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cala_p's review against another edition
5.0
In my opinion there are not enough YA Historical Romances or YA Fantasy Historical Romances that are not high fantasy. How is it that fantasies with kings, princesses and lords are reserved for children/middle school books and then skip right to adult. There's only one other book I enjoyed that is YA Historical that is not high fantasy. So when I learned about this one, it sounded beyond perfect for what I wanted to read. Add that to the plot Wendy Higgins wrote and it was superb.
I was so excited to start this it actually took me a few hours to read the first word. It was a book I just knew I would love and I wanted all my attention focused on it. Not start it on the bus where I have to pay some attention to my surroundings.
The story focuses on Princess Aerity and the issue of a beast in her kingdom. Despite her father saying that her and her sister will be allowed to choose their husband rather than allow politics to decide, he announces that anyone who kills the beast can marry Aerity. So groups of men of all statures hail from various places and set out in groups to kill the beast. Among them is two brothers from the village, Paxton and his younger brother. Throughout the book, you'll definitely find yourself rooting for Paxton to win.
Besides the beast, the other fantasy element is the Lashed. A group of people who can preform magic--wizards in a sense. When they use the magic, dark straight purple lines form on their fingernails in lashes. Lashed ones are outlaws in most of the places; not allowed to do magic. The palace has their own serving as the princesses' nurse, but most people like the guards shy away from the woman. I liked the fact that Wendy Higgins did not drop any clues about Paxton until basically being like, BAM ANNOUNCEMENT.
The chemistry between the characters is so adorable! I like the various POVs that are shown, which allows more romances than just Paxton and Aerity's. In the sequel I would like to see each couple's romance bloom more fully, but definitely P&A's than anyone.
It was an almost heartbreaking ending, but one that left it open and waiting for the next book. With a new villain (but related to the first one; it's not random) arise, with Aerity's and with Paxton the sequel will be one filled with so much.
As a side note, I find the cover beautiful!! Her hair is more red than it's described in the book. And the fact that she's a redhead on the cover in a blue dress really makes me think of Merida from Brave.
The Great Hunt is the ideal blend of fantasy, history, adventure and a cute and tingly romance! I can't WAIT for book 2. This is definitely one I need in hard copy for my bookshelf. Rereads will happen for this one!!!
I was so excited to start this it actually took me a few hours to read the first word. It was a book I just knew I would love and I wanted all my attention focused on it. Not start it on the bus where I have to pay some attention to my surroundings.
The story focuses on Princess Aerity and the issue of a beast in her kingdom. Despite her father saying that her and her sister will be allowed to choose their husband rather than allow politics to decide, he announces that anyone who kills the beast can marry Aerity. So groups of men of all statures hail from various places and set out in groups to kill the beast. Among them is two brothers from the village, Paxton and his younger brother. Throughout the book, you'll definitely find yourself rooting for Paxton to win.
Besides the beast, the other fantasy element is the Lashed. A group of people who can preform magic--wizards in a sense. When they use the magic, dark straight purple lines form on their fingernails in lashes. Lashed ones are outlaws in most of the places; not allowed to do magic. The palace has their own serving as the princesses' nurse, but most people like the guards shy away from the woman. I liked the fact that Wendy Higgins did not drop any clues about Paxton until basically being like, BAM ANNOUNCEMENT.
The chemistry between the characters is so adorable! I like the various POVs that are shown, which allows more romances than just Paxton and Aerity's. In the sequel I would like to see each couple's romance bloom more fully, but definitely P&A's than anyone.
It was an almost heartbreaking ending, but one that left it open and waiting for the next book. With a new villain (but related to the first one; it's not random) arise, with Aerity's
Spoiler
engagementSpoiler
off on his ownAs a side note, I find the cover beautiful!! Her hair is more red than it's described in the book. And the fact that she's a redhead on the cover in a blue dress really makes me think of Merida from Brave.
The Great Hunt is the ideal blend of fantasy, history, adventure and a cute and tingly romance! I can't WAIT for book 2. This is definitely one I need in hard copy for my bookshelf. Rereads will happen for this one!!!
wrens_diary's review
3.0
I finished this in a day. Hurray. Trope-y, quick read, forgettable cast. Very much 2016 of its time type of book. Were they supposed to be Irish..? I think the warriors(women ones) were like African or middle eastern idk it was close to zimbabwe maybe the author didn’t feel like switching up the letters more. Uhhhhhghhg all the romances sucked lol so much instalove.
