Oh, I loved reading this book! I just love Kelley Armstrong's writing, and this is her first published foray into horror, as far as I'm aware. And oh, did I enjoy it! Her characters are smart and make rational decisions, or take calculated risks, and it was great to see those qualities in a horror novel!

I felt so badly for Laney. This house was her sanctuary, the place she could retreat to. But it was a honeymoon gift from her rich now ex-husband, and she can't afford to not rent it out, to let strangers occupy the space. And of course things go wrong.

As things get more and more intense, we're also learning more about these characters. Why Sadie and her brother have such a bad relationship with Laney. The way Laney and Kit's marriage ended. It added a good mix of emotion that wasn't terror!

There were some really shocking twists and reveals, like what was going on with the island, that I couldn't get enough of! And that ending, oh! Really enjoyed it, and it was utterly satisfying to read, if a bit bittersweet. It was just so great to read!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Kelley Armstrong!

This book follows Laney, an author and recent guardian of her teenage niece, Madison, after her sister has passed away. She owns and rents out her vacation home on Hemlock Island, a gift from her ex-husband, Kit, for extra income. After multiple renters complain about disturbing occurrences on the island, Laney and Madison decide to go investigate things themselves. Laney’s ex-husband, Kit, also tags along with his sister and Laney’s childhood friend, Jayla. Another childhood friend, Sadie, and her brother also show up, surprising them all. When their means of escape is gone, they must fight to survive as someone -or something- terrorizes them and keeps them trapped on the island.

I really enjoyed this book! It’s not the type of horror I typically like but I thought it was very well done in this story. The pacing was great, things started happening right away while still setting up the atmosphere and character dynamics along the way. I loved the twists/reveals and was genuinely creeped out by some of the scenes and imagery. But while the horror and gore felt very much intended for an adult audience, the characters and dialogue felt a little juvenile at times.

Overall, I had a great time reading this and was gripped all the way to the end. I highly recommend this book for fans of horror with thriller elements and twists, and for those who enjoy books that have you questioning if supernatural or paranormal forces are at play.

Content warnings: gore, death, blood, and sexual assault

**Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the eARC!**

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

For a first real crack at writing a horror novel, this was pretty good. If you’re on the Squimish side, this may not be the book for you since it is very gory. However, if you’re all about the horror, violence, gore and love a good mystery, then this book is for you.

The reader is immersed in a bizarre mystery almost immediately within the first few pages. From there, it only continues to build and get stranger and stranger. Creepy, supernatural things are appearing all over the island but more focused around Laney’s house. While trying to figure out what’s actually going on, the cast of characters are subjected to violent attacks, disappearances, and some straight out weird stuff. Long buried secrets also come to the forefront making this simple horror story a little more complicated and adds some depth to the characters.

I just finished reading it. Overall I liked it but I’m still digesting it. I think I’m left feeling like I wanted just a bit more from it which is why I gave it a 4. But I’m also going to be one of the first people to pick up Kelley Armstrong’s next horror novel for sure.

Holy gory horror! Everyone can relate to the isolation feelings of post-world lockdown of COVID. What happens when relationships change after? What happens when the guest house you own on Lake Superior starts killing off guests? This story had me on my toes and I could not put it down.

Lane and her niece go to her rental property on island to investigate some weird things happening there, they are joined by some friends, fast read as you can't wait to see what happens next.

Laney has been renting out her secluded house from her ex husband on Hemlock Island. Renters has been having eerie things happen and fleeing. Laney and her ex go back to the island along with her niece and old friends. Creepy occult things start happening and they fight for their lives. This was a thrilling horror read that I finished quickly.
Thanks NetGalley and St.Martins Press for this ARC that will be published September 12, 2023!

It's been awhile since I read a Book by Kelley Armstrong.
This one sounded like a good creepy horror to me, and while I did enjoy it , it wasn't one of my favorites. I got a lot of YA vibes from the relationships in the book and that just didn't work for me.
This is a fairly quick read that I think a lot of people will enjoy.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book

Not for me. Too much chatting and unrealistic behavior. Read first few chapters then had to start skimming. ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.

4.5 Stars!

Kelley Armstrong's foray into horror was definitely a success. The weirdness, the creepiness, and the sheer terror of this island were absolutely wonderful. I couldn't get enough of this book, I devoured it in fact, every last creeptastic page. It was so much fun and perfect for this crazy rainy snowy spring we are having this year. It was exactly what I was looking for and exactly what I have come to love and expect from Armstrong's worlds, characters and genius writing.

I flew through this one partly because I needed to know who was responsible for all of the strangeness and partly because I was so freaked out I wasn’t going to sleep until I knew of the resolution! An unexpected grouping of acquaintances, a stormy night, and an isolated island makes this the perfect read for any horror lovers.

I really did enjoy this book. It was so mysterious and spooky! The ending was so good and not what I had predicted. I highly recommend this to Horror/Thriller fans.


Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC!

Lane and her niece go to her isolated rental property/island to investigate sinister events that have been happening there. Some friends join in the search for answers. Mayhem ensues!! This is a horror/thriller but nothing too scary, maybe a little bit gory.

Easy to read and get through, this was an exciting ride and enjoyable. This novel felt like YA to me instead of adult fiction, the dialogue and some logistics were a bit juvenile. Unless, this was supposed to be YA, in which case, well done!

