Laney gets a call from her latest renters a lot blood in a closet. She rents her beloved island to be able to afford to keep it after her divorce. She heads out to investigate with her niece, Madison. Her ex husband, his sister (and her ex best friend), and another friend and her brother also show up. They’re soon neck deep in a storm, bodies and body parts, and the paranormal while their only way off the island disappears. What’s going on on Hemlock Island? Is someone trying to scare them or is it more? They all have secrets and they’re going to come out. Definitely recommend for fans of mysteries, thrillers, and paranormal lovers.

Hemlock Island:⁣
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Thank you @stmartinspress @macmillan.audio for my gifted copies!⁣
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Did Kelley Armstrong (one of my favorite authors ever) give me the best treat of a locked room mystery?! She did. And I’m thrilled.⁣
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More horror than mystery, there’s something going on with Hemlock Island. Our girl Laney has been renting out the secluded island like an Airbnb to make ends meet. But the renters always have something to say. So when one calls to say there’s blood inside the closet, and she goes and finds a hand in the ground, she knows this is not normal. ⁣
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I loved the suspense of this book. Was it paranormal? Who is sinister in this book? Do we like Kit? There was so much happening, but not to where you lost the plot. I could honestly not put this one down. I flew through it in 24 hours. ⁣
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The best thing about the audio is that I love Angela Dawe. Jayla became Vero from Finlay Donovan in my head the entire time. I guess that’s what happens when you listen to a reader too much 😂 If you listen to Finley on audio, your brain may make the connection, but I loved the audio regardless.⁣
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Another hit by Kelley Armstrong that I’ll make my husband read as well so we can talk about all the amazing parts of the book. Out 9/12!

Book Review
Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong

✅ Canadian author
✅ scary setting (Island on Lake Superior)
✅ Forced proximity
✅ Friends, family and foes
✅ Everyone is hiding Secrets
✅ Island has a history
✅ strange occurrences
✅ Ghosts? Occult? Zombies?

I am REALLY trying to avoid spoilers so details will be minimal!

I have loved Armstrong’s writing for years and her newest standalone thriller/horror #hemlockisland
is no exception.

Its the perfect #spookyseason read (and honestly would make a great horror movie) . If you liked the vibe of Midnight Mass (series on Netflix) you will like this book.

Thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my digital copy In return for an honest review.
Opinions expressed are My Own.

Normally, horror is not the genre I pick up. However, I have been a long time fan of Kelly Armstrong's books and when I had the chance to get an ARC of her new novel, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. As always, she does a brilliant job of creating memorable characters. You really feel like you get to know them and their stories. This is the part I enjoyed the most about the book. In terms of the horror plot itself, it was not really scary or mind-blowing in any way. However, this would do nicely during the spooky season. Kelley Armstrong does a great job creating atmospheric settings. The one thing I did NOT like in this book are all the "unsaid" things that are implied but do not get revealed until later in the novel. Rather than being subtle, they are glaring and are there to get the reader to keep going. I would prefer more subtleness. Character work was great though. 4 out of 5 stars.

Great premise but so poorly written that I had to force myself to finish it. Do yourself a favor and save your money.

This book has a creepy and tense vibe throughout. I love the trapped feeling in this book. No one can get off the island and the danger increased by the second. Plus, the dark skies and incoming storm provide atmosphere and add to the chilling and creepy feel of the book.

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars

For much of the book I was both captivated and frustrated. The story had me captivated, the actions of the characters had me frustrated. Eventually though, the pieces started coming together and I got lost in the angst and suspense of the locked-room scenario of being trapped on an island with no way off. The otherworldly events of the last quarter of the book had me riveted and on the edge of my seat. If you like a story that gradually builds with the suspense and ends with a bang, I recommend you try this one.

This is my ARC review for NetGalley.

I've been a long-time fan of Kelley Armstrong (having enjoyed *most* of her Rockton/Haven's Rock and A Rip Through Time books) and was eager to read a stand-alone new release. From the description and title, I expected a thriller/suspense a la Ruth Ware that I usually enjoy.

However, the horror and paranormal aspects were unexpected and I usually don't seek these out in my novel reading. While I don't mind tense or suspenseful reads, many parts of this book had me rolling my eyes (ie., characters going outside at night to "check things out" when they know there is something out there). There was an odd mix of characters who came together in a way that seemed a bit forced and I didn't really get invested in them.

Armstrong's main character-building and pacing were strong, If you are looking for a spooky and gory read, this will be up your alley.