The naming conventions sucked.
Euronia = fiction Europe.
Please give me a break
Princess Aerity does aerial acrobatics. You must be joking.
Other foreign names were fine I guess but nothing special.
This world should’ve been explored more. We spent most of in the castle/castle grounds (like 60%), unnamed forest areas where people just die every ten seconds, brief scenes of markets or villages and then the last 20 pages are spent… on an island??? Excuse me
The naming conventions sucked.
Euronia = fiction Europe.
Please give me a break
Princess Aerity does aerial acrobatics. You must be joking.
Other foreign names were fine I guess but nothing special.
This world should’ve been explored more. We spent most of in the castle/castle grounds (like 60%), unnamed forest areas where people just die every ten seconds, brief scenes of markets or villages and then the last 20 pages are spent… on an island??? Excuse me
ambeesbookishpages's review
4.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
It is pretty common knowledge among my blogger friends now that I am a huge Wendy Higgins fan, and when they told me that The Great Hunt was on Edelweiss I knew I just had to request it. The Great Hunt is a whole other world then compared to what Higgins fans are use too. But with that said, I really enjoyed the world we were thrown into.
I really admired Princess Aerity's strength throughout the book. With a beast terroizing the citizens of their kingdom Aerity's father, the King promises his daughter's hand in marriage to who ever can kill the beast. The King believes in his children finding love on their own, but he is desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. Though Aerity doesn't like the idea, she agrees so she can save the kingdom she will one day rule. I admired that Aerity knew what was expected of her and owned up to the responsibility for what she needed to do. I read a lot of fantasy princess's and Aerity is among the ones that I really do like. My own heart breaks for her having to marry someone she doesn't love, but my hope at the Higgin's will work it out in the next book. (I have faith that she will!)
Paxton is a Lashed. Lashed are people that have magical abilities. One upon a time they were allowed to live in peace, but 100 years ago after a uprising in a neighboring kingdom they are now feared and forced to register as a Lashed. In the beginning of the novel we meet a lashed man, and the disdain and the disgust that the people held for him because of what he was. Though Paxton's abilities aren't revealed right away, there was a suspect that something was off about him. Paxton enters the hunt along with his brother, but Paxton has no desire to marry Aerity. At first Paxton appears cold and distant. But over time he opens up to Aerity, and as you learn more about him you begin to love him.
There is a third POV in The Great Hunt, that I admit at first I was a little hesitant about. But as the story moves on, it makes sense. Especially in the end.
The romance is very slow for obvious reasons. But I went into this book with the mindset of Sweet Evil and expected steaminess and teenage angst that wasn't there. But standing back and looking at the story it makes sense, and I like that there was romance but not too much. It didn't take away from the story like some romances tend to do.
I took a star off for the pacing, I find it a bit slow at moments and dragging with information. But beside that fact, I really enjoyed this book. I am excited to see what Higgins has planned for the next book considering the end of this one.
It is pretty common knowledge among my blogger friends now that I am a huge Wendy Higgins fan, and when they told me that The Great Hunt was on Edelweiss I knew I just had to request it. The Great Hunt is a whole other world then compared to what Higgins fans are use too. But with that said, I really enjoyed the world we were thrown into.
I really admired Princess Aerity's strength throughout the book. With a beast terroizing the citizens of their kingdom Aerity's father, the King promises his daughter's hand in marriage to who ever can kill the beast. The King believes in his children finding love on their own, but he is desperate and desperate times call for desperate measures. Though Aerity doesn't like the idea, she agrees so she can save the kingdom she will one day rule. I admired that Aerity knew what was expected of her and owned up to the responsibility for what she needed to do. I read a lot of fantasy princess's and Aerity is among the ones that I really do like. My own heart breaks for her having to marry someone she doesn't love, but my hope at the Higgin's will work it out in the next book. (I have faith that she will!)
Paxton is a Lashed. Lashed are people that have magical abilities. One upon a time they were allowed to live in peace, but 100 years ago after a uprising in a neighboring kingdom they are now feared and forced to register as a Lashed. In the beginning of the novel we meet a lashed man, and the disdain and the disgust that the people held for him because of what he was. Though Paxton's abilities aren't revealed right away, there was a suspect that something was off about him. Paxton enters the hunt along with his brother, but Paxton has no desire to marry Aerity. At first Paxton appears cold and distant. But over time he opens up to Aerity, and as you learn more about him you begin to love him.
There is a third POV in The Great Hunt, that I admit at first I was a little hesitant about. But as the story moves on, it makes sense. Especially in the end.
The romance is very slow for obvious reasons. But I went into this book with the mindset of Sweet Evil and expected steaminess and teenage angst that wasn't there. But standing back and looking at the story it makes sense, and I like that there was romance but not too much. It didn't take away from the story like some romances tend to do.
I took a star off for the pacing, I find it a bit slow at moments and dragging with information. But beside that fact, I really enjoyed this book. I am excited to see what Higgins has planned for the next book considering the end of this one.
misspippireads's review
4.0
"Kill the beast. Win the girl." What a tag line! It pulled me in right away.
Wendy Higgins put together a high fantasy novel. She created a new land, Eurona, with five different nations and lines of lineage. She also added a magical element that has created havoc and segregation in the lands. Along with the outcast society members, there is a mythical, mighty beast that is killing people in Lachlanach, the waterlands. King Lochson of Lachlanach is at his wits end to save his people. He sends out a call to all the other lands for their best hunters and in return he will give his daughters hand in marriage.
The story is about tragedy, adventure, battle, class, family, and romance. It's also a cliff hanger into book two! I thought it was a standalone retold fairy tale. What a surprise! But a very good one, I couldn't wait to get back from various activities to read this book. I was surprised by the pastimes of the princesses in the book - archery tricks, horseback riding, and fabric dancing. The flirting and romantic elements were older than casual flirting in hallways. Since Lachlanach is the waterlands of Eurona, there is much sea speak and blessings of the sea. There is also curse/swear words scattered throughout the story, but it's at high moments in the story.
Reviewed from a library copy.
Wendy Higgins put together a high fantasy novel. She created a new land, Eurona, with five different nations and lines of lineage. She also added a magical element that has created havoc and segregation in the lands. Along with the outcast society members, there is a mythical, mighty beast that is killing people in Lachlanach, the waterlands. King Lochson of Lachlanach is at his wits end to save his people. He sends out a call to all the other lands for their best hunters and in return he will give his daughters hand in marriage.
The story is about tragedy, adventure, battle, class, family, and romance. It's also a cliff hanger into book two! I thought it was a standalone retold fairy tale. What a surprise! But a very good one, I couldn't wait to get back from various activities to read this book. I was surprised by the pastimes of the princesses in the book - archery tricks, horseback riding, and fabric dancing. The flirting and romantic elements were older than casual flirting in hallways. Since Lachlanach is the waterlands of Eurona, there is much sea speak and blessings of the sea. There is also curse/swear words scattered throughout the story, but it's at high moments in the story.
Reviewed from a library copy.
chargio12's review against another edition
3.0
I would say this book is geared towards a younger teen audience. It's definitely an easy read, I easily finished the book in a day, but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. Nothing about it was really memorable. There is a lot of action and some romance, just not sure if it's enough to keep me interested in reading the next book.
sandeeisreading's review
RATING
ARC COPY PROVIDED BY PUBLISHER IN EXCHANGE FOR AN HONEST REVIEW
I love Wendy Higgins.
I really do.
She's one of the nicest and most approachable authors out there. Plus, she's also a very talented author. I loved the first book in the Sweet Evil trilogy. I haven't gotten to the other books yet because I couldn't get a copy. But I will. No doubt about that. I mean why wouldn't I? DEVILISHLY HOT KAIDAN IS ON THOSE BOOKS!!! To be honest, I'm not sure why I haven't read the next books yet... better get to that soon!! As in real soon.
Going back, Wendy Higgins is a great author. But this book, just wasn't for me.
To be completely honest, I did not finish this book. I reached up to 30% of the eARC i got. But when I reached to a certain point where the main character does something so fucking predictable I was like, "oh nooo... not again please..."
I don't think I rated this book on Goodreads because I did not get halfway through the book. Also, please note that this review would only be about the 30% of the book I have read.
