Atia is a Nefas, a monster who feeds on fear. When a feed goes wrong, she finds herself cursed. With a strong theme of found family running through it, The Night Hunt is a really lovely fantasy!

I enjoyed this book so much more than I expected to. The characters were distinct and I loved the fast paced plot. I'll definitely be recommending it to friends!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

A dark fantasy romance with tales of gods and monsters which draws its inspiration from Greek mythology. I loved the characters and this little band of misfits, Atia, Silas, Cillian and Tristan, with their humorous banter and interactions. The world building is vivid and exciting with some wonderful twists in the story.

A solid fantasy, incorporating gods and mythological creatures. A compelling story which is well written, fast-paced and exciting. A joy to read, this book will not disappoint YA fantasy fans.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the eARC for review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for this early copy of The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo. This was an action packed read that I can't wait to share with my students.

— 4 stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

"A monster of nightmares, trying to keep all the stars inside herself from burning out. And she is beautiful for it. Because of it. In spite of it."

📖 | 385 pages
👤 | author Alexandra Christo
🏢 | publisher Hot Key Books
📅 | release date 10 October 2023

What you can expect:
— First-person POV
— Dual POV
— YA Fantasy Romance
— Gods, vampires, banshees and more
— Star-crossed lovers
— Forbidden romance
— Enemies-to-lovers
— Morally grey characters
— Forced proximity
— Slow-burn romance
— Dagger to the heart
— Quest for vengeance
— Found family
— No spice

The Night Hunt is a Young Adult Fantasy Romance standalone by bestselling author Alexandra Christo. Atia is the last surviving Nefas after the murder of her parents, a monster of mischief and illusion who feeds on fear and nightmares for survival. We meet Atia as she is hunting alongside a vampire acquaintance and are very quickly thrust into the storyline. The High Gods rule over all monsters and their most sacred law is to never kill. To break that law will see you cursed for all eternity, so despite Atia's monstrous instincts that is something she has always followed until one fateful night. After an altercation leads to Atia acting in defence of a human companion, Tristan, Atia murders a human and is cursed to lose her immortality by the Herald Silas. Silas is a Herald who is forced into 100 years of servitude to determine where he belongs after death. The After is where those who done good in their life go to flourish and be at peace, and the Never is where the evil souls go to face eternal torment. As a soul balanced firmly in the centre Silas serves his punishment as a Herald before facing his final judgement. Silas has no memories of his life prior to becoming a Herald and wishes for nothing more than to retain his humanity. Atia is a monster who is losing her immortality and becoming more human-like as a result of her curse, and is desperate to once again be immortal. Two foes brought together by an unlikely quest to gain back what they have lost leads to unlikely friendships and an unmissable adventure.

I had a really fun time when reading this book. The pacing felt smooth, the character development was gradual and the character's were funnier than I expected. An unlikely group on a mission to kill Gods and save humanity is always bound to be a good time, and The Night Hunt does not disappoint. I was pleasantly surprised by the strong presence of the found-family element within this story. Atia has faced life alone since the death of her parents and has always believed servitude was better than facing the hardships that comes with putting trust and love into another. Tristan, Cillian and Silas all worked as a team to slowly chip away at the walls that Atia had built around her heart, and the conclusion was rewarding to see as she found an unlikely group of people to call family. I just wish we'd gotten to see more of the relationship development between Tristan and Cillian as it was certainly alluded that the pair get into a romantic relationship.

"Did I mention I'm really glad I'm on your team?"
"Because our team has pastries?" Atia asks.
Cillian nods enthusiastically. "Pastries and murder, what's not to love?"

The Night Hunt is an immersive world that takes you on a thrilling adventure against the deadliest of foes with a good balance of action and dialogue. An easy-to-read cosy story that was unputdownable and left me feeling satisfied with the ending. Like many standalones there is definitely room for an expansion of the world, however I feel content that Atia and Silas's journey is finished. I would love to read a spin-off novel featuring Tristan and Cillian as they travel the world on an adventure to further Tristan's research and faces many dangers along the way, with the addition of other side-character that I enjoyed to read.

"She feels like fireworks across my skin, exploding and charring all that came before until there is just her. Just the burning I feel for her."

Phewwww this book is the definition of a slow-burn romance. Atia and Silas begin their journey feeling very mistrustful of one another and their intentions, but as more secrets are unlocked and history is unveiled we see the pair begin to struggle against an undeniable pull. The romantic element felt a bit rushed in the end as it was cast to the side when the 3rd act battle takes place, but there were definitely some lines in the story that had me rooting their relationship. Not all is as it seems, so be prepared for unlikely twists and turns that leave you shocked in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bonnier Books UK for the DRC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 Stars

I did enjoyed this book. It’s a Ya fantasy with romance and adventure but still had plenty of twists and turns too.
This was a fairly quick read for me and had a good steady pace. The world building was good but I did find it lacking at times for me.
I love the authors writing style and find it always has such a good flow for me.
I enjoyed reading the dual POV from our two main characters but felt some of the side characters lacked a little depth to them.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Firstly, thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher of this book for allowing me access to an ARC of this title. It is very much appreciated.

