Review: Ever the Hunted

Title: Ever the Hunted
Author: Erin Summerill
Series: Clash of Kingdoms #1
Length: 400 pages
Published by: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication date: December 27, 2016
Diversity: none
Rating: ★★★★
Source: eARC via Netgalley




Don't you just love when a book reminds you how much you love reading? I got so lost in this one - the excitement of a whole new fantasy world to explore, all these characters to find out about, and the mystery going through it all kept me hooked. It was such a fun read!

It didn't take long for this book to start reminding me of other books - but that's not a bad thing! Firstly, because it reminded me of books that I liked, and secondly, it only reminded me of bits and pieces of each of those books, and used those to create a whole new story. A girl who's really good at tracking/hunting and is punished for it will always remind me of ACOTAR. A main character finding out that a trusted friend killed their father will always remind me of the Firebird trilogy. Certain spoiler-y things that I won't go into detail about reminded me of the Lunar Chronicles and Vampire Academy. But put all those things together and you get something new and exciting!

One thing I really liked about this book was the setting. (I'm not going into much detail at all here, so I don't consider it a spoiler, but if you like going into books blind don't read this paragraph.) Two kingdoms: one accepts magic, the other rejects it. And having both countries involved in the storyline was really interesting, because you get to see the differences and how they interact with each other - but at the same time, it wasn't as overwhelmingly political and hard to keep track of as, say, Game of Thrones.

Moving on - I also really liked the characters. All of the major and supporting characters were so different from each other that I didn't have any trouble telling them apart, and they were all well-developed enough that I never felt that the characters weren't three-dimensional enough.

I think my biggest problem with this book is that the plot was somewhat predictable. It had its interesting twists and turns, but nothing really shocked me. All of the revelations were more along the lines of "oh, yeah, that makes sense." With high-stakes fantasy like this, I expect to be a little more surprised by what happens!

Overall, I really enjoyed this. It's not as if it's the best, most mind-blowing fantasy out there, but if you're looking for something new with a lot of excitement, I'd check this one out.

Are you going to read Ever the Hunted? Do you like it when books remind you of other books? Tell me in the comments!

Goodreads description:

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.