Again, the review to follow would only be for the 30% of the book I've read and not the entirety of it. This book could be good towards the middle of last quarter of the book, but I couldn't get that far so… Please keep that in mind.
So let me tell you a little bit about what this book is about.
Its body was massive, the size of a bear with wiry hair like nothing she’d ever seen. Its face was as ugly as a boar’s. Tusks curled up around a dripping snout, sharp teeth shining. Its beady eyes eerily caught the moon’s reflection. Everything about its stance and posture screamed feral. Deadly. Impossible.
The story starts with a death. Pretty cool huh?
So this country... uhhh... wait... *checks review notes* Lochlanach is being terrorized by a beast. People were speculating where this monster came from. It was killing people and destroying everything in its path. No one has survived yet. Not one.
The king was concerned with this. He wanted his people to be safe and he would do whatever it takes, even sacrifice the happiness of her eldest daughter, .. uhhh...*checks review notes*... Aerity.
“I will be issuing a king’s proclamation to all five kingdoms of Eurona to send their best hunters, but I must make their journeys worthwhile. I must ensure that the strongest will be willing to face this foe. A monetary prize is not enough, and as you all know, most of the kingdom’s excess funds are wrapped up in my son’s land and youngest daughter’s dowry. Therefore, I have only one thing left to offer the man who kills this beast. I offer the hand of my oldest daughter in marriage.”
Princess Aerity knew that it was her duty as a princess. Despite her sadness regarding the news, she knew it had to be done.
People all over the world came to help find this beast. Some might genuinely just want to kill the beast and others might just want to marry the princess and become royalty. Who knows?
...
That's basically what I have read so far and I left this book at around 35%.
Okay... Now this is hard.
• The Cover
Who doesn't think this cover is gorgeous must be blind. Hehe. Come on seriously.
• The Plot
I heard that this book is a retelling of a Grimm brother's fairy tale, The Singing Bone. I read the story and actually really liked it. So if this book would follow that story, then the ending of this book would be a really fucked up one. Anywhooo, I liked the plot, but not exactly the execution of it.
• Characters
They were boring. I didn't connect with any of them or felt that they were real people which really surprised me. Anna and Kaidan from the Sweet Evil trilogy were such good characters so I was so disappointed when the characters in this book didn't live up to my expectations.
Aerity, the main female character, was boring. Aside from that, she was also a fucking Mary Sue...
"Like her father, she was devoid of all haughtiness he expected to see from someone who lived a life of privilege. Around her head she wore a small golden circlet, which held a sapphire in the center of her forehead that sparkled like the sea. Her arm seemed to cling to her father with nervousness, though her face appeared assured and resolved."
And shortly after.
Princess Aerity was the very image desires were made of. Her silken cream dress was cinched at her waist, accentuating her femininity.
REALLY NOW???
There there's this guy Paxton which I felt nothing for. His brother Tiern was a different story though. He seemed to be the more likeable one. But still, both of them were pretty bland in my opinion.
There was something missing with these characters. They were like paper cutout characters. They did nothing to me at all.
• The Writing
I liked the plot, but I had a lot of issues with how this book was written. Maybe it was the third person narrative that annoyed me? I dunno. But there was something about the writing that didn't work too well with me.
• The Pacing
It's so slow. Like I said, I was at around 30% and the hunt was just starting. There were a lot courtly politics that were discussed during the first quarter of the book and then the boring discussions with Aerity's family. I thought they were extremely unnecessary. I didn't care for her family at all. There was nothing that happened to her family that made me sympathetic to them, despite that one death. I didn't think it helped that the author wrote quite a few chapters with Aerity and her family, I still don't feel the connection.
• A Weak Female Protagonist
I didn't like Aerity at all. I thought she was weak and a bit of a Mary Sue. Aside from being all perfect, I hate that in a character.
• Insta-love
Yep. There was a part where she met this guy... who I never really rooted for.
FINAL THOUGHTS
That is it for me for now. I really wish there as more I could say regarding this.
Again, I love Wendy. I would finish the Sweet Evil trilogy but I'm just not a fan of this book. This book had loads of potential, but it just didn't work for me. I saw a lot of positive reviews about this book and hope that I enjoyed this book like they did. I really, really wanted to like this book.
