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A review by lillianhong
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
4.0
Okay, I'll admit it: it's better than I thought. With all the authors riding on the Meyer Vampire Fad nowadays, I've lost all faith in the fantasy genre. I expected another piece of dribble made "good" because it has vampires yay. =___= But NO. I got an exciting world with good writing and breathing characters. Freaking awesome.
WHAT I LIKE:
-- The absence of names. I've read a lot of books where the main character has a weird aversion to names, and prefers sticking people with nicknames. At least here, there's a reason to the absence of names. However, I've wondered how the other characters deal with this absence; how do they identify each other? Sure, they've got numbers and letters, but that's only for teachers and such. Hm.
-- The pain Gene goes through to fit in: shaving, clipping nails, block body odor, etc. Just like every highschool student in the US, except if you don't do these things, you'll be eaten. Alive.
-- Despite knowing the clear line between vampires and helpers, Gene can't help but feel abnormal; as if it's his fault for being human. You live in a world where sleeping on the roof is normal, and yet here you are, unable to put a single foot in the sleepholders without breaking it in half. You feel like a freak and it's driving you mad being the only one who's different. That is what I considered a normal and realistic reaction and I love it. Heck, I kind of identify with it too.
-- New details on vampires. There's the basic OMG SUNLIGHT HISSS that is very basic of vampires, along with the blood feeding. (If you don't have those, you're not a vampire, you're a mutant. If you sparkle, you're a fairy.) But then Fukuda adds more interesting things about vampires: they can't swim (and he has the decency to explain why, thank god), they get it on with armpits (yeah, I know, WTF), and more. They're the most original things I've ever read, and I applaud you, good sir.
-- Our human protagonists are smarter than our high and mighty vampires. They scored the highest on tests, are considered the most desirable mates of the school, and yet, they're humans! Considering the vampires' views on humans, I found it to be very ironic.
-- Our female protagonist, Ashley June, is smart, cunning, and brave. She thought of everything that could go wrong, and set out to fix it. She killed her vampire boyfriend in order to fake depression and ward off romantic advances, aka unwanted attention that could lead to her doom, and didn't even think twice. She cut her hand to lure the vampires with her blood so that Gene could escape. This is the heroine that girls should be following, not that fool of a Belle Swan.
-- Vampire's misconceptions on humans. At last, vampires have their revenge for our ridiculous misconceptions about them! Now we're the crazy creatures with baffling actions and motives. It's freaking hilarious.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE:
-- Mentioning old common beliefs on vampires. Previously, I gave my approval. I still do. In an entire paragraph, he makes fun of the common things that mordern vampires are given today. I thought it was pretty funny until he made a jab about romantic relationships between humans and vampires. Didn't he use that very thing in his own book summary? "Do not fall in love with one of them." And what makes it stupider is that the "one of them" isn't even "one of them," so why put that lie on the cover? To get more females readers? Shame, Mr. Fukuda.
-- Ashley June's ability to fit in better. How come she can see in the dark better than Gene can? How come she managed to last several days longer with body odor? And how come she can keep up with the lightning fast vampires, but Gene can't? Being pretty does not solve everything.
-- School enrollment: how?! Don't you need papers for that stuff? How did Gene and Ashley (who's also an ORPHAN at a young age) manage to get into high school without papers?
-- It's going to be a series. No one ends a book with one protagonist locked in death city and another caught in a emotional landslide of to save or to run. If you do, you'll die in a blazing fire of doom. Just saying.
So, my conclusion is 4/5. It's not entirely original as everyone says, but there many parts that'll make you go, hey, that's a new one; never heard that before. It was a rare enjoyable read and restores some of my faith in the fantasy genre.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
WHAT I LIKE:
-- The absence of names. I've read a lot of books where the main character has a weird aversion to names, and prefers sticking people with nicknames. At least here, there's a reason to the absence of names. However, I've wondered how the other characters deal with this absence; how do they identify each other? Sure, they've got numbers and letters, but that's only for teachers and such. Hm.
-- The pain Gene goes through to fit in: shaving, clipping nails, block body odor, etc. Just like every highschool student in the US, except if you don't do these things, you'll be eaten. Alive.
-- Despite knowing the clear line between vampires and helpers, Gene can't help but feel abnormal; as if it's his fault for being human. You live in a world where sleeping on the roof is normal, and yet here you are, unable to put a single foot in the sleepholders without breaking it in half. You feel like a freak and it's driving you mad being the only one who's different. That is what I considered a normal and realistic reaction and I love it. Heck, I kind of identify with it too.
-- New details on vampires. There's the basic OMG SUNLIGHT HISSS that is very basic of vampires, along with the blood feeding. (If you don't have those, you're not a vampire, you're a mutant. If you sparkle, you're a fairy.) But then Fukuda adds more interesting things about vampires: they can't swim (and he has the decency to explain why, thank god), they get it on with armpits (yeah, I know, WTF), and more. They're the most original things I've ever read, and I applaud you, good sir.
-- Our human protagonists are smarter than our high and mighty vampires. They scored the highest on tests, are considered the most desirable mates of the school, and yet, they're humans! Considering the vampires' views on humans, I found it to be very ironic.
-- Our female protagonist, Ashley June, is smart, cunning, and brave. She thought of everything that could go wrong, and set out to fix it. She killed her vampire boyfriend in order to fake depression and ward off romantic advances, aka unwanted attention that could lead to her doom, and didn't even think twice. She cut her hand to lure the vampires with her blood so that Gene could escape. This is the heroine that girls should be following, not that fool of a Belle Swan.
-- Vampire's misconceptions on humans. At last, vampires have their revenge for our ridiculous misconceptions about them! Now we're the crazy creatures with baffling actions and motives. It's freaking hilarious.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE:
-- Mentioning old common beliefs on vampires. Previously, I gave my approval. I still do. In an entire paragraph, he makes fun of the common things that mordern vampires are given today. I thought it was pretty funny until he made a jab about romantic relationships between humans and vampires. Didn't he use that very thing in his own book summary? "Do not fall in love with one of them." And what makes it stupider is that the "one of them" isn't even "one of them," so why put that lie on the cover? To get more females readers? Shame, Mr. Fukuda.
-- Ashley June's ability to fit in better. How come she can see in the dark better than Gene can? How come she managed to last several days longer with body odor? And how come she can keep up with the lightning fast vampires, but Gene can't? Being pretty does not solve everything.
-- School enrollment: how?! Don't you need papers for that stuff? How did Gene and Ashley (who's also an ORPHAN at a young age) manage to get into high school without papers?
-- It's going to be a series. No one ends a book with one protagonist locked in death city and another caught in a emotional landslide of to save or to run. If you do, you'll die in a blazing fire of doom. Just saying.
So, my conclusion is 4/5. It's not entirely original as everyone says, but there many parts that'll make you go, hey, that's a new one; never heard that before. It was a rare enjoyable read and restores some of my faith in the fantasy genre.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.