Hemlock

April 23, 2012
Jacob fans rejoice: Peacock’s debut is loaded with werewolves both creepy and hot. The town of Hemlock has been the scene of multiple attacks, and the victims who survive are infected with “lupine syndrome” and interned for life. Mackenzie (Mac) Dobson’s best friend Amy was not a survivor. Since Amy’s murder, her boyfriend Jason has gone dangerously off the rails, and Mac and her friend Kyle are doing what they can to keep him from self-destructing completely. Violence and betrayal escalate rapidly when the Trackers, a self-appointed militia dedicated to wiping out werewolves, occupy the town. But not every werewolf is subject to bloodlust, and some are hiding in plain sight—maybe even closer than Mac thinks. When Jason pledges himself to the Trackers, Mac is determined to save him and find closure for Amy by identifying the murderer. First in a projected trilogy, Peacock’s
story leaves many threads dangling, but there is a satisfying conclusion to this plot arc, and Mac’s smart and believable voice will leave readers looking forward to more. Ages 14–up. Agent: Emmanuelle Morgen, Stonesong. (May)■

April 15, 2012
Ever since the white werewolf killed Mackenzie's best friend, Amy, she's been having nightmares. Amy's boyfriend, Jason, has gone off the deep end. And their other friend, Kyle, has distanced himself. The Trackers, an anti-werewolf vigilante group, have come to Hemlock to round up anyone with Lupine Syndrome to be permanently interned in a government-run "rehabilitation camp." You'd think Mackenzie would be behind this, but one of the few caring adults in her peripatetic youth with a no-good father was a closeted werewolf who had never hurt anyone but was rounded up and interned anyway. Peacock makes sure readers understand the symbolism; narrator Mackenzie actively reflects on the parallels between the werewolf hunt and war propaganda. But because this is a teen paranormal romance, the dominant plot is, surprise, a love triangle. Kyle, who Mackenzie and readers learn fairly early on is a werewolf, is in love with Mackenzie. So is the tortured Jason, who has joined the Trackers. As Mackenzie says to herself, "It was official: my life belonged on the CW." It's this ironic self-awareness that keeps the book at all palatable. Events churn to an utterly predictable confrontation that leaves the door open to the next volume in the planned trilogy. Mildly interesting ideas are obscured by all the necessary ingredients of the genre. (Paranormal romance. 14 & up)

COPYRIGHT(2012) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2012

Gr 9 Up-Mac, Kyle, Jason, and Amy used to do everything together, but when Amy is savagely mauled by the white werewolf that has been terrorizing their town, her friends' lives begin spinning out of control. They all blame themselves for her death and are grieving in their own ways. Lupine syndrome is on the rise, and everyone in Hemlock is frightened. Moreover, because Amy was the granddaughter of a senator, her murder becomes national news, attracting a ruthless group known as the Trackers who seek out lupine-infected individuals and throw them into isolation camps. As the Trackers become more and more brutal, Mac begins investigating what really happened the night of Amy's death. In her search, she uncovers the truth behind Jason and Amy's breakup, Kyle's real identity, Jason's connection to the Trackers, and numerous other deceptions. Mac, unlike some of the other characters, is fully developed and believable. While some aspects of this fantasy-thriller fall flat and the pacing is occasionally slow, Peacock manages to hold readers with the intense love triangle between Mac, Kyle, and Jason. Although much of the plot is wrapped up at the end, the epilogue leaves possibilities open for the next two installments in this projected trilogy. Though far from perfect, this respectable first novel will be enjoyed by fans of Maggie Stiefvater and Stephenie Meyer.-Lauren Newman, Northern Burlington County Regional Middle School, Columbus, NJ

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2012
Grades 9-12 Seamless writing and plenty of action mark this intelligent, dark paranormal debut. Mackenzie Dobson lives in the town of Hemlock, where her best friend, Amy, was just brutally murdered by a werewolf. The werewolf virus, lupine syndrome, became public 12 years earlier, creating worldwide panic. Since then, regular human beings, or regs, have rounded up infected people and sent them to camps, which are rumored to be unpleasant places. Seventeen-year-old Mac, who lives with her guardian cousin after having been abandoned by her ne'er-do-well father, attends high school with her remaining closest friends: Kyle and Jason, Amy's former boyfriend. As Amy's ghost starts violently haunting Mac's dreamsand a fanatical group of Trackers shows up determined to hunt down the white werewolf suspected in Amy's slayingevents quickly spiral out of control. Mac discovers that her late BFF may have hidden secrets and snooping around for the truth might endanger her life. Older teen paranormal fans will likely clamor for the next book in this planned series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2012
Mac is aware of growing injustices (and valid fears) involving those who contract lupine syndrome, but she's unaffected by it until her best friend is likely murdered by a werewolf. Macs abrasive snark is an effective cover for her broken, vulnerable self. Unfortunately, an implausible number of sudden transformations and reliance on--no surprise--a love triangle weaken this paranormal romance.

(Copyright 2012 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)