Monday, August 31, 2015

Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Series: Hunter #1
384 p.
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: 9/1/15
Source: NetGalley and publisher for review
Centuries ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were slashed open allowing hideous fantastical monsters to wreak havoc; destroying entire cities in their wake. Now, people must live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the evil creatures constantly trying to break in. Only the corps of teen Hunters with lightning reflexes and magical abilities can protect the populace from the daily attacks. 
Joyeaux Charmand is a mountain girl from a close knit village who comes to the big city to join the Hunters. Joy thinks she is only there to perform her civic duty and protect the capitol Cits, or civilians, but as cameras follow her every move, she soon learns that the more successful she is in her hunts, the more famous she becomes. 
With millions of fans watching her on reality TV, Joy begins to realize that Apex is not all it seems. She is forced to question everything she grew up believing about the legendary Hunters and the very world she lives in. Soon she finds that her fame may be part of a deep conspiracy that threatens to upend the protective structure built to keep dark magic out. The monsters are getting in and it is up to Joy to find out why.
My thoughts:
The first part of the book is a bit hard to get into. I think it is because it is establishing the world and just doesn't quite do it smoothly. I also had a hard time with Joyeaux who starts in this rambling way (we are in her head) but is supposed to be quite zen when it comes to dealing with the "folk" (fae). I see why that it is necessary to calm your mind, but what we got was anything but calm. You can't just say it is one way and then present us with something else. It makes the world more confusing and you tend to wander.

I also picked this book up for the cover. I love dragons, but while there are dragons in the book, they don't feature prominently within the story. There are a mash up of fae folk and we get all sorts. Mostly of the European variety, but her hounds (or otherwoldly helpers) seem to come from all sorts of worldly mythic stories. Again, this can be a bit confusing.

While I was not a fan of the beginning I did like Joyeaux. I loved that she was smart and capable and willing to learn. She was also kind and compassionate. Although her rambling mind tended to put me off, I did like her actions and so that is what kept me interested throughout the book. I loved seeing how she worked through a problem and opened herself up to others even when she didn't know who was a friend or enemy.

The ending leaves you with a lot of questions but it isn't a cliffie. And although I didn't enjoy the beginning of the book, I did enjoy it in the end. I am looking forward to reading the next book. I give this one 3 stars.

23 comments:

  1. It sucks not to enjoy the beginning of the book but at least the end was good.

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  2. Hmm ... I've read a few Lackey books, and they can be hit or miss. I definitely know what you mean about the world-building, though.

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    1. Sometimes it can take couple of books to really establish it.

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  3. Fantasy books ca be tough in the beginning because of all the world and character building. Glad you did enjoy this by the end even if it did leave you with lots of questions, but hey, all the more reason to pick up book two right? :P

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    1. I agree. I don't mind questions and this one did feel pretty complete for a first book.

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  4. I have the toughest time with fantasy for this reason. I'd've picked for the cover, too!

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    1. I've actually been pretty lucky. I'm an ending girl so that probably helped me here. :)

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  5. I agree Melissa! The beginning of this one was a bit slow and rocky for me as well as we got all the history of this world and how it came to be, but once she settled into Apex and started Hunting I was fully on board:)

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    1. And what about... well, I'm sure you agree, we need some answers about certain things... :)

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  6. I love the name! And dragons and fae are an exciting combo. Unfortunately for me this sounds too YA for my taste.

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  7. I think I will see how book 2 is before I pick this one up. Sounds like it had a shaky start.

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    1. I think you'd like Joy though. I do want to read that second book.

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  8. So far, the reviews for this one are rather lackluster, a bit disappointing, right? I think I am going to pass on this for now. Thanks for the helpful review.

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  9. I can really struggle with the beginning of a book and then just never finish it, so I don't know if I'd quite get to the end of this and perhaps it isn't for me. Still, glad to see that the end was truly redeeming! :)

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  10. I didn't know about the author has a new book to be released. Too bad for the beginning but maybe one day.

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  11. Liking the sound of the dragon but alas not the world building which doesn't sound that convincing. Great review as always, thank you.

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  12. Glad to see you enjoyed this one even with a hard to get into beginning :)

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  13. Not sure about this..I too love dragons, but so many times a book just teases you with them.Glad you liked the character though.

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  14. Oo yeah I would have thought dragons would be more of a focus on that. Glad it worked in the end for ya :)

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  15. Ooooh. Nice. I can see the beginning being rough. As much as everyone loves Mercedes's writing, I found with her superhero braided series I've been listening to, that I'm not a huge fan of her sections. I love everyone else's though. :)

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