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Hunter
(Hunter #1)
by
They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.
Monsters.
Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of t ...more
Monsters.
Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of t ...more
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Hardcover, 374 pages
Published
September 1st 2015
by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
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Start your review of Hunter (Hunter, #1)
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
Contrary to my assumption, HUNTER by Mercedes Lackey was not a YA fantasy. If I'd bothered to read the blurb, I would've known that, but what can I say? Old habits die hard.
What it is is a paranormal/mythological/post-apocalyptic/dystopian mashup.
Sounds cool, right? And a lot of readers, particularly those still in their teens, will probably really like it.
Me? No such luck.
For starters, I'm not a big fan of the shy, reluctant heroine type. It always rings false to me. L ...more
Contrary to my assumption, HUNTER by Mercedes Lackey was not a YA fantasy. If I'd bothered to read the blurb, I would've known that, but what can I say? Old habits die hard.
What it is is a paranormal/mythological/post-apocalyptic/dystopian mashup.
Sounds cool, right? And a lot of readers, particularly those still in their teens, will probably really like it.
Me? No such luck.
For starters, I'm not a big fan of the shy, reluctant heroine type. It always rings false to me. L ...more
DNF - 25%
I'm so tired of reading this same old recycled story. It's like a The Hunger Games / Divergent mash-up with yet another special girl who saves the world. Starts with many tedious info-dumps and was so easy to put down and forget about. ...more
I'm so tired of reading this same old recycled story. It's like a The Hunger Games / Divergent mash-up with yet another special girl who saves the world. Starts with many tedious info-dumps and was so easy to put down and forget about. ...more
As a dystopian novel, Mercedes Lackey's Hunter doesn't offer anything really new. Due to some apocalyptic event, the fabric of the world opens up and allows magic to exist alongside modern technology. It also allows monsters to enter the world. Obviously, the world will need protection; enter the hunters. Our young protagonist is eager to prove herself, and through determination and resourcefulness advances through the ranks of hunters. Contrary to the reviewers here who either loved or hated Hu
...more
Review first posted on www.fantasyliterature.com:
In Mercedes Lackey’s new young adult novel Hunter, post-apocalyptic science fiction mixes with magical fantasy to produce an adventure in the tradition of The Hunger Games and Divergent. A series of catastrophes called the “Diseray” – a corruption of Dies Irae – has hit our world: a nuclear bomb (blamed on Christians) was set off in the near east, the North and South Poles switched, plagues killed countless people, and storms have permanently grou ...more
In Mercedes Lackey’s new young adult novel Hunter, post-apocalyptic science fiction mixes with magical fantasy to produce an adventure in the tradition of The Hunger Games and Divergent. A series of catastrophes called the “Diseray” – a corruption of Dies Irae – has hit our world: a nuclear bomb (blamed on Christians) was set off in the near east, the North and South Poles switched, plagues killed countless people, and storms have permanently grou ...more
DNF @25% - I really dislike giving out negative reviews, but this is just not working for me. Just far too much info dumping and not a lot happening. For example, 5 Kindle pages for the origin of breakfast food and a few more on fashion. I get that this is the first book in the series and world building needs to be established, but for goodness' sake we don't need to know about what kind of pig the bacon was from. Even with the prodigious info dumping, the world building is still haphazard at be
...more
I am proud to say I am yet again an oddball... I really liked this book!
I've never read a book before that started so BAD but ended so GOOD!
The Bad (the first 20%) :
Okay, so the first 20% I'd only rate a 6/10 and that's being generous. The whole beginning is Joy riding the train to the city. It would've been so much better if it started in the mountains. Then we could've seen what it was like instead of being told about it.
It starts with TONS of info dumping! This girl has concentration issues. ...more
I've never read a book before that started so BAD but ended so GOOD!
The Bad (the first 20%) :
Okay, so the first 20% I'd only rate a 6/10 and that's being generous. The whole beginning is Joy riding the train to the city. It would've been so much better if it started in the mountains. Then we could've seen what it was like instead of being told about it.
It starts with TONS of info dumping! This girl has concentration issues. ...more
I am with the majority - infodumps, Mary Sue MC and recycled YA tropes galore.
This sounds like Attack on Titan.
Jan 10, 2017
Colleen Houck
added it
Shelves:
monsters,
paranormal,
secret-organizations,
bullying,
death,
survival,
apocalyptic,
spells,
dragons,
future
I love the mix of different cultures as well as the world building in this series. The heroine is amazing and I wish I could fight alongside her or see her in action. She's super cool. The spells and the magic are really well imagined. Love the colors of the hunters and the fact that they have channels people follow. It's fantasy but with enough of a real world overlap, it feels like it could happen.
