Wendy Higgins, the author of the New York Times bestselling Sweet Evil series, reimagines a classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale with The Great Hunt, a dramatic, romance-filled fantasy with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom. When a monstrous beast attacks in Eurona, desperate measures must be taken. The king sends a proclamation to the best and bravest hunters: whoever kills the creature will win the hand of his daughter Princess Aerity as a reward. The princess recognizes her duty but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger-she was meant to marry for love-until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. And while there's no denying the fiery chemistry between them, Princess Aerity feels that Paxton's mysteriousness is foreboding, maybe even dangerous. Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He is determined to keep his focus on the task at hand-ridding the kingdom of the beast-but the princess continues to surprise him, and the secrets he's buried begin to surface against his wishes.
Another case where the cover pulled me in, but the story didn't keep me there.
I loved the premise of this book: a great beast is loose and on a killing spree. The King offers up a great hunt with the successful hunter given the prize of his oldest daughter's hand in marriage. But as the story unfolded, I didn't find myself sympathizing with Aerity, when I should have.
Aerity had been raised with the understanding that she could marry for love, but when her father takes that option away, she doesn't fight it and the story moves on. I wanted to her be upset and fight the royal decree, but she never did.
Paxton, was a broody, temperamental hero who was a bit ruder than I would have liked. He often wasn't nice to Aerity, so it made it hard to understand why she would find him attractive at all.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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20 April, 2016:
Finished reading
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20 April, 2016:
Reviewed