Review: "Hunted" by Meagan Spooner. Beauty & the Beast in Russia!


Hunted by Meagan Spooner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Summary from GoodReads

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?




BUY ON 



REVIEW

"Hunted" was one of the best releases in March. Since the movie of "Beauty and the Beast" was also released in March, the book got some extra attention! But the winning points were not only the title of the reference to the beloved tale.

The points went to the stunning descriptions and the Russian references which I am sure were inspired by the Russian version of the tale.
Yeva and her sisters live a good life, supported by their father's fortune. When they go bankrupt and have to move far into the wood, close to their father's hunting cabin, bothe Yeva and her sisters will have to learn more about heart-ache and survival.

Despite what many might think, Yeva's sisters are amazing. Each one is funny and they love Yeva very much. Especially Asenka.
Now, when their father disappear into the forest, Yeva decides to search for him; and there is where she meets the Beast.


                               (I couldn't help it. I pictured Meagan's Beast just like Disney's)

From where can I begin now? From the double POV? Beacuse the Beast has also one?! Or from the fierce nature of Yeva and how strong-willed she is? Many would say that we have Stockhokm Syndrome here but this is NOT the case. You'll have to read the book to understand the whys.

The magic which also courses through the plot is very beautiful and dangerous. Some minor characters, also inspired by both the Russian and the Greek mythology make their appearance, adding more into the world-building.



The ending was very satisfying, open with many choices and the freedom to explore and discover more. Obviously I recommend it, as a loyal fan of everything B&B! ;)






About the author:

New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner grew up reading and writing every spare moment of the day, while dreaming about life as an archaeologist, a marine biologist, an astronaut. She graduated from Hamilton College in New York with a degree in playwriting, and has spent several years since then living in Australia. She's traveled with her family all over the world to places like Egypt, South Africa, the Arctic, Greece, Antarctica, and the Galapagos, and there's a bit of every trip in every story she writes.

She currently lives and writes in Asheville, North Carolina, but the siren call of travel is hard to resist, and there's no telling how long she'll stay there. She's the author of the award-winning Starbound trilogy (These Broken Stars, This Shattered World, Their Fractured Light) and the Skylark Trilogy (Skylark, Shadowlark, Lark Ascending) as well as the upcoming Beauty and the Beast retelling Hunted.

In her spare time she plays guitar, plays video games, plays with her cat, and reads.

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