The Hunt by Megan Shepherd
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
General note: Don’t buy all three books of a trilogy – EVER. Doesn’t matter if you’ve loved something else the author wrote. There’s absolutely no guarantee you’ll love everything else they write. All you’ll do is end up with three books you feel obligated to read.
Unfortunately, my hopes of an improvement for the plot and characters with the removal of the “alien zoo” setting failed to come to pass. The inherent problems of the first book persisted and then proceeded to worsen. With the lone exception of Leon, the cardboard stiffness of the characters remained, as did their painful lack of growth. (I exempt Cora’s development of telekinetic abilities from my concept of growth. They contribute nothing to her personality or behavior, so they become nothing more than an invisible physical trait) There’s still no emotional connection to any of them, resulting in a “Gee, isn’t that a shame?” moment when the BIG DEATH is revealed toward the end. They’ve failed to prove themselves worthy of concern. And the apathy is troubling considering the tension and stakes being presented.
I’ll commend Ms. Shepherd on the revelation of Roshian’s identity. I hadn’t anticipated the story arc shifting in that direction. However, it came too soon in the story, resulting in more dragging chapters stretching longer than necessary. Pacing is horribly off for a thriller. I should want to stay awake, unable to step away from the characters. As it was, I found myself bored and tired.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t bother going on to the final volume – cliffhanger or not. But I bought the third book, and I feel terrible spending money on a book I’m not going to read. I’d like to think it’ll redeem the trilogy, but I don’t hold out much hope.
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Review of Megan Shepherd’s THE HUNT
