The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

The Hunt 
The Hunt: Book One
Written by Andrew Fukuda
Dystopian, Vampires
Published May 8th 2012
292 Pages
Don't Sweat. Don't Laugh. Don't draw attention to yourself. And most of all, whatever you do, do not fall in love with one of them.

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?

Gene lives in a world where humans are on the verge of extinction. They're taught that humans are wild, undomesticated and a rare delicacy for the vampire population. For the seventeen year old, his life depends on assimilation. But when Gene is selected by ballot to join the first Hunt, where a group of humans are set free into the wilderness only to be tracked down and mauled by the participants. But Gene isn't the only participant to be chosen from his district. Ashley June is as popular as she is beautiful, and lately has made her intentions clear. But Gene can't allow his facade to lapse despite his feelings, his life depends on keeping the secret of the human that walks among them.

Seven lottery winners are chosen to partake in the brutal hunt. Along with Gene and Ashley June, the group are trained to not only hunt the humans, but to take out the other competitors. The humans are kept within the confinement of a glass dome between sunset and sunrise, four males and one lone female. During the daylight hours while their captors are asleep within the dark confines of the government building, the human group are allowed to roam. With only raw meat served at the dining room and blood served as refreshments, it isn't long before Gene has no choice but to make his way to the human village in search of water. He finds that the group aren't savages, but educated, artistic and intelligent.

Gene is torn between his often safety and that of the group of humans set to be slaughtered. Humanity is dwindling and it may be time for Gene to choose between fight or flight.

My Thoughts


The Hunt is incredible! A blended paranormal dystopian where humans are the rare and inferior species, and the vampire population reign.
Never forget who you are. I never knew why my father would say that. Because it's like saying don't forget water is wet, the sun is bright, snow is cold. It's redundant. There's no way I could ever forget who I am. I'm reminded every moment of every day. Every time I shave my legs or hold in a sneeze or stifle a laugh or pretend to flinch at a slip of stray light, I am reminded of who I am.

A fake person.
The new world was terrifying. Humanity who has always been the hunter, is now the prey. Gene is a lone human among the brutal savages they seem to believe the humans are. He's now alone after his father's life was ended prematurely at the hands of a vampire, his mother and sister disappeared years prior. Each day is the same routine, body hair removal, lotions to stop him sweating and polishing his prosthetic fangs in order to assimilate within the community. Found out, and he'll be hunted as prey. If he made it that far. Gene is a brilliant character. With his daily grooming routine, his life in the balance and the fear of being suspected as a human would be more than enough for the toughest protagonist to give up. His will to not only survive but to live was remarkable.

There is something incredibly raw about Andrew Fukuda's writing. It's not overly polished, but a point or realism within a fictional storyline which makes for a compelling read. Gene is a hero that you find yourself emotionally invested in, he's seemingly the last of our kind and his fight for survival will endear readers to his story. The vampires that now reign over humans don't sparkle in the sun, they don't fall in love and they don't have offbeat personalities that will win you over. They're brutal, savage and they go beyond biting necks of their victims, they pull them apart limb my limb and eat them. It's survival of the fittest and these vampires are stronger, faster and hungry for human meat. Unlike Julie Kagawa's Blood Of Eden series, you won't find any likable characters within their ranks. You'll loath them with a passion.

It's one of the more unique take on vampires within the genre. It's brilliant. Grab a copy, you won't be disappointed.


Ladies, you can thank me later.

20 comments

  1. I honestly loved this one, although I haven't read the next installment. It's definitely unique, and it gave me the chills, because knowing that you can die any time when you're surrounded with the enemies is nerve-racking!

    ~ Dre @ Sporadic Reads

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    1. I'm thinking of picking up the book two next actually, I absolutely loved this one! It's been sitting on my shelf for months and months and so glad I picked it up. I was sick of vampires, but the storyline is so incredibly different from the usual paranormal vampires.

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  2. Wow, this one sounds intense and very brutal. I can't help but pull similarities of the dome and the hunting game with those of the hunger games. One question that's nagging me is why they need to put 5 humans into a dome to be hunted? Is it a form of entertainment for the vampires?

