Book Review: The Hunt (The Hunt #1) by Andrew Fukuda

The blurb as seen on Goodreads:
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
293 Pages

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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Review:

The Hunt is a very strange novel. It's full of twists and turns. It's basis is action, adventure and horror with some romance. The romance is not the main focus in this book, which is great because it's not what I expected after reading the blurb.

The pace was very good. There was no dawdling, but that also led to a lot of confusion. Because he started right in on the action, there was little time for introduction. It made it hard for me to enjoy the book because I was trying to figure out what was happening and what some of the phrases meant.

The Hunt is a lot like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Only with vampires. But the idea is the same. People who shouldn't die, do and not an easy, painless death. They are put to death by force, though in the Hunt the winners are the vampires. The hunters are chosen from a lottery and the main character is involved. And it's a tradition. It happens every ten years. 

Humans are called hepers, which I have no idea why. That fact annoys me, especially when the male vampire known as the Director calls them Heper virgins. The phrase made me uncomfortable. I honestly thought, when I first read it, that they meant in the sexual nature. That definitely wasn't the right wording for what the character meant. There are a lot of things that Gene has never been introduced to like soap, or names (which is extremely unrealistic to me). It seems so fake that his father, who was also human and had been keeping the two of them alive and away from vampires, didn't have soap for the two of them to wash their bodies and keep a neutral scent. I also don't understand why all of the vampires crack their joints and scratch their arms. You also don't find out the character's name in the book until wayyy on down the line. I know that the author keeps his name out on purpose, but I struggled with it because it would've been a much better "twist" if he had kept the name out of the blurb so that it was a surprise to everyone and not just the people in the story.

I have to give it to Mr. Fukuda. He writes a story and sticks with it. The plot was completely tied together. The entire world that he creates stays in the realm and doesn't venture out. That was great to read, too often, authors forget where their story is going and what it is about. I loved the maturity of the writing. The way Gene was wise beyond his years really grabbed my interest. I usually prefer teenagers to act like teenagers, but with the way this book was written, Gene's narration was projected beautifully.

This blood is gory in an almost obscene way. It's like a train wreck, where you can't look away. I was horrified by the graphic details and with the ease at which they are stated. I was honestly sickened by some of the descriptions, but the author means to horrify you so that he can get his point across. He does this to make you understand that this is not going to be just another vampire love story. There is no place for love in the world that he's created.

It grossed me out when Gene, the main character, describes how he ate the raw meat that they served for dinner like it was no problem. He even mentions drinking the leftover blood out of a cup. I don't understand how someone can be human and do that without even batting an eye. I didn't like that Gene kept referring to himself as part of the group of vampires. I understand that he has grown accustomed to their lifestyles and has grown up pretending to be one of them, but it seemed wrong to me that he categorized himself with them.

This book is very strange. It's hard to keep up with, but a very entertaining read. It kept my interest throughout the book. And that ending? Holy crap. I would like the next book now please! I recommend this to those who aren't meek or faint of heart!

I received an e-copy of this novel from the publisher from Netgalley for my honest opinion and review.