Young Adult Book Reviews: Hunted

Showing posts with label Hunted. Show all posts

Oct 11, 2011

Michigan Authors Giveaway

Since it is October, my favorite month of the year, I thought I would pay homage to my fellow Michiganders with a giveaway. The following are three authors that are from Michigan and I have seen them frequently at book signings throughout the state. I am giving away one autographed book from each author and 12 bookmarks that I have collected from these authors. This contest is open internationally.

Hunted by DJ DeSmyter

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan. 

When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away…

The Goddess Test by Aimée Carter

It's always been just Kate and her mom—and her mother is dying. Her last wish? To move back to her childhood home. So Kate's going to start at a new school with no friends, no other family and the fear her mother won't live past the fall.

Then she meets Henry. Dark. Tortured. And mesmerizing. He claims to be Hades, god of the Underworld—and if she accepts his bargain, he'll keep her mother alive while Kate tries to pass seven tests.

Kate is sure he's crazy—until she sees him bring a girl back from the dead. Now saving her mother seems crazily possible. If she succeeds, she'll become Henry's future bride, and a goddess.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton

First there are nightmares.

Every night Ellie is haunted by terrifying dreams of monstrous creatures that are hunting her, killing her.

Then come the memories.

When  Ellie meets Will, she feels on the verge of remembering something just  beyond her grasp. His attention is intense and romantic, and Ellie feels  like her soul has known him for centuries. On her seventeenth birthday,  on a dark street at midnight, Will awakens Ellie's power, and she knows  that she can fight the creatures that stalk her in the grim darkness.  Only Will holds the key to Ellie's memories, whole lifetimes of them,  and when she looks at him, she can no longer pretend anything was just a  dream.

Now she must hunt.

Ellie has power that no one can  match, and her role is to hunt and kill the reapers that prey on human  souls. But in order to survive the dangerous and ancient battle of the  angels and the Fallen, she must also hunt for the secrets of her past  lives and truths that may be too frightening to remember.

DJ DeSmyter

Publisher: Pendrell Publishing

Publish Date: August 2011

Version: Print

Series: none

The story starts out with the telling of how Julia was murdered by wolves. It doesn’t explain who Julia or the person who is narrating the story at this point is. Then you get your first introduction to Alex Moreau. He is a werewolf and is hunted and trapped in a shed. That is where John Atwater comes in. He rescues Alex. When he finds out that Alex doesn’t know where his family is, he takes him into his home and introduces him to Lily Atwater, his daughter. His one condition is that Lily must not know what he is. Alex is okay with this as he only plans on staying until he can find his family. What he doesn’t plan on is falling for Lily.

Eventually, Alex’s family finds him. His family consists of his mother and father, Peter and Amelia, and brother and sister, James and Summer. They agree to stay in Victor Hills, Michigan so Alex can be close to Lily and so they can go after whoever was hunting Alex. John helps the Moreaus in this endeavor. What they don’t expect is that the hunter is searching for Alex and his family also.

This is a good, clean cut story. I really like books where you don’t have to worry about it being “R-rated” and this one fits in that category. I liked how DeSmyter switches views between Alex and Lily. It would have been interesting to see other character’s views also, but I understand that this would have been difficult to write. The book is written so at the end, it is open so that there could easily be a sequel and I hope that this is the case. I would like to find out what happens with Alex, Lily and their families.

Seventeen-year-old Lily Atwater has always kept to herself, living a lonely life with her workaholic dad. Not the most thrilling life, but it’s quiet and ordinary, two things she’s come to expect from living in Victor Hills, Michigan. 

When kind and mysterious Alex takes refuge in her home, she is suddenly thrown into his world of werewolves, a world he wants to keep her safe from. But while the two of them grow closer, a relentless hunter continues his search, stalking the woods with hopes of catching the wolf that got away…

•How you get to see both Lily and Alex’s views in the story.

•The back story on the hunter makes you understand him a little better.

•The family aspect of this story and how that is important. Lily thinks that she doesn’t have any family except for her dad and you can tell that it has always troubled her. Also, when the Moreaus return and how they interact with Alex. You understand that it is more that the “pack mentality” when it comes to them.

•How Alex likes Lily and changes her perception of herself a little. She has a very poor opinion of herself and Alex disregards this, tells her what he sees in her and he doesn’t expect her to change. Yes, we all need our own Alex in our life.

•The Hunter. He is not meant to be liked and that is a stereotype that I will happily oblige.

•At times, the story seemed too good. Yes, there were problems, but they always seemed to work out. I guess this just didn’t seem very realistic to me. Then again, we are talking about a story about werewolves. Still, I would recommend this novel to everyone because it is a good book.

•That we don’t know if there is going to be a sequel.

I was too afraid to quit speaking. I figured if I kept asking questions, then the answers would provide some sort of comfort and the clarity I craved.

“Does this mean that I’m a werewolf too?” I was all I could do to spit out the question.

This time, Alex was the one to answer. “No. The gene that carries the mutation is dominant in males. It’s very rare that it appears in women.”

“So, I’m not a werewolf?” I needed reassurance.

“No,” Dad said with certainty.

“Okay. Good. I didn’t want to feel the urge to pee on a tree.”

Alex laughed and grew serious again. “Are you feeling any better?”

“A little.” It wasn’t a complete lie. I was feeling better. Not a lot, but enough to keep my tears tucked behind my eyes.

“Where do we stand in all of this?” Alex asked.

I looked up at him and smiled. “As long as you don’t hump my leg, we’ll be just fine.”

He laughed again. “I won’t, I promise.”

Jul 19, 2011

Maggie Stiefvater book signing

Ilana waiting for the signing

My niece Ilana and I went to a book signing at Borders in Novi, Michigan yesterday. It was a three-hour drive, but so worth it. Maggie spoke first and was hilarious! I loved it!