    *fans self* Oh thank you Kelly for that beautiful gif. What a great way to end off an amazing review! xx

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    1. It's absolutely brilliant Joy. I always thought with most paranormal book, read one vampire book and you've read them all (apart from a few select favourites of mine), but this was incredible. The brutal monsters that they are, not the watered down versions. You have to grab a copy, I'm already planning on continuing the rest of the series tonight.

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  3. WAIT. THIS IS ABOUT VAMPIRES?!! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT?! I feel like I've been living in a delusion about this book now...sheesh. I just got the audio out from the library so....soon I will be reading this blood-sucking adventure then. *nods* Wish me luck.

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    1. Even though it's been sitting on my shelf, I completely forgot what it was about too. Then was looking for something dystopian, you know, to feed my inner troublemaker (viva la revolution!), and spotted this. Picked it up. And it was absolutely delicious.

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  4. I really liked The Hunt, the second book was disappointing but the final book redeemed the series somewhat.

    Great review :)
    Shelleyrae @ Book'd Out

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    1. Ohhh, I'm sorry to hear that Shelleyrae. It sounds like it might have fallen to the dreaded middle book syndrome curse. I'm eager to give it a go anyway, just because book one was so incredibly strong and want to see where the series goes.

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  5. Ha! Another one??? Darn it Kelly, you have to stop doing this to me. Or is it me doing this to myself? I love vampires! Not unless they're killing my species then we have a problem. Or better yet, we have this book! I probably should create a shelf on goodreads dedicated to the books you're reviewing :)

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    1. But it's so incredibly brilliant Ana, and such a unique take on vampires. It reminds me a little of Julie Kagawa's Blood of Eden series, but the vampires are absolutely brutal and the humans are the almost extinct species.

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  6. WOW! Not sure how I haven't heard of this one before, but color me intrigued! :D There are so many dystopian / post-apocalyptic books in the YA genre, but this is one that truly stands out from the others in the genre and sounds like it makes it's mark. I haven't heard of vampires being used in a dystopian setting before, but I'm interested in seeing how fantasy and dystopian settings collide here. Thanks for sharing Kelly and, as always, fantastic review! xx

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    1. Thanks Zoe. It actually worked really well, but creepy as hell with vampires being almost the sole species left on earth. Which you can imagine if they existed, that would probably be the case. In groups, they interact like humans, have social standings and act like semi normal teens. But humans being almost extinct, we're considered the ultimate delicacy. I absolutely loved it. It was gritty and I need to start book two soon.

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  7. Sounds kind of like Hunger Games in the beginning, but glad to see it takes on a different turn! I love vampire books, especially when they turn the genre on its head and try something new. Something that isn't just a romance!

    This sounds coooool :D

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    1. I thought it might have been a paranormal version too, but The Hunt aspect is where the vampires are given the chance to snare themselves a human or two and the winner is the one who consumes the most. It's creepy. But the storyline uses it as a launching point really to show how brutal these vampires are. I think it's the first book I've read that doesn't give them a likable quality or a sense of humanity even.

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  8. I just love so much how newer vampire novels seem to move them in a different direction to the prancy sparkly ones in Twilight. Gene sounds like a hardcore dystopian character based on survival - I can get behind that! Great review Kelly.

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    1. This one has been out for a couple of years, but sadly not too many seem to have discovered it's utter brilliance yet. I loved this even more than The Immortal Rules, and that's a big statement. Definitely pick up a copy, it's just so gritty for young adult. You won't be disappointed.

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  9. Ohhh, I've got to read this one!! I've got the second book on my shelf, but I need to hunt (hehe) down the first book. It sounds like an absolutely brilliant vampire book and it makes me wonder how the series will pan out. Great review lovely!

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    1. I've got all three thankfully, so hoping to read them all pretty much straight through, perhaps with a book or two in between. The Hunt was just incredible, but I'm so desperate to know where the series is going.

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  10. So glad you loved this one. I'll be reading it before the month is over and can't wait! Great review, thanks for sharing.

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    1. I can't wait to see what you think of it Rochelle. I honestly expected the cliche vampires, but holy crap, they were actual monsters, not playing house with humans. So incredibly different and unique from the pedestrian young adult paranormal out there.

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