"The Hunt" by Andrew Fukuda

The Hunt - Andrew Fukuda
(Going to be a trilogy)

If I were browsing through a book store, I probably wouldn't have picked up this book to see what it was about because I would have assumed it was "a boy book"... and I would have regretted that decision.

The Hunt is about a world where vampires are the norm/society and hepers (humans) are practically extinct.  However, there are a few humans left who live disguised as vampires in order to live just a semblance of a life.  Gene is 17 years old, and one of these disguised humans, only Gene wins "the lottery" and is one of seven who gets to hunt the remaining hepers, who are kept in a Dome - that's closed during night and open during the day - at the Heper Institute.  Gene discovers there is another disguised heper in his midst (which the reader can guess almost immediately), and these two have to figure out a way to not be discovered as hepers once The Hunt begins.

Richelle Mead - the author of the Vampire Academy series (one of my all time FAVORITE book series) - describes the book as "BRILLIANT and ADDICTIVE... Think of The Hunger Games with vampires".  And she couldn't be more right!  I could NOT put this book down!  I read this book in about 12 hours over a weekend.  The suspense keeps your attention and makes you want to "just read one more chapter".  It does stretch out the "pre-Hunt" a little too long but the reader will overlook it because Fukuda keeps the readers' attention with heart pounding moments perfectly places throughout the entire book.

While I really enjoyed the book, the reader is able to come to conclusions much quicker than the lead character, Gene, which I don't always like.  I like to realize the twists moment before the characters do, instead of several chapters ahead of them, which I found myself doing in The Hunt.  But that is probably my only complaint.

Final say:  If you like the Hunger Games, then read this book!  It's not as "gory" as The Hunger Games, but it's right up there in the suspense factor.  You really won't be able to put it down.  After I finished, I couldn't wait to start the sequel, which I don't have yet, so I'll have to impatiently wait.