...more
Pages read: 21
The whole first chapter was infodumping without any personality and some sketchy world building. I'm thrown out of the book at every reference to the Diseray. I know you mean the disarray, so why oh why is it spelled like that?
Also, there was some serious comma abuse happening.
THIS. IS. NOT. HOW. SEMICOLONS. WORK.
In the middle of the infodump, the ...more
The whole first chapter was infodumping without any personality and some sketchy world building. I'm thrown out of the book at every reference to the Diseray. I know you mean the disarray, so why oh why is it spelled like that?
Also, there was some serious comma abuse happening.
"Two years ago; I was fourteen then. Summer, of course; in winter, all the settlements are relatively safe, protected by snow and cold."
THIS. IS. NOT. HOW. SEMICOLONS. WORK.
In the middle of the infodump, the ...more
Originally posted on the blog: What the Cat Read
I’ve always been a fan of Lackey’s novels. She’s been a household favorite since the time I was a tiny little kitten to present day. There has been very little which she has written that I have not loved, so when I heard that she had a new YA novel releasing this year, I pounced on the chance to read it because I knew it was going to be enjoyable. And I can assure you that it did not disappoint. Fans of Lackey’s various series are going to purr ove ...more
I’ve always been a fan of Lackey’s novels. She’s been a household favorite since the time I was a tiny little kitten to present day. There has been very little which she has written that I have not loved, so when I heard that she had a new YA novel releasing this year, I pounced on the chance to read it because I knew it was going to be enjoyable. And I can assure you that it did not disappoint. Fans of Lackey’s various series are going to purr ove ...more
Seriously? I'm not one to be easily offended, ESPECIALLY when reading fantasy fiction. In fact, I dare say this is a first. DNF
"That's how Apex started. A lot of really smart tech and builder people and the military. And the emergent hunters protecting everyone that came to them."...more
He didn't say anything about the Christers, other than what everybody knows--that some fanatics set off a nuke. But there didn't seem to be a lot of Christers in Apex from what I'd seen. The Christers of that time thou
7/30/2015: ARC! WOOWOO
DNF Review
Stopped at: 21%
7/31/2015: I am so, SO disappointed. I can't believe a veteran novelist wrote this. It is goofy and derivative, and the infodumping is tedious. If I have to go back and read the same paragraph five times, then maybe it is time to admit that this isn't for me.
The worldbuilding was great. It was the characters, and mostly the main character, that killed my interest. The writing is, at best, juvenile and condescending. I don't mind the MC wanting to ge ...more
DNF Review
Stopped at: 21%
7/31/2015: I am so, SO disappointed. I can't believe a veteran novelist wrote this. It is goofy and derivative, and the infodumping is tedious. If I have to go back and read the same paragraph five times, then maybe it is time to admit that this isn't for me.
The worldbuilding was great. It was the characters, and mostly the main character, that killed my interest. The writing is, at best, juvenile and condescending. I don't mind the MC wanting to ge ...more
~review copy from Netgalley
HUNTER -- I LOVE this book. It's so much fun and Mercedes Lackey's world building is engaging and her take on magic is believable.
THE BACKDROP-- is an alternative earth where catastrophe has struck. And while the Christers may have been expecting to be gathered up to Heaven, what really happened was that the border between this earth and other worlds was breached, and magic and horrid creatures can spilling in.
Hobgoblins, vampires and a host of creatures we know throu ...more
HUNTER -- I LOVE this book. It's so much fun and Mercedes Lackey's world building is engaging and her take on magic is believable.
THE BACKDROP-- is an alternative earth where catastrophe has struck. And while the Christers may have been expecting to be gathered up to Heaven, what really happened was that the border between this earth and other worlds was breached, and magic and horrid creatures can spilling in.
Hobgoblins, vampires and a host of creatures we know throu ...more
~Thanks Netgalley for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest review~
Actual rating: 2.5 stars, generously rounded up
Hunter isn’t so bad. It isn’t compelling either.
This book places itself in the well-established tradition of dystopian YA, such as The Hunger Games and Prodigy, with a slight touch of fantasy and a bunch of mythological stuff. It mixes up bullets and magic in a post-apocalyptic world threatened by monsters from the Otherworld. Only corps of Hunters with magical skills and ...more
Actual rating: 2.5 stars, generously rounded up
Hunter isn’t so bad. It isn’t compelling either.
