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Hemlock
Every five hundred years humanity bears a child who has unlimited power over life and death.
And now she's a teenager.
Rook Dagger spent the first fifteen years of her life safely tucked away in a beautiful cottage on the lake, enjoying home-cooked meals and homeschooling far away from the rest of the world.
But her power couldn't be hidden forever.
The time has come for her to be enrolled in Hemlock Academy, a centuries-old institution designed to cultivate and create the greatest necromancers in the world.
The children who attend will one day be placed among the seven kingdoms of magic, serving Kings and country for as long as they're needed.
To harness the power surging through her veins, Rook will need guidance in the art of giving of life... and taking it away.
This power makes her unique.
Dangerous.
Different.
Her abilities could make her an unstoppable force of nature, if she wasn't hung up on a boy.
G Gianni--a beautiful distraction with pouty lips, pale skin, and a sharp tongue.
His attention consumes her. His scent entices her. His words infuriate her.
She loves to hate him.
He hates to love her.
And together? Well, together, they could destroy the world.
And now she's a teenager.
Rook Dagger spent the first fifteen years of her life safely tucked away in a beautiful cottage on the lake, enjoying home-cooked meals and homeschooling far away from the rest of the world.
But her power couldn't be hidden forever.
The time has come for her to be enrolled in Hemlock Academy, a centuries-old institution designed to cultivate and create the greatest necromancers in the world.
The children who attend will one day be placed among the seven kingdoms of magic, serving Kings and country for as long as they're needed.
To harness the power surging through her veins, Rook will need guidance in the art of giving of life... and taking it away.
This power makes her unique.
Dangerous.
Different.
Her abilities could make her an unstoppable force of nature, if she wasn't hung up on a boy.
G Gianni--a beautiful distraction with pouty lips, pale skin, and a sharp tongue.
His attention consumes her. His scent entices her. His words infuriate her.
She loves to hate him.
He hates to love her.
And together? Well, together, they could destroy the world.
231 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2020
18 people are currently reading
377 people want to read
About the author
Rue Volley
114 books770 followersRue Volley, who also writes as Elle Lee Hicks, lives in the Midwest in an old Victorian house with her husband and a spoiled Pug, crafting immersive, character-driven stories. She loves curling up in her favorite hoodie on rainy days with a great whodunit and collecting book trophies. Rue is a dedicated mood reader and never leaves the house without her Kindle Oasis, an iced coffee, and a list of books to buy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
August 5, 2020
I was so excited at the beginning of this book, the author wrote down a song playlist to play while reading the book. The author also described the character sketches at beginning as well as quotes and their translation. I was anticipating a great story and I wasn't disappointed.
The book is about a girl who has human parents but herself is a necromancer. She goes to this magical school and makes magical friends. It has very Harry Potter vibes, I love HP vibes so yep this was a great read, a great introduction to the world. I hated the romance though. Tbh I found G to be a jerk! But that's just me am not into bad boys who love playing around, I'll literally never even look at such a guy so it's my personal prejudice. This arc was provided to me as a complimentary copy by the publisher for an honest review.
The book is about a girl who has human parents but herself is a necromancer. She goes to this magical school and makes magical friends. It has very Harry Potter vibes, I love HP vibes so yep this was a great read, a great introduction to the world. I hated the romance though. Tbh I found G to be a jerk! But that's just me am not into bad boys who love playing around, I'll literally never even look at such a guy so it's my personal prejudice. This arc was provided to me as a complimentary copy by the publisher for an honest review.
August 8, 2020
What an amazing adventure Hemlock was. I couldn't get enough of this book. I was emersed in these pages. Hemlock is unique and full of mystery and suspense. A uniquely cute YA with the academy feel and I devoured each page. I can't wait for more from these books. The author created a fun, exciting world that I can't wait to come back to!
September 21, 2020
I have to say that I do like books set in a boarding school, especially if there are paranormal creatures attending. The premise of this sounded good, a necromancer school?! Unfortunately it played out like the most cliche YA book and I felt like the writing was juvenile.
Rook has a cool name, but she's a stereotypical YA heroine. She has more power than she knows, she's a chosen one, she immediately falls for the popular bad boy at school. I found her shallow and unrelateable, maybe if I were a young teen I would have liked her more but as an adult, she didn't work for me.
The love interest was boring and his petty way of making Rook jealous made me dislike him. He has a secret that is revealed at the end, but it was pretty obvious what it was. Rook's friend was kind of cute, but she gained an immediate love interest and kind of disappeared.
I can say that this is very short so I flew through it and I liked the necromancer aspect. Other than that, I didn't care for the characters or plot and have no interest in reading the sequel.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Rook has a cool name, but she's a stereotypical YA heroine. She has more power than she knows, she's a chosen one, she immediately falls for the popular bad boy at school. I found her shallow and unrelateable, maybe if I were a young teen I would have liked her more but as an adult, she didn't work for me.
The love interest was boring and his petty way of making Rook jealous made me dislike him. He has a secret that is revealed at the end, but it was pretty obvious what it was. Rook's friend was kind of cute, but she gained an immediate love interest and kind of disappeared.
I can say that this is very short so I flew through it and I liked the necromancer aspect. Other than that, I didn't care for the characters or plot and have no interest in reading the sequel.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
March 27, 2021
That was awful. Truly awful.
I know we're only in March, but I can already tell that this one will be a contender for my worst reads of the year. I think the reason that I hated this so much is because it had SUCH potential and it felt like it *chose* to crash and burn.
This book is pitched as girl who is a necromancer who is sent away to a school for necromancers because of the trouble her powers could bring in the human world. She is the only person in this school with human blood as all the other students have some other type of paranormal upbringing - witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. And honestly, this book started off so compelling with Rook bringing her cat back to life. I was excited to plunge into a good paranormal YA with kids in a boarding school. I love the Crave series by Tracy Wolff and I loved the Winx Saga on Netflix. This trope is my JAM.
But no. No. This book was terrible. It was so terrible and I am just so angry.
Here we are with a super interesting premise and the author chooses to go down the route of instalove with two ridiculous names: Rook Dagger and G Gianni. I was reading an ARC I got from Netgalley so I legit thought the "G Gianni" was a typo every time it was printed. It wasn't until her friend made a big deal about "G" revealing his first name to Rook (which happens towards the end of the book) that I understood "G Gianni" was how people referred to him and that "G" was not just a nickname for "Gianni." Good lord. How ridiculous.
Hemlock didn't focus on the magic or the different realms or the Forest of Emma Green or anything that would have kept it remotely interesting. It focused on Rook falling in love with G at first sight, how he dated new girls every day, and how Rook was gonna make him jealous by looking good and making him want her. Any ounce of potential this book was had was squashed for instalove with no reason. Here is a girl who brought her damn cat back to life as a kid and is going to a SCHOOL FOR NECROMANCY and we're only gonna focus on the boy who's too dreamy for a personality.
Major fail of epic proportions. I hereby bestow onto you one star for the sheer anger you have given me.
I know we're only in March, but I can already tell that this one will be a contender for my worst reads of the year. I think the reason that I hated this so much is because it had SUCH potential and it felt like it *chose* to crash and burn.
This book is pitched as girl who is a necromancer who is sent away to a school for necromancers because of the trouble her powers could bring in the human world. She is the only person in this school with human blood as all the other students have some other type of paranormal upbringing - witches, werewolves, vampires, etc. And honestly, this book started off so compelling with Rook bringing her cat back to life. I was excited to plunge into a good paranormal YA with kids in a boarding school. I love the Crave series by Tracy Wolff and I loved the Winx Saga on Netflix. This trope is my JAM.
But no. No. This book was terrible. It was so terrible and I am just so angry.
Here we are with a super interesting premise and the author chooses to go down the route of instalove with two ridiculous names: Rook Dagger and G Gianni. I was reading an ARC I got from Netgalley so I legit thought the "G Gianni" was a typo every time it was printed. It wasn't until her friend made a big deal about "G" revealing his first name to Rook (which happens towards the end of the book) that I understood "G Gianni" was how people referred to him and that "G" was not just a nickname for "Gianni." Good lord. How ridiculous.
Hemlock didn't focus on the magic or the different realms or the Forest of Emma Green or anything that would have kept it remotely interesting. It focused on Rook falling in love with G at first sight, how he dated new girls every day, and how Rook was gonna make him jealous by looking good and making him want her. Any ounce of potential this book was had was squashed for instalove with no reason. Here is a girl who brought her damn cat back to life as a kid and is going to a SCHOOL FOR NECROMANCY and we're only gonna focus on the boy who's too dreamy for a personality.
Major fail of epic proportions. I hereby bestow onto you one star for the sheer anger you have given me.
January 19, 2023
ARC given by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
I really wish I could give this book a higher review.
This book, as much as I hate to say it, really let me down. It started off really interestingly with all the talk of necromancy and vampires but afterwards, it fell a little flat. All of a sudden, teenage (and highly unrealistic) drama became the forefront of this novel which I believe was an attempt to appease to the Young Adult market. Now, teenage drama is not necessarily a bad thing in books but only if it is done right. Teen drama is a slippery slope that absolutely needs to be well-written and purposeful in the text. As much as I wish not to say it, this book attempted teen drama but unfortunately, wasn't well executed. It felt completely unnecessarily and I believe that if the original fantasy/paranormal storyline was followed closer than the teenage drama then this book would have been more enjoyable for me.
But it wasn't just that. The storyline was meant to follow Rook Dagger as she navigated her way through necromancy school. The whole prologue (which was hands down the best part of the whole book) was setting this all up from the start. The idea of "a life for a life" could have provided for a terrific book idea and an even better story but it just wasn't explored as much as I wished.
On top of all that, Rook Dagger was a character I thought I'd grow to like. As it turned out, I started to get extremely frustrated by her characterisation and her fixation on love interest, G Gianni which proved to be highly insta-lovey and very much possessive. I was absolutely thrown off liking him simply because of descriptions like :
“But it was much more than that. He was a hurricane. My hurricane. And I hate how I feel when he’s this close to me.”
Which made me want to do anything BUT like him.
All in all, so much potential but the execution fell a little flat as much as I would hate to say it.
ACTUAL RATING: 1.4 STARS
I really wish I could give this book a higher review.
This book, as much as I hate to say it, really let me down. It started off really interestingly with all the talk of necromancy and vampires but afterwards, it fell a little flat. All of a sudden, teenage (and highly unrealistic) drama became the forefront of this novel which I believe was an attempt to appease to the Young Adult market. Now, teenage drama is not necessarily a bad thing in books but only if it is done right. Teen drama is a slippery slope that absolutely needs to be well-written and purposeful in the text. As much as I wish not to say it, this book attempted teen drama but unfortunately, wasn't well executed. It felt completely unnecessarily and I believe that if the original fantasy/paranormal storyline was followed closer than the teenage drama then this book would have been more enjoyable for me.
But it wasn't just that. The storyline was meant to follow Rook Dagger as she navigated her way through necromancy school. The whole prologue (which was hands down the best part of the whole book) was setting this all up from the start. The idea of "a life for a life" could have provided for a terrific book idea and an even better story but it just wasn't explored as much as I wished.
