwanted old friend and her brother who happens to be a police officer but Laney can't stand to be anywhere around him. So this ends up becoming a very uncomfortable situation for Laney but she'll cope for a few hours until they come upon a disembodied hand and of course there is no cell service on the island (right?) so they can't leave until the police arrive but someone has to get depth e mainland to make a call and then they find their boat gone and one of their guests missing. They are now all stranded together until someone else arrives or brings their boat back not knowing how dire their situation will turn out to be.

Someone wants to scare these people especially Laney but no-one could have foreseen the diabolical evil that will bring death and devastation to all of them unless they figure out who or what is behind the horrific happenings that are centered around Laney although she doesn't have a.clue what's going on and just thinks it's been renters trying to scare her into selling the island and she's not about to be bullied into selling Hemlock Island.

Little could any of the group have known that they may never leave the island and that who or what is taunting them will be a force so strong that whatever they originally believed will test their sanity if they are lucky enough to survive their terror and horror that won't let them leave Hemlock Island!


Another entertaining book by author Kelley Armstrong. This book was based on the Supernatural which I always enjoy and while it was entertaining I didn't find it scary although there were a couple of really good unexpected twists that were fun. I found the characters were somewhat opaque for me without much depth to the horrific situations that would occur. Maybe the romance got in my way since it played too big a part throughout the entire story which took away from the tension or terror that I expected from them so their reactions were too vague and unrealistic for my taste. I think this book will have a great appeal to readers who enjoy lighter supernatural mysteries or thrillers although be forewarned some of the murders are gory but didn't seem to line up with what I consider dark and frightening horror novels. With that said, I loved all the Kelley Armstrong "Rockton and Haven's Rock" series and I can't wait to read more of them in the future. There are just so wonderful!

I recommend this book to others so the can form their own opinions and enjoy this book for how it was written. I have always enjoyed this author's books in the past so I will continue to look forward to read other books that she continues to write in the future.

I want to thank the publisher "St. Martin's Press" and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and any thoughts or opinions expressed are unbiased and mine alone!

I have given a rating of 3 ENTERTAINING & STRANDED ⭐⭐⭐ STARS!!

A perfect read for a spooky October!
The setting for this novel is an isolated island on Lake Superior where Laney Kilpatrick's vacation home is located. The only thing she owns, after her divorce, she is forced to rent to strangers in order to keep it.
When strange things begin to happen, and escalate quickly becoming dangerous, Laney is forced to go to the island and ends up with a diverse group of characters accompanying her. What happens next is horror-filled, mysterious and definitely creepy.
The premise was good with an interesting twist and it will definitely keep you guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Laney receives an alarming phone call from her vacation renters in the early hours of the morning and from there the action in Hemlock Island starts and doesn't let up until the very end. As we join Laney on Hemlock Island, it immediately becomes clear that something isn't right here - the island is so isolated that it's only accessible by sea (or air, if you have enough money, but Laney begins to sense that they're not alone. Or is it all in her head? This book had me guessing the whole way through and was full of plenty of surprises.

There were a few gross and downright gory scenes that were somewhat unsettling. Also, I'll mention a trigger warning for a sexual assault that takes place off the page. I thought this kind of came out of nowhere and it seemed like we spent an unnecessary amount of time on that story line. Other than that I really enjoyed this author's writing style and liked how the story went in a direction I wasn't anticipating. I'll definitely read from her again.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a review copy.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Kelley Armstrong. This newest writing is a standalone story that is different than other books of hers I have read. While this is not my favorite, it was still an interesting read. This is a mix of mystery, suspense, horror, and supernatural elements...plus there is the backstory connecting all the characters, leading them to Hemlock Island.

3.5 stars

I’ve read other Kelley Armstrong books and was excited for this one. It pulled me right in but we quickly scarier than the other books - and in fact got too scary/gory for me and I’m calling it at 25%. I’m just too much of a wimp and one bad dream is enough for me to say this one isn’t for me - but if you like to be scared, you may want to check this one out! Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

Laney Kilpatrick is an English teacher who finds herself divorced from her tech CEO husband during the pandemic. Forced to rent a beloved vacation home to stay afloat financially, she struggles as the vacationers she rents to prove difficult and cause damage. Ultimately she is called to the island home by panicked visitors after blood and nail marks appear in a closet.

Once she arrives, 16 year old niece in tow, she finds her ex husband, estranged friend, and estranged friends brother have also come to investigate. They all decide to stay at the house for the night, and things quickly escalate. Secrets are reveled, gorey discoveries are discovered, and it all cumulates in an ending no all readers will be willing to suspend their disbelief for.

I personally find books that focus on divorce to be a turnoff, and I did have trouble buying into the ending. However, if you are looking for a more visceral horror read, this may be for you.

In Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong, Laney Kilpatrick, the owner of a secluded island getaway, is called back to her island home when her rental tenants find some crazy stuff happening. By crazy, I mean blood-in-a-closet and other strange occurrences.

With her is her sister's daughter, who Laney is now raising, Laney's ex-husband Kit and his sister Jayla, and another former friend named Sadie and her brother Garrett. It's clear from the start that there are secrets among this group and I have to say I was surprised when the truth finally comes out.

As more strange things continue to happen, each incident escalating until it's clear they are stranded on the island and someone is after them all. And there's a chance that "someone" is actually not human, when some of the bodies react in ways they shouldn't. I'm not a big reader of the horror genre and I did like where this story took me as a reader, since it wasn't my typical read.

The truth of it all isn't revealed until the final pages, and I did like how this story wrapped up. I was engaged with these people on the island, even though they aren't all very likable and they did stupid stuff like walk around the island in the dark. I still wanted to know to know what was going on. Hemlock Island is a nice twist on the forced=proximity with a killer on the loose story. This is a quick and engaging read that might make you think twice about secluded vacation spots!

I was not prepared for the twists and turns of Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong but that didn't prevent me from staying up too late just to finish reading it! I guess when a heroine and her family and friends are gathered on an island in Lake Superior with no way off, something nasty is going to happen to some of them. This nastiness was well done, a lot gory but the story kept getting more and more twisted as secrets come out. A well done horror story for someone not used to reading much horror.

This is a departure from what I usually read from Kelley Armstrong—but a very good one. A bit of horror to go with the mystery—and as always excellent characters. This is a stand alone book, and would be a good read if you are new to her books.
Perfect read for fall.

I think this book had great potential, but it fell flat for me. I found the characters a bit confusing to keep track of at times, and I really wasn’t invested in any of them. The plot line was a bit chaotic and felt rushed. One thing is for sure, I won’t be renting a stay at Hemlock island anytime soon.
Thank you to NetGalley and St.Martins press for the opportunity to read this ARC.