Alexandra Christo usually writes interesting and nuanced characters, swoonworthy and well executed enemies to lovers romance but it's not the case in this book

An entertaining and well done fantasy with elements of Greek mythology and two unusual MCs. I enjoyed it and liked the characters.
Well done world building and character development, good storytelling
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Absolutely loved this book.

Loved the characters, loved the plot, loved the writing.

I would highly recommend it to anyone, I’ve loved this authors previous works and this is just as good if not better than the others

This started off so well! I was immediately thrown into the dual POV for our main characters Atia and Silas.

Atia is a Nefas- a monster that feeds on fears and is the last of her kind. Silas is a herald who guides souls to the afterlife. Both of them want something- Atia wants revenge from the gods for killing her family and Silas wants to remember who he was before he became a herald. When their paths cross, they go on an epic quest along with Tristan (Atia's scholar friend) and Cillian (a half human, half banshee who they save from vampires).

I enjoyed the writing- it was very readable and quick. I liked the pacing of the events, there is no info dumping and there was some action in the beginning. My biggest issue with this book has to be the plot. We know Atia is trying to avenge her parents, and Silas is trying to get back his memories, and this initial beginning was the most fun thing about the book. But by the 80% mark, that's when there's so much non-stop action and the scenes are so dragged out that none of it made any sense. Her parents were killed 'just because' and it really throws her entire character into the deep end, since the villains in this story have zero motivations for doing what they do. I was so out of it in the last 20%, because we are introduced to a dozen more characters, and some big events take place that should be shocking but ultimately just fell flat.

And then there was the romance. It was so insta-love and I just didn't understand when they started liking each other. Not to mention as soon as this is shown on the page, we get mounds of cringey dialogue and inner monologues from both character POVs that just felt so bland. I felt like I was reading a half-baked story.

Ultimately, the plot just goes in the bin after the 'reveals' and the ending is DRAGGED out so much, I actually considered dnf-ing it at 92%! I wanted to give this author another chance because her concepts always sound so good. But this just wasn't it.

I have to say I was ready to give this book 5 stars when I got to the 60% mark, but it all flipped at that point, and I'm so sad because it had SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Overall, do give this a try and see for yourself, you might end up enjoying it a lot more if you like mythology and morally grey characters, but it just felt like the lower end of YA and I wish the plot was better. HOWEVER, I do love the side characters and the banter was 10/10.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an e-arc!

A captivating world of monsters and gods that sucked me in right from the beginning. I love a good magical quest book and this one definitely didn't disappoint. Despite being monsters the characters are fantastical, mysterious and lovable, while the story kept on making me want to adventure further with them.

A must read if you like fantasy young adult style books. I could barely put it down.

DNF at 40%. I'm just not quite vibing with this world or this set of characters. Atia hasn't really showed herself to be very likable and Silas is a very dull character.

Story about monsters and gods...my weakness! I enjoyed the reverse take on God's as the bad guys and Atia's powers of feeding on nightmares. The book started off really strong and dark, Atia enjoyed using her powers and embraced her nature. But as the plot progressed I felt that that depth to her character got lost. Suddenly she became this typical nice FMC and we rarely see her use her nightmare powers anymore, which was disappointing since I was expecting the story to delve into more of that power. The other characters were nice though, specially enjoyed The Keeper of Files..ah the stories he could probably tell!

Special thanks to Bonnie Books UK and Netgalley for providing me an advance copy of the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley & Bonnier Books UK for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a dark fantasy standalone that is bursting with lore and mythological creatures. Our main character Atia, was fun to read about and I loved the fact that she was an anti-hero of sorts.

Silas had a lot of my favourite qualities in an MMC (sarcastic but charming, stoic but secretly fighting his inner emotions) and whilst his arc might have been predictable, I still enjoyed it.

Overall, this was an entertaining read but the story wasn’t particularly unique and the dialogue felt a little cringey at times.

3 stars

Atia is the last of the Nefas, a kind of monster that feeds on fear. Silas is a Herald of the Gods, a messenger and a guide to the dead who doesn't remember his past. They end up being allies when Atia accidentally kills a human, breaking the law of the Gods. Silas will help her escape the Gods who are after her if she aids him in breaking his curse and restoring his humanity. All they have to do is kill a vampire, a banshee and a God!