On top of all that, Rook Dagger was a character I thought I'd grow to like. As it turned out, I started to get extremely frustrated by her characterisation and her fixation on love interest, G Gianni which proved to be highly insta-lovey and very much possessive. I was absolutely thrown off liking him simply because of descriptions like :
“But it was much more than that. He was a hurricane. My hurricane. And I hate how I feel when he’s this close to me.”
Which made me want to do anything BUT like him.
All in all, so much potential but the execution fell a little flat as much as I would hate to say it.
ACTUAL RATING: 1.4 STARS
August 4, 2020
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.
August 11, 2020
We follow Rook Dagger as she navigates leaving the safety of her house and her mom to come to the elusive Hemlock academy. This is unlike other schools, the academy is for Necromancers who are trained to join one of the seven kingdoms upon graduation. Rook is thrusted into a new life, seeing things she has never seen before such as cyclops or mermaids and explores new emotions she has never felt before, like love.
As she enters a new world, she feels drawn to towards the nightshade kingdom and the legend of Emma Green. Rook sympathizes for the kingdom who is similar to herself, the sole human, an outsider in this new world.
I really enjoyed learning about the history of necromancy and the world building Volley does. I also liked the juxtaposition she does with the tale of Emma Green an rook. As I read, I was as fascinated with this tale as much as Rook was. The author did a great job intertwining the two stories together and using it for foreshadowing.
I did wish the the story was longer and some of the magical aspects of the story was more developed. I enjoyed the love story but it would have benefited from it being longer. The story also contained many of the YA tropes, which could be a plus or a negative depending on the read. I did think the ending was also a bit abrupt but it did leaving me want to read the next book. I think any readers of paranormal romance and YA would enjoy this book.
I received this book from Netgalley for exchange of my honest review.
As she enters a new world, she feels drawn to towards the nightshade kingdom and the legend of Emma Green. Rook sympathizes for the kingdom who is similar to herself, the sole human, an outsider in this new world.
I really enjoyed learning about the history of necromancy and the world building Volley does. I also liked the juxtaposition she does with the tale of Emma Green an rook. As I read, I was as fascinated with this tale as much as Rook was. The author did a great job intertwining the two stories together and using it for foreshadowing.
I did wish the the story was longer and some of the magical aspects of the story was more developed. I enjoyed the love story but it would have benefited from it being longer. The story also contained many of the YA tropes, which could be a plus or a negative depending on the read. I did think the ending was also a bit abrupt but it did leaving me want to read the next book. I think any readers of paranormal romance and YA would enjoy this book.
I received this book from Netgalley for exchange of my honest review.
October 2, 2020
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.
July 31, 2020
Thanks to the publisher for providing an eARC of Hemlock in exchange for an honest review.
Hemlock is such a fun take on the 'magic school' thing. Our protagonist, Rook, has known she's a necromancer since she was 5 years old and at 15, she finally arrives at a school for magical creatures. The twist? Rook's parents are both human and almost everyone at her new school is some kind of magical creature. It's not unheard of (about 1 human attends the school every 5 hundred years), but it definitely makes her and the cat she killed then revived stand out.
Following Rook as she makes friendships and maybe possibly falls in love, Hemlock also focuses on the history of the school and a doomed love story that happened in the forest on campus. It's a little rushed pacing wise and I'm fairly sure it's targetted towards younger YA/middle grade readers, but it was all in all a quick, fun read!
Hemlock is such a fun take on the 'magic school' thing. Our protagonist, Rook, has known she's a necromancer since she was 5 years old and at 15, she finally arrives at a school for magical creatures. The twist? Rook's parents are both human and almost everyone at her new school is some kind of magical creature. It's not unheard of (about 1 human attends the school every 5 hundred years), but it definitely makes her and the cat she killed then revived stand out.
Following Rook as she makes friendships and maybe possibly falls in love, Hemlock also focuses on the history of the school and a doomed love story that happened in the forest on campus. It's a little rushed pacing wise and I'm fairly sure it's targetted towards younger YA/middle grade readers, but it was all in all a quick, fun read!
September 16, 2023
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!
The worldbuilding was interesting, although I wish it had been more fleshed out. A fun read for any teens who are into magical academia or fantasy romance!
Many thanks to the Victory Editing Co-op and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The worldbuilding was interesting, although I wish it had been more fleshed out. A fun read for any teens who are into magical academia or fantasy romance!
Many thanks to the Victory Editing Co-op and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
August 10, 2020
15-year-old Rook is a necromancer born to human parents. Rook has spent her life nestled safely away with her parents until the time comes when she must harness her power over life and death. She is sent to Hemlock Academy where she’s to learn how to manage her gift. Rook has extraordinary abilities but is having a wee bit of trouble keeping the balance between the giving and the taking of life. When she meets G Gianni, it is forbidden love at it’s finest
I loved the atmosphere at Hemlock academy, all sorts of shenanigans happen there but what can you expect when you’ve got a melting pot of supernatural kids learning to master their abilities? There’s some really interesting folklore surrounding the Academy and Rook finds that she has more in common with the sadly doomed love story of Emma Green. I enjoyed the quick pace of the story and the characters are well developed. The one downfall was that at times the writing style felt a bit rushed, especially the ending but it gives me something to look forward to with the next book
.
This is a really fun Young Adult PNR and I’m looking forward to the next in the series. Thank you to Rue Volley for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 rounded up to 4
I loved the atmosphere at Hemlock academy, all sorts of shenanigans happen there but what can you expect when you’ve got a melting pot of supernatural kids learning to master their abilities? There’s some really interesting folklore surrounding the Academy and Rook finds that she has more in common with the sadly doomed love story of Emma Green. I enjoyed the quick pace of the story and the characters are well developed. The one downfall was that at times the writing style felt a bit rushed, especially the ending but it gives me something to look forward to with the next book
.