Have you read this book? If you have, what did you think of it?
nzkiwishen's review
3.0
3.5 stars. The beginning was slow, for me, but it picked up pace about 1/3 of the way through and I enjoyed the rest a lot!
annmeyer's review
3.0
y’know this wasn’t great but also I want to read the next one, so who knows. a bit fluffy but I have no issue with that at the moment; sometimes fluff and heated romance is what you need. plus, I appreciate the focus on fantasy & ethics presented by the plot, now just hoping things work out happily ever after for all the characters.
ammbooks's review
4.0
An interesting take on an old theme....... looking to read the 2nd to see where it goes.
courtknee_bee's review
2.0
1.5 stars
Royalty romances can be really hit and miss for me. I unabashedly want to be a princess, and although that will never happen, it may or may not be what I dream about at night as I try to fall asleep. Thanks to Disney, royalty romances are inherently cheesy, if nothing else because they present an idealized form of monarchy, usually overlooking the arranged marriage, politics and powerlessness of women. But that’s fine. When I pick up a royalty romance, I’m usually seeking the cheese and embrace it. Wendy Higgins' The Great Hunt, however, was just too simple to be truly adored.
According to the author, this is a retelling of “The Singing Bone,” a fairy tale I’ve never heard of before. Princess Aerity’s water kingdom is under attack by a strange, bear-like beast. In an effort to attract the best hunters from across the many kingdoms of Eurona, her father promises her hand in marriage to anyone who can slay the beast. Commoner Paxton and his brother join the hunt, although at first Paxton can’t be sussed about the princess. But not everyone is as they seem, and the stakes continue to rise as more and more men are picked off by the great beast.
My biggest complaint with this book is just how simple everything is, from the writing to the characterization. I’m not familiar with Higgins' style, but the sentence structure and writing really read more like a middle-grade book to me. Higgins doesn’t do much description, which is a shame because there’s some really great moments here that could be brought to live with the right words.
Take, for example, this description of Aerity's mother doing trapeze work with silks:
What a missed opportunity, right? If you’ve ever seen anyone aerial dance, the you know how fluid and beautiful it can be. This description doesn’t give the reader any of that. It uses technical terms that are really hard to envision by someone without these skills.
The world building feels very simplified. Eurona is made up of five kingdoms that apparently have extremely different climates despite being within easy traveling distance of one another? Lochlanach, the Waterlands, Ascomanni, the Coldlands, Toresta, the Ridgelands, Kalor, the Hotlands, and Zorfina, the Drylands. My ARC doesn't have a map in it yet, so maybe I'm not understanding the geography, but the book makes it seem as if these lands are all very near each other. Predictably, everyone's last name seems to correspond with their country. We meet lots of characters in the Waterlands with last names like "Seabolt," "Sandbar" and "Riverton."
The romance is also incredibly disappointing. When I pick up a royalty romance, I’m looking for the cheese factor. I had such good expectations for this novel, too, because my favorite type of romance is the enemies-turned-lovers plot. Although Paxton starts out deliciously jerky, he never improves. He’s just a straight-up dick to Aerity the entire plot of the novel, yet somehow she immediately falls for him? It makes no sense. Check out this exchange:
Charming. The “justification” is that he can’t be with her so he’s trying to scare her off, yet he even admits that he takes it farther than he needs to just to mess with her. What? And although Aerity usually stomps off after Paxton's many insulting, degrading exchanges, she seems to always forget about the exchange entirely the next time she sees him without ever getting an apology or justification.
What this book does manage to do decently well is the plot, and in particular, the ending. The ending is what really saved this book for me. The plot twists are obvious a mile away, but I wasn’t expecting Higgins to deliver an ending so morally gray. I expected a very black-and-white, this-person-is-bad-and-our-heroine-is-good sort of ending, but it’s actually very easy for the reader to emphasize with the “bad guy” - a nice complexity. Fair warning that this ends in a huge cliffhanger, however, so you’ll have to read the second novel if you want to find out what happens even in a very immediate sense.
Overall this book just didn’t live up to my expectations. If hadn’t received an ARC as a First Reads giveaway (which, by the way, I never win anything so that was exciting), I don’t know that I would have finished it.
