Hunted by Sarah Biglow & Molly Zenk – Review by Roxsanne Lesieur

Hunted by Sarah Biglow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a tale of vampires and vampire hunters, two sets of people leading very different lives and each others lifelong enemies, but that is just most of the clans, however, the Heartsong Clan wants to change this perspective from one of violence to one of peace and coexistence, that is why they hold “Human vs Vampire” LARP reenactments so that humans can learn a bit about Vampire culture and then maybe chose to become one of them and this weekend is another of these events where humans and vampires mix together for a few days.

This book starts with Edith on her wedding day as she prepares to end her life, she has lost her love and sees nothing else to live for, she just wants to be with him, she is walking into the river with the stones in her pockets until someone calls to her from the bank, this person is Mr Heartsong, a vampire she knows from the VHA (Vampire Human Alliance) and he is trying to glamour her to convince her that Daniel would want her to continue to live and to be happy and also stop her from joining Daniel in death.

100 years to the day she turned, Edith is leading the LARP event with Hope and Angel her two daughters, they are just like any other family, apart from they are vampires and older than they look, as they man the booth where people sign up for the event, a young man, Caden comes to sit and chat with Parker, another vampire and the girls and it turns out he is there to help with the recruitment drive, Edith is initially reluctant to trust the young man, but decides to give him the benefit of the doubt when the girls say that they trust him with their lives, as does Parker. As the day goes on and more people sign up, they have their first “vampire” added to the list, Dan, he is friends with the girls and Caden and it seems that he wants to learn more about the vampire way of life.

Next we meet Darren who is Dan’s brother and only wants to chaperone him to the nerdy convention that his brother is interested in attending, but he feels uncomfortable as soon as he enters the building where he can’t tell the humans and the vampires apart and as a hunter, it is something that he hates. He realises that he has lost Dan in the crowds, but remembers that he spoke about going to meet some friends while there, but getting there that late in the day, Darren is a little worried about him and starts to stress out when he can no longer see him because of their history. Darren has intel that the Heartsong Clan are recruiting at the event and he prays that that isn’t why Dan is here, however, if he is, then it will be a great way to get some inside intel on the Clan while meeting his brothers friends.

This is where Edith and Darren come face to face and meet for the first time and although the insistent banging on her office door is giving her a migraine, she remains polite and as she opens the door, another wave of memories hit her. It is then that he asks to join in the LARP and reluctantly, Edith agrees and gives him a tour of where he will be staying for the weekend, as they do this, Edith explains the rules of the weekend and the game play, as well as what will happen and when. When they see a group with Dan in, Darren takes him to one side and they have an argument about why Dan is there and why he left Darren in the convention and neither of them is happy with the situation, but they both go to the dining room when the bell is sounded for the meal. It is later that night when Darren decides to go and check that Dan is alright that all hell breaks loose as the weekend takes a turn for the worse and this leads to Darrens worst fears, that Dan is in danger and he is realising that Edith is not like any other vampire he has ever met.

Will Dan and Darren be able to escape the convention, or will the vampires show their true natures? Will Edith be able to come to terms with the memories which are flooding back and be honest with herself and Darren and will he be able to be honest with her as they grow closer? The only way to find out is to read along and discover their revelations at the same time they do.

Reviewed by @roxsannel

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