Starry Eyes? More like SWOONY SKIES.

Starry Eyes

Author: Jenn Bennet

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Release Date: April 3rd 2018

Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern day, Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.

But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.

What could go wrong?

With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.

And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?

Jenn Bennet does it again!  

You know a book is ~*GOOD*~ when you keep telling yourself, "one more chapter, then bed...one more chapter then bed..." but soon enough you've forgotten all about sleep and you've been transported into a tent under giant sequoia trees; that's this book y'all!  

I never thought that camping could seem so darn appealing, yet, Starry Eyes made me want to hike 10 miles into the middle of nowhere and set up camp! The only problem is....I don't have a shaggy-haired, sassy guide to teach me the ropes. Drat.

Dudes. Lennon is so damn cute. He's a total nerd/camping expert/smart-ass/ reptile aficionado. Oh, and he's an amazing kisser. Plus, did I mention his voice!? Damn y'all. {Please refer to THIS for evidence of the aforementioned vocal box.} Also he's the sweetest!? And he's emotionally complex!? AND BOY TEARS HAPPEN, GUISE. *wraps him in a cocoon of love and sugar dust * Plus, his moms run a boutique sex shop—so—there's that. Butt plug jokes are made. Dildos galore. LOTS OF LAUGHS, OKAY! 

Then we have Zorie. Star-gazin', funky glasses wearin', cutie-pie, sassafras Zorie.  She is all about being in control and knowing how and why and when things are going to happen. That poor girl has some major upsets throughout the book. She has to deal with bitchy, not to mention, ditchy friends, a sexy sorta kinda Ex, and a super douche dad. Talk about jostled plans.  

But thank goodness that her plans get EFFED THE EFF UP because Zorie and Lennon's banter is off the charts. They are too adorbs for words. GOALS TO THE MAX. I need more of them, sooo i think another entire novel should do it. :P 

If you're looking for a swoony adventure, look no further than Starry Eyes!  

Blackhearts by Nicole Castroman

Blackhearts (ARC Copy)

Author: Nicole Castroman

Publisher: Simon Pulse

Blackbeard the pirate was known for striking fear in the hearts of the bravest of sailors. But once he was just a young man who dreamed of leaving his rigid life behind to chase adventure in faraway lands. Nothing could stop him—until he met the one girl who would change everything.

Edward "Teach" Drummond, son of one of Bristol's richest merchants, has just returned from a year-long journey on the high seas to find his life in shambles. Betrothed to a girl he doesn’t love and sick of the high society he was born into, Teach dreams only of returning to the vast ocean he’d begun to call home. There's just one problem: convincing his father to let him leave and never come back.

Following her parents' deaths, Anne Barrett is left penniless and soon to be homeless. Though she’s barely worked a day in her life, Anne is forced to take a job as a maid in the home of Master Drummond. Lonely days stretch into weeks, and Anne longs for escape. How will she ever realize her dream of sailing to Curaçao—where her mother was born—when she's stuck in England? 

From the moment Teach and Anne meet, they set the world ablaze. Drawn to each other, they’re trapped by society and their own circumstances. Faced with an impossible choice, they must decide to chase their dreams and go, or follow their hearts and stay.~Goodreads

THAT COVER! 

That cover is so fantastic. Forget about the story, just let me stare at this cover all day!

Pirates have a very special place in my heart. So, any story that involves or makes reference to pirates is gold—BLACKHEARTS is no exception!

This book is told from alternating points-of-view which is my absolute favorite way to get to know the characters. Anne is so strong-willed and tough and smart—she is a take no nonsense type of gal—which I adored. Then there is Teach, he is so incredibly attractive and frustrating and attractive and intelligent and bossy and did I mention attractive? Also, he was to be the captain of a ship. *THUD* 

Anne and Teach's relationship is so refreshing. They seriously frustrate the hell out of each other yet their attraction is so palpable. (When Anne reads to Teach while he was sick—oh my goodness gracious—my heart! There was nothing as sweet and romantic and SEXUALLY CHARGED.) I'm so surprised Teach was able to hold of kissing Anne as long as he did ;)

As great as this book was, I feel is was one epic set up for an even more incredible sequel. Do you know how SPECTATULAR IT WOULD BE?! It would take place on the high seas! Yes please. I'm so in for a second installment!

BLACKHEARTS is definitely a book you need to add to your TBR!

Who I Kissed by Janet Gurtler

Who I Kissed

Author: Janet Gurtler

Publisher: Sourcefire Books

Rating: 4.5 Stars 

Pub Date: October 2012

She never thought a kiss could kill…
Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She was just trying to fit in...and she wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for a prettier girl. So she kissed Alex. And then he died—right in her arms.
Was she really the only person in the entire school who didn’t know about his peanut allergy? Or that eating a peanut better sandwich and then kissing him would be deadly? Overnight Sam turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she’ll have to find a way to forgive herself before anyone else will.~Goodreads.

Who I Kissed is a book filled with sorrow and hope. It's a book filled with characters that'll make your heart hurt and a storyline that is brilliantly told. Who I kissed is a book that makes you THINK about the choices you make through-out the day and how they can affect others. Small, simple things that you might find inconsequential. Like eating a peanut butter sandwich, for example.

Because that’s all Sam, the main character, did; eat a peanut butter sandwich before a party.

And it all spiraled downward from there.

Sam arrives at the party hoping to make an impression on her crush and fellow swimmer Zee, but unfortunately he’s mackin’ on someone else. Ouch. So, to try to make Zee jealous, Sam decides to kiss one of his best friends, Alex. And remember how Sam ate that pb sammich before the party? Yeah, well, Alex is SEVERELY allergic to peanuts. And oh my gosh you guys...that moment!? It felt suspended in time. From the time Sam and Alex broke their kiss to when his sister Chloe was franticly yelling for someone to call 911...it was all in slow motion, even as I was reading it. It was insane. Seriously.

When Alex dies at the hospital, Sam’s life changes drastically. She quits the swim team and hides away in her room. She’s broken and confused and sorry, so so sorry, and mortified and embarrassed and devastated and the absolute anguish she feels? Just bleeds through the pages. I felt so bad for this girl.

Only a hand full of people treat Sam with the dignity she still deserves after the incident while others are SO rude and hateful. And I just want to quick mention Casper and say “WAAAAAH!” ←whether that’s a good ‘waah’ or a bad ‘waaah,’ I’ll never tell ya! (pick up the book and you’ll find out :P)

Sam tries to deal with what happened to Alex but struggles with it on a daily basis and it takes her awhile to finally heal and accept it. She makes some major mistakes along the way but she also reaches some very important revelations; severing certain relationships and strengthening others. She goes through so much and grows so much as a character and i absolutely loved that!

Overall, Who I Kissed is an intense and amazing novel that I HIGHLY recommend.

Through to You by Emily Hainsworth

Through to You

Author: Emily Hainsworth

Publisher: Balzer + Bray

Pages: 272

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Team: Nina. I think. Unless Cam’s Viv came back...but she, like, can’t...so Nina! 

Camden Pike has been grief-stricken since his girlfriend, Viv, died. Viv was the last good thing in his life: helping him rebuild his identity after a career-ending football injury, picking up the pieces when his home life shattered, and healing his pain long after the meds wore off. And now, he’d give anything for one more glimpse of her. But when Cam makes a visit to the site of Viv’s deadly car accident, he sees some kind of apparition. And it isn’t Viv.

The apparition’s name is Nina, and she’s not a ghost. She’s a girl from a parallel world, and in this world, Viv is still alive. Cam can’t believe his wildest dreams have come true. All he can focus on is getting his girlfriend back, no matter the cost. But things are different in this other world: Viv and Cam have both made very different choices, things between them have changed in unexpected ways, and Viv isn’t the same girl he remembers. Nina is keeping some dangerous secrets, too, and the window between the worlds is shrinking every day. As Cam comes to terms with who this Viv has become and the part Nina played in his parallel story, he’s forced to choose—stay with Viv or let her go—before the window closes between them once and for all.~Goodreads

I flew through this book. Probably because Camden’s voice is amazing and I fell for him immediately!! He’s genuine and broken and an utter...guy—which I absolutely adore. *sighs* Yes, I liked Camden very much :)

But I also felt extremely bad for him. Because not only did he lose the ability to play football he also lost his girlfriend, Viv, in a terrible accident that he still blames himself for months after the fact.

