Ever the Hunted Review – Buddy Read with Stephanie at TeacherofYA

Synopsis from NetGalley:
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, a legendary bounty hunter—that is, until her father is murdered. 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 force to be reckoned with.

About: Ever the Hunted is a fiction novel written by Erin Summerill. It will be published on 12/27/2016 by HMH Books for Young Readers, 400 pages. The genres are fantasy and young adult. This is book 1 to a series called Clash of Kingdoms. The author was born in England but reside in Utah, where she obtained her B.A. in English from Brigham Young University. Book 2 is planned to be published in 2017.

Buddy Read Questions and Answers:

1) Who was your fave character and why?

Stephanie: I would have to say that I loved the main character, Britta. Though she frets constantly about how Cohen feels, she mostly didn’t play the game and pretend not to care like some characters. You know when a character is saying, “Oh, we don’t have a future so I’m going to pretend like I don’t care?” Kind of like Kestrel in The Winner’s Curse (she drove me crazy as most of you know). Well, Britta didn’t do that. She would think things like that, like most of us girls do, but when it came to her heart, it always won over her common sense. And to me, that’s just more believable.

Jasmine: I like Leif. He’s such a sweet guy. He believes in giving help and receiving help. He doesn’t know how to act around girls. It’s funny when he gave Britta a pat on the back for a job well done and she stumble over and fall because his pat is too much force for a girl.. hahaha..

2) What did you think overall about the book?

Stephanie: There was some good and some bad, but I overall liked the book. I got sick of the “he loves me but he doesn’t love me, does he?” all the time. That can get so old. Sometimes it is obvious when a character likes someone in a book, and the love was REALLY OBVIOUS. So I don’t get the insecurities unless it was used to build tension. And the ending was a little confusing and abrupt. Yes, I knew it was a book that continues, but it sounded like it was wrapping up and then went, whoops, we forgot to throw this last part in at the end! Ugh.

Jasmine: It’s an okay read. If you haven’t read any other fantasy books before then you may like this book. Since I have read a few fantasy books already, this book reminds me so much of other books: weapon choice, love or not love, survival in the woods, healing abilities, etc. It’s a similar read as other popular fantasy books (see the list of books in my review).

3) Would you recommend (since you almost always read the next book in a series, there is no need to ask)?

Stephanie: I would recommend but not stress as a “must-read.” It was good, and I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t the be all end all like I thought it would be. It was fun. I hope to read the sequel. It’s a nice fantasy story with some romance. My kind of story. It’s not predictable but it’s not action-packed either. It was a solid read. Put it on the TBR, but you don’t have to put it at the top, you know what I mean?

Jasmine: If you have already read A Court of Thorns & Roses, Grisha series or The Hunger Games then don’t read this book. However, I do suggest you should still read it because you should form your own opinions. Just put the book on the bottom of your TBR list. This book could be better after a few adjustments.

My Experience: I started reading Ever the Hunted on 12/9/16 and finished it on 12/14/16. I’m super excited to have read this book with my awesome blogger buddy Stephanie @ TeacherofYA. Please click on her blog name to read her review of this book! I hate to use this book to vent my ever growing weariness of the heroine’s strength in tracking and her weapon of choice is bows & arrows. (Need I list the books with the heroine using bows & arrows and/or good at tracking?: The Wrath & the Dawn, Hunted, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Hunger Games, and too bad that I read those books before this). Another weapon of choice is the dagger which reminds me of The Winner’s series. Healing capabilities reminds me of Grisha series. Because of how much it reminds me of other books, reading this story is like any other stories I have read. It’s not unique.

“My ma always used to say, ‘It’s a good thing to need others.’ It’s okay to need my help, Britta. I’m not gonna make you pay for it later.” Leif

In this book, readers will follow the point of view of Britta, daughter of a bounty hunter. I don’t enjoy following only her thoughts through the entire book. She’s obsess with Cohen and goes on and on about him. The plot is an okay read. It flows well. I just feel bored of traveling in the woods, horseback riding, and always on the run. It runs true with the title of the book. There’s actions, but it just doesn’t pull me into the book. I read to finish rather than read to enjoy. I like the ending. I like Britta’s use of the tea & leaves. I like Leif, he’s a good character. I like the surprise turn of events with Captain Omar. I didn’t like the beginning of the book very much. She was warned that they are coming for her, and yet she just stands there waiting for capture. I do like that the author allows the characters to discuss their strategies before sprinting to actions. I like the mix of shared strategies and suspense. The book could be better if there are more than one point of views.

Pro: discussing of strategies, surprise turns of events,

Con: 1 point of view, love obsession, back and forth in the woods, reminds me too much of other books, what’s up with bows & arrows in every book? I need a contemporary break

I rate it 3.5 stars!

Grab yourself a copy here: Book Depository

***Disclaimer: Many thanks to the author, Erin Summerill, publisher HMH Books for Young Readers, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read & review. Please be sure that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine