Effortlessly Reading

My Rating: 2.5 Ever since I've read Hemlock, I couldn't get it out of my mind. With that dangling cliffhanger it left us, I had tons of questions left unanswered: Will Mac ever find Kyle? How will the whole werewolf situation end? And ultimately, who would Mac choose to be with in the end? Sadly, Thornhill only answered one of my many questions. Thornhill started off with a bang. Right from the very first page, I was confused, awed, and wondering is this a joke? I even reread the first page just to make sure that I was reading it correctly. Three pages later, I discovered that it kind of was a joke. I didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved that it didn't really happen after all. I'll leave you guys hanging from there, wondering what on Earth I'm talking about. However, I hate to be saying this after going on and on about how awesome the beginning of Thornhill is, but I think that Thornhill suffers from the middle book syndrome. It wasn't as good as Hemlock; in fact, I dare to say it, it was quite boring. Most of the book took place in the rehabilitation camp, trying to find out what the warden of the camp, Sinclair, is up to. Basically, the entire book consists of this: being captured, bought into camp, sneaking around, plans made, sneaking around, etc. "And that's what Thornhill is? A way to help us keep the lid on?""For the wolves who commit fully to the idea of rehabilitation, yes." (ARC 159) The main problem I had with Thornhill was that everything in Thornhill was so predictable. I figured out what Thornhill's (the camp, not the book title) ultimate goal toward werewolves was way before it was actually revealed. I just don't know how every single one of the characters in the book just didn't see it. If I was the one in that situation, I would have figured it out asap. I also figured out which (kind of) new character Mac will meet again before he/she made their appearance and how Jason would make an appearance in Thornhill. Amy the ghost (is she a ghost?) or Amy from Mac's imagination (is Mac really just imagining her there?) is back in Thornhill. Amy doesn't really have a purpose in the book other than to give Mac cryptic messages and to scare Mac when she sleeps. Honestly, I don't know why Amy is in Thornhill after the mystery of her murder was solved in Hemlock, although at the same time, I kind of know why. Maybe it's because the first book was centered around Amy so much that it just doesn't make sense for her to suddenly disappear in Thornhill? Maybe it's also because, as Mac stated, that Mac, Kyle, Jason, and Amy's lives were so tied together that you just don't know where one person ends and the other one begins. In the end, I still don't know. "Three blind mice," whispered Amy. "See what happens when they run." (ARC 194) As for whether I'm on Team Kyle or Team Jason, as of now, I'm currently on Team Jason. I was on Team Kyle, but after reading and finishing Thornhill, I'm definitely not on his side anymore. What Kyle did in Thornhill made me lose faith that he even truly wants to be with Mac. Kyle just gives up too easily and runs away when the going gets tough. Jason, however, is always there for Mac, even risking his life to support her when he could simply just walk away like Kyle did. I can also overlook Jason's support of the Trackers, compared to Kyle's situation with Mac. "I love you. You know that, right?""Me too." It occurred to me that the only times either of us had managed to say those words had been either during or just after mortal peril. (ARC 68) Overall, I'm really sad and disappointed with Thornhill. I was expecting tons of action and cute romance like Hemlock had, and instead, I got a book that failed to impress me and a book that failed to keep me engaged with the story. Hopefully the third and final book in the Hemlock series will not disappoint. I'm hoping that a character from Hemlock will make a reappearance in the last book so we'll finally get a full resolution to the series. Effortlessly Reading: Thornhill