Review:

A story of monsters and gods! But also a story of found family and characters finding themselves.

This brilliant new release from Alexandra Christo perfectly weaves in some of the magic and lore from Greek Mythology.

The Night Hunt, isn't a book that will make you instantly love or connect with the main characters, which is what makes it so intriguing. The story follows Atia, a monster who feeds on fear and Silas, well who is pretty much Death, as they make a bargain to help their own needs. This tale includes the much loved enemies to lovers trope, which in itself has many twists and turns...

Speaking of twists and turns....Spoiler alert! The plot twists within the story are sooooo good. The faces I was pulling and audible gasps of surprise took over on a few occasions.

Even though I felt that this story has so much to offer within it, there is also much more that the author could easily explore within this world, which would be great for potential future titles. Maybe even stories about the lives of some of the supporting characters before we meet them in this book.

I have read this author's work before, with "To Kill A Kingdom" being my favourite, but in all honesty The Night Hunt may have trumped it! This may well be Christo's best work yet.

I cannot wait to purchase a physical copy upon release to add to my book collection.

Damn! This is such a murderously, monstrously wonderful book! Packed to the gills with morally grey and truly delightful characters, monsters, mayhem, gods, enemy to lovers romance and found family! What’s there not to love!

Alexandra Christo delivers another twisty, gripping fantasy that grabs you by the horns and pulls you along onto the rollercoaster ride from start to bloody end. Told from dual PoVs, Atia is a monster who’s parents were murdered, leaving her alone in the mortal world and Silas a Herald of the gods, left with no memory of his former life, doomed to serve the gods until they decree he has paid his penance.

Adding to the power couple (sorry spoiler,) of Atia and Silas are Tristan and Cillian, who is half human, half banshee. I totally loved them and their inferred LGBTQ arc; they are totally adorable and complete the gang of murderous god hunting pastry gang! And I can’t deny the banter, fun and humour they brought to the story are just delightful.

Once again Christo creates mortal and god worlds that are intriguing and imaginative, calling on Greek mythology to establish a known foundational structure, completed with imaginative detail and content prevalent to the plot. In addition the magic system in the book is so intriguing and I would love to have powers to open doors for travel – it would save me hours on the motorway!

If you’re looking for a fast paced adventure story that takes you on a journey alongside the characters as they face twists and turns, that I couldn’t predict, and totally immerses you in their murderous activities, then this is the book for you!

Thank you so much Bonnier Books UK, Hot Key books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Enemies to livers! What’s not to love!! I really enjoyed this book and I will be grabbing a physical copy that’s for sure! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Alexandra Christo loves giving us dark, monstrous FMC and The Night Hunt didn't disappoint! As someone who has been reading her books since debut, you can tell how much she's grown with this new book. The characters, the world building, the action - all of it held my attention and I couldn't finish this book fast enough. And in a new world where there's magic, monsters, and Gods, a reader will most likely get overwhelmed from the start, but Alexandra does a great job of explaining and immersing a reader in that world with bombing you with information all at once. Atia is an interesting main character. She's unpoigically herself as a monster and it was refreshing to see a character arc where she isn't ashamed of her powers or giving them up in the end to "save" someone. I loved Silas and his journey and while I did piece together the plot twist before it happened, it was still very surprising! My only complaint, the same complaint I have with all her books, IS THAT IT'S TOO SHORT! I can't wait to see what Alexandra has next!

An action packed YA fantasy and it really shows. At times I thought that I was reading a children's book. I found the character were very immature and the plot was basic. This is definitely for a younger audience who I know will enjoy it more just not for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

I think I need to give up with anything Alexandra Christo writes that's not set in the same world as To Kill a Kingdom at this point. Nothing that she has written, aside from Princess of Souls, has really resonated with me at all.

Whilst the concept of this one was great, it just felt like it was lacking something. I don't really know what, but I struggled to connect with the characters at all. I definitely didn't get enemies to lovers vibes through it either. Such a shame, as I wanted to love it.

I'm a big fan of the first two books from this author and this is no different

A rich filled fantasy read with lots of twists and turns keeping you engaged.
Interesting but unusual characters that you learn to love, and we even have both POV's which make it instantly better.

Thankyou for the ARC

Thank you to the publisher for sending me an e-arc in exchange for an honest review! So here we go!

Rating: 4/5⭐️

Definitely came into this book after reading two previous books from this author - To Kill a Kingdom and Princess of Souls! The Night Hunt follows the same winning recipe to create a lush, fantastical world with a growing story and very interesting characters (main and secondaries). This is a fast-paced story with two seemingly fated enemies that become lovers only to find out they have a long way of obstacles to conquer to achieve their individual goals and consequent happily ever after!

The dual POV is also a very good idea as we get to connect with both main characters and discover their pasts, aspirations, fears and wishes first hand! I really enjoyed the Gods versus Monsters plot and how nothing was what it seemed!

— 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 —

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: The Night Hunt
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬: N/A
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫(𝐬): Alexandra Christo
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Fantasy Romance
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: 10th October 2023
𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝: 5th September 2023
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: ★★★★ ½

“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.”

This was a highly engaging and dark fantasy romance where an unlikely gang: including a human, Tristan, a half banshee, Cillian, an uptight Herald, Silas, and a Nefas, Atia, the last monster of her kind, go God & monster hunting in a quest to break a curse.

I loved To Kill A Kingdom so was definitely intrigued by this new dark fantasy penned by Christo. Thankfully, I continue to be awed by the authors ability to create morally grey monsters that are actually likable. This monster is my favourite one yet!

This immersive new world is inspired by Greek mythology, particularly with its use of Rivers, Heralds, and bloodthirsty Gods, but still felt wholly original. There’s no info-dumping, just good old character interaction with the surroundings and experiences that were related to their quest.

This is a fast-paced, funny, and endearing epic fantasy with dual POV from the two main characters, Atia and Silas, who are fated to be enemies but find themselves as a sort of Mother and Father figure to the found family that is their ragtag gang of curse breakers. I did find the found family a little bit forced and would have loved the team as a whole to have spent time doing more bonding things other than murdering and discussing pastries.

The plot has heaps of adventure and the humour really made this stand out as a jewel in the sea of romantasy. I think fans of Alexandra Christo’s previous works will LOVE this. In fact, I guarantee it.

—Kayleigh🤍

A fantastic adventure. Perfect for Percy Jackson fans this is a tale of finding your identity in the face of adversity. Well paced and engaging. An excellent read.

I’m generally a fan of Alexandra Christo. I loved her debut ‘To kill a kingdom’ and I’ve really enjoyed everything since.

I even liked The night hunt. However I think the writing and the style of deliver hasn’t really improved since the authors debut. I believe there’s a certain sophistication lacking from what is now an experienced author.

The Night Hunt is an action packed YA fantasy set in a world where monsters live amongst humans, and the Gods use Heralds to keep them in check.

It is an adventure story, a quest story, with a sprinkling of reluctant romance. There are some sweet relationships amongst our lovable (and sometimes infuriating!) characters, both friendships and romantic, but these are slightly underdeveloped as there's so much focus on moving the plot forward in a short amount of time. It's a fascinating world with tonnes of potential, but considering the scope of it - all the different regions, different monsters, not to mention the gods, there isn't time enough for it all to be explored in one story. Perhaps the author will return to this world; there's certainly plenty more hinted that could be discovered.

Recommended for YA fantasy fans.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this arc <3

This is such a cozy read. There are so many sweet characters, and there’s a good blend of adventure, romance, and friendships. My only criticisms are that some of the characters are underdeveloped, and the world building is slightly lacking. Other than that, the plot is fun and unique, the twist at the end was unexpected, and the found family trope is adorable!

Christo’s writing is lovely and succinct, and I especially love the way she describes Atia’s thoughts and feelings. The book is very readable and suitable for readers who enjoy high fantasy and cozy fantasy alike.

Overall, a solid fantasy novel. It was a really enjoyable read.

This was a thoroughly enjoyable standalone fantasy with two unusual and compelling leads - a Nefas and a Herald, both cursed by the Gods for different reasons - teaming up to take down the Gods and bring about a new world order. Or, you know, get their powers back, avenge their dead parents, or find out who they were in a previous life. It's all good. I really did enjoy reading this one. A ragtag group of misfits and scholars and halflings banding together to travel the world and collect the ingredients of a spell? Sign me up! A bookish human who's been studying the arcane and the magical all his life? check! A half banshee who's snarky, witty, and all=around adorable? Check! A 'last of her kind' monster who just wants to find her place in the world? Check! A morally grey tool of order and the Gods deciding that maybe the system is wrong? Check! A lush, developed world with a cast of political schemers and orders vying for power? Well, it's Ally Christo, of COURSE we've got that. I thoroughly enjoyed this one, which was a fun quest, a romp across worlds, and some lovely thoughts about found family. Hurrah for this one!

I really enjoyed The Night Hunt. I’ve read all of this authors books and liked them all. To Kill A Kingdom will always by my favourite by her, but The Night Hunt is a definite close second. I liked the world-building, the monsters, all of it. A good cast of characters really helps to engage the reader as well. Would happily recommend this book! 3.5 rounded up to 4 because 3 is too low!