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.

Not my favourite by Kelley, but a good read. Characters were easy to like or hate. The plot was done well. I think the omens could have been expanded upon. The villain was just detestable he was truly bad with good character development. The heroine kept me reading.

I am currently supporting the boycott against St. Martin’s Press until they respond to influencer’s concerns about safety, inequality, systemic issues at hand and also meet the demands of the boycott. I am looking forward to leaving an updated review for this book once the demands are met ❤️

I love Kelley Armstrong!! She is one of my all time favorite authors! I will read anything that she puts out. I’m not a horror girl and I tend to stay away from that genre. But if Kelley writes it, I will read it.
It was so easy to get into this book. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I was so engrossed in the twisty mystery. I needed to keep reading to find out who the culprit was. It definitely kept me on my toes. I could see this as a movie. Hemlock Island was a creeptastic read.

Thank you to Net Galley and St Martin’s press for sharing a digital copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts

Unexplained Terrors

Laney owns a vacation home on an island in Lake Superior. She has the home from a divorce and has been renting it out to strangers. It is a beautiful place, but unexplained things such as broken items, bloody bones, hex circles and a campfire that almost burns down the house keep happening.

When renters flee the island because they find bloody nail marks on a closet door, Laney knows she must investigate and try to find out what is going on.

She arrives at the island with her niece and finds that her ex-husband Kit has also been informed and arrives along with his sister Jayla. Then another friend and her husband who is a cop show up. Then it becomes a nightmare as things happen.

Her friend takes off in the only boat to get off the island and they find themselves stranded on the island. Supernatural events take place and it becomes a very scary place to be.

I am not a big fan of fantasy and the supernatural, but I do like mysteries. This story was okay, but not the best I have read.

I received the book for free and have left the review voluntarily.

I loved the horror and thriller vibes throughout this story, but I felt like some of the subplots muddied the picture, which is why I'm giving this one a "middle of the road" rating.

The synopsis paired with the isolated haunted island setting immediately captivated my attention, and there's definitely drama surrounding past friendships and relationships, too. Overall, I found the book to be enjoyable and binge worthy, especially as things are revealed on the island, but the ending fell flat for me.

All this being said, though, this book would be a perfect spooky season read given that it definitely delivers on blood, guts, gore, and horror components.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me an ebook copy, in exchange for my review, especially so that I could devour this one no matter the place and switch back and forth with my physical copy

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Kelly Armstrong is a well-known writer who dabbles in super (and supra) natural mysteries. This standalone has lots going for it, though ultimately it didn't completely gel for me.

The setting is great: a vacation home on Lake Superior. Laney is a writer and teacher who was awarded this home after her divorce and is now struggling to make ends meet. After a renter finds some disturbing things in a closet, Laney and a small group of others converge on the home and the island. The atmosphere is definitely one of the books strong points.

Having said that, the ending detracted from my overall enjoyment of the read. As some others have noted, the end goes in a different direction that you might suspect (though the twist surely offers foreshadowing).

Bottom line: a quick read with a great setting. While not my favorite Kelly Armstrong, it's a standalone, so there's minimal commitment. If you like mystery mixed with supernatural, give this one a try.

I really wanted this one to work for me. Possible haunted house, creepy cult like items, a group of friends (so to speak) solving the mystery. What more could you ask for. Turns out a lot. I went in strong until about chapter 5. Things slowly got more goofy, and outrageous. I did not like the ending at all. I was looking more for a haunted house scary story. I feel I got more of a parody of one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

Thanks to Netgalley, St Martins Press and Kelley Armstrong. One of my favorite authors, so I was excited to get this stand alone horror story. At first,it just didn’t come together for me, seemed a simple mystery, but as it went on, I can say this was one of my favorite books by this author. I absolutely loved the horror parts, and would have liked to see more of them presented in the story earlier..but all in all, it came together and ended nice.y..a Hemlock Island 2 maybe ? I can see it happening. 4 stars .
My reviews are on Goodreads, Amazon, my fb Bookclubs and my local Bookclubs as a new read this year..

DNF, just not for me. Don't think I will try and pick this up again at a later date.

Thank you net galley for the earc in exchange for an honest review

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press!

After financially being forced to rent out her beloved Hemlock home, Laney Kilpatrick begins to receive complaints from tenants about mysterious and disturbing happenings.
When one report seems to have gone too far, she is forced to investigate. Tagging along is her teenage niece.

A fast-paced story that has a natural and fantastic build-up. This is a story that makes you question the least suspecting and forces you to even question Laney herself. Hemlock Island comes with a unique ending no one will see coming.

This is an atmospheric horror that will leave you on the edge of your seat!

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher, and author for the copy of this eARC for my honest review. All ratings and any reviews are opinions of my own.

Kelley Armstrong delivers an amazing horror story. It was atmospheric, spine stiffening, and kept me on the edge of my seat. I read this in two sittings and hated having to put it down.

There were so many twists and turns and the second half blew me away!

This book didn't really work out for me even though I really tried to like it. I think I was just not in the mood for this book so I will try again when I'm in the mood for a dark horror book.

I am giving this one 2.5 stars. I didn’t get to it in time to give a full review and I apologize for that

I absolutely love novels by Kelley Armstrong and Hemlock Island was no different. I loved the mystery and eeriness surrounding the plot of this novel. It kept me guessing with so many twists and turns, I loved this one from beginning to end.

I am a huge fan of this author so I went into this book expecting to love it. Well, overall I found this to be ok, maybe 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. There was some great horror elements that creeped me out and kept me guessing, the build-up of the book was so tension filled and I was on the edge of my seat...until I wasn't. No spoilers included, but the whole reason for the book was sadly disappointing and surprisingly in its own way, but not in a positive manner. I was let down by the anti-climatic ending and felt miffed when the book was over. I am sure some people will love this book and the twist it took, it just was not for me. I am still a huge fan of this author and will read whatever else she wants to write.

I found myself totally sucked into this locked room (okay, Island). Creepy and atmospheric, I didn't realize going in how gory and horrific it would be. I was frustrated by the supernatural elements and the way everything wrapped up, but fans of environmental horror will really enjoy this one. Thank you NetGalley for my copy.