Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology #1)

by Wendy Higgins

Blurb: 

“Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.”

She could only stare back, frozen.

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

Source: Edelweiss (Thanks for the review copy HarperTeen!)

My Thoughts:

This is the second book I have read by Wendy Higgins. The first one I read was 'Sweet Evil'. I really enjoyed 'Sweet Evil' and was expecting some great writing from Higgins, sadly I was disappointed.

Negatives:

Not as good as the original
After reading the book I decided to read the short story that it was based on. It was a very short story and I was able to finish reading it in ten minutes but it was still much better than this book. I think Wendy stretched the original concept too long. The story was simple yet had a lot of depth. Higgins instead chooses to drag it out and in the process over complicates it. Read the original here: http://genius.com/The-brothers-grimm-the-singing-bone-annotated

Lack of relateable characters

I think Higgins decided to over-complicate the story but forgot to add depth to the characterization of the protagonists. All can easily fall under stereotypical fairy tale tropes. The hunter , the princess, the sister of the princess and the brother of the hunter. I'm not saying that Higgins does not TRY to add depth but you can't connect to any of the characters and that is why I think they lack something. 

Where is the suspense?
I had not read the original before reading this book but still I could predict almost everything that would happen. Almost every *shocking* plot twist was not shocking at all. There was no doubt regarding who would fall in love with whom, there was no doubt regarding why the place was being attacked. Even the revealation regarding someone (avoiding spoilers) was not very surprising. The only surprising part was the ending.I can't believe that the story is going to be stretched even more. Instead of trying to forcefully trying to instill a sense of danger, making the story shorter and crisper would have made it more enjoyable.

The Romance
Of course the woman likes the mean bad boy who ignores her. God forbid she like the nice guy who treats her well?  Also, it is love at first sight and there is an undeniable attraction (KILL ME NOW!) not only between one couple but TWO. 

There was one scene in which the younger brother is of course infatuated with Aerity but once he realizes his older brother is interested he shifts his focus to the younger sister because princesses are replaceable sexual objects (Feminist rant being held in with a lot of difficulty!)

I think if I cared about the characters I would be able to forget about the romance but I don't which is why the romance was even more cringe-worthy.

Villains? WHAT Villains?
The antagonists are these shady characters always on the fringes but never properly introduced. The Beast takes center stage. But, the beast is an animal, he cannot make up for a complex human antagonist. I think the main antagonists will be focused on in the sequel which is a pity. I really liked what I read about them but what I read was too little. 

Positives

Aerity

Apart from her poor romantic choices. She was well etched out and one of the main reasons why I did not abandon this book.

The unexpected ending

The highlight of the book. The sad part is that the most interesting plot points are introduced towards the end. I know that the sequel will most probably have a better storyline but by the end of the narrative I have just lost interest in these characters. 

The entire set up

I think the reason I am so disappointed with this book is because it has all the makings of a best seller. A great writer, aristocracy, a hunt in which the prize is a princess and magic. The way it is implemented is the only thing that is lacking. I loved reading about the world that Higgins has set up. The entire political scene and the discrimination between magic and non-magic users really hooked me in. Instead on capitalizing on these brilliant themes and the world building, Higgins focuses too much of her energy on the romantic angle. This is the reason why this story did not work for me. There is no spice in it. No betrayals, no shocking ends. It focuses on the surface despite having so much potential for exploring deeper themes. 

Overall, I am very disappointed with this book.


My Rating:

2/5