Series: Clash of Kingdoms #1
Audience: +15
Genre: High Fantasy, Young Adult
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: December 27th 2016
My Rating: 3.5 cups
Source: Netgalley
Blurb (from Goodreads):
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.
*Disclaimer: I received an eARC from Netgalley and HMH Books for Young Readers in exchange for an honest review. This does not influence my rating or my opinion of the book in any way.
My latest visit into the land of High Fantasy takes me to Ever The Hunted and let me tell you, this was a very interesting story. The blurb and the cover managed to catch my eye, but I was really intrigued by the idea of a girl trying to catch her father's killer, who apparently is her former best friend.
Britta is a pretty interesting heroine. She has her moments when she kinda made me roll my eyes, but it was all explained to me at the end of the book. I liked the fact that she agreed to find out where her father's killer was, to find him and bring him to justice, even if that meant hunting down for her ex best friend. As I said, there were some moments that made me question her state of mind a little bit,. There's a beautiful moment in the book, when she tells Cohen exactly what his and her father's "protection" meant for her once she was left alone, without someone to be there for her, and I found myself a bit disappointed that that aspect of the story wasn't explored more. I can only hope that we'll see that aspect of Britta's life, how she suffered, physically and mentally, in the next book.
I wasn't so sure exactly why Cohen was so loved by Britta. He wasn't as charming to me as Britta made him out to be, and he didn't stand out as much as I expected him to stand out. The ending kind of explains Britta's infatuation with Cohen, and it's interesting to see how that aspect of their relationship will be explained in the next book.
The plot is pretty simple, and easily read. There are a few cliche elements to this story, but I wasn't bothered by them. I read this book pretty fast. All in all, Ever The Hunted was a good read and I'm very curious to see how the story will continue.
