A review by motherhorror
Cricket Hunters by Jeremy Hepler
5.0
4.5!
Let it be known, there are certain storytellers that write their narratives with accessibility that feels so natural, so fluid--it doesn't *feel* like reading. Jeremy Helper wrote CRICKET HUNTERS this way. I opened up to the first page just to see if the story would reel me in and before I knew it, I was a third of the way in and the world had disappeared. I was completely absorbed by Helper's universe.
There are two timelines:
A coming-of-age narrative from the past (the late 90s which is my jam) and a fifteen years later storyline involving the same protagonists as grownups.
The title comes from the coming-of-age part of this story where a group of fifteen-year-olds form a very tight friend group and refer to themselves as The Cricket Hunters. Our main protagonist is Celia Lundy who is raised by her grandmother. The grandma is a practicing bruja and the 'cricket hunting' is an endearing part of Celia's relationship with her grandma and her friend group. The dialog between the teens felt authentic and natural--reminiscent of King's Losers Club, the Goonies, or Stranger Things. The addition of the practice of witchcraft and magic was a delicious element that I enjoyed very much.
I was captivated by this timeline and sometimes, when this kind of investment in one of the dual timelines happens, I will grow to resent the transitions to the present, but in this case--the adult story was just as compelling and had a dark, supernatural thriller feel to it. I will say that this was almost a flawless story to me apart from the fact that I just didn't feel an emotional connection to any of the characters. I liked the characters but I didn't LOVE them. So in comparison to other coming-of-age horrors where I have emotionally invested in the characters almost to a fault, this book was lacking that for me a little.
Cricket Hunters is the combination of two favorite sub-genres with the coming-of-age facet and the supernatural thriller/mystery; a very satisfying reading experience! This book has caught my attention to a degree that I will stand in line for anything Helper writes in the future. It has also captured my heart and will forever grace my lists of coming-of-age horror starting now.
A must read.
Let it be known, there are certain storytellers that write their narratives with accessibility that feels so natural, so fluid--it doesn't *feel* like reading. Jeremy Helper wrote CRICKET HUNTERS this way. I opened up to the first page just to see if the story would reel me in and before I knew it, I was a third of the way in and the world had disappeared. I was completely absorbed by Helper's universe.
There are two timelines:
A coming-of-age narrative from the past (the late 90s which is my jam) and a fifteen years later storyline involving the same protagonists as grownups.
The title comes from the coming-of-age part of this story where a group of fifteen-year-olds form a very tight friend group and refer to themselves as The Cricket Hunters. Our main protagonist is Celia Lundy who is raised by her grandmother. The grandma is a practicing bruja and the 'cricket hunting' is an endearing part of Celia's relationship with her grandma and her friend group. The dialog between the teens felt authentic and natural--reminiscent of King's Losers Club, the Goonies, or Stranger Things. The addition of the practice of witchcraft and magic was a delicious element that I enjoyed very much.
I was captivated by this timeline and sometimes, when this kind of investment in one of the dual timelines happens, I will grow to resent the transitions to the present, but in this case--the adult story was just as compelling and had a dark, supernatural thriller feel to it. I will say that this was almost a flawless story to me apart from the fact that I just didn't feel an emotional connection to any of the characters. I liked the characters but I didn't LOVE them. So in comparison to other coming-of-age horrors where I have emotionally invested in the characters almost to a fault, this book was lacking that for me a little.
Cricket Hunters is the combination of two favorite sub-genres with the coming-of-age facet and the supernatural thriller/mystery; a very satisfying reading experience! This book has caught my attention to a degree that I will stand in line for anything Helper writes in the future. It has also captured my heart and will forever grace my lists of coming-of-age horror starting now.
A must read.