Review - The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt
Author: Andrew Fukuda
ISBN: 9781250005144
No. of Pages: 293
Genre: Horror
Synopsis:

"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?"

Thoughts: As far back as human's ancient ancestors, vampire stories exist. There always has been, and always will be, a fascination with the bloodsuckers due to human's desire to battle against death. Interestingly enough, in a majority of the stories, humans have always maintained the majority against the nightwalkers. They may be prey, but somehow vampires never seem to be able to take over the world. That is, until Andrew Fukuda's The Hunt.

The psychology of Stockholm Syndrome is at the heart of The Hunt and is what gives the story its depth and makes Gene so interesting. The use of pronouns becomes very telling throughout as the reader uncovers Gene's sympathies. Even though he knows he is not one of the vampires, he considers himself one. In fact, he longs to be one, although he knows that he would die first before that would ever be possible, given the vampiric lust for human blood. This battle between desire and a natural survival instinct creates more than enough tension to appease even the most discerning reader. The additional drama created by Gene's increasingly more complex conflicts, both internal and external, is just an added bonus.

Targeted for middle grade readers, The Hunt is not a novel that crosses generations well. The major plot twists are fairly transparent, and readers outside of the target audience will easily guess how the story is going to unfold. Character development is minimal at best. This is a story where the action is the main focus, but for the right reader, it is effective.

The Hunt is a creative role reversal on the ubiquitous teen vampire dramas. Mr. Fukuda has definitely shaken up the world of vampire stories. Gene must find a way to survive in a world where one drop of split blood spells his immediate doom. Given strict rules to follow, his ability to adapt is just as astounding as his internal inclusion within the vampire community. The story heats up when Gene is taken out of his familiar world and forced to find ways to blend in without any of his tricks or tools. To the right reader, one is instantly thrust into an unfamiliar but intense and intriguing world. With a great twist at the end, Mr. Fukuda creates one final hook for interested readers, creating that agonizing wait for the next book in the series. Based on what was uncovered in this one, it will be worth the wait.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to St. Martin's Press for my review copy!

Fabulous Friday - June 1st

Three weeks on the market. Only six showings. We ended up getting two offers within the same day, and the final offer was actually $250 more than our asking price. Yahoo!!

What makes it a Fabulous Friday for you?

Challenge Complete - What's In a Name 5

This is one of my favorite challenges of all time. This was my third year of participation, and I love it just as much today as I did when I first found this challenge. Beth Fish Reads, aka Candace, does a amazing job of creating unique and yet surprisingly difficult categories. I love scanning the categories and my books to see what I could read and then looking back to see what I end up reading for each. I definitely struggled to find something that fit a few of these categories, but it did allow me to read books that had been languishing on my shelves. Thanks to Candace for another great year!

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title - Bending the Boyne by J. S. Dunn
   
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title - The Night Eternal by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan; Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
   
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title - The Marbled Swarm by Dennis Cooper
   
4. A book with a type of house in the title - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
   
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title - The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern, The Journal of Best Practices by David Finch
   
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title - The Good Father by Noah Hawley

Review - The Thirteen by Susie Moloney

Title: The Thirteen
Author: Susie Moloney
ISBN: 9780062117663
No. of Pages: 336
Genre: Horror
Synopsis:

"Haven Woods is suburban heaven, a great place to raise a family. It's close to the city, quiet, with great schools and its own hospital right up the road. Property values are climbing, and the crime rate is practically nonexistent.

Paula Wittmore hasn't been back to Haven Woods since she left as a disgraced teenager. Now she's returning to care for her suddenly ailing mother, and she's bringing her daughter and a pile of emotional baggage. She's also bringing, unknowingly, the last chance for her mother's closest frenemies . . . twelve women bound together by a powerful secret that requires the sacrifice of a thirteenth."

Thoughts: Just how far are you willing to go to secure your family's happiness, health, and prosperity? Would you go as far as selling your soul to achieve your heart's desire? This is just one aspect of Susie Moloney's latest, The Thirteen. Not only does she explore the lengths to which a woman will go to achieve her dreams, she explores its aftermath as well. Just how low will a person crawl in order to maintain the status quo and avoid losing everything? Therein lies the mystery and the drama.

