Hunt

by Rachel Vincent

[Jo]

Originally posted on Once Upon a Bookcase.

I am such a huge fan of Rachel Vincent's Shifters series, that when I heard that she was releasing Hunt, a short story starring her younger cousin, Abby, I was eager to jump back into that world. Hunt is brilliant!

Abby is spending some time camping with her friends in the woods, and takes the chance to escape from her friends for a while so she can shift into her cat form - being at college, it's been such a long time since her last shift, and she's enjoying stretching her feline muscles. But when she hears terror filled screams from the camp site, she knows, with her advantages as a shifter, she's their best shot at survival. Despite her remembered fear of when she was locked up and attacked four years previously trying to suffocate her, Abby will do all she can to save her friends.

Previously published in the Chick's Kick Butt anthology, but edited and self-published by Rachel Vincent to bridge the Shifters series to her new paranormal romance new adult Wildcats series, Hunt is a brilliant short story! It's great to immerse myself back into that familiar world, but also cool to have a story from a different perspective. Abby is a great protagonist, and has learnt a lot from Faythe - not just how to defend herself, but also some of the attitude. She's got spirit and courage, and she won't just sit back and let her friends get hurt, despite an order from her Alpha, Jace.

I don't want to spoil the story, but it's quite a horrific one, not just in violence and gore, but in other areas too. Considering Abby's past, the girl has real chutzpah, and the things she discovers... so disturbing. I already love Abby, so I'm seriously excited for Lion's Share! Though I'm a little nervous as these books will be paranormal romance rather than urban fantasy, and I'm not the biggest paranormal romance fan. It's Vincent, though, and I love this world, so I'm sure it's going to be amazing!

A great short story, and a must read for fans want to make the jump from the Shifters series to the Wildcats series.