Review: The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

The Great Hunt

Author: Wendy Higgins

Series: -

Pages: 416

Publisher/Source: HarperTeen

Release date: 8^th March 2016

Synopsis: (Goodreads) Kill the beast. Win the girl.

A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. 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 understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when 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 keen on marriage. 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 and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.

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, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.

Review: 3 ½ out of 5 stars

The Great Hunt is a book that kept me entertained from the very beginning but fantasy can either be hit or miss for me and despite enjoying it mostly there were aspects that I didn’t enjoy so much but I was fascinated by the interesting world Wendy Higgins has created.

When a strange beast terrorizes Princess Aerity’s kingdom, hunters are invited by the king to kill the beast and have a chance at winning Aerity’s hand in marriage but killing the beast isn’t quite as easy as expected and as the hunt progresses we are taken on a thrilling adventure.

The plot is fast paced and mostly follows the hunter’s pursuit of the beast terrorizing the lands of Lochlanach and the king being forced to seek help from other kingdoms beginning the great hunt. There was action aplenty which I liked.

I was a huge fan of Wendy Higgin’s Sweet Evil series, I thought the characters were the highlight of the series but unfortunately this aspect fell flat for me when it came to the The Great Hunt. Princess Aerity was seemingly without fault; she was overly perfect, I liked her, she was kind and thoughtful but she didn’t truly stand out as a kick-butt heroine. Paxton Seabolt, a skilled hunter and the love interest I liked a little more, he could be broody and mysterious but I found myself looking forward to his page time. I was intimidated by the large cast of characters, but they were each introduced well.

What I did really enjoy was the backstory of the lands and the links between the kingdoms and the battle between the Lashed and the Unlashed, it made for an interesting and exciting read.

Another aspect I enjoyed was the slow burning romance between Aerity and Paxton, she agreed to the arranged marriage for the good of her kingdom and out of loyalty, Paxton agreed to participate in the hunt for monetary purposes so he could take care of his family; the chemistry was obvious between them, their interactions were great.

I couldn’t fault Wendy Higgins writing, it was rich in detail, creative and highly entertaining; I feel if I had of connected more with the characters then this book would have been a 5 star read.

Thank you to HarperTeen via Edelweiss for the opportunity to read and review this title.

About the author: Bio:
Wendy Higgins is the USA Today and NY Times bestselling author of the SWEET EVIL series from HarperTeen, the high fantasy duology THE GREAT HUNT, and her independently published Irish Fantasy SEE ME.
After earning a Creative Writing degree from George Mason University and a Masters in Curriculum and Instruction from Radford, Wendy taught high school English until achieving her dream job as a full-time writer.
Wend lives on the Eastern Shore of Virginia with her husband, daughter, son, and little doggie Rue.