The biggest issue with the The Thirteen is that no one character is particularly fresh. Each of the characters appears more as an archetype rather than a uniquely new character. There are the guilt-ridden friends who are torn between doing their duty versus doing what is right. There are the clueless ones, the shallow blind followers, the ruthless do-anything-necessary types, the charming and attractive love interest/savior, the strong rebellious daughter, and everything else readers would expect in such a novel.

At the same time, the plot follows a similar story arc as The Craft or even Witches of Eastwick. However, the differences from these stories are where The Thirteen shines. The Thirteen is not about beginnings but about endings. Rather than showcasing a new group of witches and how they let their power go to their heads, the group in Haven Woods have been comfortably using their power for two decades. It is their need/desire to maintain their power source that is the cause of all the mystery. The resulting drama is fresh and interesting. Unfortunately, even the look towards the future is not enough to prevent the story from being overly predictable.

That being said, Ms. Moloney's writing is what saves The Thirteen from becoming just another copycat novel about witches. She is able to take these very familiar elements and combine them in such a way that makes them just as exciting and nerve-wracking as they were the first time. She captures the reader's interest with the first hint of something insidious within the confines of Haven Woods. In addition, Paula's plight keeps readers turning the pages, as they anxiously await to uncover whether she is going to figure out the mystery in time even as they can already surmise the answer. The tension built throughout the novel is formidable and extremely enjoyable.

The Thirteen presents the idea of a mother's willingness to do anything for her family's happiness taken to the extreme. Izzy is deliciously complicated, garnering a reader's combined wrath and empathy, while Paula is the heroine to which every (female) reader will relate with her desire to seek a better future for her daughter while trying to help her ailing mother. The ending is a touch bit too predictable but satisfying all the same. The Thirteen is a fun, thrilling, and quick read - perfect for those stormy summer nights.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to William Morrow for my review copy!

Review - All These Lives by Sarah Wylie

Title: All These Lives
Author: Sarah Wylie
ISBN: 9780374302085
No. of Pages: 256
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
Synopsis:

"Sixteen-year-old Dani is convinced she has nine lives. As a child she twice walked away from situations where she should have died. But Dani's twin, Jena, isn't so lucky. She has cancer and might not even be able to keep her one life. Dani's father is in denial. Her mother is trying to hold it together and prove everything's normal. And Jena is wasting away. To cope, Dani sets out to rid herself of all her extra lives. Maybe they'll be released into the universe and someone who wants to live more than she does will get one. Someone like Jena. But just when Dani finds herself at the breaking point, she's faced with a startling realization. Maybe she doesn't have nine lives after all. Maybe she really only ever had one."

Thoughts: How would you react if you found out a loved one was facing a battle against cancer? Would you deny the possible and pretend nothing has changed? Would you immerse yourself into the physician's recommended regime to optimize the impact of the medicines? Would you distance yourself against the inevitable? When faced with the potential death of a loved one, everyone reacts differently. All These Lives is a poignant and amazing look into one family's struggle with the news that every family hopes never to hear.

Dani is one heroine with whom all readers will empathize. Her pain is physically palpable. Incredibly, Ms. Wylie uses a dearth of words to create this effect, but she does so with tremendous success. Dani is so convinced that she has nine lives that a reader is never completely sure whether it is a figment of her imagination or not. To say that All These Lives packs an emotional powerhouse is an understatement of the highest magnitude.

All These Lives is a gut-wrenching look at sisterhood and family and the impact of terminal illness on these relationships. Ms. Wylie captures the trauma involved and the various coping mechanisms with perfection. As a result, the reader is taken on an emotional roller coaster as they navigate through Dani's  multiple and conflicting emotions at the possible loss of her sister. It is an amazingly powerful story that lingers with the reader well after the last page.

Acknowledgments: Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for my e-galley!