The Hunted

Publisher's Summary

I'm Krystin Blackwood, and I've only ever been good at one thing: killing demons of Darkness. But at 24, I'm about to face my toughest challenge yet: shifting from working alone to joining a team of three other Hunters. Newbie Hunters. 

They don't know their magik, they barely know their place in the world, and when they find out the secrets I've been carrying, they'll definitely decide it's safer if they don't know me.

But unfortunately for them - and me - Darkness has other plans. Lady Azar, Darkness's heir, stole my new team leader's kid two years ago. Now, she and her lackeys are rallying to exchange Ben's kid for me because of the power I wield. I'm one half of a prophecy to save an ancient city the Powers of Good lost centuries ago. And if I fail or die before that happens, the destruction of that city will be felt across all planes of existence. 

If we can't find Ben's son before All Hallows' Eve and somehow save him without putting my life at risk, that existential explosion will absolutely happen. But it'll be nothing compared to the destruction wrought if Lady Azar changes Ben's son into a demon...and her minion

Because the only thing more dangerous than me with a blade is a father's wrath.

©2017 Jessica Gunn (P)2018 Jessica Gunn

New Urban Fantasy Series

**3.5 Stars**
I love any and everything Urban Fantasy and the cover for Hunted is just so very freaking gorgeous! I purchased an ecopy as soon as it was first available (but had not gotten the chance to read it yet) and when I was offered the opportunity to listen to the audiobook I jumped at it. As a side note, I had a hard time connecting to the audiobook and I am not 100% sure why. Just for some reason I found my thoughts drifting while I was listening multiple times and had to re-listen to a good chunk of the book. I think I many have enjoyed the story more if I have read my ebook instead of listening.This was a super fast listen though, easy to get through in just a few sittings.

The world building was great, so detailed and interesting, an underlying demon problem that is being fought right under the unsuspecting human's eyes. Ooh, and the prophecy of the chosen one... It was so complicated I could not help but be interested in the turns and twists of the story and I have so many questions. What a great way to hook a reader into needing the next book!

Kristen and Ben are the two main characters, switching between narration and view points as the story went on so we get to see inside the minds of both characters. I did not really care for Ben as a character overall and would love to have him not be the love interest for Kristen, who seems really cool, powerful, mischievous when bored, at times very insightful, and always interesting. He was a little one-note feeling, all impulse and brawn with very little thought, to me but maybe his character will develop later on in the series. There felt like there might be a love triangle/square brewing which I am a little concerned about, but I would love a love-match with Shawn and Kristen... (I can't wait to learn about Shawn!)

This was not a big point to the story but I kept thinking about the timeline (predominantly since Ben literally kept bringing it up...all the time, at least once per his chapter narrations). Ben's son Riley just turned 2, but he was kidnapped 2 and a half years ago when all the magical craziness entered Ben's life...which 2 and a half years ago was when his wife left him... ooh-kay, so was she pregnant when she left him? But it also mentions that she told him she was pregnant and asked if he wanted to be together while he was still normal in college, which is when I assume they got married, and I know the baby was kidnapped within the first few weeks of his life...ok, here is where I get hung up again. Can someone please provided me with a timeline because I am way too hyper focused on this useless detail like a crazy? But in my defense it is hard to overlook when Ben mentions it every chance he gets.

The ending left lots of doors open so I would like to come back and see where the next battle with take the team.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not for me

The characters in this book are meant to be in their early to mid twenties yet they acted like teens. If I was not told and reminded at times I would have thought that they were eighteen. They really acted immature at times and they are meant to be one of the best. I found this a hard to believe book. It was not for me but others might like it more then I did.

The Hunted

Witches and Hunters are in the same circles. The magic running through their veins may not be pure, but they have the choice to either protect or destroy lives. Demons run amuck and something is brewing right inside the city, but no one knows where the main group lies…and no one can get close enough to find out without ever having a chance of escape. Gunn has a power-charged novel, filled with action and paranormal elements.

