Not Too Sure That I Want In On "The Hunt"

 Title:  The Hunt
(The Hunt #1)
Author:  Andrew Fukuda
Narrator:  Sean Runnette
Format:  Audiobook
Length:  11hrs. 35mins
Publisher:  Macmillan Audio

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?


My Review 
This book was a journey to the inexplicably weird.  Though there are some aspects of this book that are similar to "that book," this book is such a stripped down version that there really is no point in comparing the two beyond frame of reference.
The vampiric master race is supposed to be a more evolved one than the "heper" or humans that they prey on for food.

Bring On The Weirdness..
As one reads more of this story, questions as to the true level of intelligence of the vampires comes into serious question.
What can not be denied however is their strangeness.
They don't show emotion.
They laugh by scratching their wrists.
They don't have names.
and...
They have erogenous zones in their ARMPITS!

Why??
This was a question that one can't help asking the while immersed in this read.
Why is he so intent to live alone, in a hostile society, and in constant danger?
What does he hope to accomplish during the hunt?
How is it that if the vampires are so smart, they are so blind to what he really is?

One of the saving graces of this tale is it's focus on the relationships that the main character is able to build with everyone "human."  These are the true stars of the story, and in truth the only parts of the book that are truly complete.
This book is suffering from a case of "first bookitis."  This is a condition on which the first book in a series is not completely able to answer the questions or resolve the situations posed in the first book.  Instead, the first novel acts as a mold for the direction of the second.
This book is one that is truly hard to either love or hate.
So here I stand in the middle of the road until further notice.

Audiobook Review
I am sorry to say that Sean Runette was not the person that I would have chosen to voice this book.
His voice is much to mature for what is clearly a YA novel.  This is no reflection on his performance.
He was very clear and easy to follow. Just not the right fit for this.

My Rating:


4 comments:

  1. Hahaha no shaving alone for these people then

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  2. I loved this book, I am not sure whose voice i would want to do the audio. I agree these vampires weren't bright.. remember Gene had to act dumb. Great review.

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  3. I have had this book for a while and have heard mixed feeling about it. That piques my curiosity and I am going to read it.

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  4. I've read mixed reviews about this book. Some compare it to Hunger Games with vampires, other say it's too weird. I'm confused:)

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