Friday, April 28, 2017

Review: Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

Series: Clash of Kingdoms #1
Publication Date: December 27th 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Genre: YA, Fantasy, Romance
Amazon ~ Goodreads ~ B&N

Synopsis: Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.


My Rating
4/5 stars

My Review
“Bravery is a choice that is yours to make. Don't let fear steal your will.” 

Her father is murdered, and her best friend is gone. Because Britta is a girl, she cannot legally inherit her land, and because she is an outcast in her town, no one is there to help her during her grieving. Nearly starving to death, Britta decides to kill a deer for food, unfortunately poaching is illegal. Not long after, Britta is caught and sentenced to death. Her only way to stay alive, is to hunt her father's killer, her only friend Cohen, whom she's been in love with for years.

Ever the Hunted is a wonderful adventure. The book will suck you in and make you want to keep reading right from the start.

There were so many things I loved about this book, unfortunately because of the main character and the romance I couldn't bring myself to give this book 5 stars.

Britta is depicted as a strong, independent and brilliant women. Most of the time she is, but sometimes she misses the little things that make the reader believe she's not as smart and strong as everyone calls her. Right from the beginning of the book we see the strong side of her, she's dealt with the death of her father, she can take care of herself and she's smart enough to escape death. It's later on in the story that we find out that Britta has the power to tell whether someone is lying to her or not, so this is what has me confused, Britta's father lied to her (avoided the truth) about a lot of things, including his work, her mother's death, her powers. So how on earth did Britta not question him or see that he was lying to her? She should have seen at least some of this stuff coming, right? There were also a lot of times where Britta played the damsel in distress, which really didn't help with making her look independent near the end.

What I loved about the romance is that it's not insta-love. It's about reuniting with an old love, and feeling that spark again. While I did ship the main love interest, I wasn't too happy with it. There were a few things that really bugged me about Cohen. He kind of treats Britta like a little fragile girl throughout most of the book, rather than an equal. And he's not the most trustworthy at times. There are many instances where he just does something and then tells Britta about it later. I'm not sure about you, but if he was my boyfriend I would be pretty pissed if he treated me like a little girl and did all the thinking for me.

I found myself really liking two side characters more than the main characters. Leif and Enat both become really important characters later on, I won't talk about it so I don't spoil anything.

The world-building was incredible in this story. The characters spend a lot of time in the woods, as well as little villages and towns. Every scene is described perfectly, and it really makes you feel like you're in the story yourself. I was excited to see more of the world that Summerill created.

The storyline is a bit slow in the beginning, but it has just enough action to keep you interested. It really starts to pick up about 30% into the book, and at that point I just wanted to finish the rest in one sitting.

Overall, I really recommend this book, its perfect for all fantasy and adventure lovers. Although I would skip this one if you're a feminist and/or hate reading books with a bit of sexism in them. I absolutely can't wait to read the next book in this series.

Happy Reading,
Aneta

4 comments:

  1. Brilliant review :) I really like how you say the romance wasn't insta - it sounds like a good one. Although I don't think Cohen treating Britta like a fragile little girl would sit well with me :(

    This seems like a book I'd love! Thanks for the review.

    Amy @ A Magical World Of Words

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    1. I'm so glad you agree. I hate men like that :P
      Thanks for visiting and reading my review :)

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  2. I agree, I adored the world-building in this book! I'm dying to read the sequel :D I'm so thrilled to you enjoyed this book! Awesome review :)

    Brittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you enjoyed it too. I hope the sequel is just as good or better than this one. I'll keep my fingers crossed for us.
      Thanks for visiting Brittany :)

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