I admit that I watched the Netflix series and then decided to read this book. I didn’t think the book was any better or worse than the show. In fact, Hemlock Grove may be one of the few cases where the show was a lot like the book. I think that whoever did the script writing did a great job at translating the book into a series.
Even though I think the book and show were similar, they weren’t necessarily my favorite things in the world. I don’t read a lot of vampire and werewolf stories. I liked that Hemlock Grove was a little darker than some that I’m familiar with. I also liked the fact that the main character wasn’t some moon eyed girl falling in love with a handsome yet dangerous supernatural being.
Hemlock Grove is actually about solving a murder. In typical vampire and werewolf style, the main characters are teenagers, but the ones in this novel are a bit less worried about romance and more concerned with the mysterious elements of the world they live in. Just about every grown up in the town they live in has a secret and the two boys set about trying to solve the murder and uncover a lot of the hidden lies around them.
One thing I didn’t like about this story was that there were moments where I think the author was trying to be shocking, but his writing didn’t actual shock me. Maybe it’s just me though. As I said, he is trying to write a darker, more graphic tale than most teenage paranormal tales, but still, some of the graphic descriptions seemed unnecessary and pointless.
One element of this book that I really liked though was the character Shelley. I love the novel Frankenstein, and I actually thought the spin-off allusion to the creature in Hemlock Grove was intriguing. I would like to see more from this character if / when there is a second novel.
Some parts of the story were left unfinished, which leads me to believe there will be a second novel. I will probably read it. It might not be great literature, but it is very entertaining. Plus, I have to know what that weirdo scientist guy is up to.
Still Working on My Novel 
I really like the show. (But I like vampires and werewolves more than you do. Except “Twilight,” don’t like “Twilight.”) I hope they write another book so there will be another Netflix season. I don’t have time to read all YA novels out there.
I was really surprised by how similar the book and show were. Normally that is not the case. I actually think they made slight changes that made the show better than the book. And, they did a really good job casting it.