The narrative is immersive and utterly readable. Can a narrative be straight to the point and lyrical at the same time? Yes, if Christo is writing. The mythology is conveyed beautifully, molding this world in an easygoing manner. A creative joining of unexpected words for the figurative speech and descriptions always signifies this author's vibrant storytelling. Broadly painting the scene so the reader's imagination can fill it in but still pinpointing what is necessary to convey their vision. As always there is peppering of the prose with Greek mythology and words, which I enjoy a lot being Greek.

The two 1st person POVs are equally captivating, each touching the emotions and thoughts of the character with a delicate intensity. There are dashes of sarcasm, generous pinches of humor. Their musings are decorated with poetic-like flourishes. Atia is a smartmouth, surprisingly compassionate badass of a monster while Silas is tired and a bit on the grumpy side about being a Herald, wielding sarcasm as a weapon, his defence against his circumstance. They are both basically lonely in their situations. You will love the bickering (absolutely chuckle-worthy) and their found family. The evolution of the relationships is a delight to read.

Sometimes the change from one POV is jarring, especially since they are both 1st person. Also, there are parts where I wished the story was a bit tighter and others that could have been explained/developed a bit more. That of course does not mean I didn't enjoy this book immensely. There was an enticing, niggling feeling I had about some truth of a character being hidden from us. Little hints were inserted along the way, but I could never have predicted that beyond awesome reveal. The buildup was so worth it.

This book is about identity and belonging. About being able to be who you want to be and being yourself. Full of delicious thrills, fun and heart-squeezing, it makes you laugh, cheer, gasp and ultimately fall in love with it.

The Night Hunt is hands down my favourite book by Alexandra Christo to date. I couldn't put it down and there are lots of highlighted passages in my eARC.

The Night Hunt has a monstrous main character: Atia is a Nefas, last of her kind, a creature who feeds on fear and nightmares. She hides in the shadows of the world from the wrath of the Gods.
Silas is a Herald, tasked with ferrying the dead as punishment for a past of which he has no recollection.
When Atia breaks a sacred law, she strikes a deal with Silas. Together, they set out to kill three powerful creatures: a vampire, a banshee and one of the Gods in order to regain Atia's immortality and Silas' humanity, as well as avenge her family.

I absolutely loved the world of God's and monsters of this novel, which takes inspiration from Greek mythology. There's good banter among the main characters, and they make a fab found family. The mix of dry comments from Silas and snark from Atia works well, and as I always root for the scholar in the midst of the action, I was a huge fan of Tristan.

“Trust you to talk about books as if they’re weapons.”“Knowledge is a weapon,” Tristan tells her earnestly. “It’s the truest power we can know. Through books, we’re made wiser by those who came before us.”“Sure,” Atia says. “And if all else fails, they’re big enough to whack a few banshees over the head with.”

If you enjoy YA fantasy with a slightly darker feel, a quest-type plot with a found family, mythology, a touch of romance, and some good show-downs, then add this to the top of your TBR. The book is out tomorrow, 10th October.

Thanks to @netgalley and @hotkeybooks for the eARC. The review is as always posted voluntarily and opinions are my own.

Alexandra Christo really knows how to smash out YA fantasy in style. I love the concept of this so much, a monster realising she can exact revenge and ending up on a mission to right the world. Despite being a monster I’d barely even describe her as morally grey, but she definitely does have a healthy appreciation for a good murder plan 😂

Atia and Silas are great, and I adored Tristan and Cillian 😍😍😍 More of them please! I loved how quickly they bonded as a unit and especially Atia wanting to protect Cillian. I will say there is a little bit of insta life type attachment which I find a bit meh, but that’s my only criticism.

I loved how bits were recognisable from myths but others were far enough for me to not quite know what’s coming. I also loved that this is a dark redemption story but you somehow feel hopeful throughout.

I can’t wait to buy a finished copy and shelve with my other AC books, honestly she can do no wrong. 4 stars.

Intricately melding fairytale, greek mythology and the things that go bump in the night, The Night Hunt is a fast paced YA fantasy, perfect for autumnal dark nights.
Atia and Silas, our two narrators, are a balancing act of good and evil. One is a monster, feeding on the fears of humans, and the other a messenger of the Gods, protecting the human race from monsters and guiding souls on their journey into death. Christo expertly balances the good and evil, showing that maybe things shouldn't always be taken at face value and that while your past can define you, it's more important how you choose to move forward

Alexandra Christo has done it again!

