Review: The Hunt by Frost Kay

Posted October 15, 2020 by Lillian in Reviews / 0 Comments

This review was written for YA Books Central and is being reprinted here with permission. To see it’s original publication, click here.

I received this book via YA Book Central. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

Review: The Hunt by Frost KayThe Hunt by Frost Kay
Series: The Twisted Kingdoms #1
Published by Renegade Publishing on 2020-01-15
Length: 299 pages
Reviewing eARC from YA Book Central
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2020 New Release Challenge, COYER All Year 2020

Death marked her from her very first breath.

Being sired by a Madrid is supposed to be a blessing, but for Tempest, it's a curse that leaves her orphaned, penniless, and enslaved to a blood thirsty crown on the brink of war.

Found too unruly to become a ward of the court, she's thrust into the care of the King's Hounds - the assassins and warriors responsible for protecting the kingdom. Driven by rage and an oath to avenge her mother's memory, Tempest throws herself into training.

But becoming the first ever female assassin isn't enough. Now, she must obtain the heart of her kingdom's most feared enemy - the jester - a deadly shapeshifter hidden in a land twisted by myth and darkness.

Revenge is never easy or cheap. Tempest is willing to sacrifice everything to see justice served. Even her own soul and freedom.

“I realized fear one morning, with the blare of the fox hunter’s sound. When they’re all chasin’ the poor bloody fox, ’tis safer to be dressed like the hound. ”

Jack Higgins The Eagle Has Landed

Oh where do I begin? The Hunt by Frost Kay is the first book in her fantasy series The Twisted Kingdoms. Promising to deliver a dark fairytale with mafia undertones and enemies-to-lovers romance, Frost Kay delivers all that and more. Told mostly from one girl’s perspective, The Hunt will leave you questioning everything and trusting nothing. 

The book begins with Tempest losing her mother and becoming an orphan. This is a pivotal scene that shapes the character and her actions throughout the rest of the book. After losing her mother, Tempest vows revenge on the shifter she believes responsible. Her best chance at getting that revenge is becoming a Hound. Tempest is a force to be reckoned with. She has strived for everything she’s achieved in her short life. Raised by the Hounds, a group of men who work for the crown, Tempest has learned to be a highly skilled assassin and spy. Though she doesn’t see them as that. She sees the Hounds as defenders of the innocent, upholding justice, and maintaining peace throughout the kingdom. Given an impossible first mission, Tempest’s judgment is clouded by her need for revenge and her desperation to succeed. 

Enter the Fox. Pyre is an interesting character. Meeting and subsequently capturing Tempest, Pyre is everything she has been taught to hate: a shifter and a rebel. But the Fox has ulterior motives. He’s there to show Tempest that what she’s been taught about the world is biased. He’s introducing her to the shifter communities she’s there to hunt and turning her world upside down. I really like Pyre. I wasn’t sure what to make of him at first. However, despite being a trickster, he is good to his core. At least, that’s my opinion of him 😉 Every action he takes is for his people. How can you not love him for that? 

Now to the hunt. Tempest is assigned to find the Jester, the shifter rebellion leader, and bring his heart back to the king while she investigates the mysterious deaths happening in the villages near the mountains, the boundary to the shifter kingdom. It’s an impossible mission, she knows it, the Hounds she calls uncles know it, and so does the king. Set up to fail, Tempest is determined to do anything but. I have to commend her for this. If I was given an impossible mission, I’d either accept defeat or run away. Tempest does neither. She sticks to her own values and beliefs and trudges ahead. It’s the only way to get her revenge and keep herself out of the king’s hands. The world building here is phenomenal. I love how the story applies to real world problems today. The racism and socioeconomic status of the characters reflect what is happening in today’s world, and Frost Kay handles it beautifully through Tempest’s experiences. 

Overall, I really enjoyed The Hunt. While the story builds slowly and there is some repetition as Tempest learns about the shifters and their plight, I couldn’t sit it down. It is a fast-paced read with an edge of suspense as Tempest is injured in enemy territory. If you enjoy fantasy with a dash of romance and strong heroines, I highly recommend it.

About Frost Kay

Bestselling Author Frost Kay is a certified book dragon with an excessive TBR, and a shoe obsession. If you love bewitching fantasy and sci-fi, epic adventures, dark promises, thrilling action, swoon worthy anti heroes, and slow burning romance; her books are for you!

She claims ownership to the bestselling young adult series The Aermian Feuds, The Twisted Kingdoms, Dominion of Ash, and Aliens and Alchemists packed with sexy villains, snarky heroines, and twists you'll never see coming.

Fans of Frost Kay love her epic fantasy and science fiction teen titles for their "witty banter and exquisitely crafted sentences (that) never leave you bored or wanting," and "find the writing on par with Queen (Sarah J.) Maas and Elise Kova."

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