So when Cam sees a girl materialize near Viv’s memorial, he thinks he’s finally lost it. He’s pretty sure he’s gone insane due to an over excessive amount of grief. Until the girl, Nina, appears again, frazzled and sprouting off things that don’t make sense—like how Cam is actually her best friend and Viv is still alive. *GASP*

Enter phase step-through-the-green-ghostly-light-by-Viv’s-memorial-where-Nina-keeps-poping-through. When Cam completes said phase he discovers a crazy parallel world where Viv’s alive, he can still play football and everything else is totally different yet completely the same...

Dude. It’s so cray! Like holy snap! The concept of walking through a portal into a different world!? Where everything you’ve lost is suddenly...not anymore?!? Insane.

But all that really matters to Cam is that he has Viv back.

And I actually really liked the alternate universe Viv. I was rooting for her and Cam most of the book because she made him SO HAPPY—and Cam’s just one of those guys you want to see happy, ya know!?

But the more time Cam spent in the alternate universe...the more time he talked with Nina too and I liked her a lot as well! Cam’s relationship with both girls was such a switch from the typical triangle and I loved every second of it!

Annywho! Cam tries to balance his time in that world and this world, but it proves to be difficult. Especially when a certain girlfriend refuses to stay where she belongs. So, INSERT A FREAKING HUGE TWIST HERE and you'll see me speechless and stunned. Like WHOA! Whoa. Insane.

This book ended way too quickly! And it was SO bittersweet, it was adorable in a way that made my heart clench and shocking in a way that made me not want to say goodbye to the characters!

Overall, Through to You is incredible story and I’d definitely say it’s a debut that should not be missed!

Survive by Alex Morel

Survive

Author: Alex Morel

Publisher: Razorbill

Pages: 272

Rating: 4.5 Stars! 

Hatchet meets Lost in this modern-day adventure tale of one girl's reawakening

Jane is on a plane on her way home to Montclair, New Jersey, from a mental hospital. She is about to kill herself. Just before she can swallow a lethal dose of pills, the plane hits turbulence and everything goes black. Jane wakes up amidst piles of wreckage and charred bodies on a snowy mountaintop. There is only one other survivor: a boy named Paul, who inspires Jane to want to fight for her life for the first time.

Jane and Paul scale icy slopes and huddle together for warmth at night, forging an intense emotional bond. But the wilderness is a vast and lethal force, and only one of them will survive.~Goodreads

Jane, wants to die—that’s clear from the start (seeing as though she’s in a mental hospital for attempted suicide...) But, she still follows the facility’s program to a tee--talking with her therapist, attending group counseling and overall being on her best behavior so she can score a temporary ticket out.

Little does she know that the plane ride home and the adorably attractive boy seated next to her will change her life forever.

Mr. Paul Hart (adorably attractive boy) tries to make conversation with Jane but she just ain’t having it. She’s got bigger things to worry about, like falling asleep in the plane’s bathroom and never waking up—so, whose got time for small talk, right?

Well, fast-forward a couple sleeping pills, EXtreme turbulence and a crash in mountains later...and Jane’s going to have to start singing a different tune. Because the only other person who survived the crash? That adorably attractive boy. Who she’s probably going to have to talk to now...

Jane has no choice but to team up with Paul, and together they try to keep one another alive. First step towards survival? Go find supplies. They end up heading back to the main body of the plane to search through other passenger’s belongings. What they find are a couple of sleeping bags, a few water bottles and some candy. Not much.

I seriously felt so bad for them. It’s below effing zero degrees, they’re scared as eff and the chance of them being rescued is...slim. But somehow they both stay positive. Or at least, when one wasn’t positive the other one was!

And I absolutely adored Paul. He was super arrogant but also just the sweetest thing. I totally ended up falling for him and so did Jane.

In the six days they’re stranded together they share so much more than just a sleeping bag....in the cold...at night...for the body heat…. ;)

Ehem! Moving on, so Jane shares her past with Paul and he spills his hopes, fears and regrets too. Their time together was so freaking precious. They were all cute and cuddly one second and then they’d bicker and banter the next. *sighs* I love bi-polar relationships. :P

Anywhoooo, so the second step towards survival? Get to higher ground—a mountaintop where they can be seen. But it’s not that easy and the mountain throws obstacles in Jane and Paul’s way....leading to one of them not quite making it out.

