Title: Ever the Hunted
Author: Erin Summerill
Series: Clash of Kingdoms #1
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: December 27, 2016
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Length: 392 pages
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
Format: Hardcover
Source: Borrowed
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 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.
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.
My Thoughts:
Britta Flannery was raised to hunt and track alongside her father's apprentice, Cohen. They were great friends but then he left to work for the king and never came back. When her father was murdered there was no one left to care for her so she did what she did best, and was caught poaching. Rather than hang her right away, she is asked to track her father's murderer; Cohen, the boy who stole her heart.
This book had a lot of potential but ultimately fell flat for me.
First, let's talk about the things I liked.
We start out with a strong character who knows how to hunt and track. She seems to be a strong female character. She eventually finds out that she has magical abilities other than her ability to tell when someone is lying or telling the truth. So, magic. Yay magic!
There's this underlying 'coming war' between the country she grew up in, Malam, and the neighboring country, Shaerdan, where her mother came from. Shaerdan is a land full of 'Channelers' and 'Spiriters' who have different powers pertaining to the five elements.
Eventually, and this may be a little spoiler-y but, Britta ends up running all over the country with Cohen, the boy she loves who supposedly killed her father but she believes that he didn't so they are on the run. Anyway, they tease each other constantly. The word 'teased' is used sooo much that I have to make a point of it. Cohen teases her, she teases back, and then she shuts down and pushes him out. And then it happens all over again. They have a history but Britta can't accept that he would care for her so she shuts him down every single time for every little thing. And then the part that really bothers me; she puts on a dress and he's all over her and she finally accepts it. As if wearing a dress was the only reason they finally accept each other's attentions. It's no longer teasing because she's no longer dressed like a boy. Ugh. I liked that there was a little bit of romance in this and that it wasn't entirely insta-love between strangers but it was also kind of irritating.
There were some slow parts. 'Traveling' can quite often be boring in literature. Most of this book was traveling and no, it wasn't all boring. There were plenty of twists and plot turns to keep it interesting, but at the end I felt like most of it was just traveling. I felt like descriptions were lacking considering this is a unique world. If there had been a bit more of something other than just a little talk of 'Channelers' and 'Spiriters', I might have been more interested.
The ending was... odd. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It leaves me with many questions so I'll be keeping an eye out for a sequel. I have a feeling it will be quite different so I'd like to see if Britta and Cohen's story gets better or worse.
This book had a lot of potential but ultimately fell flat for me.
First, let's talk about the things I liked.
We start out with a strong character who knows how to hunt and track. She seems to be a strong female character. She eventually finds out that she has magical abilities other than her ability to tell when someone is lying or telling the truth. So, magic. Yay magic!
There's this underlying 'coming war' between the country she grew up in, Malam, and the neighboring country, Shaerdan, where her mother came from. Shaerdan is a land full of 'Channelers' and 'Spiriters' who have different powers pertaining to the five elements.
Eventually, and this may be a little spoiler-y but, Britta ends up running all over the country with Cohen, the boy she loves who supposedly killed her father but she believes that he didn't so they are on the run. Anyway, they tease each other constantly. The word 'teased' is used sooo much that I have to make a point of it. Cohen teases her, she teases back, and then she shuts down and pushes him out. And then it happens all over again. They have a history but Britta can't accept that he would care for her so she shuts him down every single time for every little thing. And then the part that really bothers me; she puts on a dress and he's all over her and she finally accepts it. As if wearing a dress was the only reason they finally accept each other's attentions. It's no longer teasing because she's no longer dressed like a boy. Ugh. I liked that there was a little bit of romance in this and that it wasn't entirely insta-love between strangers but it was also kind of irritating.
There were some slow parts. 'Traveling' can quite often be boring in literature. Most of this book was traveling and no, it wasn't all boring. There were plenty of twists and plot turns to keep it interesting, but at the end I felt like most of it was just traveling. I felt like descriptions were lacking considering this is a unique world. If there had been a bit more of something other than just a little talk of 'Channelers' and 'Spiriters', I might have been more interested.
The ending was... odd. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. It leaves me with many questions so I'll be keeping an eye out for a sequel. I have a feeling it will be quite different so I'd like to see if Britta and Cohen's story gets better or worse.
My Rating: 3.75
I'm sorry this story fell flat for you, but I'm glad you liked it enough to give the sequel a shot! Awesome review :D Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteBrittany @ Brittany's Book Rambles
I have seen mixed reviews for this one, definitely. I'm kinda torn. I might try it because I like stories about rangers/ forester types and the fact she's on her own in the woods. the "teasing" sounds annoying and overdone and also the "he couldn't possibly be interested in me"- I'm not usually a fan of that either! So I can see where it would be a mixed bag...
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