The Great Hunt Review: Aerity

Book: The Great Hunt
Author: Wendy Higgins
Series: Eurona Duology #1
Genre: YA fantasy
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 416
Release: March 8th, 2016

When a strange beast terrorizes the kingdom of Lochlanach, fear stirs revolt. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.

Princess Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom but cannot bear the idea of marrying a stranger…until a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention. There’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.

Paxton is not the marrying type. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast—but the princess continues to surprise him, and the perilous secrets he’s buried begin to surface.

Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, and a princess willing to risk all to save her kingdom.

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This book is inspired by the Grimm Brother's tale of "The Singing Bone." Princess Aerity's kingdom becomes threatened by the appearance of a mysterious beast, killing men single-handedly. In a desperate attempt to kill the beast and restore order to the kingdom, Aerity's father, the king, issues a decree that the hunter who slays this fearsome beast will win the hand of his eldest daughter, Aerity. Men from all over Eurona arrive in hopes to win her hand--everyone but Paxton Seabolt, a young man shrouded in mystery who wants absolutely nothing to do with Aerity...

Aerity was an interesting character. I liked how brave she was in the beginning, accepting her fate to be married off for the sake of kingdom, even though her father had raised her to marry for love, not politics. It spoke of hard sacrifice, and how Aerity was willing to put her own happiness aside for the future of her kingdom. But afterwards, when the hunt began, I found her character fell a bit flat, lacking incentive and drive. What role did she actually play other than motivate the hunters merely with her physical appearance? I would have preferred if she had a more active role in the plot. Surely she could have done more than remaining in the castle upon her father's orders and waiting for the hunters to return. It wasn't until the very very end that she finally did something, but even then, I felt like there was more she could have done, more she could have contributed. 

Paxton was the mystery of this story, the one with the hidden secrets I was so desperate to uncover. I really liked him, not just because I'm a sucker for the dark and brooding types, but for the complexity his situation brought to the overall plot and issues of the lands. He never acted without reason, all his motions careful and controlled. The range of emotions Pax went through really made him a round character, showing desperation, fear, and uncertainty. There was so much inner turmoil in him, you couldn't help but just wish happiness for him. And the ending...

I wasn't particularly fond of the plot in this book, or rather the lack of plot. Don't get me wrong, I liked the idea of a great and fearsome beast that needed to be put down, but the hunt itself seemed to drag on. Hunters would leave for the night to try to kill the beast, they'd fail, lose a few of their members, go back to the castle to rest, and Aerity would make an appearance to remind them of the prize. Next day: rinse and repeat, and so forth. Where were the plot twists? The unexpected elements, the ones that kept you on your toes, the ones that changed the entire direction of the book with merely one line? I found myself flipping through pages just to get on with the plot, only to be disappointed when the same thing happened.

Who I did enjoy was Rozaria, or more specifically, what she was working towards. The unfair treatment of the Lashed was an obvious issue in the novel, made evident from the introduction of Paxton. Rozaria's actions properly addressed this issue, taking matters into her own hands. Though her methods at liberating the Lashed weren't exactly morally correct, her goal for the Lashed to live without fear for being who they were was an honest-to-good goal. She may be doing wrong things, but she's doing them for the right reason. Sadly, this didn't quite intersect with the general plot as much as I would have liked. I feel like if it had, the plot would have been much more engaging and stimulating. 

This book is overall fine. The plot was fine, the characters fine, the romance fine. But it just didn't blow me away, like I was expecting. The ending does offer the promise of Aerity stepping up, and there's the slight matter of her betrothed that must be dealt with. I'm curious to know what will become of the Lashed, what rules Aerity will force, and how Paxton will fit into all of it.