Book Review: Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Centuries ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were slashed open allowing hideous fantastical monsters to wreak havoc; destroying entire cities in their wake. Now, people must live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the evil creatures constantly trying to break in. Only the corps of teen Hunters with lightning reflexes and magical abilities can protect the populace from the daily attacks.

Joyeaux Charmand is a mountain girl from a close knit village who comes to the big city to join the Hunters. Joy thinks she is only there to perform her civic duty and protect the capitol Cits, or civilians, but as cameras follow her every move, she soon learns that the more successful she is in her hunts, the more famous she becomes.

With millions of fans watching her on reality TV, Joy begins to realize that Apex is not all it seems. She is forced to question everything she grew up believing about the legendary Hunters and the very world she lives in. Soon she finds that her fame may be part of a deep conspiracy that threatens to upend the protective structure built to keep dark magic out. The monsters are getting in and it is up to Joy to find out why.

Book Review:

Have you ever read a book that’s just so over the top that it’s entertaining? HUNTER was that book for me. For the first third my eyes were rolling so much I’m surprised they’re still in my head, because Joy is such a special snowflake. But then I put my disbelief aside and enjoyed a good story.

Hunter Joyeaux Charmand is Superwoman. There’s nothing she can’t do. Really. There’s nothing she can’t do. When she’s summoned from a remote mountain to the main city to be a Hunter in the big time, Joy immediately catapults to the top of the ratings. In a world where Othersiders prey on humans, Hunters are the only people who can turn back the vampires, fairies, drakkens, harpies, and every other type of magical/supernatural creature you can think of. In Apex City, Hunters are celebrities, each with their own TV channel so fans can keep track of everything they do.

Joy’s so extraordinary I had a really hard time believing it. She controls the largest pack of Hounds, and they’re special Hounds, of course. She knows more about the Othersiders than most of the City Hunters do. She can fight or talk her way out of any situation. And oh yeah — she doesn’t want any of the fame that comes with her new position. She just wants to help the normal people.

This is something I never say, but there was too much worldbuilding for me in HUNTER. Every single time Joy encountered something in the City, she had to inform the reader how that same thing was back on the Mountain. Even such mundane things as how bathing worked or how clothing was made. There’s such a thing as information overload, and HUNTER suffers from it. I really didn’t need to know so much about the Mountain, and the deluge of info at the beginning slowed down the book. I also think the author was being a bit too preachy on things like waste and religion.

But once I got past all of that, and set aside my disbelief over Superwoman Joy? I enjoyed HUNTER. I could see it being made into a television series, which makes sense, since Hunters are reality stars. There’s some inventive magic, lots of action, and a fun mashing together of all types of supernatural creatures. I’m really curious as to where the series will head next.

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– leeanna

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