The Hunt – Andrew Fukuda

Fukuda, A. X. (2012). The hunt. New York, NY: St. Martin’s Griffin.ISBN: 9781250005144. Paperback. $8.32.

Annotation: In a vampire world, Gene has to hide that he is really human. Joining the hunt with vampires to find scarce human blood, Gene has to use all of his knowledge about keeping his identity a secret in order to survive.

There’s no blood left and in a world of vampires, that’s a problem. Gene, though, isn’t a vampire. He’s just good at pretending to be one of them. He’s trained his body and his mind to move and think like one of them. But as blood becomes more and more scarce Gene has to work harder to “fit in” and risk being devoured. So, naturally, he joins the hunt with a group of vampires looking for human blood. Then Gene meets a girl, and she’s the first person he can see a future with. The question remains: Can they survive the hunt?

Andrew Fukuda takes a new spin on the modern vampire story, almost a reverse Dracula. Much like Dracula, these vampires aren’t fun, happy-go-lucky characters, but ruthless hunters. The world is very dystopic, yet a very familiar and Gene is a complex character that you want to root for. This series would be great for male teen readers who like horror/action novels, such as The Maze Runner or Alex Rider, but for an older crowd. This series is more expensive and the first is a little harder to find, so I would suggest getting it for free at the library to see if you like it first.

Awards & Nominations: 2013 Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers — Young Adult (Nominee),  2013 RT Book Reviews — Top Pick.

You can find Andrew Fukuda on Twitter, Facebook, or Personal Author Page

Nice piece by @kristanhoffman on taming that green-eyed monster named Envy! A good reminder for all of us! https://t.co/G0m2uyYQlR pic.twitter.com/VgAUKgC06D

— Andrew Fukuda (@AndrewFukuda) November 1, 2016

Here is the official US trailer for The Hunt:

And here is the official UK trailer for The Hunt:

And here is a snippet of the audiobook:

Hex Hall – Rachel Hawkins

Hawkins, R. (2010). Hex hall. New York: Disney/Hyperion Books. ISBN:9781423121305. Paperback. $4.99.

Annotation: Sophie has always known she was different because of her Warlock father, but it isn’t until she uses her powers in front of normal humans that she realizes how much. At Hex Hall Sophie is still pretty different and realizes that she may be the only one looking for the true person or being who is harming other students.

What if you had powers? Sounds fun right? Wrong. So wrong. After a bad prom night where Sophie reveals her magical abilities to normal humans, she’s being exiled. Where? Hex Hall, a place for freaks like her. On her first day she gains a vampire roommate, a crush, and three model pretty enemies. Sophie finds out, though, that her roommate, the only person she gets along with, is suspected of attacking students at school. But Sophie isn’t buying it. In fact, she’s pretty sure she knows who is harming the students and hopes to clear her roommate’s name.

Hex Hall is the first in a trilogy, so Sophie and her friends and frenemies have room to grow. I liked this series because it combines a lot of different mythical creatures with other lore, to allow for easier world building of Hex Hall. If you like City of Bones by Cassandra Clare or even Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead, you might like this book. Since it is a series, as always, check it out at your local library before you buy it in case it isn’t to your taste.

Award: Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults (2012).

You can find more from Rachel Hawkins on her Tumblr & Twitter, which she updates frequently. You can also access this Goodreads profile for the Hex Hall series.

 

 

The Revenant – Sonia Gensler

*Not the nonfiction book or it’s adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio.

Gensler, S. (2013). The revenant. New York: Ember. ISBN:978-0375861390. Paperback. $7.16.

Annotation: Willie never thought she’d be a teacher on an Indian Reservation, but running away never leads where you expect. She starts to hear a voice of a spirit, a revenant they call it, in her room, and her only option is to finish what the spirit started.

What is a Revenant? That’s something Willie finds herself asking after she starts to hear a moaning voice in her room on the Indian Reservation. See, Willie has running away from her New England home and gone to teach on the Reservation. When the spirit of a boy who recently died seems to be haunting her Willie has to try and find a way to get him to move on. But there are secrets on the Reservation, like how this boy died and who does he have unfinished business with? Willie knows it isn’t her, but she is the only one who seems to be listening to the Revenant.

I enjoyed this spooky historical fiction ghost story not only because it shows us a time period we rarely see in teen fiction, but also because was based historical events and culture. I am not generally a fan of ghost stories as you will see in my video, but this one had so much meaning behind it. I actually think anyone who enjoys a good mystery and historical fiction will like this one, although, I know ghosts aren’t for everyone, which is why it falls into the horror category. Since this book is harder to find and is loosely a part of a series, I would get it from the library first to make sure you actually like it!

Awards & Nominations: 2014 Intermediate Sequoyah Masterlist, 2012 Oklahoma Book Award for Young Adult Fiction, 2012 Parent’s Choice Silver Award, 2012 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award Finalist, 2011 ABC New Voices Extended List.

Sonia Gensler can be found on her Facebook, on Twitter, and Instagram

Saying goodbye to Snowmass today. 😥 @ Snowmass https://t.co/U8nE4b7bgm

— Sonia Gensler (@soniagensler) June 14, 2017

 

The Official book trailer for The Revenant.