Summary:
If you're a Hunter, there are only three things you must know about the Damned. The Damned can't lie, can't live without a body, and can't leave you alone.
Amerie Carter has the blood of a Hunter, unfortunately. She is one of a rare line of women who, upon her sixteenth birthday, will come into extraordinary powers used to hunt the Damned; escaped souls from Hell who take up residence in human bodies. It's supposed to be her sweet sixteen, but Amerie has never dreaded a day more, and her worst fears are confirmed as the celebration turns tragic when her mother is killed.
Grief-stricken, Amerie vows to never hunt a day in her life. She's determined to hide behind normalcy, attending school, hanging out with her friends and working an after-school job at The Hut. All Amerie wants is to be left alone. But try telling the Damned that. The harder Amerie tries to ignore her powers, the more the Damned come looking for her.
When an attack leaves one of Amerie's friends in the hospital, and endangers the lives of her fellow students, she knows she has no choice: Hunt or Be Hunted. Thankfully, the gorgeous, secretive, and so-off-limits Marshall offers to train Amerie to take out her supernatural enemies. But training with Marshall means lying to her friends, her family, and confronting the mysterious circumstances surrounding her mother's death.
Amerie soon discovers she's not the only one with something to hide, Marshall's secrets might kill her before the Damned get the chance.
My Thoughts:
The last thing Amerie wants to do is be a Hunter. She doesn't want to end up like her mom—dead. But she finds herself in the graveyard looking for Damned anyway. And when she meets the mysterious Marshall, he proves that even if she doesn't want to fight, she has to or she'll die. Amerie is being hunted—ironic, right? A powerful Damned named Seal has discovered a ritual that will give him immortality and he needs Amerie's blood to complete it.
While Amerie is busy training with hot-then-cold Marshall, she winds up falling for him. Only he pushes her away just as much as he reels her in. She's on an emotional roller coaster. And her life as a Hunter isn't the only thing tearing her apart. Her father, who became a drunken shell of a person after Amerie's mother died, has finally moved on. He moves Amerie and her brother in with his new girlfriend, and Amerie isn't happy about it at all. She can't get past her mother's death, especially since she's afraid of ending up just like her Hunter mom.
My favorite part was the ending, which had lots of great plot twists. This was a really quick read with lots of emotional highs and lows. There are also a ton of great action scenes to keep the pages turning.
Just for fun:
Amerie struggles to keep her life as a Hunter from hurting her family and friends. If you knew your destiny could kill everyone around you, would you distance yourself from everyone?
*Don't forget to enter my giveaway for a zombie deer and other great Touch of Death SWAG.
To distance myself from everyone? No. I'd tell them what my destiny was (well, as much as I could tell them, at least that there's a great danger involved and that they could get killed or worse if they keep hanging out with me), and I'd let them decide like the adults they are. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's a very fair way to do it! :)
DeleteI'm pretty sure that if I knew I was going to die i would want my family's support.
ReplyDeleteSame here, but in the book, Amerie doesn't even tell her family the truth about who she is because she's trying to protect them. I don't know if I could do that.
DeleteI would tell my friends and family what may happen. They'd all be like, "Nuh uh, honey. Bring it!"
ReplyDeleteI would change my destiny because I believe in free will that overrides destiny.
ReplyDeleteOoh, good answer!
DeleteOn the one hand I would want to do the noble thing and protect them all, while on the other hand I probably wouldn't want the separation. It may be that I would 'tempt the fates' and see what comes because I doubt anyone would believe me about the truth of the matter.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's tough to separate yourself from the people you care about most, even if it is for their own good.
DeleteHard question. I think I would have to tell the hubs, but then get him to take the girls far away. I could never put them in harms way.
ReplyDeleteGood plan.
DeleteThis sounds like an interesting book. I am glad to hear that the best part is the end with all the plot twists. Fun!
ReplyDeleteI would probably tell my family and those close to me and hopefully we could work together to change the situation.
~Jess
What if telling them put their lives at risk? That's the tough part.
DeleteSounds like a good read. I don't know I'd be tempted to become a hermit living in isolation in the himalayan mountains...but I'm also a wimp so if The Damned came after me I wouldn't want to stand alone. If telling them puts them at risk I guess I'd just make sure that all future birthday gifts were things like nunchucks and martial arts classes ;-)
ReplyDeleteLOL. Those would make good gifts for a Hunter.
DeleteI don't think it's possible to live an entire life in secret although having a day job and the writer passion it sometimes feels as if I do. I confess to wanting to lock the door on my bedroom so I can write but it's hard when you have kids... oh, maybe it would be easier if poss to keep that secret life hidden.
ReplyDeleteHmm, I see the similarities there too. Writers do live secret lives in a way.
DeleteI'd try to do both, keep a distance yet maintain communication. I wouldn't want anyone to come to harm.
ReplyDeleteI have this book on my 2012 debut author challenge list.
Enjoy it, Medeia. It's a fun read.
DeleteSounds like a great setup of internal and external conflict! Very intriguing!!! Thanks for the review. :0)
ReplyDeleteYes, lots of conflict. It's a good read. :)
DeleteExcellent review, Kelly!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteI love books with great plot twists. As usual, great review.
ReplyDelete