Hunted by Meagan Spooner is a refreshing spin off of the tale as only as time. But before we get into that — the cover... amazingly beautiful!! The combination of the vibrant emerald against the gold and silver metallic forest backdrop is just.. wow. I couldn’t find who designed the cover but dang, they did a fantastic job.
Personally I prefer first person narrative books, simply because when I start to read, most of the time I get so fully immersed into the characters so it makes it easier to blend into the world when your brain is already in their shoes reading words like I, me, etc. So at the start, it felt a little choppy, but still the story sucks you in and won’t let go!
I think we all have a part of Yeva in us; a part that longs for the open, unpredictability of the unknown. In this case, the forest. She yearns for a simple life of living in her father’s hunting cabin and resents what is expected of her as a daughter of a wealthy merchant. When misfortune falls quickly upon Yeva’s family and her ‘dream’ suddenly comes true. After having to sell all of their possessions, including their home, her family is forced to move into their father’s old cabin deep in the woods. With only their aging father to catch and bring home, Yeva is able to return to her childhood days when her father had taught her how to hunt and navigate the dark woods. Yeva finds her old bow and sets out into the forest and is able to put food on the table and at last find enjoyment in her day; much different from her days of not long past that were filled with embroidery and gossip.
Then one day her father reappears from a hunt filled with ominous and mad muttering of a beast hunting him and everything changes. When her father never returns to the cabin Yeva makes the decision to go after him, leaving her sisters in the hands of her betrothed and vanishes into the woods after her father. It doesn’t take long for her to realize that she too is now being hunted by the beast.
I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say Yeva is no Belle in Distress. She holds her own throughout this tale while also trusting her heart to guide her. This tale has love, heartbreak, adventure and so much more filming its pages and this is one retelling you will find yourself falling in love with! It’s mixture of fantasy and reality blend together seamlessly and I can’t wait to see what this author has written next. (I do have her book Sherwood on my bookshelf that is part of my to be read list and I can’t wait to read it.) Like all fairytales, this one has a lesson and a very good one. Yeva never seems content and always seems to want something ‘better’. Only at that realization does she at last allow herself to be happy with who and where she is.
All in all, Hunted gave me the urge to retreat to a cabin somewhere and watch the snow fall. So in other words, a perfect book for this time of year!
Top Quotes:
“She wept because she did not know what she wanted,and because she wanted everything.”
“There is no such thing as living happily ever after — there’s only living. We make the choice to do it happily.”
Stay awesome and spread the light!
