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A review by allisonwonderlandreads
The Sevenfold Hunters by Rose Egal
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
The Sevenfold Hunters takes readers on a wild ride alongside a team of trainee alien hunters fractured by a death in their midst. The Sevenfold were the most elite team at Carlisle Academy, stacked with legacies whose parents once fought for and now hold prestigious positions on Carlisle's board. The exception is the team's leader, Abyan. Orphaned by the very aliens the school teaches them to fight, it's a personal battle for her. When Sevenfold member Jared dies at the hands of the Nosaru (the aliens) off mission, the team is crushed. And they're not the only ones. He was with his girlfriend, Artemis, rock climbing, when the attack happened, and her world is rocked by the revelation of Jared's secret life and the way he was taken from her. She can't help but feel that the school's response indicates something more sinister is going on. It motivates her to seek entry to the elite academy, not as an aspiring Nosaru hunter, but to find out what Carlisle is hiding about the day Jared died. In a twist, the school assigns Artemis to Jared's old squad, an action that stirs up a lot of animosity towards the new girl. Not only does the new recruit threaten the team's standing in the school's rankings, but she also has the gall to take the space left by their friend, the one they're still mourning. We get the story through two POVs as Abyan and Artemis try to put together all the strange things happening at Carlisle, initially as separate investigators, but eventually as collaborators.
The strongest aspect of this book for me is the Sevenfold team. There's a lot of representation, starting with the fact that there are only two "token straights," a ratio I can get behind. Artemis is bi, and it's always worth noting for me that one of the members is ace. Abyan stands out as my favorite character. She's British Somali, and her lack of upper-crust background is just another way she stands out at Carlisle. Language code-switching is one of the ways she ultimately ends up bonding with Artemis. Abyan is also hijabi, and we see some of the little and big ways her faith has impacted her time at school. For one, she's had to fight to prevent her squad from being assigned missions that would require her to miss prayer. We also see the heart-warming respect she receives from her friends regarding personal boundaries. Her best friend on the team is Hank, and they have a heart eyes will they/won't they vibe. They always have each other's backs, even against the rest of the squad. Their flirtatious banter is top-notch, and I was rooting for them to take the plunge. But while they share intense moments and some adorable friendly hugs to ground each other, Hank respects that Abyan wouldn't be comfortable with further physical intimacy. My final comment re:Team Abyan is that there's some powerful depression representation through her character, showing how she copes (or can't) with the bad days and where they come from. I found it relatable and meaningful, an aspect of her reality woven through the rest, just like mental illness is in real life.
The weaker element of the book for me was the world-building and background components. In terms of relationships, Abyan and Hank have a deep feeling of history between them even if it doesn't play out on the page. But not all the friendships on the team have the same nuanced quality. In some ways, I think that's natural. In other ways, the famed synchronicity of the team feels unsupported even before you get into the specific fractures affecting them this year. For world-building, it feels a bit like a standard alien and evil corporation plot, which isn't necessarily bad but doesn't inspire my enthusiasm. It also leaves room for some plot holes or at least thin explanation since it's relying on common tropes.
In the end, characters and their relationships are more important to me than world-building, and I think these characters have a lot to say. With that in mind, I would pick up a future book about them should it exist to see how things evolve for them. Thanks to Page Street for my copy to read and review!
The strongest aspect of this book for me is the Sevenfold team. There's a lot of representation, starting with the fact that there are only two "token straights," a ratio I can get behind. Artemis is bi, and it's always worth noting for me that one of the members is ace. Abyan stands out as my favorite character. She's British Somali, and her lack of upper-crust background is just another way she stands out at Carlisle. Language code-switching is one of the ways she ultimately ends up bonding with Artemis. Abyan is also hijabi, and we see some of the little and big ways her faith has impacted her time at school. For one, she's had to fight to prevent her squad from being assigned missions that would require her to miss prayer. We also see the heart-warming respect she receives from her friends regarding personal boundaries. Her best friend on the team is Hank, and they have a heart eyes will they/won't they vibe. They always have each other's backs, even against the rest of the squad. Their flirtatious banter is top-notch, and I was rooting for them to take the plunge. But while they share intense moments and some adorable friendly hugs to ground each other, Hank respects that Abyan wouldn't be comfortable with further physical intimacy. My final comment re:Team Abyan is that there's some powerful depression representation through her character, showing how she copes (or can't) with the bad days and where they come from. I found it relatable and meaningful, an aspect of her reality woven through the rest, just like mental illness is in real life.
The weaker element of the book for me was the world-building and background components. In terms of relationships, Abyan and Hank have a deep feeling of history between them even if it doesn't play out on the page. But not all the friendships on the team have the same nuanced quality. In some ways, I think that's natural. In other ways, the famed synchronicity of the team feels unsupported even before you get into the specific fractures affecting them this year. For world-building, it feels a bit like a standard alien and evil corporation plot, which isn't necessarily bad but doesn't inspire my enthusiasm. It also leaves room for some plot holes or at least thin explanation since it's relying on common tropes.
In the end, characters and their relationships are more important to me than world-building, and I think these characters have a lot to say. With that in mind, I would pick up a future book about them should it exist to see how things evolve for them. Thanks to Page Street for my copy to read and review!