Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt

Author: Andrew Fukuda

Summary:

Don’t Sweat.  Don’t Laugh.  Don’t draw attention to yourself.  And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

Gene is different from everyone else around him.  He can’t run with lightning speed, sunlight doesn’t hurt him and he doesn’t have an unquenchable lust for blood.  Gene is a human, and he knows the rules.  Keep the truth a secret.  It’s the only way to stay alive in a world of night—a world where humans are considered a delicacy and hunted for their blood.

When he’s chosen for a once in a lifetime opportunity to hunt the last remaining humans, Gene’s carefully constructed life begins to crumble around him.  He’s thrust into the path of a girl who makes him feel things he never thought possible—and into a ruthless pack of hunters whose suspicions about his true nature are growing. Now that Gene has finally found something worth fighting for, his need to survive is stronger than ever—but is it worth the cost of his humanity?

Review:

Well, even though I have seen a lot of reviews about this book that were pretty negative, when I saw it at the Library the other day, I decided to get it anyway.

And Im glad I did. I have to say that I absolutely loved the idea of a dystopian book with paranormal aspects! I mean, my 2 favs all in one!

The main con to this book are the random weird things. I understand wanting to creat the world, and make things unique, but being intimate by outing an elbow in the underarm pit? Not so cool. The weird headjerks and wrist scratching took a long time for me to get used to and…believe them.

Also, the fact that nothing is explained as to HOW the “hepers” (or humans) are nearly extinct or even how the “people” (or vampires) came to be at all, let alone gain control over everything, is pretty annoying. I would have liked SOME kind of answer. At least a  little one. But nope, nothing.

But if you can get past the weirdness and lack of explaination, you get to enjoy a really exciting and interesting book.

Gene is a 17 year old heper who has only been able to remain alive by constantly trying to hide his humanness and fit in with the vampires. When there is a heper hunt announced, the first in a decade, he is one of the lucky few who has won the lottery and gets to participate and try to hunt the last remaining hepers.

Along the way he is tested in many ways, trying to find water to drink and bathe in, and trying to reconcile his thoughts about hepers.

There of course is a girl, who has a secret of her own, and the hepers that are to be hunted. I was pleasantly surprised at the character development in the hepers, especially considering their little screen time, but was disappointed in Ashley June (the love interest) as I felt like (until the end) she was nothing special and I couldn’t connect with her at all.

Overall, This could have easily been a 5 star book for me, with the constant excitement and action (plus the tiny romance) It had everything I wanted. But the few cons knocked it down a star for me.

Rating: 4 stars