This is a really fun Young Adult PNR and I’m looking forward to the next in the series. Thank you to Rue Volley for providing me with a DRC in exchange for my honest review.
3.5 rounded up to 4
August 4, 2020
This was a cute YA novel. I enjoyed the story pretty well. The characters were likable and there were parts that made me giggle. The main character is geeky and adorable.
My issue with this book is mostly with the writing. The verb tense kept changing and it drove me nuts. It's a little awkward and needs some work in that department but I really see potential in this series and this author.
My issue with this book is mostly with the writing. The verb tense kept changing and it drove me nuts. It's a little awkward and needs some work in that department but I really see potential in this series and this author.
August 6, 2020
Before I begin my review I want to say thanks for letting me read this ARC in return of my honest review.
First of all, I really enjoyed the book, I loved it, although it was nothing that I really expected to read, because the description was giving me ideas that this was more focused on the power of Rook and her growing as a powerful human in The Hemlock Academy, and her love life was a little plot of the story that was not going to take priority in the whole book. Despite that, this book prove that is better to be surprised than disappointed.
Second, the plot kept me excited, every chapter that I read was satisfying, I couldn't stop reading until the end, and that little plot twist at the end made me love this book, and wait until the second book come out to read it waiting to find the real representation that the powers of Rook deserved in this book.
The cover was beautiful, and was one of the things that made me request this book.
I also love the fact that at the start this got a Playlist to set the mood which I really enjoyed and it really set me in mood, Plus it got a description of every character and it was really useful when I needed it. The blessings and poems at the start were really love and were other thing that made me love this book.
I hope I could read the second book, thanks NetGalley
First of all, I really enjoyed the book, I loved it, although it was nothing that I really expected to read, because the description was giving me ideas that this was more focused on the power of Rook and her growing as a powerful human in The Hemlock Academy, and her love life was a little plot of the story that was not going to take priority in the whole book. Despite that, this book prove that is better to be surprised than disappointed.
Second, the plot kept me excited, every chapter that I read was satisfying, I couldn't stop reading until the end, and that little plot twist at the end made me love this book, and wait until the second book come out to read it waiting to find the real representation that the powers of Rook deserved in this book.
The cover was beautiful, and was one of the things that made me request this book.
I also love the fact that at the start this got a Playlist to set the mood which I really enjoyed and it really set me in mood, Plus it got a description of every character and it was really useful when I needed it. The blessings and poems at the start were really love and were other thing that made me love this book.
I hope I could read the second book, thanks NetGalley
August 7, 2020
Beautiful, yet Tragic! New yet seems old! Girl’s first, yet boys many! Left behind, yet never leaving! Fantastic, yet Awesome!
This is how this story goes. The beautiful and tragic back story made this storyline absolutely fantastic. The writing’s from this author never gives you a bad storyline, you are hooked right from the beginning. You find that the story takes its time so you get to know the characters until it work’s it’s way up to, I can’t read fast enough to turn the page. I am never, ever disappointed from this author. Oh and the cliffhanger couldn’t be put into a better spot not!
New High School, your dream school, the most hardest school to get into and yet here you are standing with your Mom out front of it saying goodbye. You are new to all of this, you were home schooled all your life. Are you going to fit in? You know you have human blood in your veins. You’re assigned your ment and the two of you hit it off right away, maybe things will be ok after all. Then you see him and you are chosen by him and every high school drama comes to life, but you have other plans, to break the curse.
This is YA at it’s finest!
This is how this story goes. The beautiful and tragic back story made this storyline absolutely fantastic. The writing’s from this author never gives you a bad storyline, you are hooked right from the beginning. You find that the story takes its time so you get to know the characters until it work’s it’s way up to, I can’t read fast enough to turn the page. I am never, ever disappointed from this author. Oh and the cliffhanger couldn’t be put into a better spot not!
New High School, your dream school, the most hardest school to get into and yet here you are standing with your Mom out front of it saying goodbye. You are new to all of this, you were home schooled all your life. Are you going to fit in? You know you have human blood in your veins. You’re assigned your ment and the two of you hit it off right away, maybe things will be ok after all. Then you see him and you are chosen by him and every high school drama comes to life, but you have other plans, to break the curse.
This is YA at it’s finest!
August 6, 2020
Before I begin my review for Hemclock by Rue Volley I would like to personally thank Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for an honest opinion.
Romeo and Juliet and Twilight meets The Ten Things I Hate About You in the engaging first instalment of the Academy of the Dead series. Hemlock, by Rue Volley is amazingly well written with a relatable, socially awkward protagonist in a unique world of supernatural beings and magic. Volley will make you laugh with the main character and pine for the boy with her incredible writing skills.
Hemlock features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ Supernatural academy
○ Teens
○ Teenaged love
○ A popular bad boy
○ Necromancy
○ Curse
○ Supernatural creatures
○ Magic
○ Resurrection
○ Cliff hanger
My overall rating for Hemlock is…
4 stars!
I just LOVED this book! I know I’ve mentioned it before but I’m going to say it again, supernatural academy’s are the sugar to my tea! I enjoy feeling like a teen again and pining over the popular boys. Hemlock is a fast and engaging read with a PG rated love affair. With an ending like that, I’ll be counting down the days for the release of book 2.
