Book Review - The Hunt

The Hunt

Author: Andrew Fukuda

Series: The Hunt #1

Genres: Dystopian, Vampires | Young Adult

Release Date: May 8th 2012

Publishers: St. Martin's Griffin

No. Pages: 293

Source: Borrowed

Rating: 

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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?

I was going to write this really long detailed review and nothing came to mind, all I wanted to do was try explain why the book was both thrilling and annoying. This book started of so good, I thought the idea behind it was such a unique one and I was hooked, I couldn't put it down. But even though it had been hook line and sinker from the start, I also started noticing little things wrong with the book.

The first, and maybe the most significant out of them all, is that even though Anfrew Fukuda goes through great effort to not only make this a unique vampire story and to build a world up around you, he left out one main fact. How the world actually came to being over ridden with vampires in the first place. Now I'm not talking like The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa, over ridden. I'm talking about there not being hardly any humans at all, to the stage that even the vampires are having to substitute they meals. Not once was it explained and it really let what was a good book down because I was left thinking 'well, why?'

Secondly, and as important but not as much I guess, Gene went through all the trouble up masking his body odour and trying to looking like the vampires, stripping his face of emotion, but no matter how good a poker face you have your body does still react to things. Your heart beats faster for one and aren't vampire's suppose to have super hearing? so despite how well he covered up they would hear his heart beat, even if it wasn't beating fast. This has to be one of my other biggest issues with the book, my only theory is that because its been so long since they had 'a proper meal' some of their senses are some what less enhanced. Because its the only thing that would make sense. The vampires themselves were different though ,they scratch their wrists instead of laughing, have drool constantly dripping from their mouths when thinking about blood and flesh and maybe the weirdest of all armpit/elbow sex. So maybe the lack of super hearing was just added to the list. They also seem to be more in touch with their natural instincts than some vampires you read about these days, which is a bonus. Not every vampire can sparkle.

As far as the characters and everything else goes, I think it was rather good, a little on the predictable side, but it really did have me at the edge of my seat in anticipation. Gene wasn't always a likeable character though and he made such silly choices, some which I've read don't set them self right in the next book so I'm not looking forward to that.

I'm disappointed because this book could have been so much better. If it just explained things a little bit more and Gene was a tougher character. I wouldn't tell anyone not to read it, because like I said it still had it's good moments and despite everything it's worth a read. Maybe everything I disliked about the book will straighten itself out in the next two books, but I highly doubt that. Reading the summary for the The Prey doesn't fill me with the excitement I normally get from reading what's coming next, I was just left disappointed all over again.