Me on Willowgrove

Title: Willowgrove
Author: Kathleen Peacock
Release Date: January 6, 2015
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books (HarperCollins imprint)

Ever since Mac's best friend, Amy, was murdered, Hemlock has been a dangerous place. But now that Mac, her boyfriend, Kyle, and Amy's ex, Jason, have investigated a mass breakout from Thornhill, a werewolf "rehabilitation" camp, the danger has only grown. Fear of the infection spreading is now at an all-time high, and anyone with a scar is suspected of being a wolf. What makes Mac even more afraid, though, are the dark experiments that the warden of Thornhill was performing on wolves in a secret asylum called Willowgrove. Uncovering the truth about what happened may be the only way for Mac to save everyone she loves and end her nightmares for good.

Willowgrove is the final piece of a trilogy filled with secrets and lies, danger and deception, Mac barely gets any time to rest before she heads back into the fire, back into the mystery surrounding the camps, the experiments, and possibly still, her best friend's murder.

Mac can't stop searching. She uncovers more and more truths in this third book. Truths about Amy, even when she's still dead and still haunting her. Truths about the infection that led to people becoming werewolves, truths about the "rehab" camps and "treatment" centres that were code for inhumane torture. But when everything is discovered, is it the kind of truth you want getting out? What would happen if the world really knew how it all started? Mac's still trying to save everyone, as she always does. And she still keeps a few too many things close when she should be sharing the load. It's a bit of tunnel vision, her need to keep everyone else safe when, physically, she's the weakest. But those flaws make her human.

The fear of the other and the hatred that follows, the disgust. It's so prevalent in this book. Take away the werewolves and you have people afraid of other people, people hating other people because of something they can't control. Assumptions and groundless accusations run rampant. At this current point in time, I imagine this hits society close, right where it matters. Fear and suspicion of a subset of society. Increased control. Gun violence. But it is important to remember that with all moments of hate, fear, and oppression, things do get better. They will get better.

This is the end what what I've found to be an interesting and thrilling trilogy filled with danger, suspicion, and more than a little romance. After everything Mac's been through, this is the final push to show the world the truth of what happened in the previous book and what led to the events of the first book. This was the best ending the series could've had. Nothing else needs to be said.

(I received an advance copy of this title from the author.)