Krystin Blackwood has a new team, which doesn’t bode well for her. She doesn’t feel like a team player, but that is exactly what the higher ups in the fire circle seem to think is best for her. They were always making assumptions about her life from the time that she was young until now. Always moving her around, talking about fulfilling a prophecy that she was destined for. When she meets Ben, the need to control his powers overcomes her sensibilities about keeping the team safe. Someone who is close to Ben has been kidnapped, which makes Ben’s emotions control his powers. They run everything. Between the both of them, will they learn how to work together or will they destroy everything, including themselves by trying to run into the lion’s den without a backup plan.

Gunn has an interesting story, but it lacks a bit of originality and it predictable. The story seems to flow well; however, the characters are a bit underdeveloped. Condon has a very strong female voice, although she appears to have some trouble with character differentiation. It may not be the best for this type of story. Since this review is complementing the audiobook, it is unclear if the grammatical and pronunciations are mistakes from the narrator or the author’s writing. If you are a reader of YA Paranormal, you may want to give this story a try. It is the first book in the Hunter Circles Series; therefore, readers are able to dive right in.

An audiobook was provided to Turning Another Page by Audiobookworm Promotions and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a three-star rating to The Hunted by Jessica Gunn.

Fun brain candy!

This was a quick little read and a fun urban fantasy story. It was easy to get into the plot and the characters. Krystin is the latest in a long line of magical people and may be ‘the one’ to save the world from some sort of calamity. She’s reluctantly part of a Hunter Circle which protects humanity from demons and the like. She’s on Ben’s team. Ben has his own personal quest to find his son, Riley, who was stolen as a baby.

Krystin is full of impertinence, which I usually like, but it felt like it was her only character trait. I would have liked a little more depth in her character. She’s considered too old to be placed on a team as a junior member, but 24 really isn’t all that old, so that felt a little silly. I did like that she didn’t mind breaking rules, like sneaking out after hours to go enjoy a drink at some dive bar where she gathers rumors and info to help the team out.

Giano, one of the Bad Guys, is interesting because I wasn’t sure what his motives were for part of the book. It was a little mystery for Krystin to unravel. There’s also the main Big Baddie Lady Azar who is behind Riley’s kidnapping. These are worthy foes who hit below the belt. Krystin and her team have their hands full.

Sometimes I really liked Ben and sometimes I felt he was a bad team leader. He’s too preoccupied with Krystin being better than him in a fight. Also, he sometimes gets tunnel vision and puts the entire team in danger. Then there’s other times were I felt he was being a really good leader. He puts his foot down at harming a young demon at one point and I felt that was the right thing to do.

The story moves at a quick pace and with the simple plot and basic characters, that worked well. This is a fun bit of brain candy. The story leaves us with a small win for the team but also with an open end for Book 2 to slide right into. Overall, 3.5/5 stars.

The Narration: Shannon Condon’s narration needs some polishing. Her voice for Krystin sounds more like a 16 year old instead of a 24 year old. Her male character voices need masculinity. There were a few repeated phrases in the recording and the volume fluctuated a bit. Condon did have really good little kid voices. The pacing was good. 3/5 stars.

I received this audiobook as part of my participation in a blog tour with Audiobookworm Promotions. The tour is being sponsored by Jessica Gunn. The gifting of this audiobook did not affect my opinion of it.

#MagicSystems #UrbanFantasy

#tagsgiving and #sweepstakes

Great start to the series.

The Hunted is my first look at author Jessica Gunn. Gunn did a fantastic job at world building and character development. The Hunted is fast-paced, non-stop action from page one. The MC, Krystin, is a total badass! I like that the author included two POVs so that I got into Ben's head as well. With him being such a huge part of the storyline this was needed. The tension and drama of the story are palpable and kept me on the edge of my seat. The ending left me wanting more!

The narrator,Shannon Condon, did a great job of bringing the story to life and sucking me into the world.

intense fast pace intriguing

Fast pace. Intense action. Dual POV. Intriguing characters. Backstories. Angsty. Cliffhanger??? Sort of yes. That to me felt like it would be left up to the person that was listening to the narration. There were some resolutions, but was it conclusive. There were depths to the characters that you get to see through the dual POV. The narration was intense and matching for the pacing of the story. There were times that you were not quite sure which POV was being heard. So don't get distracted or you will be back tracking.

