The Girl in a Cafe

Werewolves have never been a particular favourite of mine. I was always Team Edward, I didn’t get into the Mercy Falls series and generally the word werewolf would put me off. Kathleen Peacock’s debut novel, however, captured my attention from the first moment I heard about it.Deadly Hemlock is not your average werewolf book. Known simply as Hemlock to the rest of the world, we enter a world where lupine syndrome is running wild, and a simple scratch can infect you with the disease. Mac Dobson is mourning the death of her best friend, who was mauled by a werewolf that’s terrorizing the town. With the arrival of the Trackers, a group who have taken the responsibility of hunting werewolves on themselves, Mac finds herself tracking down the wolf herself, and uncovering secrets along the way.I really can’t express how much I enjoyed this. It was a perfect read – enough of everything. There’s action, romance, the supernatural element, with mystery and wonderful characters. What sets this book apart from the rest is that it’s not just a typical werewolf read. We are thrown right into an alternate world where lupine syndrome is rife, which makes the reader automatically think that the idea of wolves is okay. There’s no if, buts or maybes – the scene is set, and you just accept it straight away. And while romance is a part of the novel, it’s not the centre of the plot. There’s the underlining suggestion that this is a future world, but my university brain kicked in here and threw that thought out the window. This is very much an urban fantasy styled novel, and it will blow your mind. I also loved the challenges between how society views the werewolves. While we usually see werewolves as killer creatures, here, that’s not the case.Mac was a character that I really enjoyed. She wasn’t perfect, she cried a bit too much, but she was level headed and she wasn’t about to step aside and let the boys do everything for her. She’s strong, especially with the fact that her best friend was dead, and she’d rather face her fears rather than hide. She has raw emotions, and she cares deeply for everyone. Each character had a role to play – they weren’t just there as fillers either. I loved how Mac’s relationship with Kyle didn’t turn into one of these usual ‘I love my best friends but what can I do” romances either, and I’m completely torn between Jason & Kyle. Even if Jason is a complete numpty half the time!If you are after a read that will completely blow you away this year, then Deadly Hemlock is up there as one of the contenders. Definitely one of my favourite reads this year, Deadly Hemlock will have you reading long after you should have gone to bed. It’s more than just a werewolf novel. It’s a wonderfully crafted novel with a plot that is out of this world. Add this one to your shelves, guys, you won’t be disappointed.