REVIEW - The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

 TITLE: The Hunt
AUTHOR:  Andrew Fukuda
GENRE: paranormal, dystopia,

PUBLICATION DATE: May 8th 2012

SOURCE: NetGalley

BLURB:

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:

The world that Andrew Fukuda paints for us is terrifying. Humans (called ‘hepers’) are extinct and vampires rule the countries. And every time the support for the Ruler drops, an event is organized, called the Hunt. In the Hunt a few of the hepers, that were kept in captivity and safety, away from the vampires, are released. A few lucky vampires chosen in a lottery have to hunt them down and… eat.

Let me gush for a second over the cover. It's stunning! Everything I could have asked for when it comes to a dystopian book.

Our main hero, whose name we only learn in the later part of the book, is a human hiding among the vampires, a sheep among the wolves. He’s resourceful and sneaky, and paired up with Ashley June – his schoolmate – he’s almost invincible, having her brains and cool logic and his smarts.

I absolutely loved the hepers and their community. Sissy is one butt-kicking leader, and her group is an interesting mix of characters. I’d gladly read more about them in the later books.  

There’s a slow process of preparation for the Hunt itself; we get to see how the whole event is supposed to help the Ruler gain popularity and how the outcome is already known to some of the vampires, but not to the masses. It was carefully written and explained, so the reader didn’t feel left behind on some matters.

The author did a good job describing the vampire's customs and habits and making them totally different from us. It made the book (and the main character's task) all more believable, how hard it was for him to give up his own (sometimes involuntary) habits to fit in.

Although, I had a major issue with the book. I’m not a fan of black and white world, and that’s how the story is presented in The Hunt. Vampires are bad, humans are good (but not every one of them, because the ones kept by the vampires were no more intelligent than cattle, in the narrator’s opinion). As much as I liked the whole hepers idea, I didn’t really enjoy the fact that all the vampires were vile, animal-like creatures and even though Fukuda was making a point there, showing us a contrast between real animals and people, what really is humanity and how thin is the line… it didn’t really hit me.

Other than that, it’s a really good read. It keeps you at the edge of your seat almost the entire time. We are scared for our human character, who is so close to being discovered all the time, we cheer for him. And as I always say – a book that makes you care for the characters is a good book.

Not to mention a HUGE cliffhanger at the end of The Hunt – so big it will make you scream in frustration. Definitely reading the sequel!

Overall rating: 

3.5 stars out of 5