Review: Suspenseful and Entertaining YA Fantasy Novel
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 9, 2014
“Hunters of the Last Dungeon” is a dystopian fantasy novel that will appeal to both YA readers and adults who enjoy YA (I fall into the latter category and read the genre fairly regularly).As the novel opens, Hiro and his sister Olly—who he lovingly refers to as “Big Sis”—are sneaking into a test that can admit them to the ranks of the legendary Hunters. That is, if they survive—not everyone does, and the test changes from year to year (from something as simple as cooking a croissant to a full-scale bloodbath with no survivors). This year’s test has a deadly twist in the rules—and there’s no escape. Olly and Hiro must decide who they can trust on the inside and then count on their own bravery, intelligence, and determination to reach the end of the test and emerge victorious as Hunters, with the possibility of riches and fame before them.This book is appealing on two fronts—the strong and likeable main characters and the frequent, suspenseful action scenes. The personalities of Olly and Hiro are set up from the outset; Olly is thoughtful and smart, and she relies more on her intelligence than strength, while Hiro is reckless and often acts before he thinks. As the book progresses, though, they see how valuable each trait is to surviving, and how the two grow as well as their obvious affection for each other endears them to you as a reader. You become genuinely invested in their success, which lends a special tension to the danger they constantly find themselves in, from an odd cavern with a living statue to the betrayal of fellow contestants. The story is well-written, and I liked that the violence and action kept the pace fast but weren’t described in too much detail (I dislike gore).I would have liked to know more about what being a Hunter entailed, but since this is the first in a trilogy I am sure I will get my chance in future books. I would recommend “Hunters of the Last Dungeon” to readers who enjoy YA fantasy adventure fiction set in alternate words with high stakes and great characters.