With an ending that broke my heart and had me in tears, Survive will stick with me for a long time. And I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who loves a suspenseful romantic survival story! (say that ten times fast!)

Erasing Time by C.J. Hill

Erasing Time

Author: C.J. Hill

Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books

Pages: 368

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

In this high-action and romantic futuristic adventure, there is no escape from the future for two contemporary girls pulled out of their own time.

When twins Sheridan and Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed cities, no animals, and a language that’s so different, it barely sounds like English. And the worst news: They can’t go back home.

The twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new weapon. The moblike Dakine fights against the government, and somehow Taylor and Sheridan find themselves in the middle. The only way to elude them all is to trust Echo, a guy with secrets of his own. The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape into the wilds beyond the city.

Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what you believe in.~Goodreads

I loved the world in this book. I want to live there. SO bad. It was so fantastically amazing. And the characters in this book!? So insanely unique, even the twins Taylor and Sheridan were completely different. And the people who live in Traventon? So phenomenally eccentric in the most unbelievable way! 

The people who live in Traventon believe that animals used to talk, based off of our 'records’ such as Winnie the Pooh and Little Red Riding Hood. They also don’t understand slag words such as ‘totally' and they incorporate Spanish words/phrases in to their version of modern English. Oh! And they think that we worship Santa! Ha! (That scene was absolutely adorable!)

And speaking of adorable...I absolutely LOVED Echo, the boy Sheridan and Taylor meet when they first get zapped to Traventon. He has blue hair. 'Nuff said. :P And he's also a major sweetheart! He helps Sheridan and Taylor throughout the whole book when he doesn’t have to. Echo and his dad, Jeth, are wordsmiths who study terms and customs that came from 400 years prior, so they’re both utterly captivated by the girls. And i loved being able to see how Echo felt about them! His POV was one of my favorite things about this book!

But my most favoritest thing!? SKIN DYES!! They’re tattoos that you can change at any freaking time!! SO AMAZE!! Just check out what I mean:

“When it came to dying their faces, Taylor covered her cheeks and eyelids with blue-and-white swirls that looked like spinning wheels. Sheridan went with a flesh-tone face dye to erase her freckles, then Echo painted a succession of gold stars that dipped around one eyebrow and down onto her cheek. Elise applied lip and eyeliner dye, then transformed Sheridan’s eyelids into two golden patches.”

SO FREAKING BOMB, RIGHT?! Right.

But that’s not to say that Traventon is without its dangers. There are plenty of people who are out to hurt Sheridan and Taylor and there’s a dangerous gang that lurks there as well. But Echo sticks by their side and tries to protect them by any means necessary.

And THEN! There was this one COMPLETELY INSANE twist that hit me in the gut and I was like, “WHOA.” And I wanted to cry, because it drastically changed how I felt about a certain character. Insane.

Overall Erasing Time is a fresh new dystopian that should not be missed! I am EAGARLY awaiting to see what happens next with Taylor, Sheridan and Echo! I canNOT wait to dive back into their world!

Annnd i had to share one of my favoritest scenes between Echo and Sheridan because it was just SUPER precious! <3

“My freckles are natural too. I wouldn’t have put them on my face otherwise.”

“I like your freckles.” He dropped the strand of hair and ran a finger across the trail of freckles on the bridge on her nose. “They were top fashion three years ago. Everyone wore them.”

“Just my luck. I missed being beautiful by three years.”

His finger made a slow line down her cheek. It was the smallest of touches and made her tingle. “You haven’t missed anything. You’re beautiful now.” 

Arise by Tara Hudson

Arise (Hereafter #2)

Author: Tara Hudson

Publisher: Harper Collins

Pages: 404

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Amelia—still caught between life and death—must fight for every moment of her relationship with the human boy Joshua. They can hardly even kiss without Amelia accidentally dematerializing. Looking for answers, they go to visit some of Joshua’s Seer relatives in New Orleans. But even in a city so famously steeped in the supernatural, Amelia ends up with more questions than answers…and becomes increasingly convinced that she and Joshua can never have a future together.Wandering through the French Quarter, Amelia meets other in-between ghosts, and begins to seriously consider joining them. And then she meets Gabrielle. Somehow, against impossible odds, Gaby has found a way to live a sort of half-life...a half-life for which Amelia would pay any price. Torn between two worlds, Amelia must choose carefully, before the evil spirits of the netherworld choose for her.~Goodreads

Opening sequence: Amelia. Joshua. Bed. Kissing. *swoon* With an amazing start like that the rest of the book has to be just as good, right? Right! With new characters, sinister spirits and a shocking plot twist there was never a dull moment in this installment!

