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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
In un mondo governato da vampiri, dove gli esseri umani sono ormai quasi estinti, un ragazzo umano si finge quello che non è per sopravvivere. Costretto a vivere un'esistenza solitaria, mimetizzandosi tra i suoi predatori, facendo sempre attenzione ai piccoli dettagli che potrebbero rivelare la sua natura e farlo diventare un succulento pasto, Gene riesce a gestire abbastanza bene questa vita fatta di finta normalità. I problemi arrivano quando si ritrova in una situazione molto delicata e rischiosa che metterà a dura prova la sua resistenza e la sua capacità di fingersi un altro.
Un libro veramente particolare, una storia senza riferimenti spazio-temporali che oscilla tra l'horror ed i romanzi distopici e riesce a tenerti incollata alla pagine.
La storia è raccontata in prima persona dal protagonista, che ci permette di vivere i suoi momenti di paura, i suoi problemi, le sue riflessioni e le sue abitudini per sembrare quello che non è, ma anche le importanti scoperte relative ai suoi simili, perché gli umani non sono del tutto estinti.
Una storia triste, cruda in alcuni momenti, ma veramente ben scritta, capace di coinvolgerti nelle emozioni del protagonista
Un libro veramente particolare, una storia senza riferimenti spazio-temporali che oscilla tra l'horror ed i romanzi distopici e riesce a tenerti incollata alla pagine.
La storia è raccontata in prima persona dal protagonista, che ci permette di vivere i suoi momenti di paura, i suoi problemi, le sue riflessioni e le sue abitudini per sembrare quello che non è, ma anche le importanti scoperte relative ai suoi simili, perché gli umani non sono del tutto estinti.
Una storia triste, cruda in alcuni momenti, ma veramente ben scritta, capace di coinvolgerti nelle emozioni del protagonista
From my blog Auntie Spinelli Reads
3.5/5
What an interesting take on vampires! This one certainly was not what I was expecting. It was different from any other vamp story I've ever read. Which is refreshing, because frankly I'm getting a little sick of vampires. It was strange at some points, but the originality earned some major brownie points for me. The reviews on Goodreads definitely showed a love vs. hate with this book (as in, no in between), so I was kinda skeptical going in. But I ended up enjoying in much more than I thought I would.
I can't imagine having to live in Gene's shoes. In fact, I think I'd rather have just killed myself to get it over with (or just be turned, if that's even possible?). I simply do not possess the survival skills it would take. Let's go over the reasons:
You have to act like a robot. No showing emotions - no raising eyebrows or widening eyes in surprise, no gasping. No coughing, sneezing, laughing, clearing of the throat (just thinking about that makes me do it). No humming, whistling, singing. No slouching or squinting.
You have to maintain better than perfect hygiene. You can't sweat. You can't have any body hair (and really, that was never mentioned on the vamp side - I guess they don't/can't grow body hair?) - so you have to shave daily. You have to keep your nails carefully trimmed and manicured (again, do they not break nails?). If you don't shower very frequently, your smell will give you away. Which goes along with the sweat. No strenuous exercise in front of them.
You can't sleep around them. Because they sleep on the ceiling, so if you're caught sleeping somewhere...not on the ceiling...you're screwed.
So basically, you can't do anything. Which makes me wonder how it's even possible at all for someone to survive. But at the same time, if Gene could do it, why weren't there more others hiding in plain sight?
There were definitely some interesting quirks that the vamps had, and I have to give kudos to Fukuda for originality. They don't laugh, they scratch their wrists when they think something is funny. Hugs are performed with ears instead of arms - rubbing earlobes together. And there's no kissing or necking, instead it's elbowing and armpitting. Hmm. Can't say someone touching my armpit would ever turn me on...
There were a lot of holes in the world building. Mainly because the vampires weren't explained hardly at all (in fact, the word 'vampire' wasn't used even once). They just were. Which left me with tons of questions. How did they come to be? When/how did they take over the world? How does their population grow? Can a Heper - aka a human - be turned from a bite or scratch (there was a hint about Gene's father being bitten and having to leave, but it never came right out and stated he turned)? Or are they born? Because how could they possible breed by having armpit-elbow sex?
And what year is it, anyway? It's obviously been a long time, since Gene didn't know what a 'name' was, or singing.
The Heper Hunt was kind of a twisted version of the Hunger Games. Hepers are almost extinct, so they're a delicacy. And speaking of Hepers, it was interesting how Gene always said 'we' instead of 'they,' like he counted himself more among the vampires than the humans. And he thought himself better than the Hepers because he saw them as uncivilized and low like beasts. This bothered me - uh, hellooo, you're human too, genius. You're one of them! I wanted to slap him. He may as well have been a vamp himself.
Something else that irked me that I feel the need to mention, even though it's a small issue - the overuse of 'mercuric.' EVERY time light was described, that word was used. In fact, one time it was used twice on the same page. I should have kept count, because I know it was used at least 10 times throughout the book.
What I liked best was the dark and gritty feeling this book had. It was dangerous and sometimes gruesome (the gory parts were pretty in depth), and there was an ominous mood that put me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Plus, I was able to get a very vivid picture of everything in my head.
The revelation at the end with the Scientist didn't make any sense to me. Gah, I don't want to give any spoilers...but if you've read it you'll know what I'm talking about. Because didn't they say he was a Heper, yet his identity...? It was a shocking twist, sure, but it didn't quite add up.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 2/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
The world building was more holey than Swiss cheese and I couldn't really connect with the characters, but the originality made it worthwhile for me.
3.5/5
What an interesting take on vampires! This one certainly was not what I was expecting. It was different from any other vamp story I've ever read. Which is refreshing, because frankly I'm getting a little sick of vampires. It was strange at some points, but the originality earned some major brownie points for me. The reviews on Goodreads definitely showed a love vs. hate with this book (as in, no in between), so I was kinda skeptical going in. But I ended up enjoying in much more than I thought I would.
I can't imagine having to live in Gene's shoes. In fact, I think I'd rather have just killed myself to get it over with (or just be turned, if that's even possible?). I simply do not possess the survival skills it would take. Let's go over the reasons:
You have to act like a robot. No showing emotions - no raising eyebrows or widening eyes in surprise, no gasping. No coughing, sneezing, laughing, clearing of the throat (just thinking about that makes me do it). No humming, whistling, singing. No slouching or squinting.
You have to maintain better than perfect hygiene. You can't sweat. You can't have any body hair (and really, that was never mentioned on the vamp side - I guess they don't/can't grow body hair?) - so you have to shave daily. You have to keep your nails carefully trimmed and manicured (again, do they not break nails?). If you don't shower very frequently, your smell will give you away. Which goes along with the sweat. No strenuous exercise in front of them.
You can't sleep around them. Because they sleep on the ceiling, so if you're caught sleeping somewhere...not on the ceiling...you're screwed.
So basically, you can't do anything. Which makes me wonder how it's even possible at all for someone to survive. But at the same time, if Gene could do it, why weren't there more others hiding in plain sight?
There were definitely some interesting quirks that the vamps had, and I have to give kudos to Fukuda for originality. They don't laugh, they scratch their wrists when they think something is funny. Hugs are performed with ears instead of arms - rubbing earlobes together. And there's no kissing or necking, instead it's elbowing and armpitting. Hmm. Can't say someone touching my armpit would ever turn me on...
There were a lot of holes in the world building. Mainly because the vampires weren't explained hardly at all (in fact, the word 'vampire' wasn't used even once). They just were. Which left me with tons of questions. How did they come to be? When/how did they take over the world? How does their population grow? Can a Heper - aka a human - be turned from a bite or scratch (there was a hint about Gene's father being bitten and having to leave, but it never came right out and stated he turned)? Or are they born? Because how could they possible breed by having armpit-elbow sex?
And what year is it, anyway? It's obviously been a long time, since Gene didn't know what a 'name' was, or singing.
The Heper Hunt was kind of a twisted version of the Hunger Games. Hepers are almost extinct, so they're a delicacy. And speaking of Hepers, it was interesting how Gene always said 'we' instead of 'they,' like he counted himself more among the vampires than the humans. And he thought himself better than the Hepers because he saw them as uncivilized and low like beasts. This bothered me - uh, hellooo, you're human too, genius. You're one of them! I wanted to slap him. He may as well have been a vamp himself.
Something else that irked me that I feel the need to mention, even though it's a small issue - the overuse of 'mercuric.' EVERY time light was described, that word was used. In fact, one time it was used twice on the same page. I should have kept count, because I know it was used at least 10 times throughout the book.
What I liked best was the dark and gritty feeling this book had. It was dangerous and sometimes gruesome (the gory parts were pretty in depth), and there was an ominous mood that put me on the edge of my seat in anticipation. Plus, I was able to get a very vivid picture of everything in my head.
The revelation at the end with the Scientist didn't make any sense to me. Gah, I don't want to give any spoilers...but if you've read it you'll know what I'm talking about. Because didn't they say he was a Heper, yet his identity...? It was a shocking twist, sure, but it didn't quite add up.
ASSESSMENT
Plot: 4/5
Writing style: 3.5/5
Characters: 3/5
World-building: 2/5
Pace: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
The world building was more holey than Swiss cheese and I couldn't really connect with the characters, but the originality made it worthwhile for me.