Fast-paced new urban fantasy story with demon hunt

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. My overall review is 3.5 stars.

The Hunted is a new paranormal urban fantasy story kicking off a series full of action, fast-paced scenes, and lots of angst. We have witches and demon hunters, and of course demons, but also additional magical powers. We have a cast of young hunters who each have a particular demon on their hit-list, for various reasons. And for good reason- Giyano is a parent-killing, son-kidnapping type of demon. But there is more than meets the eye with him.

Our main character duo - yep this is an alternating POV book - both have a backstory. Krystin is of the Blackwood line, and is prophesized to be "the one" and Ben's son was kidnapped as a baby and he's fighting to get him back before he is used as a pawn for evil darkness.

Sometimes it feels like there is a lot going on, but it happens so quickly. The book is full of fight scenes, ambushes, and angst. While we understand our main characters' motivations, I feel like there's more that we're not told yet. More depth that maybe the future books in the series will deliver.

This is the type of book that would make a fabulous episode arch in TV shows like Supernatural. Though my boys would have ended things differently I tell you, the sort of cliffhanger makes it so future books are possible. It definitely had a "battle's done and we kinda won" feel to it (thanks Buffy) but it wasn't fully satisfying because of the challenges and difficult decisions.

As for the narration, it was quite good! I will say I sometimes had a difficult time remembering who was narrating that chapter if I came back to it in the middle. But otherwise the narrator did a great job with the fast-paced action and the emotional angst felt by our characters and was pleasant to listen to.

Pretty decent

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a decent paranormal/urban fantasy novel. The story was OK. There was a good amount of action and the demon elements were cool. The narration was decent. Every so often, I could hear a bit of background noise (like a page turning) but it wasn't so bad that it ruined the experience for me. I just point it out becuase I noticed it. All in all, this wasn't the best book I've listened to, but it was FAR from the worst. I'd be open to giving book 2 a try when it comes out.

Has potential to be a great series.

Rating 3.75
Writing 3.75
Narration 3.75
This is book one in the Hunter Circles Series and it feels very much like scene setting. When the story first opens you are hit with a whole lot of information. Too much for me to take on board completely without having to replay the beginning. Having said that, this was a fast paced, intense and gripping, story with magical Demon hunters, pure evil and those that seem to fall somewhere in-between.
There is a prophecy and a prophesised, Krystin Blackwood, who is one of the main protagonists and powerful magically. Ben is the other lead character, he is a father looking for his child that was taken as a baby. If he doesn’t find him then there is a strong chance that he could be used for evil. (if he hasn’t already) Honestly that is all that I can tell you about the actual story without spoilers.
Shannon Condon did a good job with the narration, she had the intensity and urgency of situations expressed really well and maintain momentum throughout. Her voice was clear. and her speech concise. My criticism is that the voices of the character were not always clearly defined and caused confusion at times.
The Hunted ended on a cliffhanger, and while cliffhanger’s are annoying, I feel that the series has real potential to develop into a fantastic Urban Fantasy series and that Jessica Gunn has put as much as possible into this first book in the Hunter Circles Series. The Hunted has set the scene well and left the reader/ listener with plenty of questions that need answering and scope for more exciting action.
My reason for this particular rating was that for me, The Hunted and the narration felt higher than a 3.5 but fell shy of a 4 star rating.
I was given a review copy of The Hunted by Jessica Gunn and Audiobookworm, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Great Hunt

I loved Krystin and Ben's story. This is a fast paced story on the hunt for a little kid and I loved it. There's action and what the heck is going on and just all around awesomeness. This is an awesome new to me world and I'm loving all of it so far. Shannon did a great job narrating and she had a wonderful voice, but there was the sound of paper being turned or gum in her mouth tat drove me crazy. I loved her voice but some noise kept taking me away from the story and made it impossible to where I couldn't completely get lost in the story like I love to do.