The Hunt

Publisher: Macmillan (St. Martin's Griffin)
Pages: 293
Publication Date: May 8, 2012
Type: E-galley, received from publisher via NetGalley

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?


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I'm not going to rate this one, because I'm aware that my rating would be biased.


There were many things I both liked and disliked about it that were not, to my knowledge, biased in any way.


I liked that its concept was so crazily unique, despite certain basic similarities to The Hunger Games and numerous other dystopias.


I liked the constant action, the knowledge that there was always something happening, something relevant, something that demanded your attention.


I liked Gene's childish ignorance in regards to many things human--or, shall I say, heper.


I liked some of the genuinely beautiful moments sprinkled throughout this novel.

I disliked the telling.

I disliked the ridiculously unrealistic dialogue, whether it was attempting to be highly intelligent, villainish, or deep and beautiful.  I tried saying just a few lines out loud and had to stop because my sister was in stitches.

I disliked the many awkward phrasings or cringe-worthy similes.

I disliked the constant plot holes.

Unbiased.  Things I could base a rating off of.

But, in the end, there's something that would influence my overall rating that does not necessarily refer to the book's quality so much as my personal qualms: Gene and Ashley June's personalities.

I hated them.

Alright, so hated is a strong word.  Sometimes, they'd get something right. Sometimes, I'd give them a nod of recognition, a maybe you're starting to get there, just maybe.  But it wasn't enough to erase the fact that these two were cocky, hypocritical, selfish assholes.

And you might say but that's not biased, that is something to base a rating off of.  But the thing is, I can understand why they're cocky, hypocritical, selfish assholes.  From the way they were born, the way they were raised, the way they lived their whole lives--I could understand it.  I knew how they'd turned out as they did.

But despite that, it didn't stop me from loathing them.  And when you loathe the MC and the love interest, it really doesn't do the book any favors in your eyes.  I think I would've enjoyed this significantly more if I hadn't harbored such a deep distaste for two of the main characters I was intended to sympathize with.  

However, that's me.  That was me being unable to separate my personal dislike from the book's own merit. So I will not be giving this one a rating.  Would I recommend it?  If you're more adept at removing your personal bias and judging the book solely on its quality, if you can handle gore, if you like dystopians, if you love blood-sucking fiends that are not romantic in any way: yes.  If not, I'd recommend you steer clear.