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cala_p's review
Copy received from Netgalley and I am reviewing it voluntarily and objectively.
DNF @ 15%
The synopsis was good, but the writing was not for me. I made it to the end of Chapter 1 (15%) and even that was a fight to get to. The character spoke a lot in her head, so there are so many italics. When something needed to be emphasized, it was bolded, which was hard on the eyes. The dialogue was hard to get through.
Too bad, since this book sounds right up my alley. I see this author has a lot of books published, so she is someone’s cup of tea, just not mine, so take this review with a grain of salt and try it for yourself.
DNF @ 15%
The synopsis was good, but the writing was not for me. I made it to the end of Chapter 1 (15%) and even that was a fight to get to. The character spoke a lot in her head, so there are so many italics. When something needed to be emphasized, it was bolded, which was hard on the eyes. The dialogue was hard to get through.
Too bad, since this book sounds right up my alley. I see this author has a lot of books published, so she is someone’s cup of tea, just not mine, so take this review with a grain of salt and try it for yourself.
babs_reviews's review
2.0
This book was okay. Very YA so the tag fits. I like a lot of YA and try to remember the audience it's aiming for, however, sometimes it's just too juvenile.
I'm all for the romance aspects, but this go round they had maybe 4-5 interactions and yeah, you guessed it, they were in love.
The thing I liked most about this book was the story of the Green girl and her demise after falling in love with a vampire. I'd catch myself wishing I was reading her story instead.
*thank you netgalley for an eARC*
I'm all for the romance aspects, but this go round they had maybe 4-5 interactions and yeah, you guessed it, they were in love.
The thing I liked most about this book was the story of the Green girl and her demise after falling in love with a vampire. I'd catch myself wishing I was reading her story instead.
*thank you netgalley for an eARC*
ameserole's review
2.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Hemlock had so much potential to be a great book but in the end, it was meh. I was honestly excited to dive into a school full of necromancers because it sounded completely interesting. Yet, it bombed for me.
In it, you will meet Rook. She is like the Harry Potter of this book because she's the chosen one and has so much power and potential to do great things. Blah blah blah. Been there and done that. Why does this book sound so familiar to all the other books I've read already? Ugh, such a disappointment.
Back to Rook, now this girl was not my cup of tea. Nope, she was so freaking shallow, annoying, and frustrating to root for. Unless I was rooting for her death. Other than the girl, nothing else really held my interesting. The romance was beyond boring and I wanted nothing to do with it.
In the end, I was very happy that I finished the book with a glass (or two) of wine.
Hemlock had so much potential to be a great book but in the end, it was meh. I was honestly excited to dive into a school full of necromancers because it sounded completely interesting. Yet, it bombed for me.
In it, you will meet Rook. She is like the Harry Potter of this book because she's the chosen one and has so much power and potential to do great things. Blah blah blah. Been there and done that. Why does this book sound so familiar to all the other books I've read already? Ugh, such a disappointment.
Back to Rook, now this girl was not my cup of tea. Nope, she was so freaking shallow, annoying, and frustrating to root for. Unless I was rooting for her death. Other than the girl, nothing else really held my interesting. The romance was beyond boring and I wanted nothing to do with it.
In the end, I was very happy that I finished the book with a glass (or two) of wine.
momalwaysreads's review
2.0
The premise of this book was very intriguing. We have Rook, the rare human born with necromancer powers. She's able to not only give life, but also take it away. But that's pretty much all we know. Do everyone's powers work the same? Is the being brought back to life controlled by the necromancer? Apparently not if we consider Bitter Bat... Then we're introduced to the town of Hemlock and the variety of magical beings that reside there. We get a quick glimpse into what is possible, but that's it. There is no real detail about the residents or their world. And the "big reveal" at the end was entirely predictable from the knee scrape kitchen scene.
Overall, this felt like a very basic first draft. There is no character development, the pacing is off, and we were introduced to ideas that never feel fully formed. I think this story has a lot of potential, but in its current state is just bare bones. While it was a very quick read at 230 pages according to goodreads, it felt more like a prequel novella than an actual introduction to a series.
Overall, this felt like a very basic first draft. There is no character development, the pacing is off, and we were introduced to ideas that never feel fully formed. I think this story has a lot of potential, but in its current state is just bare bones. While it was a very quick read at 230 pages according to goodreads, it felt more like a prequel novella than an actual introduction to a series.
emmalou1901's review
3.0
I was provided with my copy of 'Hemlock' from NetGallery in exchange for an honest review.
Hemlock tells the story of Rook Dagger. A human teenager living a sheltered life with her family at her cosy house on the lake. However, something is different about Rook. Every five hundred years, humanity bears a special child with the ability of life over death. Rook dagger is a necromancer. The time comes where she must attend Hemlock Academy; her power cannot be hidden forever, and she needs to know how to control it.
Hemlock Academy is a special school designed to train the greatest necromancers in the world; ready for them to be placed in one of the seven kingdoms of magic to protect royalty.