One thing I really loved about this sequel was all the Joshua/Amelia couple time! They were so adorable and I loved their cute kissie banter moments! But not everything can be snowflakes and kissies all the time, right? Right.

Through-out the book Amelia really struggles with the fact that she’s a ghost and Joshua is...you know....not. And ever since they have been together Joshua has slowly secluded himself from almost everything including friends, school, hobbies, and even his family. This, however, doesn’t bug him in the slightest because he’s completely in love with her. But a life of seclusion isn’t something Amelia wants for him. And since receiving a cryptic message from Eli's spirit at High Bridge, Amelia's been acting a little different herself.

Enter Joshua’s cousins and a couple of their friends. These guys and gals just so happen to be Seers who know about Amelia and can, get this, interact with her! The proclaimed leader of the group, Alex, insists on gaining her trust and is always poppin’ up when she least expects him to. For about three point five pages I was scared this story would develop into a love triangle because Alex was actually super sweet and really considerate at first! But, Amelia loves Joshua WAY too much to even consider anyone else. THANK HEAVENS! *wipes sweat from brow*

However, Amelia is still keeping herself at a distance from Joshua- trying to protect him from what Eli told her. But Joshua doesn't know the reason, so to solve whatever’s bothering her, he takes her to a voodoo expert/priestess lady. He’s hoping this will help, only the voodoo expert/priestess lady kicks them out pretty darn quick and right into the hands of another lost spirit.(But not, like, literally because the spirit, Gaby, can’t catch anything in her hands– a sucky side effect of being a ghost.)

Anyway, Gaby agrees to help Joshua and Amelia sort out their issues by doing a seance of sorts. And she means well, she really does, but she ends up doing the one thing Amelia, Joshua and even myself never saw coming. Dun dun duuuun...

With a relationship on the rocks, dark spirits on the hunt and a crazy plot twist that may just hurt your heart, Arise is sure to blow you away!  An awesome sequel that I’d definitely encourage you to pick up!

"When you had a ghost for a girlfriend, you eventually had to choose between the living and the dead. Between a normal life and a haunted one." 

Soulbound by Heather Brewer

Soulbound (Legacy of Tril #1)

Author: Heather Brewer

Publisher: Dial

Pages: 393

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Team: Darius...for the moment ;)

Tril is a world where Barrons and Healers are Bound to each other: Barrons fight and Healers cure their Barrons' wounds in the ongoing war with the evil Graplar King. Seventeen-year-old Kaya was born a Healer, but she wants to fight. In Tril, and at Shadow Academy, where she is sent to learn to heal, it is against Protocol for Healers to fight. So Kaya must learn in secret. Enter two young men: One charming, rule-following Barron who becomes Bound to Kaya and whose life she must protect at all costs. And one with a mysterious past who seems bent on making Kaya's life as difficult as possible. Kaya asks both to train her, but only one will, and the consequences will change their lives forever.~Goodreads

Katanas are officially my new favorite weapon. They are seriously so badass in this book!

Legacy of Tril starts off with the main character, Kaya, and her best friend, Avery heading to the town’s Harvest Festival. While they are there a Graplar, a horrible beast that attacks citizens around Tril, kills some one close to Kaya and this leads to her desire to learn how to fight, to protect herself and those she loves. 

Kaya is forced to attend the training academy and learn everything about what it means to be a Healer. There, she meets her guard Maddox, who pretty much accompanies her at all times. And Maddox was an absolute treat! She was feisty and bitchy and totally awesome. She‘s tough to the core so when we get a glimpse of her vulnerable side it’s pretty moving. I loved how she opened up to Kaya and became a really good friend to her. She didn’t keep Kaya at a distance like she did in the past with other Healers. I want more of her in book 2!

Kaya also meets her Barron, Trayton, at the academy. And although I was swooning hardcore over him at first...by the end of the book, I was rooting for someone else!

