The Hunt

The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda
Gene is a human. A human in a world of terror. In a world full of vampires. For him, every moment is a chance to be discovered, to be killed. But then, he is given a once-in-a-lifetime chance, a chance to participate in the Hunt. During the hunt, the lucky vampires, selected by lottery, will be able to hunt down humans and feast on their flesh. Gene has been chosen. Amid growing suspicions about his identity, Gene finds a girl, a girl who harbors a closely guarded secret. Now, if Gene is to survive the Hunt, he must be prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Rating: 
There was this one moment in the book that just made me literally scream in joy and delight. Literally. I reread it over and over and each time, I just felt this surge of happiness wash over me. That's what I felt was one of the strongest features of this book: emotion. Terror, relief, anger, they were all portrayed so realistically, I could seriously feel them too. Otherwise, the plot and characters of this book were pretty good  although I didn't enjoy the ending (kind of cliff-hanger-y but without much suspense).

Overall: I still can't get over the emotion of the book. Almost enough to make up for the ending. Almost. But pretty good read anyways.

Mystic City

Mystic City by Theo Lawrence

Aria Rose, the daughter of a wealthy politician, lives a life of ease high up in the Aeries, a network of towering skyscrapers. That is, until she loses her memory from overdosing on an illegal drug. She wakes up one day and is told that for the past few months, she has been madly in love with a young man named Thomas Foster, who is the son of Aria's father's biggest rival. She has risked her life to spend time with Thomas and now, they are getting married. A happy ending except for one thing; why is it that Aria has absolutely no recollection of Thomas? In a quest to recover her memories, she meets a rebel named Hunter who introduces her to a new side of her city: the Depths. Known for being filthy and dangerous, the Depths are where the poor reside. As Aria journeys farther and farther into the Depths, she begins to discover hidden secrets and terrifying betrayals, leaving her with choices that could cost Aria her life.

Rating: 
While this book was fairly decent in terms of the actual writing (descriptiveness, etc.), I felt that it could use some more originality. Most of the story was incredibly cliche with the exception of the mystics and their powers. Otherwise, it was merely an average (maybe slightly above average) book about a utopian world where a girl discovers that not all is what it seems and also happens to fall in love with a guy.

Overall: Read it if you have nothing else, but if you're looking for something spectacular, this may be a bit disappointing.