Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

Title: The Hunt
Author: Andrew Fukuda
Series: The Hunt, #1
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: May 8, 2012

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?

Verdict: Oh my goodness. This book is crazy (in a completely good way)! It takes place sometime in the future. Humans (aka Hepers) are almost extinct and the world is basically ruled by vampires (and no, they do not sparkle). These vampires are vicious, blood-thirsty, and completely ruthless. They do not befriend hepers, they eat them. The main character of this book is a heper posing as a vampire. Let me tell you how hard this is- he has to make sure to stay freshly shaven, never sweat, never smile, never laugh, never squint, never sneeze, never cough, have perfectly shaped fingernails, show absolutely no emotion, stay out of the sun so he doesn't tan, and much, much more. Basically, if I had to try to pass as a vampire, I would fail miserably and be eaten. So, the vampire ruler has decided to host another Hunt. Which is when a few lucky vampires are selected to participate in hunting down and eating the last remaining hepers (it would be like us winning the lottery). Unfortunately, our guy is chosen as one of the lucky hunters. This is really bad news, seeing as he doesn't actually have any vampires strengths- his true identity would be revealed and he would be eaten. (Yes, being eaten is a repeating underlying theme in this book.) And to make matters worse, this vampire girl he has nicknamed Ashley-June got picked right along with him and if he isn't careful he might actually find himself falling for her....... or ya know, being eaten. Like I said earlier, this book is crazy! I didn't particularly like Ashley-June, but hey, that's just me. I did like the other heper characters and hated every. single. vampire. And that ending...... OMG!!! I'm just dying to read the sequel! There were a few times during the book, where I thought I was going to have to give it a lower rating. But by the end, I was hooked and am giving it the four stars it deserves! Overall, it was a fantastic read for lovers of dystopian worlds and vampires that actually eat humans and burn in the sun. :))
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley.

Rating: 4/5 Stars

-Kristen ♥