THORNHILL by Kathleen Peacock

Thornhill
Kathleen Peacock

Rating: A+
Release Date: 09/10/13
Synopsis:
Mac can’t lose another friend. Even if he doesn’t want to be found.

The ripple effect caused by Mac’s best friend Amy’s murder has driven Mac’s new love, Kyle, to leave Hemlock and disappear from her life forever. But Mac knows that Kyle plans to enroll in a rehabilitation camp, where he can live with other werewolves. She refuses to accept his decision, especially since the camps are rumored to be tortuous. So she sets out in search of Kyle with a barely sober Jason—and Amy’s all-seeing ghost—in tow.

Clues lead Mac to find Kyle in a werewolf den in Colorado—but their reunion is cut short by a Tracker raid. Now Mac and Kyle are trapped inside the electric fences of Thornhill, a camp for young werewolves. As she devises an escape plan, Mac uncovers dangerous secrets buried within the walls of Thornhill—and realizes that the risk to the people she loves is greater than ever before.

My thoughts on the book:
Thornhill is everything second books should be: intense, action-packed, and suspenseful - while also standing apart from the first book in the series. The characters continue to grow and situations continue to change; however, Thornhill is nothing like Hemlock, though it is just as good (if not a little bit better). There's no murder mystery to be solved, and Peacock and the characters are trying to move on from the horrors of that first installment. This is one of the best sequels I've read in a long time. 

Mac grows quite a bit in this novel, and she really does try to put others' needs before her own. I admire her for that and enjoyed reading from her perspective. She's brave and strong, but one of her mistakes kind of threw me. I'm interested to see how that will be dealt with in the next installment. I wanted to smack Kyle a few times, but he means well. He just doesn't always make the best decisions. He's loyal to a fault and tries to protect those around him. I'm definitely team Kyle. I like Jason, but he's just so selfish and shady. He's gotten better, but I just don't trust him. The new characters, such as Eve, are interesting, and I hope we get to learn more about them in the next book. All of the characters are unique and come across as "real," including the secondary characters. There are no cardboard cut-out filler characters in this novel. 

Thornhill is a fast-paced novel that's chocked full of adventure, action, suspense, and bravery. There isn't a murder mystery to be solved this time, which makes this novel feel completely different from the last. However, there is a lot going on, and I was kept on the edge of my seat wondering who would and wouldn't make it out alive. Peacock also subtly addresses the repercussions of close-mindedness, blind faith, and bigotry. By illustrating that the people who are working to harm the werewolves are not necessarily bad, just misled, she shows that ignorance is damaging to those who are ignorant as well as the victims of the ignorance. Through Jason, Peacock also shows that ignorance is not a permanent affliction and that people can, in fact, change. I love that she addresses social issues and weaves them into the story without preaching or even inserting her opinion into the work. That takes skill. 

Overall, I'd recommend this book and series to everyone who loves good paranormal YA literature. Peacock is quickly becoming a strong voice in YA literature, and you do not want to miss this rising star's work. 

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