This would all be great if Rook didn't have a huge crush on G Gianni - a beautiful distraction which consumes her. She loves to hate him. He hates to love her. Together they are an unstoppable force which could destroy the world.
I was initially drawn to this novel because I thought it was going to have all the magical learning, intrigue and aura of Hogwarts from Harry Potter, with the intense romance from Twilight. I was not completely disappointed; though it was definitely heavier on the romance than anything else.
Admittedly, I struggled with the beginning of this novel. I found it a little slow, it seemed to take a while for Rook to even get to her classes at the Academy, which is something I was excited to learn more about. I was interested in how Volley would create a new and creative magical system. Unfortunately, I feel that I didn't get enough of the magical element that I was craving. The focus was definitely more on Rook's character development and relationship with Gage. This is certainly not a bad thing! I feel it is highly probable that Volley will include more of the magical aspect in the next book now we have been introduced to the key players. Hopefully, we will be able to go to lessons with the characters and learn more about what the magical community and creatures can do. Will there be potions? Any special magical creatures? What is the history of necromancers and will we learn more about the seven kingdoms?
I wasn't entirely sold by Rook's character and it took me a while to warm to her. I wasn't a fan of her dramatic thoughts and the conversational narrative tone of the novel. In a lot of ways, Rook reminded me of Bella Swan from Twilight. Introverted, young, passionate, bookish, dramatic and naive. However, as I continued to read, I warmed to Rook as I began to understand more of her character and how she thinks. I felt I was possibly being a little too critical - Rook is a young teenage girl after all. I really loved how strong she became towards the end of the book, coming into her own and becoming more confident with the help of her friends. What Volley did really well was capture the anxieties and insecurities of a teenage girl and the positive coping mechanisms Rook used to overcome those anxieties. This is something I feel is really important to touch upon in this day and age for young people.
I began to become more invested in Hemlock when G was introduced. When having their conversation in the kitchen, I felt the same sizzling chemistry between the two as I did when reading about Bella and Edward's growing relationship in 'Twilight'. I was drawn to the mystery of G and I definitely cannot wait to learn more about him... Especially after the revelation at the end of the book!
I feel that this book was definitely on the younger end of the YA spectrum for my taste. That didn't make this a bad book though! I was certainly hooked and I will read the next book because I need to know what happens - Volley, how could you leave it on such a cliff hanger like that?! I would say that this book would be perfect for my students to read at school. It has likeable characters, a strong female lead, romance without the smut and has strong themes of friendship, love, growth and learning and acceptance.
Definitely a fun, light read and I look forward to seeing where Volley goes with the story. A solid 3/5 stars.
Hemlock tells the story of Rook Dagger. A human teenager living a sheltered life with her family at her cosy house on the lake. However, something is different about Rook. Every five hundred years, humanity bears a special child with the ability of life over death. Rook dagger is a necromancer. The time comes where she must attend Hemlock Academy; her power cannot be hidden forever, and she needs to know how to control it.
Hemlock Academy is a special school designed to train the greatest necromancers in the world; ready for them to be placed in one of the seven kingdoms of magic to protect royalty.
This would all be great if Rook didn't have a huge crush on G Gianni - a beautiful distraction which consumes her. She loves to hate him. He hates to love her. Together they are an unstoppable force which could destroy the world.
I was initially drawn to this novel because I thought it was going to have all the magical learning, intrigue and aura of Hogwarts from Harry Potter, with the intense romance from Twilight. I was not completely disappointed; though it was definitely heavier on the romance than anything else.
Admittedly, I struggled with the beginning of this novel. I found it a little slow, it seemed to take a while for Rook to even get to her classes at the Academy, which is something I was excited to learn more about. I was interested in how Volley would create a new and creative magical system. Unfortunately, I feel that I didn't get enough of the magical element that I was craving. The focus was definitely more on Rook's character development and relationship with Gage. This is certainly not a bad thing! I feel it is highly probable that Volley will include more of the magical aspect in the next book now we have been introduced to the key players. Hopefully, we will be able to go to lessons with the characters and learn more about what the magical community and creatures can do. Will there be potions? Any special magical creatures? What is the history of necromancers and will we learn more about the seven kingdoms?
I wasn't entirely sold by Rook's character and it took me a while to warm to her. I wasn't a fan of her dramatic thoughts and the conversational narrative tone of the novel. In a lot of ways, Rook reminded me of Bella Swan from Twilight. Introverted, young, passionate, bookish, dramatic and naive. However, as I continued to read, I warmed to Rook as I began to understand more of her character and how she thinks. I felt I was possibly being a little too critical - Rook is a young teenage girl after all. I really loved how strong she became towards the end of the book, coming into her own and becoming more confident with the help of her friends. What Volley did really well was capture the anxieties and insecurities of a teenage girl and the positive coping mechanisms Rook used to overcome those anxieties. This is something I feel is really important to touch upon in this day and age for young people.