This book places itself in the well-established tradition of dystopian YA, such as The Hunger Games and Prodigy, with a slight touch of fantasy and a bunch of mythological stuff. It mixes up bullets and magic in a post-apocalyptic world threatened by monsters from the Otherworld. Only corps of Hunters with magical skills and ...more
DNF at %15
I love the cover and I loved the synopsis but once I started this book, I realized that Hunter is pretty much every YA book ever. Unlikely hero from humble origin is "different", "special" and is the only one who can save the world. I started this book two weeks ago and I just couldn't get into it and I just didn't want to finish it. That being said, I have pre-ordered this book. The cover is amazing and I want to own it. I didn't finish this book now but I'll start it once I have a ha ...more
I love the cover and I loved the synopsis but once I started this book, I realized that Hunter is pretty much every YA book ever. Unlikely hero from humble origin is "different", "special" and is the only one who can save the world. I started this book two weeks ago and I just couldn't get into it and I just didn't want to finish it. That being said, I have pre-ordered this book. The cover is amazing and I want to own it. I didn't finish this book now but I'll start it once I have a ha ...more
I enjoyed this book so much the 2nd time around, knowing what's to come, and just enjoying where Joy is at this point of her life! Such a great read, must reread more!
*First read September 26th, 2015*
Oh, so awesome! Really enjoyed this book, and there were a couple of things that were unsolved for the next book, and I can't wait to find out about them! ...more
*First read September 26th, 2015*
Oh, so awesome! Really enjoyed this book, and there were a couple of things that were unsolved for the next book, and I can't wait to find out about them! ...more
4.5 stars - it surprised me how much I liked this book, since on the whole YA books have annoyed me lately. This one just didn't have any of the tropes that push my buttons I guess. Plus, who wouldn't want a pack of cool demon "hounds", etc. I thought that Lackey also used the whole "reality tv" craze effectively.
I've already downloaded the next book :) ...more
I've already downloaded the next book :) ...more
2.5/5; 3 stars
Mercedes Lackey is a super experienced writer and it’s shows in the smooth narrative, world building, and character creation. However, this book, and indeed, the whole series really fell short for me. There was so much good stuff, so many fine ingredients but they were put together badley. I think the series could be improved by cutting out one whole book worth of battles and cut out the self flagellation in book three. I regret slogging through all three.
Maybe I’m just in a grump ...more
Mercedes Lackey is a super experienced writer and it’s shows in the smooth narrative, world building, and character creation. However, this book, and indeed, the whole series really fell short for me. There was so much good stuff, so many fine ingredients but they were put together badley. I think the series could be improved by cutting out one whole book worth of battles and cut out the self flagellation in book three. I regret slogging through all three.
Maybe I’m just in a grump ...more
For the first novel by this author I have listened to on audiobook, I was entertained most of the way through. Mercedes Lackey has written an infinite number of novels - by which I mean I know I will never be able to read them all. (Seriously, look at that bibliography...) Taking this one as an example, it is part of a trilogy taking place in a dystopian world full of storybook creatures and built upon centuries of fantasy cliches. However, it justifies the use of many of the tropes through clev
...more
Maybe I was sufficiently warned from other reviews, or maybe I'm just used to Lackey's style at this point, but I had no trouble getting into this book. The start was slow, but I genuinely enjoyed being slowly introduced to this weird science fiction/fantasy world. It's incredibly complex, with its mythology and politics, and I love that Joy is at the center of it; she's keeping the secrets of the place where she grew up while also playing the game and being a good Hunter for the higher-ups.
I l ...more
I l ...more
When I received Hunter from NetGalley I looked through some of the reviews on Goodreads and they made me so nervous to read it. There were some good reviews here and there but most of them were at best mediocre. Now here I am writing my review and I am torn. I am giving this book a three out of five simply because my feelings on it are so mixed.
I actually really enjoyed the story. I thought that it was a fun new take on the often over played Dystopian genre. When the Diseray occurred, which is t ...more
I actually really enjoyed the story. I thought that it was a fun new take on the often over played Dystopian genre. When the Diseray occurred, which is t ...more
DNF at 44%
I remember having my interest piqued by the unique world introduced by the author but it wasn't enough to keep me reading so I eventually gave up on it.
Thank you so much to Disney Book Group, Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for granting me access to an eARC. (incredibly late, I know) ...more
I remember having my interest piqued by the unique world introduced by the author but it wasn't enough to keep me reading so I eventually gave up on it.
