The Great Hunt by Wendy Higgins

The Great Hunt (Eurona Duology, #1)

by Wendy Higgins

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.

Reviewed by Leigha on

3 of 5 stars

Share
A princess must sacrifice her ability to marry for love in order to stop a rampaging monster terrorizing her kingdom.

I have enjoyed every single Higgins book…until this one. While the plot was interesting and the setting intriguing, the characters and the romances fell flat for me.

I really wish princess Aerity did more in the novel. She seemed so far removed from her kingdom that it was hard to picture her as its future ruler. The only event she seemed to have any say in was accepting to marry the killer of the beast, but I wanted her to have a say in more. Additionally, I detested her romance with Paxton. It was love at instant sight for no apparent reason. I would have believed their romance way more if they had developed some sort of connection along with the attraction, but I never felt them connect as individuals to each other. I know Higgins can write a wonderful romance between a broody boy and a “good” girl (*cough* Anna and Kaidan *cough*), but I never felt the connection between Aerity or Paxton.

Not only did I not buy the romance between the two lead characters, I thought it awfully convenient that all the young, supporting characters close to the leads had viable dating options. In particular, I had a really hard time accepting that Aerity’s cousin, Wyneth, developed feelings for *name redacted* so quickly. I didn’t think any time had passed between the death of her fiance and her introduction to *name redacted*. Perhaps the time jump wasn’t written very well.

tl;dr While it contained an intriguing plot and well-developed setting, the characters were not as fleshed out or interesting enough to entertain me.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 March, 2016: Finished reading
  • 31 March, 2016: Reviewed