Really liked it. Very Hunger Gamish. Can't wait to start Book#2!
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
[2021 edit: I edited my review because it was written in 2013 and had a ton of typos]
Think Hunger Games, but with vampires.
Gene is a teenage boy passing as a vampire. His father got bitten and left for the desert to keep himself from harming Gene. Now alone, Gene must continue to keep his identity a secret, or he will be eaten alive. He can't sweat, cry, laugh, or even sleep during class. Because those are dead giveaways that he's not "normal".
Every 10 years, there is a hunt when they release hepers (humans) into the desert and have people (vampires) chase them down to eat them. There is a lottery and the people chosen are lucky because they get to enjoy being part of the hunt. But when Gene gets chosen, keeping his secret has never been harder.
I thought this book series was amazing and I loved it. What's not to love about a dystopian series with vampires? It's like a zombie apocalypse, but with vampires and told from the POV of one of the only survivors living among the things that would kill him if they had the chance. Not to mention there's a major plot twist in every book that makes you rethink everything you know about the series. If you love futuristic books, vampires, and The Hunger Games, this is the book for you.
Think Hunger Games, but with vampires.
Gene is a teenage boy passing as a vampire. His father got bitten and left for the desert to keep himself from harming Gene. Now alone, Gene must continue to keep his identity a secret, or he will be eaten alive. He can't sweat, cry, laugh, or even sleep during class. Because those are dead giveaways that he's not "normal".
Every 10 years, there is a hunt when they release hepers (humans) into the desert and have people (vampires) chase them down to eat them. There is a lottery and the people chosen are lucky because they get to enjoy being part of the hunt. But when Gene gets chosen, keeping his secret has never been harder.
I thought this book series was amazing and I loved it. What's not to love about a dystopian series with vampires? It's like a zombie apocalypse, but with vampires and told from the POV of one of the only survivors living among the things that would kill him if they had the chance. Not to mention there's a major plot twist in every book that makes you rethink everything you know about the series. If you love futuristic books, vampires, and The Hunger Games, this is the book for you.
What I Did Like:
-There are some creative differences in vampire myths. Some of them even work.
-The final words of the book are a pretty cool way to end (although, honestly, may create a new plot hole in book 2)
Who Should Read This One:
-This is tough for me because I’m not sure I’d recommend it. HOWEVER, if you’re HERE for the vampire stories and you want an interesting twist on that you may feel differently.
My Rating: 1 star. This wasn’t enjoyable for me and I found myself annoyed more often than I enjoyed it.
For Full Review: https://youtu.be/IBRycKr3SHY
-There are some creative differences in vampire myths. Some of them even work.
-The final words of the book are a pretty cool way to end (although, honestly, may create a new plot hole in book 2)
Who Should Read This One:
-This is tough for me because I’m not sure I’d recommend it. HOWEVER, if you’re HERE for the vampire stories and you want an interesting twist on that you may feel differently.
My Rating: 1 star. This wasn’t enjoyable for me and I found myself annoyed more often than I enjoyed it.
For Full Review: https://youtu.be/IBRycKr3SHY
This book speaks to a very primal fear: The fear of being alone. And worse: Alone among monsters. No wonder it gave me a ton of nightmares.
The main character's decisions where not always good ones, but he was believable. After all, the only thing he wanted, was to survive, so it's all right with me that he wasn't a hero.
The vampires in this book were the most disgusting ones, I've ever heard of. All that drooling made me loose my appetite a couple of times. But hey, at least they didn't sparkle :)
The main character's decisions where not always good ones, but he was believable. After all, the only thing he wanted, was to survive, so it's all right with me that he wasn't a hero.
The vampires in this book were the most disgusting ones, I've ever heard of. All that drooling made me loose my appetite a couple of times. But hey, at least they didn't sparkle :)
3 1/2 stars - a very interesting take on the typical vampire genre. These are scary, dangerous vampires, not sexy ones. In fact, they have weird armpit sex! hehe. The story is interesting and the plot is fast paced. While not my favorite book, its good enough that I'd like to read the next one and see how things turn out.
I didn’t expect to love this—the sticker on the front said I would, but I was sceptical. With everyone jumping on the dystopian bandwagon, there’s so much out there, plots overlapping, making it all fairly unoriginal. Adding in vampires—or at least, vampire-esque people—I’d be remiss not to say that I wasn’t going into it with the biggest of expectations. But somehow, The Hunt snagged me—I could hardly put this one down! It was like Rachel Caine and Suzanne Collins had gotten together, leaving behind this little baby Fukuda in their wake. With such descriptive creativity, and a perpetual fear of dismemberment, he had me scratching my own wrists, but for completely different reasons.
Read the full review at my blog, Demons Read Too
Read the full review at my blog, Demons Read Too