I’m absolutely obsessed with her stories, her writing and her individuality! I loved this dark fantasy and I can’t wait to recommend it 💜

Atia, a Nefas and the last of her kind after the murder of her parents, feeds on nightmares. Monsters like her were tracked and killed by the gods and now hide amongst humans. The one rule is that they must follow is not to kill and alert the gods to their presence in the human realm.

Silas, a herald of death who ferries souls on their journey to the afterlife, has no memory of his human life before being cursed to be a herald to atone for his sins. He begins to question who he was before, but the only way to restore his memory is through the God of Forgetting, which would mean breaking the rules - something obedient, dutiful heralds never do.

When Atia makes a mistake and her path crosses with Silas, maybe both of them can get what they want - memories, connection, vengeance - if they can put aside their differences and work together…

My thoughts:

I loved this book, as I knew I would. I’m such a huge fan of Alexandra Christo’s writing, and I think this might be her best one yet. I loved Atia’s strength and determination, especially as they are presented alongside her acknowledging her vulnerabilities and overcoming her doubts. I enjoyed the characterisation of Silas and his quest to find himself, Tristan’s book obsession (relatable) and equally Cillian’s obsession with good pastries (also relatable). There were twists I didn’t see coming, and the gang’s found family dynamic was perfection. I can’t recommend this book enough to fellow lovers of YA fantasy books with a Greek mythology twist and I will read anything Alexandra Christo writes in future.

The Night Hunt is my top reads so far this year. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an e-arc.

A thoroughly enjoyable fantasy quest style tale! I loved the camaraderie of this group of characters as they embarked on their mission and particularly liked the epic battle at the end

I really enjoyed this book! YA is not my go-to genre as I prefer something more mature but Alexandra Christo's other books, particularly To Kill A Kingdom and Princess of Souls are some of my favourites so I was looking forward to this, and it doesn't disappoint.

If you liked her previous books this is written in a similar tone, but the content is different enough that it feels fresh and interesting.

If you're unfamiliar with her work, but you enjoy YA fantasy with a heavy dose of romance, and found family with morally grey characters, you'll enjoy this book! I would definitely recommend this.

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Bonnier Books for allowing me an eArc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

This was not not my first book by Alexandra Christo, as I’ve also read To Kill A Kingdom which I also loved, and as soon as I saw this on Netgalley I knew I needed to request it!

This was such a good and easy read, with great pacing so it was easy to keep up with the storyline. I’m in a bit of a slump at the mo so I definitely need this! I loved the unique characters and magic system that featured in this book. It has a great mixture of ‘monsters’ and gods which features aspects from some different mythologies.

It did feel a bit under developed at times with some of the characters, I felt they could have been fleshed out a bit more and they would have added a lot to the story. Especially some of the more background characters like Tristan and Cillian, I would have loved to find out a bit more about their stories and how they come to be here in a bit more detail. I also did hate Tristan at first but came to love him throughout the story. Even though he was only a human and had seen the worst things Atia could do, he still had a deep, platonic love for her and was always there to try and protect her.

However the twist that comes like 80% of the way through, I was not expecting at all! I loved the twist this added to the story, as well as the ending which was really cute and brought the whole story together.

I would definitely recommend this to any fantasy readers out there, but it is more on the YA side. I can’t wait to see what this author publishes next!

I recieved an advanced reader proof copy of this book in return for an honest review.

There is so much I could say but I am not sure I have the words. The mix of Lores and mythologies is breathtaking and wondrous to behold.

The characters are brilliant there are things to make you laugh and things to make you cry. This book is amazing I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Night Hunt is a story about found families and self-discovery, interwoven with Greek mythology, gods and monsters.

Told from dual points of view, the story follows Atia, a monster that feeds on fear known as a Nefas, and Silas a messenger of the gods known as a Herald.

What we get is an action packed story set in a fantastical world, full of great characters. The writing is full of fun banter and moves at a good pace. There’s even a little slow burn YA romance thrown in!

This was an enjoyable YA fantasy which had plenty of characters you can root for and enough narrative to keep you engaged. There was also a plot twist I didn’t see coming.

3.5 stars rounded up ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Atia is a Nefa, the last of her kind living amongst humans as a seer.

Silas is a Herald for the dead and he is halfway through his service, and trying to remember a past that is lost to him

When Atia breaks a sacred law, Silas gives her a chance to set things right, and maybe also help himself along the way.

This is a high stakes quest in a world filled with secrets, mythological creatures and gods. Where things aren't as simple as they seem and everyone has their own motives

Thank you to NetGalley and Hot Key / Bonnier books for the chance to read and review this early