Hemlock Grove Book Review

Tittle: Hemlock Grove

Author: Brian McGreevy

Publishing Details: Published March 27th 2012 by FSG Originals

Format: E-Book

Genre: Horror, Suspense, Mistery 

Number of Pages: 319

Series: Stand-Alone

Description:

 An exhilarating reinvention of the Gothic novel inspired by the iconic characters of our greatest myths and nightmares. 

     The body of a young girl is found mangled and murdered in the woods of Hemlock Grove, Pennsylvania in the shadow of the abandoned Godfrey Steel Mill. A manhunt ensues though the authorities aren't sure if its a  man they should be looking for.   

     Some suspect an escapee from the White Tower, a foreboding bio tech facility owned by the Godfrey family - their personal fortune and the local economy having moved on from Pittsburgh Steel - where if rumors are true biological experiments of the most unethical kind take place. Others turn to Peter Rumancek, a gypsy trailer trash kid who has told impressionable high school classmates he is a werewolf. Or perhaps its Roman, the son of the late JR Godfrey, who rules the adolescent social scene with the casual arrogance of a col-blooded aristocrat his superior status unquestioned despite his decidedly freakish sister Shelley whose monstrous medical conditions belie a sweet intelligence and his otherworldly control freak of a mother, Olivia.

My Review:

                Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy is the story of Peter Rumancek, Roman Godfrey and the terrible events that take place in the small fictional town of Hemlock Groves, Pennsylvania. It all begins when a young girl is found dead in a park. She has been murdered in the most gruesome way and no one really knows if the monster that did it is human or animal. Peter and Roman two completely different people, one a gypsy and the other an heir to a family fortune, come together to make sense of what is going on. Setting their differences aside they set out to find the murderer and clear Peters name in the process.

               First of all, let me start by saying this novel is not for everyone. It has its moments. If you do not like gory and detailed scenes then look away: because Hemlock Grove has them all. From the start of the book I was hooked. I was pulled in by the dark humor and style of this novel. The writing style was simple yet shockingly mystifying. It draws the reader in with its dark and horrific imagination. I will never forget this one scene where Peter is turning into a wolf. It is something that you read and it stays with you long after you are done with it. It is clear that the TV series is a faithful adaptation. If you were like me who discovered the book after watching the series, you will see the action playing In your mind just like the series. But it might get a little boring as you already know what will happen. I can only imagine what it would have been like to read the book first and experience the magic for the first time. If you have read the book only, let me tell you now, the show is an amazingly good adaptation. After reading the book I’ve seen that the show took those words and just transplanted them onto the screen.  The characters are simply wonderful. They had a lot of depth and conflict in them. They were so terribly human even when they were at their worst and they let their monsters show. I would say that Roman is my favorite character from Hemlock Grove. There is just something so sad about him. I can’t help but be attracted to his personality. I loved the dynamic between Roman and Peter. They looked past their monsters, or well better yet their monsters came together and made a great team. This book is simply amazing. I recommend this novel for fans of the show and of horror and supernatural genres. 

Rating: 3.7 out of  5 stars.

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