Series: Hunter #1
on Sept. 1, 2015
Genres: Dystopian, Urban Fantasy, YA (Young Adult)
Pages: 384
Format: eARC
Source: the publisher through NetGalley
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Also by this author: The Serpent's Shadow, Phoenix and Ashes, Home from the Sea, Steadfast, Elemental Magic:, Blood Red, House of Four Winds, The Fairy Godmother, The Lark and the Wren, Owlflight, From a High Tower, Owlsight, Owlknight, Closer to Home, Closer to the Heart, Take a Thief, A Study in Sable, Closer to the Chest, Beyond, Gryphon in Light, Fortune's Fool
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.
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.
Review
Initially, I wasn’t sure I was going to like Hunter. Despite the fact that there was a certain amount of action, the book seemed to be going slowly… and despite a steady flow of information, I felt more than a little unsure of what was going on. About a fifth of the way into the book, though, things took a decided turn for the better. By the middle, I was immersed in the world and turning pages with interest, even eagerness.
Lackey is always good at world-building, but the world here is different than anything I’ve seen from her before: a dystopian future that is post “the Diseray”. I kept trying to read that as “Disarray”, which made a kind of sense but didn’t really explain anything. The actual explanation of the term, and a clearer sense of what happened to the world, don’t appear until well into the book. Once I had an explanation that made sense (even if it didn’t explain how, only what), I felt more comfortably grounded in the fictional world.
Joy, the main character, is a skilled and highly-trained Hunter. She’s also a country mouse unfamiliar with the politics and culture of Apex, which appears to be the only city of any size left in North America. The fact that she’s the niece of the leader of Apex makes her a potential target, both socially and politically, and she’s unsure of whom to trust. She adapts and learns with surprising rapidity, but never loses the determination, protectiveness, loyalty, and dedication instilled in her by her mountain gurus. She’s willing to put her life on the line to protect the helpless. If you’ve read Lackey’s Valdemar books, Joy and many of her fellow Hunters are similar to Valdemar’s Heralds, albeit with (mostly friendly) internal competition and a lot more celebrity status.
The Hounds – otherworldly creatures who ally with the Hunters to protect humans against other fae/mythological beings – attracted my interest from the start. I’d really like to know more about how and why they attach themselves to certain people, and why they fight against the rest of the otherworldly creatures. The Hunter-Hound partnership is interesting, not least because each Hunter’s Hounds appear different. Like the antagonistic creatures, they’re drawn from a diverse range of human mythologies as well as the author’s imagination.
Several of the other characters are interesting as well–particularly Joy’s mentors, Karly and Knight. I also like the Armorer, but I’m not entirely sure whether he’s trustworthy yet. Joy’s tentative romance with a non-Hunter is cute but largely unnecessary to the plot, at least so far. . . and thankfully, there’s no triangle, though there were one or two subtle hints that one might surface later in the series. (I hope not!)
Lackey’s distinctive pragmatic, straightforward voice and style are evident even in the first-person narration. So are the social messages scattered throughout the book–a trademark of Lackey’s, but appearing with less and less subtlety in her recent books. While I agree with some of them, I do wish Lackey would be a bit more evenhanded in her attitude toward Christians and Christianity. Honestly, many of us are pretty nice people, and much more open and tolerant than she usually portrays us. It’s as though she looks at all the negative things that have been done in the name of religion (especially Christianity) and ignores the positives: the teachings on love, mercy, and forgiveness, and the many people whose lives have demonstrated a commitment to those values. On second thought, I take some of that back, at least where this book is concerned–Knight is a “Christer”, and he is, on the whole, a good, caring, and likable person.
I don’t think the Hunter series will ever rival Valdemar, the Free Bards, the Elemental Masters, or the 500 Kingdoms in my affections. But it’s entertaining, despite the confusing start; enough of Lackey’s storytelling skill shines through to leave me satisfied. I’ll be watching for the sequel with interest.
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library
Everything you say about this author has me wanting to read her. I like that she has a really straightforward voice. This doesn’t sound like the book to start off with because of the slow pace though. I definitely understand how you feel about the Diserey/disarray. I think it’d drive my brain crazy until I got it situated!
Katherine @ I Wish I Lived in a Library recently posted…Wendy Darling – Review
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m working on a post about where to start with Lackey. One of these days I’ll actually finish it!
Bea @Bea's Book Nook
Doesn’t sound like the book for me between the slow start and the heavy handed messages and the blurb doesn’t wow me. That said, if I happen to see it at the library and I’m in the mood,I might grab it and give it a try.
Bea @Bea’s Book Nook recently posted…Bea Reviews A Murder of Mages by Marshall Ryan Maresca
Lark_Bookwyrm
I’m interested to see where it goes from here.
kimbacaffeinate
I like the sound of the hounds and otherworldly creatures Lark. The cover is lovely.
kimbacaffeinate recently posted…Dead Girl Running by Ann M. Noser
Lark_Bookwyrm
I do like that cover! 🙂 The hounds are fascinating – I’m looking forward to finding out more about them.
Tiffany
I loved the cover and thought this would be something I’d enjoy, but I hated all the info dumps. It made me felt as if Lackey thought her audience was stupid. Does she do that in all her books? This was the first thing I’d ever read by her. I will admit that I found the 2nd half of the book to be really good.
Tiffany recently posted…The Week in Review: “Vroom!” (October 18th – October 24th)
Literary Feline
I have heard mixed reviews of this one, but I really want to read it. I have enjoyed other of Lackey’s books and that this is different from those only increases my interest. I hope I will like it too!
Literary Feline recently posted…Bookish Thoughts: The Uninvited by Cat Winters