A review by shelleyrae
The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

4.0

In Andrew Fukuda's fast paced, exciting young adult novel, The Hunt, humans (also known as hepers) have been driven to edge of extinction by creatures that appear to be a hybrid of human,vampire and zombie.

Seventeen year old Gene has lived amongst the 'people' his entire life, carefully disguising his human scent, adopting their mannerisms, being like them, all to avoid a bloody, violent death. He lives alone, keeps to himself, remains unobtrusive at school... until his number is chosen. Gene is to join The Hunt, a government sanctioned extravaganza that happens only every decade, a chance to hunt and feed on a handful of hepers released into the desert. Sequestered to the Institute for Heper Research with his fellow competitors, Gene is desperate to maintain his subterfuge, or risk becoming the hunted.

I very quickly got caught up in this fast paced story upon being introduced to Gene, a heper hiding among creatures that would devour him in seconds should they learn what he is. I enjoyed reading a male perspective for a change in this genre and Gene proves to be a likeable protagonist. I liked that Gene was a little conflicted by his human status wishing, on occasion, he could be like everyone else and even that Gene's first extinct is self preservation, despite learning the truth about the captive hepers. It's such an interesting internal conflict and one that Fukuda doesn't shy away from.

The behaviours of the people are unusual but satisfyingly visual and different. The creatures scratch their wrist to express amusement, affection expressed by grinding armpits with elbows and they drool copiously. Yet they go to school, they hold down jobs, they live an ordinary life, albeit one where the eat raw meat, sleep hanging from the ceiling and disintegrate in sunlight.

I'm not sure how I felt about Gene's fragile relationship with Ashley June, she is fairly inscrutable and remains so through out the story. I am looking forward to getting to know the Heper's better in the next installment and predict that Sissy will replace Ashley June as the love interest.

I have no problem suspending belief in fantasy but there has to be an internal logic that makes sense in context. There are some flaws with the world-building in The Hunt, elements that don't quite make sense or contradict each other. It's a shame because these issues could have been easily resolved and done a lot to enhance the credibility of the author's world vision.

The Hunt offers something a little different to the current field of young adult dystopia fiction, though it also embraces familiar elements, with similarities to The Hunger Games. Despite it's problems, I loved the action and the constant tension which carried me through the story quickly. I look forward to reading the sequel, [b:The Prey|16851514|The Prey (The Hunt, #2)|Andrew Fukuda|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1355571015s/16851514.jpg|20386810]