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A review by b_tellefsen_rescuesandreads
Huntress by Julie Hall
3.0
Rating: 3/5
Thank you to the author Julie Hall for sending me an audio book copy of this book for an honest review, as well as partnering with her on a book tour for this series!
This is the first in Julie's Life After series which follows the life...err....afterlife of Audrey who has found herself dead, with no memory, and forced to hunt demons for all eternity.
.
.
Since she is more bargain hunter than demon hunter, she feels God has made a huge cosmic error. And Logan, her trainer, isn't too thrilled with her, either. But when a powerful weapon chooses Audrey as its weilder, much to her dismay, she attracts the attention of Satan herself. Now Audrey finds herself in a battle for the souls of the living. Can she save them?
.
.
Okay. Starting with my constructive criticism:
1.) This book definitely falls victim to many common YA tropes. The main character "lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding" at least twice, which earned as many eye-rolls from me. She also spends countless times describing the color and effect of Logan's blue eyes, which is something commonly found in YA literature. She also uses the "let's get lost in the crowd by kissing each other " move, to escape some demons on Earth.
So yes, tropes and cliches abound in this novel.
2.) There was a lot of set-up in this book. Part of me appreciated that because we really got to know the characters, understand the world in which Audrey was living, and get a strong base for what's to come. But that also means that, if you are at all curious, you have to continue with the series in order to get to the meat of series.
3.) There was some preachiness. This is a Christina-Fiction novel. Which, on its own, I certainly don't consider an issue. However, there were certain portions of this book (primarily a lengthy chapter near the end), that were written as though trying to provide a lesson on God and Faith to young teenagers. It was all about accepting God's love and trusting in him fully, with no doubt.
Now, in my opinion, if you hope to reach a wide teen audience, and especially reach those who many be agnostic or even downright hostile about religion, you will not attract them with this type of material. It felt like a Sunday School less thrown into an otherwise decent YA Fantasy.
Now onto the positives.
1.) Audrey has no memory of her life on Earth after she dies. Because of this she is not distracted by her past life and in turn, neither is the reader. We can focus on the present as she acclimates herself to the after life without wondering about those details because we know it will be revealed later in the story.
2) Julie added a lot of fun and creative nuances to the world that I had never seen before. She created an empathy link that occurs when people touch, or a bond that forms between someone with just one kiss. There were a lot of little fun details like that I enjoyed learning.
3.) I appreciated how, even though we are basically in Heaven, everyone is still flawed with their own personalities. They are not perfect. They still have toxic emotions or negative thoughts. That was really good to see.
4.) The slight bit of angst between her and Logan. Honestly, that is the main reason I want to continue with this series. I want to know what happens between them!
So, all-in-all, I felt this was actually a decent story. I enjoyed the characters and the world, and I am invested enough to find out what happens next.
.
Thank you to the author Julie Hall for sending me an audio book copy of this book for an honest review, as well as partnering with her on a book tour for this series!
This is the first in Julie's Life After series which follows the life...err....afterlife of Audrey who has found herself dead, with no memory, and forced to hunt demons for all eternity.
.
.
Since she is more bargain hunter than demon hunter, she feels God has made a huge cosmic error. And Logan, her trainer, isn't too thrilled with her, either. But when a powerful weapon chooses Audrey as its weilder, much to her dismay, she attracts the attention of Satan herself. Now Audrey finds herself in a battle for the souls of the living. Can she save them?
.
.
Okay. Starting with my constructive criticism:
1.) This book definitely falls victim to many common YA tropes. The main character "lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding" at least twice, which earned as many eye-rolls from me. She also spends countless times describing the color and effect of Logan's blue eyes, which is something commonly found in YA literature. She also uses the "let's get lost in the crowd by kissing each other " move, to escape some demons on Earth.
So yes, tropes and cliches abound in this novel.
2.) There was a lot of set-up in this book. Part of me appreciated that because we really got to know the characters, understand the world in which Audrey was living, and get a strong base for what's to come. But that also means that, if you are at all curious, you have to continue with the series in order to get to the meat of series.
3.) There was some preachiness. This is a Christina-Fiction novel. Which, on its own, I certainly don't consider an issue. However, there were certain portions of this book (primarily a lengthy chapter near the end), that were written as though trying to provide a lesson on God and Faith to young teenagers. It was all about accepting God's love and trusting in him fully, with no doubt.
Now, in my opinion, if you hope to reach a wide teen audience, and especially reach those who many be agnostic or even downright hostile about religion, you will not attract them with this type of material. It felt like a Sunday School less thrown into an otherwise decent YA Fantasy.
Now onto the positives.
1.) Audrey has no memory of her life on Earth after she dies. Because of this she is not distracted by her past life and in turn, neither is the reader. We can focus on the present as she acclimates herself to the after life without wondering about those details because we know it will be revealed later in the story.
2) Julie added a lot of fun and creative nuances to the world that I had never seen before. She created an empathy link that occurs when people touch, or a bond that forms between someone with just one kiss. There were a lot of little fun details like that I enjoyed learning.
3.) I appreciated how, even though we are basically in Heaven, everyone is still flawed with their own personalities. They are not perfect. They still have toxic emotions or negative thoughts. That was really good to see.
4.) The slight bit of angst between her and Logan. Honestly, that is the main reason I want to continue with this series. I want to know what happens between them!
So, all-in-all, I felt this was actually a decent story. I enjoyed the characters and the world, and I am invested enough to find out what happens next.
.