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I'm a Kelley Armstrong fan. I love her writing style and have read all of her books. HEMLOCK ISLAND is definitely different from her other books. It starts as the MC gets a call in the middle of the night.....never a good sign. Since her divorce, Laney has been renting her summer home. Located on an island in the middle of Lake Superior, this home was a wedding present, but to afford the costs now, she must let strangers come into her home. The caller is the current renter and she's extremely upset. There have been "incidents" on the island and now there is bloody markings in a closet. Laney refunds the renter's money and must now investigate what is going on.

Many of Kelley Armstrong's book revolve around paranormal communities and the lives of the inhabitants. These books are excellent reading. This book.......well, it hits the paranormal scale and then quickly, and unexpectantly, rachets into a horror story with a twist. Armstrong's writing style is unmistakable. She develops communities and characters that you find familiar after the first few chapters. Then she starts chipping away at "normal" while taking readers deep into the hearts of these characters who now must figure out what is going on, who is doing all this, and how do we make it STOP! She throws in some different twists, you feel like you KNOW what's going on, then "oh no you didn't" hits.

This book is excellent. There is no other descriptive needed. Settle in, turn the light on and be prepared.....

This was a wild ride that pulls you in right away. Laney rents out her private home on Hemlock Island. On a teacher’s salary it’s the only way she can afford to maintain the property, which was given to her by her ex-husband after their divorce. As she starts receiving complaints from renters about strange things happening on the property, she decides to head to the island with her niece to investigate. On the way she runs into her ex-husband and old friends who come with her to help investigate. As things slowly unravel it just gets creepier and creepier. I must have said OMG at least a dozen times while reading. I loved all the characters, and the atmospheric setting really drew me into the story. A very enjoyable thriller / horror read. 4 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this early copy!

I really enjoyed this book! It started off a bit slow, building into the creepy parts letting you develop your own theories on what was really happening on Hemlock Island. Within the whole storyline of being trapped on the island, you start to learn that this group of family and friends have a completely unrelated secret adding more tension and conflict to the already scary and stressful situation. I loved the dynamics of this group brought together, and honestly would love a follow up book, or maybe even a prequel about the island.

Hemlock Island is riveting from page one all the way through. Hands down one of the most gripping nail biters I’ve seen recently. I was mesmerized by the intricacies of the plot and the well sprinkled elements of the supernatural. Absolutely fantastic read that had me blown away at the end. Utterly gobsmacked by the way things turned out. I would have never guessed it in a million years. I highly recommend it!

This is the horror story I needed this year. I love Kelley Armstrong and every time she ventures into another genre I love her just a little bit more. This book would make a great movie and I hope that happens sometime. Laney Kilpatrick kept her vacation home on it’s own private island after her divorce. Unfortunately on her teacher’s salary she needs to rent it out when she’s not there to be able to afford the fees and taxes. When several renters complain of occult type pranks she decides to go to the island to figure out what is happening. She brings her niece who is she guardian for when she refuses to stay behind. When she gets there her ex-husband and an old friend there to help the investigation. Their party is completed when another old friend who has drifted away from Laney also comes and brings her brother who was just made a detective. As they discover more and more on the island the sense of dread and doom rises. A creep-tastic read that is perfect for a fall read.

Whew! Just finished Kelley Armstrong’s new novel, “Hemlock Island.” Ms. Armstrong’s novels have been a relatively recent find for me, but I have been totally awed by her ability to grab the reader from the very start. This is the first standalone of hers I have read and I was not disappointed. Hemlock Island is a remote island in the middle of Lake Superior accessible by only boat, helicopter, or seaplane. It was gifted to Lainey Hayes by her ex-husband, Kit who left their marriage following the pandemic. To say what the story is about would give away spoilers, which I hate, so suffice it to say that the reader can be prepared to be shocked, terrified, gob-smacked, and finally, able to breathe again when the final page is done. The twists and turns are masterful and the characters are as well drawn as the are in the Armstrong series I’ve read. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s press for the advance copy in return for my unbiased review. If you have not yet read any Kelley Armstrong, this is a good one to start with since it is a standalone. However, feel free to pick up a series as each on has it’s own identity and if you didn’t know in advance that it was all the same author, you would swear it was not. They are that different and that fun to read. Now back to book five of the Cainesville series I’m reading….

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. I love me a creepy island, especially one with a name like Hemlock Island.

Weird and unexplainable things start happening on the island which unfortunately forces the owner, her niece, and several other people to come investigate. What first seems like pranks turn out to be way more sinister.

Hemlock Island will definitely keep you guessing all throughout the story. You think you have figured out what's going on? You haven't. You have no idea.

Laney Kilpatrick has a vacation home on Hemlock Island, gifted to her by her husband Kit after their divorce. She can’t actually afford it though, but loves it enough to rent it out part of the year (which she hates doing) so she can keep it. Lately though, some scary developments have been turning renters away. She and her teenaged niece Madison - now her ward since her sister’s death from cancer - go to the island to investigate. They assume that prospective buyers (of which there have been a number) are trying to scare her off the property so she will sell, and sell at a reduced price.

Madison calls Kit to let him know what is going on, and he shows up on the island too, along with his sister (and former best friend) Jayla, and another old friend, Sadie, who brought her brother Garrett. Garrett is now a cop, and Sadie thought he could help, but Laney has some bad history with Garrett.

They all end up spending the night on the property, and find out there are more horrible things going on out there than they ever imagined. Tension picks up as a storm comes and they all get in mortal danger. And no one can be sure if one of their number isn’t responsible.

Evaluation: Paranormal is far from my favorite genre, and horror even less, but with one of my favorite authors writing the book, it didn’t matter. She always keeps me turning the pages, and provides an entertaining way to pass the time no matter the genre.