Darius. You silver-haired warrior with anger management issues, I heart you. He’s EXtremely mysterious, cross, strong both physically and mentally and he’s basically just incredible. Darius was this huge enigma, this unreachable boy that was so shut off from everyone that I thought I’d never learn anything about him.  But Kaya finds out what he’s been put through and that he's hidden a huge secret the entire time he’s been at the academy, which can’t be easy. The more I got to know Darius the more my feelings for Trayton lessened. Even though Kaya spends more time with Trayton I felt like I barely knew him. He was perfect and handsome and kissable, which are all great qualities, but I needed more of a back-story. 

With a twist I saw coming from the start (OH GOD! THE TWIST!! HELL YEAH!! I’m really curious to see how the characters are going to deal with this little fun fact!) that leads into a cliffhanger ending, I want book two nowz. I also want more Katanas, more Graplars and more Darius! :)

If you like bloody fights with giant beasts, kick-ass characters and a dash of romance...then this book is definitely for you!

(also, the next book is titled Soulbroken which scares the EFF out of me! WAAH!)

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

The Hunt

Author: Andrew Fukuda

Publisher: St. Martin’s Grffin

Pages: 304

Rating: 4.5 Stars!

Team: Sissy 

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?~Goodreads

This book was intense. Like, intensely intense. There was never a dull moment and I was on edge until the very last sentence!

Everyday the main character of this story, Gene, puts his life at risk. He can’t sweat or laugh or sneeze or clap or get goose-bumps or roll his eyes or do anything that will cause him to stand out. As soon as he’d make one false move, he’d be a goner.

This is because Gene is a heper. Or what us fine folks would refer to as a normal human being. And unfortunately, Gene lives in a world where hepers are a delicacy, a food source, the prey. DUN...DUN...DUN...

The townsfolk are basically creepy ass vampires. And their idiosyncrasies are so disturbing that I can’t even begin to tell you how freaked out I was by them. These people are seriously messed up and in order to survive, Gene has to disguise his true and pretend to be one of them.

Then, as luck would have it, Gene wins a lottery that allows him to be a part of the Hunt, a competition to seek out and devour the last remaining hepers. As soon as he wins he’s immediately whisked away to the Institute to train. OH. MY. GOD. He doesn’t even have his fang cleaner or razor or nail clipper or dormant with him. *ensure panic attack*

There were so many times I was FREAKING OUT thinking he’d (literally) get sniffed out by someone and then attacked. He had so many close calls! I WAS FLIPPIN'! Especially when he started to sweat and he became dehydrated! AH! His only option was to run to the closest water supply...in the Dome.

 

THE DOME! This is where the hepers for the hunt are forced to live until the actual event. It opens up at dawn so they can wander about and then it closes at dusk. And when Gene enters the Dome, that’s when I fell in love with this story.

There's this one scene that takes place while Gene is in the Dome and oh my gosh you guys! The imagery!? Brilliant! The fact that Gene has to suppress all his facial expressions and emotions, so the others won’t find out that he’s actually human, caused every expression depicted in this story to be that more powerful. Just...just take a look whouldja?

“It is squinting; I stop in my tracks. I’ve never seen anyone squint. It is so...expressive. The eclipsed half closing of the eyelids, the wrinkles coming off the corners of the eyes like a delta, the brows contracted together, even the mouth frozen in a snarl of confusion. It’s a strange expression, it is a lovely expression.” 

How fantastic is that?? I loved it. And the heper squinting at him? That would be none other than the leader of the hepers, Sissy! As soon as she hooked Gene’s briefs on a dagger and threw them over the Dome...I was in love with her. She is seriously SO BAD ASS. And I was hoping-praying-anticipating a romantical connection between her and Gene! GAH! I wants that so badz.

But alas, Gene has already fallen for someone else, Ashely June, a girl from school who had also won the lottery. I’m sorry, I just did not like her one bit. I didn’t think she was anything special and she was a tad bit pushy and slightly manipulative. I don't know, I just couldn’t connect with her character. And I most definitely did not want Gene to end up with her! *huffs*

Also, the ending?? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! UGH! SUCH a cliffy!

Overall, The Hunt is a chilling debut with tons of action and 

suspense! It will be on your mind days after you finish!