I began to become more invested in Hemlock when G was introduced. When having their conversation in the kitchen, I felt the same sizzling chemistry between the two as I did when reading about Bella and Edward's growing relationship in 'Twilight'. I was drawn to the mystery of G and I definitely cannot wait to learn more about him... Especially after the revelation at the end of the book!
I feel that this book was definitely on the younger end of the YA spectrum for my taste. That didn't make this a bad book though! I was certainly hooked and I will read the next book because I need to know what happens - Volley, how could you leave it on such a cliff hanger like that?! I would say that this book would be perfect for my students to read at school. It has likeable characters, a strong female lead, romance without the smut and has strong themes of friendship, love, growth and learning and acceptance.
Definitely a fun, light read and I look forward to seeing where Volley goes with the story. A solid 3/5 stars.
queerreadsfluff's review
3.0
Cute, YA paranormal romance about: a school for necromancers; a human girl’s unwieldy powers; & her instant love/hate with a mysterious boy named G. Also, her adorably cranky (un)dead cat!
Full RTC
Many thanks to the Victory Editing Co-op and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Full RTC
Many thanks to the Victory Editing Co-op and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
alli_the_bookaholic13's review
1.0
Thanks to the publisher for sending me an ARC via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
1/5 stars.
This book was definitely not for me. I really didn’t like it at all. I’m not sure what the plot was, but based on the synopsis I felt like there was so much potential for it to be amazing! It fell really flat in a lot of ways for me.
This is supposed to be a book about necromancers. The whole necromancy aspect is what really intrigued me about this book, and yet it’s barely in the book at all! I thought it was going to be this major part, and yet we learn almost nothing about it, and it takes a backseat the needless and annoying “drama” between the characters. Amidst the necromancers, we learn that there are also werewolves, Fae, witches/warlocks, and vampires as well as other types of mythical creatures. This could have been cool if we’d been given any kind of explanation about the different types of creatures, and why exactly they were there. Instead it felt as if the author threw them in the book because those are the kinds of creatures that populate YA fantasy.
One of the parts I had the most trouble with, was believing in how the characters acted and interacted. Rook is our 15-year-old narrator, and she was so annoying. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make her realistic, and it backfired. I felt that rook was one-dimensional and completely unrealistic as a teenage girl. Her mom was also unrealistic, as were all the other students that she encountered.
With my confusion over what the plot even was, I was more confused at the end of the book when something (finally) happened. However, what happened was completely predictable and I knew from the first time the characters involved were brought up that that was how it would go. Rook spent a lot of time whining about G, and I found the whole romance thing boring, predictable, and incredibly forced.
Overall, the premise of the book felt like it had a lot of potential, but the execution fell totally flat for me. The book was full of typos, constantly switched tenses for no reason, and it all felt forced and fake.
1/5 stars.
This book was definitely not for me. I really didn’t like it at all. I’m not sure what the plot was, but based on the synopsis I felt like there was so much potential for it to be amazing! It fell really flat in a lot of ways for me.
This is supposed to be a book about necromancers. The whole necromancy aspect is what really intrigued me about this book, and yet it’s barely in the book at all! I thought it was going to be this major part, and yet we learn almost nothing about it, and it takes a backseat the needless and annoying “drama” between the characters. Amidst the necromancers, we learn that there are also werewolves, Fae, witches/warlocks, and vampires as well as other types of mythical creatures. This could have been cool if we’d been given any kind of explanation about the different types of creatures, and why exactly they were there. Instead it felt as if the author threw them in the book because those are the kinds of creatures that populate YA fantasy.
One of the parts I had the most trouble with, was believing in how the characters acted and interacted. Rook is our 15-year-old narrator, and she was so annoying. I felt like the author was trying too hard to make her realistic, and it backfired. I felt that rook was one-dimensional and completely unrealistic as a teenage girl. Her mom was also unrealistic, as were all the other students that she encountered.
With my confusion over what the plot even was, I was more confused at the end of the book when something (finally) happened. However, what happened was completely predictable and I knew from the first time the characters involved were brought up that that was how it would go. Rook spent a lot of time whining about G, and I found the whole romance thing boring, predictable, and incredibly forced.
Overall, the premise of the book felt like it had a lot of potential, but the execution fell totally flat for me. The book was full of typos, constantly switched tenses for no reason, and it all felt forced and fake.
daniireads's review
2.0
Rook is a necromancer born to human parents, because of this she gets sent to Hemlock Academy to learn how to control her powers. While there she meets G and there’s instant chemistry. (Think of it like Bella from Twilight has Harry Potter-esque powers and falls into an enemies to lovers type crush/romance)
Overall it wasn’t too bad, took me a hot minute to warm up to Rook and like her. The story is a little too far on the younger side of YA, but cute.
Overall it wasn’t too bad, took me a hot minute to warm up to Rook and like her. The story is a little too far on the younger side of YA, but cute.