Kelley Armstrong is a favorite writer, but I'd never read any of her horror. I might not have started "Hemlock Island" if I had realized what I was getting into, but despite some lost sleep, I'm glad I persevered. The characters are strong and engaging; the setting (a private island in Lake Superior) is fresh, and the gore is, well, gory. I had to avert my eyes from the page a few times, especially as blood and guts (literally) began flying. If I wasn't completely convinced by the climax and denouement, "Hemlock island" still supplies good scares.

Good lord, this book. This book had a delicious premise and hooked me at first, but in the end it was NOT for me. The twists were certainly there, and it went hilariously over the top in a fun way at moments, but other elements were decidedly less fun (content warning for past-rape as a twist/reveal that's admittedly very obvious via hints). So many things happened, and so many of them were kinda horrible, in problematic ways. (I also felt weird about the way race was--and wasn't--addressed and deployed in the book.)

Could there be any more suspense than the ramp up to the conclusion of this book? Horror, murder, evil spirits, vampire-like behavior, grudges, witchcraft, voodoo, zombies, crows(?) are just a sampling of the action devices we find here. You will not want to put this one down. Some of the relationships seem naive or phony. That is the only flaw I could detect. It's a resolution but not necessarily a happy ending. My thanks to the author and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book.

Hemlock Island starts out as a typical locked-door thriller with an island setting. However, it soon becomes clear that this island and book are anything but typical. As the suspense and creep factor increase, so does the uncertainty of reality. What is really going on? Is this a thriller or horror novel? Both or neither? Because of this, anything goes and it’s not what you might expect. This book was very unique and definitely scary to read alone at night. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

4 Stars ⭐️

This book did a great job getting me engaged and interested right off the bat. There are immediately some spooky elements with Laney and her 16 year old niece. Laney a recent divorcée created her home on an excluded island into a vacation rental. But weird things have been happening such as some renters leaving occult hexes behind. Scaring other renters.

After renters find blood on a closet door Laney and her niece leave to go investigate but are surprised when her ex husband, sister in law, and a couple friends show up unannounced. They all travel to the island and immediately in the book things go awry. Creating immediately a very spooky/isolating uncomfortable read.

This is my first book from this author. I am really interested to read other works from her. I really appreciated the paranormal side of this story. This really made this story a lot of fun and also caused me to be scared a couple times. It really wasn't what I was expecting,

The pacing of this book is great. It moves very quickly. I do wish the chapters themselves though were a bit shorter. They felt a bit long for this style of story.

The majority of this book was a 5 star read for me. However some things that didn't work for me was some of the relationship issues. A lot of it stemmed from straight up not communicating. That was incredibly frustrating as a reader. The last 10-15% of the book lost me a bit. The paranormal part I liked but the explanation of why was a bit of a let down.

I would 100% recommend this book during spooky fall season. The atmosphere was great and the author does a great job setting the mood. I also would recommend this book to readers who enjoy isolation setting horror.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St Martins Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

I will be posting my review to my Instagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication.

Ummmm...what did I just read? This was a crazy intense, sit all day until you finish it type of book. It starts off strong and does not let up. The creepy factor is sky high, and you will not want to step foot onto any island for the near future. That is a crazy statement for me because I love islands. There are backstories, friendship, drama, deeply hidden family secrets, love interests, and of course all the dead bodies. This is a race against time. To figure out what exactly is going on this little slice of heaven, known as Hemlock Island.

Laney is newly divorced, dealing with her sister's death, and trying to raise her niece. The only thing she wanted in the divorce was Hemlock Island. The only way she can keep it is by renting it out. She hates that people are in her personal space, touching her things, breaking into everything she locks up. What is wrong with people? Laney is woken in the dead of the night by a disgruntled renter. They discovered something in one of the closets. Something that made them jump into the boat and race back to mainland. Something that made their blood run cold. Laney has discovered hexes, and other weird symbols around the island. Could this be connected to that?

This book caught me by surprise. I was not expecting the ending whatsoever. It made my skin crawl, and the gore was unexpected. There were so many backstories that were finally becoming known. There were a few moments that read a little unrealistic. A rehashing of a romance, kissing while bodies fall around you, deep conversations about the past. Perhaps it was just their way of dealing with this incredibly intense situation? Thank you to Kelley Armstrong and St. Martin Press for sending me a copy of this terrifying book. No trips to the basement tonight!

This book is very challenging for me to write a review. The reason being - I felt like I read 2 different books. When I started reading, I could not put this book down. It grabbed me right from the start and just kept going. I truly felt this was the best book I had ever read by this author. This would have been a 5 star rating with copious amounts of gushing, until the ending. So, I am going to review the first 95% of the book and then comment on the ending.

