Ever the Hunted – Erin Summerill

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, the legendary bounty hunter for the King of Malam—that is, until her father is murdered. Now outcast and alone and having no rights to her father’s land or inheritance, she seeks refuge where she feels most safe: the Ever Woods. When Britta is caught poaching by the royal guard, instead of facing the noose she is offered a deal: her freedom in exchange for her father’s killer.

However, it’s not so simple.

The alleged killer is none other than Cohen McKay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a daunting and dangerous force.

Goodreads

I received an Advanced Reading Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating: 4.0 Stars

When I saw the blurb and cover for this book on NetGalley, I jumped at the opportunity to request it. I loved the premise of the book, and when I was sent the ARC I couldn’t wait to start reading it. Overall, the book didn’t disappoint – I liked the two main characters, and I enjoyed the fast moving pace Summerill set. There were a few small things that just kind of niggled at me throughout the book, but nothing too major.

The main character, Britta was for the most part, extremely likeable. She has lost her entire family and has been fighting just to feed herself when she is asked to track down her father’s killer – her childhood best friend. Where the book could have dragged, the author sped things along with Britta tracking Cohen, and building relationships between her and secondary characters. I thought that her budding friendship with one of her guards was extremely sweet and I was just happy for her to have an ally in a world that punished her for having a mother from a different country.

There a few scenes throughout the book in which I found myself not loving Britta’s narration. At times, I felt that she was too naïve when it came to her relationship with and feelings for Cohen. She also seemed to forgive him within moments for infractions that should have taken her more time to recover from. I just felt as though she was a strong character who got a little weaker when Cohen was around – I feel that a main romantic interest in a book should have the opposite effect.

The only other thing about this book that gave me pause was the ending. My concern is that the author was setting the next book up for a love triangle. I will definitely be reading the next book, but sincerely hope that I am wrong. Or that the love triangle is tastefully done like it was in the Snow Like Ashes series.

My Takeaway: I liked the author’s writing style and felt that the book was well paced. I didn’t love Britta and Cohen as a couple and felt that while Britta was a strong character for the most part, she weakened around Cohen. Overall, the plot of the book was great and the ending was intriguing. I will definitely be reading the next book in this series!