4.5 stars.

If you’re not scratching your wrists or frothing from the mouth when you finish the book, if not halfway through, then there’s something wrong with you. Period. There’s no zombies. There’s no vampires. Just humans – hepers: vulnerable, near extinct, scared… civil. And the infested population that hunts them, kills them, feeds on them/cannibalises… and studies them. They’re strange and unhuman, like nothing you have ever seen or read. They perish in sunlight – who cares? At least there’s something natural to kill them with. Get ready for your mind to be slaughtered. You’re in for a thrilling ride along with Gene (a heper living among the infested and pretending to be one of them – I wouldn’t survive like he has with half my heritage being Mediterranean and of hairiness.

With his writing, Andrew Fukuda will seem like a veteran. The correct words are used at the most appropriate times and you’ll be enthralled with his imagination, both in words and vision. What I loved the most was the descriptions used: for the horror/gorey parts (e.g., decapitation, cannibalism) and those to describe the behaviours of the infested (wrist scratching, mouth frothing, drooling etc). Also all the fighting and actions scenes was great to be immersed in. I loved everything about it. It was different, unusual… and fun to picture. But I did notice A LOT of ‘;’ and ‘:’ which was fine by me.

If anything, The Hunt is The Hunger Games for boys: a male protagonist, more gore, more excitement for them. I dislike comparing anything to The Hunger Games but I’m really not comparing – I’m just saying what it is. However, I was anticipating the actual ‘Hunt’ to come earlier but it didn’t begin until the last 40 or so pages. Despite that, the anticipated was built and you’re left hanging to discover what would happen next and how Gene would get out of the predicament he is in. Yes, so you can say there is a The Hunger Games feel to it, but it’s different. Familiar yet distinctly different.

So pick up The Hunt and be immersed in Gene’s world, but just take precautions to not become an infested as occurred to me – my wrist is raw; I see bone. I should’ve written this review over two weeks ago but what can you do? Like it matter anyway – The Hunt is released today!