Romeo and Juliet and Twilight meets The Ten Things I Hate About You in the engaging first instalment of the Academy of the Dead series. Hemlock, by Rue Volley is amazingly well written with a relatable, socially awkward protagonist in a unique world of supernatural beings and magic. Volley will make you laugh with the main character and pine for the boy with her incredible writing skills.
Hemlock features, but is not limited to, the following themes:
○ Supernatural academy
○ Teens
○ Teenaged love
○ A popular bad boy
○ Necromancy
○ Curse
○ Supernatural creatures
○ Magic
○ Resurrection
○ Cliff hanger
My overall rating for Hemlock is…
4 stars!
I just LOVED this book! I know I’ve mentioned it before but I’m going to say it again, supernatural academy’s are the sugar to my tea! I enjoy feeling like a teen again and pining over the popular boys. Hemlock is a fast and engaging read with a PG rated love affair. With an ending like that, I’ll be counting down the days for the release of book 2.
August 16, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 STARS
Hemlock by Rue Volley is an EPIC read that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!
Full review to come
Hemlock by Rue Volley is an EPIC read that will join the ranks of the BIBLIO-ARISTOCRACY!!!
Full review to come
August 1, 2020
Do you remember what it was like high school for you? I sure do! 18 years after graduation, this book brought me back to it! Hemlock hit me right in the feels in so many ways! I love book that I can relate to! Rook Dagger holds my heart in her hands! Grab your copy of Hemlock, your favorite snack, your favorite drink and dive into Rook’s world! Trust me when I say, you will NO regrets! Hemlock is by far, the best world Rue created yet! Rook is brand new to Hemlock Academy, the she should start a year behind her peers, but the decision was made to start her the same year as them. Automatically making her the outcast. Not only this, but Rook has human blood running her blood. None of her peers do. Her roommate and ment, Nadia, takes her under her wing and they soon find themselves best friends. Nadia takes Rook to a party in the woods and that’s where Rook’s life quickly changes. A special crown, “silly” game, and a boy. Rook has been sheltered her whole life, until now. Homeschooled by her mom, no friends her own age, and all she knew about romance and love came from books. So imagine how her world has been changing in a school of teenagers! Her destiny is being laid out before her, and it’s a bumpy, but fantastic road!!!!!
August 20, 2020
Yes! Yes! Yes! It has been so long since a YA fantasy book has held my attention the way that Hemlock did. Drama, mystery, magic - it had it all! And can we talk about that ending? Whoa!
Rue Volley 100% knocked this book out of the park. I can not wait to see where she takes the series from here!
Rue Volley 100% knocked this book out of the park. I can not wait to see where she takes the series from here!
August 8, 2020
Hemlock has everything I can think of to make a great YA paranormal romance! There are witches, Fae, cyclops, necromancy, lycan, vampire, boarding school and legends of forbidden love!!
Rook Dagger is a 15 year old who’s going to attend Hemlock Academy for the Dark Arts, for the first time, and this is her first experience with all things magical and mystical.
It was a fantastic quick read and totally gave off a siren call to my 16 year old inner self!!!
Totally called that cliff hanger though, and I’m not even mad about it!!!
Rook Dagger is a 15 year old who’s going to attend Hemlock Academy for the Dark Arts, for the first time, and this is her first experience with all things magical and mystical.
It was a fantastic quick read and totally gave off a siren call to my 16 year old inner self!!!
Totally called that cliff hanger though, and I’m not even mad about it!!!
August 7, 2020
YES!!!
Fabulous, just fabulous. Rue never disappoints and has gone above and beyond with this book.
Read it. Do it now.
Fabulous, just fabulous. Rue never disappoints and has gone above and beyond with this book.
Read it. Do it now.
August 1, 2020
Such unique characters. This is an amazing book has everything anyone can want. Rook is a lovely intelligent girl with power to boot. Azalea is funny and a great mother. Bitter Bat the mean but sweet cat. Nadia the best friend anyone would want. You have your mean girls, charming headmaster and interesting teachers. Sweet guy Cole. G the gorgeous guy with the secrets. Rue has introduced such a wonderful new story to me. I’m a fan of all her books and would recommend them to anyone. I was given an ARC for this book for an honest review.
August 1, 2020
Thank you for giving me an ARC of this book! :)
I have never heard of Rue Volley before I received this ARC, and this is not the type of book I usually read, but since I do love all things witchy or YA, the synopsis was fantastic, and the cover is so beautiful, I gave it a shot!
The pages before the book starts are full of information I've never seen any other book give- info about characters, a poem to set the mood, and a playlist among other things. The playlist was so fun and something I would kill to see in other books. I have the very first kindle they ever came out with still, so the formatting of those pages looked a little weird to me, but if you actually update your tech, I'm sure it will look fine.
I am around teenagers all day as an educator, and the MC Rook is definitely your typical teen- sometimes awkward, sometimes dramatic, and always entertaining. She reminds me aesthetically as I was in the peak of my emo phase. It was really refreshing to see a character having a great relationship with their mom at that age instead of the typical 'my parents don't understand me and I'm going to rebel now' we so often see. While I can see future criticism saying things about how quickly she develops feelings and then flip flops on them, that's literally how teenagers act. You can look at someone wrong and they hate you at that age. I will also say that her mom does not read as an adult character, but as another teenager. I cannot imagine any mother has ever outright told their child that and it just felt off to me.
The book was written in a stream of consciousness sort of way where we get to read a lot of the thoughts of Rook. Since Rook is 15, this does make the book read as a bit juvenile, but it's a YA book; it's meant to be juvenile. In a way, I feel like this stylistic choice would make the book easier to read for its target audience, but did make me struggle a bit to get into it as an adult.
