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A review by readingmaria
Hemlock Island by Kelley Armstrong
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Ok let me start off by saying - wow, was this terrifying for most of the book! If you’re looking for spooky season horror ghost vibes, this is for you!
With that being said - yes, I think this book delivers on the creep factor. But the characters, the dialogue….blah. I was bored for those parts. I also felt really dumb at times, because they kept referring to things that others said, but like I never actually remember reading what was said (when in fact, it wasn’t revealed until later). I just don’t think that was really necessary, the whole intrigue of why the three women weren’t exactly friends anymore. It just felt really forced and useless to the book.
Oh, and diverse characters being thrown in just to have diverse characters? Not that cool. And was it just me, or was the one whole land conversation with Laney giving stealing-our-Indigenous-land vibes? Idk, with the BIPOC/LGBTQ+ characters seemingly forced, i just find myself questioning everything.
With that being said - yes, I think this book delivers on the creep factor. But the characters, the dialogue….blah. I was bored for those parts. I also felt really dumb at times, because they kept referring to things that others said, but like I never actually remember reading what was said (when in fact, it wasn’t revealed until later). I just don’t think that was really necessary, the whole intrigue of why the three women weren’t exactly friends anymore. It just felt really forced and useless to the book.
Oh, and diverse characters being thrown in just to have diverse characters? Not that cool. And was it just me, or was the one whole land conversation with Laney giving stealing-our-Indigenous-land vibes? Idk, with the BIPOC/LGBTQ+ characters seemingly forced, i just find myself questioning everything.