Remember that time last year when I loved The Cage? Ah, me too. Good times, good times. Anyway, since I was such a fan, The Hunt went onto my Goodreads "Must-Have-Grabby-Hands" list before it even had a title. Needless to say, I was super excited about it. So did it live up to my exceedingly high expectations? (Well, of course, based on the title of this post, you know it did. But let's pretend you hadn't gathered that already, okay?) And I will try to keep this as spoiler-free for both books as possible, promise!
Is there any better feeling than a sequel that you've been dying for surpassing its predecessor in fabulousness? I think not. And that is the situation at hand, basically. How, you ask, did the author accomplish this feat? I shall tell you!
- The stakes were higher. So Cora and the gang really didn't know what they were dealing with, not completely, during much of The Cage. But in The Hunt, they're much more aware of the severity of their situation, and that brings both the action and their own personal turmoil to another level. Adding to this strife is the fact that they (and in turn, the reader) has basically no idea who the "good guys"- if they even exist- are. So not only is a lot of the world an unknown, the people (aliens may be a better term here?) and their motives are too.
- This book is nice and twisty! When things happened, I rarely saw them coming- at all. There were parts of the story where my jaw totally dropped, and I love that! And yes, this does end on a nice big old cliffhanger, so be prepared! But it also makes me want the third book so incredibly badly, so I suppose that's a job well done too! (Plus, I don't really mind a cliffhanger as long as I know another book will be coming someday!)
- The characters really grow, especially Cora. Cora, as the main character, was forced to make a lot of decisions that would impact herself and everyone else. It wasn't easy for her, nor should it have been, and I liked that it was realistically portrayed. The captives have definitely grown to care about each other, and I think they all have finally realized how dire their situation really is, which makes for a lot of character development all around.
- I still ship my ship, a lot. No spoilers, I promise, just... I ship certain people, and I am excited to see what happens next in terms of this romantic situation. And it's definitely a slow-moving kind of thing, which I think a lot of you enjoy ;)
- The world building becomes bigger and more vivid. Granted, in The Cage, there wasn't a ton of opportunity for world building because they were in, you know, a cage. So now, there is a lot more that we're shown in this world, and it definitely felt vividly painted. There are a few settings that I was horrified by, mostly because I felt like I could picture them so, so well.
Was there anything I didn't like? Hmm. No. Not really. It did take me a few chapters to get back into the world and characters, but really that is a super minor thing, and had I reread The Cage (like I hope to do when Book 3 comes out!) that would have been no issue at all.
Bottom Line: Seriously, one of the strongest second-in-series books I have ever read. And with such a unique world and diverse characters (in every sense of the word, really), this series is absolutely a win for me so far!