It is also SO descriptive! You can definitely picture everything happening with all of the descriptions the author gives. The world building was quite nice- it is a unique take on the magic school. I don't think I have read a book where the magic school was specifically for "dark" magic before. And as someone who personally practices, it also integrates pieces from Wicca in a way that doesn't seem overly campy.
There were definitely some errors on word choice- including there, their, and they're on one or two occasions- and punctuation throughout the novel. There were quite a few run-on or just straight up incomplete sentences as well. They weren't bad enough to make it unreadable, but a closer attention to detail in the editing process would clean this up nicely. It was also a little jarring to have the sudden flip from G to Gage 70% of the way through the book.
I know this is the beginning of the series, and there is a lot to set up, but it honestly didn't feel like much happened in this book other than setting up the world and building Rook's character rather heavily while leaving every other character behind. Until the only thing that happened was The pacing could definitely be worked on- some parts were too slow and others were very fast- but overall, this is a good beginning to a unique series!
Overall: 3 stars for building a very cool world with a interesting lore and being very descriptive and sensitive to elements of a real religion. 2 stars knocked off because it desperately needs an editor who is versed in syntax and punctuation, and because the pacing really needs some work. I would give the second book of this series a go, though!
Thanks again for the ARC!
I have never heard of Rue Volley before I received this ARC, and this is not the type of book I usually read, but since I do love all things witchy or YA, the synopsis was fantastic, and the cover is so beautiful, I gave it a shot!
The pages before the book starts are full of information I've never seen any other book give- info about characters, a poem to set the mood, and a playlist among other things. The playlist was so fun and something I would kill to see in other books. I have the very first kindle they ever came out with still, so the formatting of those pages looked a little weird to me, but if you actually update your tech, I'm sure it will look fine.
I am around teenagers all day as an educator, and the MC Rook is definitely your typical teen- sometimes awkward, sometimes dramatic, and always entertaining. She reminds me aesthetically as I was in the peak of my emo phase. It was really refreshing to see a character having a great relationship with their mom at that age instead of the typical 'my parents don't understand me and I'm going to rebel now' we so often see. While I can see future criticism saying things about how quickly she develops feelings and then flip flops on them, that's literally how teenagers act. You can look at someone wrong and they hate you at that age. I will also say that her mom does not read as an adult character, but as another teenager. I cannot imagine any mother has ever outright told their child that and it just felt off to me.
The book was written in a stream of consciousness sort of way where we get to read a lot of the thoughts of Rook. Since Rook is 15, this does make the book read as a bit juvenile, but it's a YA book; it's meant to be juvenile. In a way, I feel like this stylistic choice would make the book easier to read for its target audience, but did make me struggle a bit to get into it as an adult.
It is also SO descriptive! You can definitely picture everything happening with all of the descriptions the author gives. The world building was quite nice- it is a unique take on the magic school. I don't think I have read a book where the magic school was specifically for "dark" magic before. And as someone who personally practices, it also integrates pieces from Wicca in a way that doesn't seem overly campy.
There were definitely some errors on word choice- including there, their, and they're on one or two occasions- and punctuation throughout the novel. There were quite a few run-on or just straight up incomplete sentences as well. They weren't bad enough to make it unreadable, but a closer attention to detail in the editing process would clean this up nicely. It was also a little jarring to have the sudden flip from G to Gage 70% of the way through the book.
I know this is the beginning of the series, and there is a lot to set up, but it honestly didn't feel like much happened in this book other than setting up the world and building Rook's character rather heavily while leaving every other character behind. Until the only thing that happened was The pacing could definitely be worked on- some parts were too slow and others were very fast- but overall, this is a good beginning to a unique series!
Overall: 3 stars for building a very cool world with a interesting lore and being very descriptive and sensitive to elements of a real religion. 2 stars knocked off because it desperately needs an editor who is versed in syntax and punctuation, and because the pacing really needs some work. I would give the second book of this series a go, though!
Thanks again for the ARC!
September 1, 2020
3.5 stars!
Hemlock is the story of Rook Dagger, the first human necromancer in 500 years. Rook spent the first 15 years of her life living in a small cottage by the lake, being homeschooled by her mother. But now the time has come for Rook to enroll in Hemlock Academy, a centuries old school teaching the art of necromancy. The students will one day be assigned to one of the seven magical kingdoms where they will serve king and country for as long as needed. Rook's abilities make her unique- and she could be a force of nature- if she wasn't hung up on a boy. G Gianni is a beautiful distraction, and Rook can't get him out of her head. She loves to hate him; he hates to love her. And together they could destroy the world.
So overall, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable read! I liked how the author gave us a character list and lots of fun extras up front, like a playlist! I found the world to be intriguing, but I do think it lacked a little in world building. There was so much potential with all the different kingdoms and creatures introduced. It's a pretty good first book, and it's setting us up well for future stories. I'd love to see more of Rook and the other student's daily lives, and explore their classes more. Getting to see what they're learning in necromancer school would be really interesting. There's also the lore of the school and world that is really cool to see interwoven into Rook's story. I really want to know more.
While I liked the characters, I also felt like there was a lack of development. I'd love to see more of Rook's character development not revolve around G. That's where the majority of this book is spent- G and Rook's relationship development. G can be really irritating too, in typical jerky YA bad boy fashion. But one thing I do appreciate is that Rook really feels like a 15 year old. She had me totally cringing in secondhand embarrassment many times, and I enjoyed the realistic way she's written. Too often YA heroines feel way older than they're supposed to be, so I'm glad Rook was as painfully awkward as teenagers really are. I also liked that there was some female friendship development, and I really liked Nadia.
I definitely guessed the twist at the end. No spoilers, but if you're used to this genre it won't be hard to see coming.