Thank you so much to Disney Book Group, Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for granting me access to an eARC. (incredibly late, I know) ...more
Just when I thought I was worn out on the YA genre, Hunter comes along and knocks my socks off! I’ve been a fan of Mercedes Lackey for years (with the Dragon Jousters series claiming the spot as my favorite), so I knew that, even though she was tackling a younger demographic, it was still going to be fantastic – and it was. She delivered a cool, creative book with dangerous monsters, memorable characters, and a (mostly) unpredictable (and exciting!) plot-line. The best compliment I can give this
...more
This is a tough one to categorize, in terms of a genre, because it's both science fiction AND fantasy, in a dystopian, post-disaster future. The main character is a teen who was trained in what seems to be a mixture of Tibetan and Native Mexican traditions, in a world where northern European Fair Folk guide creatures from a variety of traditions over the border into the "real" world to do odd things.
I have long thought that some of Mercedes Lackey's books were well suited to a teen audience, but ...more
I have long thought that some of Mercedes Lackey's books were well suited to a teen audience, but ...more
Whoa, I never thought I'd do this in a review, but I have to. (Giving one star, I mean). I was quite overwhelmed by the amount of words and info contained in this book. I mean, yes, the blurb really got my attention when I first got this, I thought Joyeaux would be the new or next Katniss Everdeen or Tris Prior. Sadly, after a seemingly endless dragging history and innumerable descriptive words, the interest I initially invested slowly faded into oblivion.
But I still finished this book because ...more
But I still finished this book because ...more
May 31, 2015
Stefani Sloma
marked it as dnf
Man, I wanted to like this one so much more than I did. I tried. I really did. But after putting it down a couple of times and not really caring if I picked it back up, I finally DNF-ed it. This is why:
- The writing style is really strange. The MC keeps addressing the reader but you’re never really sure why/who she’s even talking to. Is she telling her story to someone? Breaking the fourth wall only works occasionally and it didn’t here. Plus, wtf is up with the weird combinations of words like ...more
- The writing style is really strange. The MC keeps addressing the reader but you’re never really sure why/who she’s even talking to. Is she telling her story to someone? Breaking the fourth wall only works occasionally and it didn’t here. Plus, wtf is up with the weird combinations of words like ...more
DNF at 21%
I liked the cover and the synopsis seemed interesting, so I figured why not.
Joyeaux could be a very interesting character, but I didn't see any of that in the sections I read. Her inner monologue attempted to be inclusive to the reader with the constant use of "in case you asked" or "if you were wondering"; however, I found it to be repetitive and slightly annoying. The 4 chapters I did get through were one big info dump and yet somehow I'm still not sure what was happening.
I'm sure ...more
I liked the cover and the synopsis seemed interesting, so I figured why not.
Joyeaux could be a very interesting character, but I didn't see any of that in the sections I read. Her inner monologue attempted to be inclusive to the reader with the constant use of "in case you asked" or "if you were wondering"; however, I found it to be repetitive and slightly annoying. The 4 chapters I did get through were one big info dump and yet somehow I'm still not sure what was happening.
I'm sure ...more
Story-wise A 4+* review from me. I went through a couple of other books recently that were just ok and I thought maybe it was me! I started this book with low expectations and boy was I pleasantly surprised. This story hit me in all the right ways. There are some common tropes, a young person with lots of potentials, treated unfairly and is on the outs, finds a couple of trustworthy friends, and finds a way to overcome. I don't care. Lackey told it all in a way that kept me entertained and excit
...more
Hunter is a story filled with action, magic, and otherworldly creatures. It fits in a multitude of genres including science fiction, dystopian, and fantasy. At times it feels reminiscent of books like The Hunger Games and Divergent. This book is very much it’s own, but I can understand the comparisons being given.
The world used to be different, but then the Diserray happened, which is essentially what changed the world. Many things happened like the north and south poles switched, plagues spre ...more
The world used to be different, but then the Diserray happened, which is essentially what changed the world. Many things happened like the north and south poles switched, plagues spre ...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison Mega-Mara...: #145 Hunter by Mercedes Lackey | 1 | 3 | Aug 09, 2015 11:08AM |
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Mercedes entered this world on June 24, 1950, in Chicago, had a normal childhood and graduated from Purdue University in 1972. During the late 70's she worked as an artist's model and then went into the computer programming field, ending up with American Airlines in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to her fantasy writing, she has written lyrics for and recorded nearly fifty songs for Firebird Arts & M
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