Book Review: The Hunt by Andrew Fukuda

I may be about the one-millionth person to say this, but The Hunt is Vampires meets The Hunger Games, and yet, decidedly better. It's impossible not to compare these lottery based novels involving a death defying hunt, as truly it's the purpose of the book.
The Hunt follows the story of a human, or heper, as the vampires refer to them, with the designation - Gene.
Gene isn't normal. At least not by this world's standards, a world where vampires are the dominate race and hepers are a dying breed - their only purpose - to serve as fodder in the hunt.
Gene is extremely intelligent and has been taught by his now deceased father the value of assimilation. Masking body odours, shaving hair, and wearing fake fangs are all part of the camouflage. Partaking in the strange animalistic rituals is also a must – frothing at the mouth at the thought of human flesh, scratching wrists when amused, and schooling all emotion is all part of Gene’s survival techniques.
And then he is selected for the hunt. Randomly? We never really find out, but to also be paired with Ashley-June, the vampire he is inexplicably drawn to can only lead to heartache.
Will the heper institute learn of Gene’s ongoing deceit? And will he finally be exposed to a species he can finally relate, perhaps form relationships with the very creatures he’s been selected to hunt and kill?
What I loved about this book was that clear skip of detail regarding how the world became vampire ridden, or how humans were hunted into non-existence. Andrew Fukuda’s writing is such, that as a reader, you merely accept the world as it’s painted with information supplied when necessary and without complication. Paired with sumptuous imagery, and strange, albeit compelling characteristics of the vampires, and you find yourself enraptured.
With strong, descriptive prose that was filled with enough moments of suspense and interspersed action to keep my heart stuttering within my chest, and I can say without a doubt this is one of the best novels I’ve read in a long time. Thank you, Andrew Fukuda for the wild imagination – five out of five fangs.

Synopsis:
Against all odds, 17-year-old Gene has survived in a world where humans have been eaten to near extinction by the general population. The only remaining humans, or hepers as they are known, are housed in domes on the savannah and studied at the nearby Heper Institute. Every decade there is a government sponsored hunt. When Gene is selected to be one of the combatants he must learn the art of the hunt but also elude his fellow competitors whose suspicions about his true nature are growing.