The Prey (Hunt Trilogy, #2)

by Andrew Fukuda

For Gene and the remaining humans - or hepers - death is just a heartbeat away. On the run and hunted by society, they must find a way to survive in The Vast... and avoid the hungry predators tracking them in the dark. But they're not the only things following Gene. He's haunted by the girl he left behind and his burgeoning feelings for Sissy, the human girl at his side.
When they discover a refuge of exiled humans living high in the mountains, Gene and his friends think they're finally safe. Led by a group of intensely secretive elders, the civilisation begins to raise more questions than answers. A strict code of behaviour is the rule, harsh punishments are meted out, young men are nowhere to be found - and Gene begins to wonder if the world they've entered is just as evil as the one they left behind. As life at the refuge grows more perilous, he and Sissy only grow closer. In an increasingly violent world, all they have is each other . . . if they can only stay alive.

• ISBN10: 1250005116
• ISBN13: 9781250005113
• Publish Date: 29 January 2013 (first published 1 January 2013)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 17 June 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Griffin
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 326
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I won a copy of both books, The Hunt and The Prey through a giveaway on The Reading Date.

CW: Rape, Abuse

Sadly, this book did not live up to The Hunt. It wasn't horrific, suspenseful, or tense. It wasn't unique and fell back on the standard world building. The characters are now so-so at best. It sunk to bringing another insta-love romance was forced and created a love triangle to exceed the YA trope and trends quota. What really dragged the book down and made these factors worse was just how long they spend in The Refuge. It's pointless. Cutting it short would've solved or at least helped rather than making it feel stretched so far it broke with a contrived plot and stupid characters running around like headless chickens.

I'll be continuing to finish the series off but man, this book really suffers from the latest YA schticks and suffers from middle book syndrome. I'm hopeful but resigned to The Trap. **Crosses fingers**

-Sissy is ridiculously good with the daggers. Like unbelievably, Mary Sue-ish. Her 180 about leaving? Pissed me off when it happened. Should've just caught them while in The Village or when they didn't have a chance but to go back so they didn't have to have that stupid moment. Same with Gene. Felt like it had to happen to force the bond between the two and make the surprise appearances shocking.

-Gene...**sigh** Did you have to go all brooding emo romance interest? I liked you better has a fake vamp. And your brain worked better then too. At least you have Sissy to save the day for you.

-The Boys: Dear fucking god, what is wrong with you? How do you just brush off all your life experiences and act so dumb? Okay, Ben is young and did stupid shit before, he's exempt. The rest of the lot? Meh. And it's so convenient how shit like Ben's little legs only come up to amp the tension. At one point they're literally dead weight. They feel more like plot devices than people. Oh, and the message about tribalism, and never leaving someone behind.

-Vamps: Still liking them. Their resourceful and a real threat; Their contraptions are pretty cool. I'm wondering what's going on back in their metropolis. Not their fault it was obvious the main human cast was making it out by the skin of their teeth and being melodramatic. But what is with Ashley June into a vamp? That better have a fucking purpose and not more stupid, useless teen drama. Again, showing up earlier would've helped.

-There wasn't as much tension and suspense as The Hunt. The kids were slow to pick up obvious signs and clues, and it was just a bunch of useless running around. The Village could've been cut short for a tighter, more reasonable book. Staying that long makes it very grating and obvious as an M. Night Shyamalan movie.

-I asked for world building and I got it. Can't say much and it's hard to judge since other issues brought it down. If it just rolled through instead of dragging it out like it was the biggest surprising twist every that the kids are understandably not getting...I mean it's not the worst or stupid. It's just not that...unique or special. Building it up to be something it's not, just makes it come off worse.

-Didn't like the budding new romance. It felt forced with no spark. They're better off friends or siblings. Plus the love triangle. Oh god, come the fuck on! Useless stupid uncompelling shit. And both boys don't fucking get it... One of them “avails themselves to the girls” in the village. These girls are branded prisoners in a breeder farm. They are brainwashed, unable to say no and rewarded for being pregnant. Sounds like fucking rape. Or at the very least, really fucking creepy and skeevy. But the guys argue over it as a jealous act harming their girl, Sissy and don't think the implications through. (pg. 144 and 183 respectively)

Plus, Ashley fucking June!

[kimbacaffeinate]

*Scratches wrist* I absolutely loved The Hunt book one in this trilogy and was excited to begin The Prey. My plan was to read a few chapters and then continue with another ARC I was reading. Not! Fukuda plunges us right back into the tale and the pacing and world building held me captive and I literally consumed this in a few hours. This is such a terrifying and original tale. Fukuda is brilliant and I can barely wait for the final book.

The tale begins exactly where the Hunt ended and we are on the river with Gene, Sissy and the other hepers. They travel in search of the “Land of Milk and Honey” that the scientist; Gene’s father described to them. These six become a family and look out for each other. They find clues left for them by the scientists, and make their way into the mountains where they discover a utopia of sorts, led by a group of elders. Together Gene and Sissy try to discover more about Gene’s father and the “origin” everyone is so insistent they have. They quickly discover all is not what it seems and the tale that unfolds is absolutely riveting.

We really get to know Gene and the other six in this tale now that they are away from the Hunters. Sissy is strong, firm in her conviction and mother to the other boys from the Dome. I loved her leave no man behind philosophy. Each of the six draws on and uses lessons that were taught to them by Gene’s father, “the scientist”. Gene struggles to come to terms with his father’s abandonment and his loss of Ashley Lynn. Fukuda really captured Gene's struggle to acclimate to both the verbal and emotional expressions of the others. For years he learned to show no emotions and a few times he expressed himself by scratching his wrists. At times he struggled with their noise levels and sought solitude. The Elders and townsfolk were fascinating right down to their laws. Some of the character's had a creepy robotic feel to them and it was fascinating getting to the underbelly of this community and its inhabitants. There is love, loss and sacrifice and Fukuda makes us feel all of it through these fleshed out characters.

I love world-building and my only complaint for book one was that I wanted to know more of how and why. Fukuda satisfied my quench in this middle book as he deliciously delivers the how and why and it felt genuine and downright creepy. We are provided clues as to direction this tale will take, and a horrifying glimpse of the dangers we will face as they journey on their quest. The tale flowed wonderfully with twists and turns that kept me from setting the book down. Sissy and Gene are very important to this tale, and I found their relationship to be sweet and endearing. We learn what the “origin” is and I cannot wait to see how he ties everything together in the final book. The tale leaves us on edge with another tremendous cliffhanger and startling revelation. I screamed and shouted why and then squealed with delightful in anticipation of the outcome. Thankfully the final book will be released in Sept of 2013 and I have every confidence that it will be epic.

I want to thank St. Martin for sending me a finished copy in exchange for my unbiased review.
Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer

[Amber]

The majority of this novel is set in a creepy village, that I was both impressed and given shivers by. There's a lot of dark stuff going on there, which I won't spoil for you, but basically the way the girls live there is horrific, and the way the elders treat everyone else is much the same. Like I said, it was both creepy and kinda awesome, because I like dark and twisted things, it seems!

Full review here: http://www.booksofamber.com/2013/01/the-prey-by-andrew-fukuda.html