Overall, I'm interested to see where this story goes next. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but there's a lot of room to continue the story and make a really cool series out of it. It's an easy read and there's a lot to keep you invested in the story!
Hemlock is the story of Rook Dagger, the first human necromancer in 500 years. Rook spent the first 15 years of her life living in a small cottage by the lake, being homeschooled by her mother. But now the time has come for Rook to enroll in Hemlock Academy, a centuries old school teaching the art of necromancy. The students will one day be assigned to one of the seven magical kingdoms where they will serve king and country for as long as needed. Rook's abilities make her unique- and she could be a force of nature- if she wasn't hung up on a boy. G Gianni is a beautiful distraction, and Rook can't get him out of her head. She loves to hate him; he hates to love her. And together they could destroy the world.
So overall, I found this to be a pretty enjoyable read! I liked how the author gave us a character list and lots of fun extras up front, like a playlist! I found the world to be intriguing, but I do think it lacked a little in world building. There was so much potential with all the different kingdoms and creatures introduced. It's a pretty good first book, and it's setting us up well for future stories. I'd love to see more of Rook and the other student's daily lives, and explore their classes more. Getting to see what they're learning in necromancer school would be really interesting. There's also the lore of the school and world that is really cool to see interwoven into Rook's story. I really want to know more.
While I liked the characters, I also felt like there was a lack of development. I'd love to see more of Rook's character development not revolve around G. That's where the majority of this book is spent- G and Rook's relationship development. G can be really irritating too, in typical jerky YA bad boy fashion. But one thing I do appreciate is that Rook really feels like a 15 year old. She had me totally cringing in secondhand embarrassment many times, and I enjoyed the realistic way she's written. Too often YA heroines feel way older than they're supposed to be, so I'm glad Rook was as painfully awkward as teenagers really are. I also liked that there was some female friendship development, and I really liked Nadia.
I definitely guessed the twist at the end. No spoilers, but if you're used to this genre it won't be hard to see coming.
Overall, I'm interested to see where this story goes next. The ending felt a bit abrupt, but there's a lot of room to continue the story and make a really cool series out of it. It's an easy read and there's a lot to keep you invested in the story!
August 4, 2020
A haunting tale of curses and a forbidden love at first sight.
I was so happy to receive a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great, and hauntingly beautiful story about 15 year old Rook. She embarks on a journey in her life by attending the Hemlock Academy. There, supernatural beings of all kinds learn their crafts in order to, ultimately, be placed in one of the seven magical kingdoms.
Rook is a necromancer with exceptional abilities. But exceptional may not necessarily be a good thing, considering her balance of giving life and taking it away isn’t always in her control. There she meets her roommate, Nadia, an instant friend. Nadia helps her maneuver through her days at Hemlock Academy. Who to get to know... and who to stay away from. But the one person she is warned to stay away from is the one boy who has instantly captured her heart.
G Gianni is elusive. He always has a different girl in his arm. But he gives Rook his secrets and she knows deep down that the way he looks at her and the way he touches her means something. Something MORE.
Aside from meeting new people, Rook is completely drawn into the lore behind a princess, Emma Green and her tragic love story that ends in death. Rook shares a very unique connection with the history of the Forest of Emma Green.
This was a very fun read. I enjoyed it so much. I loved the characters and what they all individually bring to the story. I love the history that is talked about and how events at the school are completely tied in to that history. The only thing I didn’t love was the fact that the writing was slightly juvenile in some aspects. But, when you consider that the story is about a 15 year old girl, that is definitely acceptable. I also wish that the ending didn’t happen so abruptly. I was enjoying the plot so so much and then it ends leaving me wanting more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I was so happy to receive a gifted copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great, and hauntingly beautiful story about 15 year old Rook. She embarks on a journey in her life by attending the Hemlock Academy. There, supernatural beings of all kinds learn their crafts in order to, ultimately, be placed in one of the seven magical kingdoms.
Rook is a necromancer with exceptional abilities. But exceptional may not necessarily be a good thing, considering her balance of giving life and taking it away isn’t always in her control. There she meets her roommate, Nadia, an instant friend. Nadia helps her maneuver through her days at Hemlock Academy. Who to get to know... and who to stay away from. But the one person she is warned to stay away from is the one boy who has instantly captured her heart.
G Gianni is elusive. He always has a different girl in his arm. But he gives Rook his secrets and she knows deep down that the way he looks at her and the way he touches her means something. Something MORE.
Aside from meeting new people, Rook is completely drawn into the lore behind a princess, Emma Green and her tragic love story that ends in death. Rook shares a very unique connection with the history of the Forest of Emma Green.
This was a very fun read. I enjoyed it so much. I loved the characters and what they all individually bring to the story. I love the history that is talked about and how events at the school are completely tied in to that history. The only thing I didn’t love was the fact that the writing was slightly juvenile in some aspects. But, when you consider that the story is about a 15 year old girl, that is definitely acceptable. I also wish that the ending didn’t happen so abruptly. I was enjoying the plot so so much and then it ends leaving me wanting more. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
August 5, 2020
Hemlock is a book about a girl who travels to the preeminent Hemlock Academy, a school for necromancers, in order to foster her powers and to find a place where she belongs. Hemlock has a lot of things going for it. I love the main character, Rook Dagger. As cheesy as the name is, she is really endearing, quirky and adorable. It made her interesting to read about. I also appreciate how this book is set in a perspective of a younger teenager, as that is a voice missing from YA Lit. Being in Rook's mind as she struggles to fit in at Hemlock and as she deals with her feelings for a certain boy illustrates how confusing teenaged love can be. I found the lore behind the Emma Green legend to be fascinating as well.