This starts out with a group of family & former friends coming together on a remote island in Lake Superior to investigate some vandalism that occurred there. The owner of the island is Laney, her ex-husband, ex-best friend, niece and 2 other former friends meet on the island. The relationships between these 5 characters are extremely complicated. I felt the characters were well developed and there was a lot of emotion put into them

Bad things start to happen, and the characters find out that all of their resources to get off of the island have been destroyed. So, now we have gone to a trapped on an island with no way to escape mystery. This plot is handled really well, and then little pieces of supernatural elements are added into the plot. Alright, so now let's go with this. It continues to work, until it doesn't.

I was so into the story and felt everything was just so well done, and then the ending came. WHAT!!! WHY!!! It was just not cohesive to the story. I hated it. Why would you take such a fantastic story that was so good and give it that ending. I just can't. Up until the ending this was getting a 5 star, then it went to a 2-3 star. I am personally giving this story a different ending in my mind and pulling it up to a 4 star rating.

Thank you to Netgally and St. Martin's for the ARC

This horror book was everything! Kelly Armstong knows how to write a book that will wrap you tightly in its grasp and not let you go even after the book is finished. The characters are amazing, the atmosphere of the island is spot-on and the tension between the group builds beautifully and keeps you guessing if any of them could be behind the weirdness going on. It was eerie and creepy, with the perfect amount of suspense. This book kept me guessing the entire time and when the reveal came I was surprised, and absolutely loved it!

Kelley Armstrong is one of my favorite authors and I can't wait to add this one to my collection!!

Kelley Armstrong pulls no punches in Hemlock Island, an engrossing horror, that seems like an amalgamation And Then There Were None and every single scary book that had you hiding under the blankets. Laney owns a house and island in Lake Superior, which you can only get to by boat. She loves her writing hideaway, but after her divorce the only way that she can afford to keep it is to rent to vacationers. Unfortunately the renters don’t treat the place like their own homes (at least let’s hope not) and they use her locked up possessions, burn property, vandalize the island, and kill animals. They seem to be a necessary evil or at least part of one because it seems that someone is displaying ritualistic objects in and around her house. The last renters were so frightened that they fled before spending a night.

In response, Laney and her niece decide to go the island to check it out. She informs her ex-husband, Kit, who decides to join her with his sister and Laney’s once best friend, Jayla. Then their group grows by two when Laney’s estranged friend, Sadie, decides to go along with her brother who is a policeman. Not long after the group arrives strange things begin to happen. And then one of them disappears.

Evil property investors? Satan worship? Zombies? All of these things floated around as I read. Kelley Armstrong does a great job of keeping the reader guessing on that front, but also with regards to the personal drama among the cast of characters. What is it that Sadie wants from Laney? What really happened in their past? All of these questions keep you reading for the answers.

I sailed through Hemlock Island pretty much oblivious to everything around me. When it came to the great reveal, I knew to expect the unexpected and was not disappointed with any of it.

Many thanks to St. Martin’s and Netgalley for a copy.

Kelley Armstrong could write ANYTHING and I'd be completely enthralled.

I loved this story it was the perfect amount of creepy and mysterious, I had goosebumps part way through and was devouring this book. I did not see one twist coming and my jaw dropped. As always the character building was great, the setting was beautiful but also creepy. The secrets among the group was an added amount of mystery that I enjoyed. Overall a quick read that kept me up until the middle of the night finishing it but well worth it!

Be prepared to set aside enough time to read the whole book once you start! I didn't and wound up reading way past my bedtime, then dreaming about islands and frightening happenings.

This could have been just a standard horror book with all the tropes (don't go outside alone!), but the character development made this so much more, and made the stakes seem so much higher as a result.

Gripping, dark, twisty. Just my kind of read!

Hemlock Island follows Laney, a teacher and author raising her niece, who was gifted a private island by her ex husband in her divorce. Laney can’t afford the upkeep on the island, so she rents the house on the island out to vacationers. Recently, she’s had renters complain about finding strange occult items in the house and around the island, but when a renter complains about finding blood in the house, Laney knows she needs to make a visit and check things out herself. With her niece in town, Laney makes it to the island, only to find her ex husband and his sister have also showed up to check things out. Things quickly take a turn with the arrival of two other people from Laney’s past, a storm that’s rolling in, and someone or something sinister lurking on the island.

This book started off strong for me, but it ended up being just okay. There were some genuinely creepy things that happened at the beginning of the book, and the isolated island vibes were great. However, I felt like the characters weren’t fully fleshed out, so it was hard to care about their interpersonal drama. I also hated the plot twist that revealed the connection between Laney and Garrett, I felt like it was done more for shock value than anything else. When the big reveal came about what was actually happening on the island, I felt like it was very lacklustre and kind of disappointing. This book was just okay for me.