Royalty romances can be really hit and miss for me. I unabashedly want to be a princess, and although that will never happen, it may or may not be what I dream about at night as I try to fall asleep. Thanks to Disney, royalty romances are inherently cheesy, if nothing else because they present an idealized form of monarchy, usually overlooking the arranged marriage, politics and powerlessness of women. But that’s fine. When I pick up a royalty romance, I’m usually seeking the cheese and embrace it. Wendy Higgins' The Great Hunt, however, was just too simple to be truly adored.
According to the author, this is a retelling of “The Singing Bone,” a fairy tale I’ve never heard of before. Princess Aerity’s water kingdom is under attack by a strange, bear-like beast. In an effort to attract the best hunters from across the many kingdoms of Eurona, her father promises her hand in marriage to anyone who can slay the beast. Commoner Paxton and his brother join the hunt, although at first Paxton can’t be sussed about the princess. But not everyone is as they seem, and the stakes continue to rise as more and more men are picked off by the great beast.
My biggest complaint with this book is just how simple everything is, from the writing to the characterization. I’m not familiar with Higgins' style, but the sentence structure and writing really read more like a middle-grade book to me. Higgins doesn’t do much description, which is a shame because there’s some really great moments here that could be brought to live with the right words.
Take, for example, this description of Aerity's mother doing trapeze work with silks:
She reclined into a lean and pulled her knees up, repositioning her feet with a glide of the cloth. Her body wound and slid into position with the silks around her waist. Aerity recognized the position of a drop roll. Her mother began to soar downward, and the princess quickly saw that her mother was not stopping the roll soon enough.
What a missed opportunity, right? If you’ve ever seen anyone aerial dance, the you know how fluid and beautiful it can be. This description doesn’t give the reader any of that. It uses technical terms that are really hard to envision by someone without these skills.
The world building feels very simplified. Eurona is made up of five kingdoms that apparently have extremely different climates despite being within easy traveling distance of one another? Lochlanach, the Waterlands, Ascomanni, the Coldlands, Toresta, the Ridgelands, Kalor, the Hotlands, and Zorfina, the Drylands. My ARC doesn't have a map in it yet, so maybe I'm not understanding the geography, but the book makes it seem as if these lands are all very near each other. Predictably, everyone's last name seems to correspond with their country. We meet lots of characters in the Waterlands with last names like "Seabolt," "Sandbar" and "Riverton."
The romance is also incredibly disappointing. When I pick up a royalty romance, I’m looking for the cheese factor. I had such good expectations for this novel, too, because my favorite type of romance is the enemies-turned-lovers plot. Although Paxton starts out deliciously jerky, he never improves. He’s just a straight-up dick to Aerity the entire plot of the novel, yet somehow she immediately falls for him? It makes no sense. Check out this exchange:
To her utter relief he took her hand in his rough, warm one. Paxton then did something that none of the other tables full of men had dared to do. Still holding her hand, he dropped his gaze down to the swell of fabric at her chest, and kept it there too long, his hand tightening and seeming even hotter around hers. Another shocked sound left Wyneth, this one high-pitched. Aerity's chest sizzled under the hunter's heated attention, and she dropped his hand.
In unison, the guards behind her stepped closer, one of them clearing his throat. When Paxton Seabolt's eyes drifted lower across her waist, Princess Aerity refused to cower. She was torn between offense and flattery at the intimate way he took her in with his eyes, perusing at his leisure until Tiern discreetly bumped him with his shoulder.
Charming. The “justification” is that he can’t be with her so he’s trying to scare her off, yet he even admits that he takes it farther than he needs to just to mess with her. What? And although Aerity usually stomps off after Paxton's many insulting, degrading exchanges, she seems to always forget about the exchange entirely the next time she sees him without ever getting an apology or justification.
What this book does manage to do decently well is the plot, and in particular, the ending. The ending is what really saved this book for me. The plot twists are obvious a mile away, but I wasn’t expecting Higgins to deliver an ending so morally gray. I expected a very black-and-white, this-person-is-bad-and-our-heroine-is-good sort of ending, but it’s actually very easy for the reader to emphasize with the “bad guy” - a nice complexity. Fair warning that this ends in a huge cliffhanger, however, so you’ll have to read the second novel if you want to find out what happens even in a very immediate sense.
Overall this book just didn’t live up to my expectations. If hadn’t received an ARC as a First Reads giveaway (which, by the way, I never win anything so that was exciting), I don’t know that I would have finished it.