Elena Manory is by no means an ordinary teenage girl. Being born with the ability to heal herself from any injury, and with the knowledge that on her eighteenth birthday she will become a Vampire, Elena is aware that she is more than a little different from other girls her age.
It isn’t until she meets William Granville, an alluring and impossibly handsome vampire, that she begins to question her destiny and what secrets the Institute of Magical Intervention and her adopted family have withheld—secrets that could change the fates of not only her own life, but of the lives of all the immortals.
As events spiral out of control, William may be the only person Elena can place her trust in. He, and Elena’s magical family, must fight to save her, joining forces to defeat a common, deadly foe. For William, it is his chance to save the girl that he has searched eternity to find.
If you know me, you know I love paranormal to an almost unnatural degree. If you've followed my blog for a while, you know that my favorite of the paranormals and supernaturals is, of course, vampires. I've strayed away quite a few times, but I had a gem of a book to bring me back to my favorite topic and I think I am sort of stuck on them again - thanks to Kristy Berridge's The Hunted.
I'll start with what I didn't like about this book because I fear that, once I start talking about what I did like, I'll gush so much that I'll forget about the not-so-good things and this may seem like a one-sided review. I don't want that, so I'm preventing it. The main issue that I had with this book was that the really great stuff didn't start until about 1/3 in this book. This was probably more impatience on my part as within the first 1/3, there was some teenage rebellion and typical teenage things. Was it completely horrible and hard to get through? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I think that to fully appreciate our main girl (Elena), you NEED this part of the story just as much as the other 2/3 of the story. It just lacked a little less action than the rest, but rest assured there was definitely still action there - and it doesn't disappoint.
Alright, so that's pretty much all I could find that was a little under expectations for me. It's hardly anything that's going to mar the story for anyone, but I thought I would warn for those that want the full-blown story for the very beginning.
Aside from that, the book went above and beyond anything that I expected. The characters, especially Elena and William, were exceptional and there was never a moment where my interest in them waned. I am not ashamed to say that I absolutely fell in love with Elena. She's the epitome of everything that I love in a lead - she's witty, smart, independent and learns as she goes. She's a fighter and most definitely NOT one of these heroines (I use this term loosely) that is talked up, yet turns into a helpless damsel at the first sign of danger. The way this girl matures throughout the story is nothing short of staggering.
If you think just because I say that this is a vampire book that you're going to get typical storybook vampires... well, you'll be pleasantly surprised that this is not the case at all. Yes, they share certain traits with traditional vampires, but Berridge definitely has her own spin on vampire mythology that will blow you away.
There's so much to this book that I don't want to ruin anyone's reading experience by telling too much. I will say that there's pretty much something for everyone. If you like romance, there's some romance. If you like some graphic violence? There's a bit of that. Suspense? Oh yeah, there's that too. Like to see other supernatural creatures in your vampire books? Never fear, The Hunted even has that!
Seeing as how this is the first book in a five-book series, I am literally squirming in my seat to see what happens next. After reading The Hunted for myself, I am pretty sure I can safely say that all Paranormal lovers will enjoy this story. I am most definitely a fan.
I'll start with what I didn't like about this book because I fear that, once I start talking about what I did like, I'll gush so much that I'll forget about the not-so-good things and this may seem like a one-sided review. I don't want that, so I'm preventing it. The main issue that I had with this book was that the really great stuff didn't start until about 1/3 in this book. This was probably more impatience on my part as within the first 1/3, there was some teenage rebellion and typical teenage things. Was it completely horrible and hard to get through? Absolutely not. As a matter of fact, I think that to fully appreciate our main girl (Elena), you NEED this part of the story just as much as the other 2/3 of the story. It just lacked a little less action than the rest, but rest assured there was definitely still action there - and it doesn't disappoint.
Alright, so that's pretty much all I could find that was a little under expectations for me. It's hardly anything that's going to mar the story for anyone, but I thought I would warn for those that want the full-blown story for the very beginning.
Aside from that, the book went above and beyond anything that I expected. The characters, especially Elena and William, were exceptional and there was never a moment where my interest in them waned. I am not ashamed to say that I absolutely fell in love with Elena. She's the epitome of everything that I love in a lead - she's witty, smart, independent and learns as she goes. She's a fighter and most definitely NOT one of these heroines (I use this term loosely) that is talked up, yet turns into a helpless damsel at the first sign of danger. The way this girl matures throughout the story is nothing short of staggering.
If you think just because I say that this is a vampire book that you're going to get typical storybook vampires... well, you'll be pleasantly surprised that this is not the case at all. Yes, they share certain traits with traditional vampires, but Berridge definitely has her own spin on vampire mythology that will blow you away.
There's so much to this book that I don't want to ruin anyone's reading experience by telling too much. I will say that there's pretty much something for everyone. If you like romance, there's some romance. If you like some graphic violence? There's a bit of that. Suspense? Oh yeah, there's that too. Like to see other supernatural creatures in your vampire books? Never fear, The Hunted even has that!
Seeing as how this is the first book in a five-book series, I am literally squirming in my seat to see what happens next. After reading The Hunted for myself, I am pretty sure I can safely say that all Paranormal lovers will enjoy this story. I am most definitely a fan.
Rating: ★★★★★
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