Gene isn’t like other kids. He can’t run overly fast, he isn’t overly sensitive to sunlight, and he doesn’t have an unquenchable thirst for heper blood. He is a human, but if anyone were to find out… let’s just say he wouldn’t last for more than an hour tops.

The book The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda is a well-written mixture of suspense, drama and a world so very different from our own. It’s about a boy named Gene who is a heper in a world of people. When a new heper hunt is announced, and a lottery will decide the winner, Gene is just praying that he doesn’t get picked. When he is thrust right into the middle, he begins to discover things he never thought possible.

It is slightly similar to the Hunger Games in the sense that people are sent into an area to kill other people, but there is where the similarities stop. In The Hunt, hepers (or humans) are seen as animals, not real people. It’s a hunting trip for those sent out to kill, and they enjoy every second of it. They are put through training, which some of the hunters view as pointless, and put on display like prized dogs. The Hunger Games was a good book, and a very interesting read especially for younger readers, however The Hunt is aimed more towards older readers, or readers in their teens. It has a feel about it that, while it might not appeal to the younger crowd, will definitely appeal to those of the older crowd.

Fukuda has a writing style that is very James Dashner-esque with his extravagant vocabulary. He enthralls his audience with a spellbinding new world where nothing is as it seems. This book would be a great choice for anyone who wants to escape reality into a completely captivating world of mystery, deception and adventure. The series continues in books two and three, The Prey and The Trap.

The Hunt: ★★★★☆