Isabelle Reviews (CLOSED FOR NOW)

The Hunters (Romance, Action)

Review date: January 21, 2023

Author: courtneyrush756

FIRST IMPRESSION: 4/5

COVER: 4/5

TITLE: 5/5

I'll start with the first impression. I actually expected that it would be simply dramatic and entertainingly menacing. I was reminded of gore, death, and even violence (I'm not biased with this. I'm open to anything.) 

That's not bad, since it is still the choice and will of the author to write about this theme. The cover is approximately mostly a background and a little text. I wouldn't mind these two not having the same ratio since it's common in a design how the sizes differ. But I do think that the texture of the red in the background, which has an unknown significance as of then, cancels out the rest of the white text. I didn't know what it stands for initially, but I wanted to keep going. I wouldn't say it's a bad cover because it's not, by all accounts. It actually intrigues me. The text isn't bad, but I had to tilt my head slightly and squint since I couldn't read the quote and the name of the author properly. My suggestion would be to enlarge the text so they're seen at once. The font could also be given more life since it's somehow dull.

Though I have to say I don't have a problem with the title. I think it doesn't have to sound highfalutin or overboard, so I'll go with this one.
BLURB: 7/10

I'd like to break down the blurb into sections first because there seems to be so much going on.

"Twelve years after losing her parents in an unnatural way to Arianna, but a simple crime to others; she has finally put it in the past. Until she wakes up in an unknown room."

I couldn't seem to get the shape of these two sentences. Firstly, improve the word choice. Secondly, be a little bit more cautious with order. And lastly, place punctuation marks where they need to be. I kind of had to read it multiple times to get a hold of it. But I came to the conclusion that it can be, "Twelve years after losing her parents by unnatural means that others considered/thought/claimed as a simple crime, Arianna has finally put her past behind. That is, until she wakes up in an unknown room."

Next, for the second paragraph.

"Phoenix, the Hunter from millenniums, still bears the load from the past. The skeletons keep piling up in his closet; remembered by his blazing fury, he strikes fear into the hearts of those humans and immortals alike. Renewing his ways is the least of his worries--until he finds her again."

Consider the first cases as the errors that must be fixed. First is the spelling. It must be 'millennia' instead of 'millenniums.' The first sentence is good but again, the mistakes in punctuation come to play. It should be, "Phoenix, the Hunter from millennia, still bears the load from the past. The skeletons keep piling up in his closet. Remembering his blazing fury, he strikes fear into the hearts of humans and immortals alike. Renewing his ways is the least of his worries until he finds her again."

In the third part, I was disoriented by the "ghost from the past." I didn't know whether I must take it literally or figuratively because there wasn't a mention of a ghost in the beginning.

"Arianna is thrown back into the world of chaos after a dreadful reunion with a ghost from the past. And no matter what she does, she finds herself stuck with him."

Who's him? Phoenix? That's a sign that the author must make things clear and straight instead of assuming that the reader would get the memo at once.

Even when desire starts to settle in, with her mind for justice and Phoenix's for revenge, they can't see eye to eye.

"He has information on the man who killed your parents," he says, inching closer. "Now love, do you think we can help each other?"

I don't have much to touch on with the last line. I think it already initiates the adventure and the thrill, so I kept reading although I felt that the blurb was off.

PLOT: 20/20

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT: 20/20

DESCRIPTION: 14/15

WRITING STYLE: 10/10

GRAMMAR/PUNCTUATION: 7/10

I really like getting creative and using different figures of speech written in the book. I love the author's descriptions and how they were used masterfully. I just advise that the author goes easy on the personification. In my opinion, the descriptions must be maneuvered in moderation. The distribution of the descriptions is good and uniform, but I just felt that it was too heavy. But I'm not really proposing that the author limit or compromise the quality of the writing because the imagery is just good.

I take in the fact that this is a romance book as well, but I don't feel so much of the romance just yet. That's okay, since I'd also like to focus more on Arianna's story first. The action, however, apparent already. 

Arianna is character material. She simply goes from a girl enjoying a hot chocolate with her mum and dad to being kidnapped, fighting a zombie, and running for her life for a challenge. That's serious character development for me. Her challenges aren't written in a way that makes the book sound like a boring, endless cycle. Each chapter sparks more excitement. But with that aside, I like how much the persona adores her parents. They must be that important to her, and it's emotionally appealing. 

This would be easier for the reader to spot the characteristics of this persona. But anyway, the action doesn't come at once. I was expecting it would come in the first chapter, but it came in the second. And it's a good thing! It surprised me, and the descriptions of what they did to her parents were spot-on.

Other than that, I'm seriously impressed at the pacing and how it didn't feel rushed. The challenges begin from there. The descriptions are still stunning. There were mistakes, but because of how good the plot and the development are, I considered them as peripheral matters (although they still must be fixed).

OVERALL: 91/100

All in all, this book is very intriguing and mysterious, as long as you put serious alterations to it. Though, I do recommend it to readers.

Thank you for trusting me in reviewing your book! <3, Isabelle