On the other hand, the pacing for this book left a bit to be desired for me. I felt like there were really good portions of plotting, don't get me wrong, but there was a lot of info dumping in places and parts where it moved so slow that I felt like I got lost in what was going on. I also would have liked seeing the world-building and magic system fleshed out a bit more.
So Hemlock has some really good parts to it, but it also had its issues. A unique concept about a girl finding who she is, I honestly felt okay about this book. If you like books about boarding schools and magic, this may be a good read for you.
On the other hand, the pacing for this book left a bit to be desired for me. I felt like there were really good portions of plotting, don't get me wrong, but there was a lot of info dumping in places and parts where it moved so slow that I felt like I got lost in what was going on. I also would have liked seeing the world-building and magic system fleshed out a bit more.
So Hemlock has some really good parts to it, but it also had its issues. A unique concept about a girl finding who she is, I honestly felt okay about this book. If you like books about boarding schools and magic, this may be a good read for you.
August 6, 2020
AHHHHHHHH. I REALLY wanted to love this story. I've been stalking this author and book since I first laid eyes on the cover. I mean, LOOK AT IT!!!! One of the most gorgeous covers I have seen in a long time. Sadly for me though the insides did not match the outside.
Now before anyone hates, please know that I will give the next book a chance as I am hoping it's more of what I was looking forward to. I think the blurb for this one heightened by expectations and when I actually read the story within it just wasn't what I thought it would be. Maybe it's just the foundation for the story but I was looking forward to a much different story than the one I got. I feel like this was a teen love/hate? story vs us learning about Rook's powers and how she will navigate a new school to harness those powers. We learn very little about the school and what she will be doing there and a lot about how G is a play boy and only gives attention when he's being ignored and how Rook still can't stop thinking about him. I did expect some of the romance but I did not expect it to take over this very short story.
Now before anyone hates, please know that I will give the next book a chance as I am hoping it's more of what I was looking forward to. I think the blurb for this one heightened by expectations and when I actually read the story within it just wasn't what I thought it would be. Maybe it's just the foundation for the story but I was looking forward to a much different story than the one I got. I feel like this was a teen love/hate? story vs us learning about Rook's powers and how she will navigate a new school to harness those powers. We learn very little about the school and what she will be doing there and a lot about how G is a play boy and only gives attention when he's being ignored and how Rook still can't stop thinking about him. I did expect some of the romance but I did not expect it to take over this very short story.
July 19, 2023
I think there's something here, but I don't think this book reached that potential. I understand that the target audience is probably teenagers (which I am not), but there are parts of Hemlock that are a little more cringey than a YA novel calls for, in a way that doesn't feel intentional. It reminded me of the Wednesday Netflix show but less polished. One thing I think Rue Volley did well was world building without info dumping on the reader. I think that's where a lot of the story's potential comes from.
If an indie author accidentally switches tenses, I usually just skim over the mistake (no one is perfect, it's happened to me before too), but it happened a little too frequently in Hemlock for me to dismiss it. It was distracting, and it took me out of the story. I think if this book went through a few more revisions, I would be able to confidently say that I enjoyed it.
If an indie author accidentally switches tenses, I usually just skim over the mistake (no one is perfect, it's happened to me before too), but it happened a little too frequently in Hemlock for me to dismiss it. It was distracting, and it took me out of the story. I think if this book went through a few more revisions, I would be able to confidently say that I enjoyed it.
August 5, 2020
Rook is a human necromancer - a rarity in the magical world she lives in. To hone her skills, Rook attends Hemlock Academy and meets Gage, a boy who is seemingly more connected to her than she can ever realized.
Hemlock is in a weird place of being between a middle age and a YA novel. While I think this book would be best for a younger crowd, I enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting. I think the author obviously has writing skills and I was entertained by the book and Rook's thoughts the entire time. Volley definitely captured the essence of a teenaged girl.
Some things I would love to see: more development of the characters and more development of the world they live in. I think the world Hemlock Academy is in is very interesting and would love to hear more about the backstory and history. I think that might also help drive the characters. I also think the relationship between Rook and Gage could use more development, although the pace is pretty typical for a middle grade novel.
Overall, this book was entertaining and a quick read! I would recommend it for a younger age, but am interested to see where the story goes!
Hemlock is in a weird place of being between a middle age and a YA novel. While I think this book would be best for a younger crowd, I enjoyed the book and read it in one sitting. I think the author obviously has writing skills and I was entertained by the book and Rook's thoughts the entire time. Volley definitely captured the essence of a teenaged girl.
Some things I would love to see: more development of the characters and more development of the world they live in. I think the world Hemlock Academy is in is very interesting and would love to hear more about the backstory and history. I think that might also help drive the characters. I also think the relationship between Rook and Gage could use more development, although the pace is pretty typical for a middle grade novel.
Overall, this book was entertaining and a quick read! I would recommend it for a younger age, but am interested to see where the story goes!
August 8, 2020
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.
August 23, 2020
I kind of enjoyed reading Hemlock, as well as its magic system, though I feel like the book should have been a little bit longer & more focused on the necromancy part.
It follows the main heroine Rook, a necromancer with human parents. When she turns 15, she's to attend a school full of magical creatures.
The story is itself would be suitable for YA & Paranormal romance fans.
I had high hopes for this one ever since reading the blurb, but something was definitely missing when it came to the actual execution.
It follows the main heroine Rook, a necromancer with human parents. When she turns 15, she's to attend a school full of magical creatures.
The story is itself would be suitable for YA & Paranormal romance fans.
I had high hopes for this one ever since reading the blurb, but something was definitely missing when it came to the actual execution.
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