Review: The Hunt

THE HUNT
Project Paper Doll #2
Stacey Kade
Young Adult/Sci-Fi-ish
400 pages
Disney Hyperion
Available Now
Source: Finished copy from publisher for review

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.

But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.

Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

MY THOUGHTS
The Hunt is a thrilling second installment, picking up immediately where book one left off as Ariane and Zane attempt to figure out their next steps following the spectacular showdown at the GTX facility. Ms. Kade wastes little time revisiting the events of The Rules, dropping a few key phrases in here and there to trigger our memories rather than providing a detailed account, thus allowing us to move forward quickly and smoothly with our main characters. Tension remains high throughout, Ariane and Zane’s physical situation not the only perilous one given the way their emotional entanglement deepens, and we're kept on edge wondering just what the next chapter has in store.

One of the most intriguing aspects of this series, and this installment in particular, is the dual perspective of Ariane and Zane. The two of them are heavily weighed down by insecurities borne of the conditions in which they were raised, conditions both drastically different but eerily similar in many ways, giving us the opportunity to study their individual reactions both to one another and to the situations they find themselves in. Ariane is arguably the stronger of the two emotionally, able to find logic and reason through her anger, hurt and pain without letting that turmoil spill out and affect those around her. While she keeps much of herself in a death grip clutched tight to her chest, she’s not so closed off that we can’t reach her, and she oh-so gradually as the story progresses unclenches her fists and extends a hand to Zane so that he might share responsibility for her mental, physical and emotional well being.

Due to Ariadne’s telepathic abilities, Zane is a bit more of an open book in their relationship, something we’re exceedingly grateful for as it forces their lines of communication wide open (at least one way). It’s not to say the two don’t have a variety of missteps as they navigate the increasingly complex waters of their relationship–Zane’s understandable inability to censor his thoughts before Ariane gets wind of them creating more than a few gut-wrenching moments–but the beauty of their relationship is that they’re not the type of people to let things fester. Instead, after a short period of time in which they both collect themselves, they sort through their issues before returning to their not-insignificant task of trying to escape GTX detection.

There are a few all-too common second book staples that try and rear their ugly heads in this story, with the main one being an aborted attempt by Ariane to leave Zane early on for his own good. Zane thankfully doesn’t allow that to happen, and rather than having our main couple completely tear down all that was established in book one as is so often the case, the pair of them continue to grow and strengthen together even when a few road blocks force them to reevaluate their path. We are left with Ariane and Zane both in extremely precarious positions however, so those who loathe cliffhangers should be prepared for the rug to be pulled from beneath them in the final chapters. Overall, The Hunt is a strong follow up to The Rules, things intensifying for our protagonists on a variety of levels until we reach an end that leaves us wishing this book was double the length.

Rating: 4/5

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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review. 

I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.