The Trap (Hunt)
Gene and Sissy’s story becomes downright disturbing in this finale to what has been an unpredictable trilogy. With the knowledge that they hold the key to reversing the dusker condition, Gene and Sissy find themselves back in the Palace, making an uneasy bargain with the Ruler, who is desperate to keep some secrets of his own. A dramatic confrontation with Ashley June, Gene’s first love, who was left behind when they escaped The Dome and who subsequently turned into a dusker herself, sets up a reveal that turns the entire series on its head. It has been difficult to pin this series down to a specific genre because the plot twists keep changing the landscape from paranormal to dystopian to horror. The duskers are driven by a desire to eat the humans, which is as unfathomable as their methods are cruel, and each moment that Gene and Sissy can outlast them is a breathtaking victory. The Hunt trilogy has lived up to the promise of the first book and delivered shocks and drama with every turn of the page. Grades 9-12. --Kara Dean