Hunter by Mercedes Lackey

Title: Hunter
(Hunter #1)
Author: Mercedes Lackey
Length: 374 pages
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Classification: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fantasy
Release Date: September 1, 2015
Source: e-galley via NetGalley (Thank you, Disney -Hyperion!)

They came after the Diseray. Some were terrors ripped from our collective imaginations, remnants of every mythology across the world. And some were like nothing anyone had ever dreamed up, even in their worst nightmares.
Monsters.
Long ago, the barriers between our world and the Otherworld were ripped open, and it’s taken centuries to bring back civilization in the wake of the catastrophe. Now, the luckiest Cits live in enclosed communities, behind walls that keep them safe from the hideous creatures fighting to break through. Others are not so lucky.
To Joyeaux Charmand, who has been a Hunter in her tight-knit mountain community since she was a child, every Cit without magic deserves her protection from dangerous Othersiders. Then she is called to Apex City, where the best Hunters are kept to protect the most important people.
Joy soon realizes that the city’s powerful leaders care more about luring Cits into a false sense of security than protecting them. More and more monsters are getting through the barriers, and the close calls are becoming too frequent to ignore. Yet the Cits have no sense of how much danger they’re in—to them, Joy and her corps of fellow Hunters are just action stars they watch on TV.
When an act of sabotage against Joy takes an unbearable toll, she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy in the city. There is something much worse than the usual monsters infiltrating Apex. And it may be too late to stop them…

GoodReads || Amazon || Barnes & Noble || Books-a-Million

***I received an e-galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

I had a really hard time getting into this story at first. In fact, I started it two different times and considered giving up. Hunter stars off pretty slowly and stays slow for a while. To me it felt like there was a little bit of action then a lot of information and details, then some more action and repeat. I ended up not giving up on the story because I hate doing that and because I had heard from other bloggers that the story picks up. I am glad that I didn't give up on this story, because I did end up enjoying it. 

This story has a lot of information and world building. Overall, I found it to be intriguing, but at times it felt like there was a little too much telling and descriptions. There were a couple times while reading I felt like I was going to fall asleep. I also felt like some of the details were a bit repetitive, like I was learning the same thing over and over again. 

I really liked when the story started to pick up for me. I started to feel more of a connection with the main character, Joy, and cared about what would happen to her. I also found her interactions with the other characters entertaining. I also really liked the world building in Hunter. The world is different and a great mix of a Dystopian future and Fantasy world. 

There is a lot of action. I found some of the events to be suspenseful and made my heart pound. I really wasn't sure how the story would unfold and couldn't wait to find out more. I do plan to read the next book to find out what happens next. 

My Recommendation

I thought some parts of the story were slow and full of detail, but I did still enjoy most of the book. I liked the world building and the characters. I might not have fallen in love with the story, but I do think it is an interesting start to a new series and am looking forward to find out what happens next.

My Rating: