Name: Audrey Bunten 's review of Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill
Item: Ever the Hunted
Rating: 5
Author: Audrey Bunten

Erin Summerill

The first novel in a new series, Ever the Hunted is a romantic, page-turning fantasy debut that will appeal to readers of Sarah Maas and Rae Carson about the outcast daughter of a bounty hunter who must track her father's killer in a world of mad kings, warring kingdoms, and dangerous magic. Now in paperback.

A Clash of Kingdoms Novel

Ever the Hunted

Audrey Bunten 

Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is the outcast daughter of a bounty hunter who must use her powers to track her father's killer in a world of warring kingdoms, and dangerous magic.

Linara K.S

too fast-paced and under-developed in my opinion.

Melissa Palmer

Book #130 Read in 2016
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

This was a good read. Britt's father is killed and her best friend Cohen is the suspected murderer. Britt must find him and bring him back to the king for justice but she realizes, once she finds him, that he is innocent. The two pair up to find the real murderer and perhaps learn more about Britt's family in the process. This book is a good mix of action, romance, magic and interesting characters. High school and adult readers alike would enjoy this book. I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.

Jazelle H

“Our lives are, like these woods, ever-changing. Nothing is static. And so you cannot count on an easy, carefree life to always remain that way. Or a harsh existence to stay the same. Life can get better. Or life can always become worse."

Trained by her now-deceased father, Britta is a huntress who is tracking down her father's killer, if only for her own continued survival. However, when evidence directs Britta to hunt down the one boy she's ever loved, she realizes her venture is more than just a run-of-the-mill hunt.

This story lacks the essential world-building that provides true beauty and unique flourishes to most of the fantasy YA novels we've come to love. The conflict is very formulaic, offering little reveal about the kingdoms that are at war, the magic and prejudice towards those mystical abilities, and even the characters themselves. The plot reads like a bedtime story; instead of creating a constant stream of conflicts to build suspense within the story, we're given one plot that takes far too long to resolve. Without the rise and fall of action and no suspense to fuel page-turning, we're left with a dragging would-be fantasy romance story that instead falls flat and gives little to readers after 400 pages. 

As for character investment, there's not much to say about the story's protagonist. Britta doesn't stand out from other YA fantasy-fiction heroines. While it's sometimes easy to sympathize with a grieving character, even one with walls around her, Britta's character doesn't offer an opportunity to sympathize with her situation. There's very little character development throughout the story as well, so it feels like there wasn't a payout for following her on this long-winding journey.

Beatrix Haase

3/5

xoxo,
Bebe

Review To Come... Stuck on Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead's Review... I'll get them up, sometime.

Julia Lotz

3,5 Sterne

Auf immer gejagt ist der Fantasy Toptitel des Carlsen Verlags und nachdem ich von der englischen Ausgabe schon so angezogen wurde, freute ich mich sehr aufs Lesen. In dem Buch gehr es um Tessa, die in ihrem Dorf nach dem Tod ihres Vaters nicht mehr akzeptiert wird, da ihre Mutter aus einem benachbarten und verfeindetem Königreich stammte und zu Lebzeiten der Hexerei beschuldigt wurde. So kommt es, dass Tessa nach der Ermordung ihres Vaters in der Trauerphase dazu gezwungen ist zu Wildern, und prompt von der Garde des Königs dabei erwischt wird. Aufs Wildern steht die Todesstrafe doch der Hof macht Tessa ein Angebot: Wenn sie den Mörder ihres Vaters findet, bekommt sie ihre Freiheit zurück. Allerdings erfährt sie, dass derjenige, den sie schon lange liebt, den Mord begangen haben soll.
Leider entpuppte sich die spannende Ausgangslage sehr bald als der Start einer etwas trägen Geschichte. Sie beinhaltet sehr viele Klischees, die voll ausgelegt werden und die wirklich spannenden Aspekte blieben zunächst blass im Hintergrund. Dadurch zog sich die Story in meinen Augen sehr, denn dem geübten Fantasyleser ist das Schema bekannt und bot so wenig Neues und überraschendes. Gegen Ende stieg die Spannungskurve zwar an, insgesamt war ich jedoch von der Story und dem Weltentwurf eher enttäuscht. 
Ich hoffe jedoch sehr, dass die interessanten und innovativen Aspekte des Buches im weiteren Verlauf stärker beleuchtet und ausgearbeitet werden. Gerade in Tessas Gabe sehe ich sehr viel Potential. Aber auch das gesamte Thema der Magie im Buch hat mich sehr angesprochen und ging leider im Zuge der Handlung zunächst unter.
Tessa war jedoch wieder eine Protagonistin, mit der ich sehr gut klar kam. Sie ist sehr stark und selbstbewusst und zweifelt zu keinem Zeitpunkt an sich und ihren Stärken. Sie nimmt sehr häufig das Ruder in die Hand und somit entwickelte die Geschichte sehr viel Dynamik, die aufgrund der eher schleppenden Story sehr wichtig war. Gegen Ende macht Tessa eine große Entwicklung durch, die sicher auf im Hinblick auf Band 2 interessant ist und mich sofort sehr neugierig auf die Fortsetzung gemacht hat. Auch der Schreibstil von Erin Summerill ist angenehm zu lesen und somit werde ich die Reihe trotz kleiner Kritikpunkte weiterhin verfolgen.
Fazit: Auf immer gejagt ist der Auftakt einer neuen Fantrasyreihe aus dem Programm des Carlsen Verlags. Der Klappentext versprach zwar zunächst sehr viel, von der Story und dem Weltenentwurf wurde ich jedoch zunächst enttäuscht, obwohl einige Elemente sehr viel Potential bieten, welches hoffentlich in Band 2 mehr entfaltet wird. Dennoch brachte Tessa dann doch die nötige Dynamik in die Geschichte, sodass ich nun schon neugierig auf Band 2 bin.

In this epic fantasy adventure, a teen girl embarks on a quest to apprehend her father’s killer and finds magic, intrigue, and herself along the way. Seventeen year-old Britta Flannery is at ease only in the woods with her dagger and bow. She spends her days tracking criminals alongside her father, a legendary bounty hunter—that is, until her father is murdered. The alleged killer is none other than Cohen Mackay, her father’s former apprentice. The only friend she’s ever known. The boy she once loved who broke her heart. She must go on a dangerous quest in a world of warring kingdoms, mad kings, and dark magic to find the real killer. But Britta wields more power than she knows. And soon she will learn what has always made her different will make her a force to be reckoned with. “Britta’s fierce tale of love lost and family found, combined with the lush setting and intriguing world-building, make for an unforgettable read.”—Ally Condie, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Matched Trilogy “With a resourceful and cunning heroine, a compelling and nuanced romance, and a truly fascinating system of magic, Ever the Hunted ensnared me from the very first pages. Absolutely marvelous.”—Sarah J. Maas, New York Times bestselling author of the Throne of Glass books “A solid choice for fantasy readers who prefer a large helping of adventure with their romance.”—Kirkus Reviews

Sven Test

This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

What I loved about Ever the Hunted is that our main character, Britta, isn't a heroine cliche. While she has her brave moments and is strong, she also shows lots of normal human emotions, like being sad, not knowing what's the best decision to take, etc. The other characters are similar to her in this sense. There are no idiotic decisions so I was very about that. This novel held a nice balance between action scenes, relaxed scenes, romantic scenes and this made it so much easier to follow the story line. My problem with Fantasy novels is that I usually get lost with all the new terminology and all the action scenes going on. It was a great change of pace to read a Fantasy novel that was more loosened up.

The romance was so swoony! Once Cohen was back in Britta's life, the story picked up its pace. What I loved was that the author didn't make a major focus on the couple. While Cohen and Britta had their swoon-worthy moments, they also focused on searching for answers. That's why every time a romantic scene would pop up, I would grin and have a sappy look on my face at the same time. It was just so freaking beautiful!

The magic aspect of the story wasn't overly amazing or unique, but I still enjoyed it. I did feel like Britta's process through it lacked a little bit. I would have wanted more of Britta learning every aspect of it, not just learning how it works. When it came to putting her power to use on the climax of the story, everything felt rushed. I wish the author had taken more time to construct the climax so it could be satisfying (it should have felt that way), but it didn't. Everything happened so fast that I couldn't really feel anything once the climax happened.

The ending left me speechless and I had to re-read it so I could understand what the heck was happening! I'm demanding the second book ASAP! I desperately need to know what's going on/going to happen. (It's not really a cliff-hanger. At least, I don't see it that way, but it still messed with my feelings.) I'm also glad this is only a duology. I think my reason for not reading many Fantasy novels is because they are mostly series and I just get confused with everything that goes down with them. So this being a duology is perfect!

Ever the Hunted did meet my expectations in certain aspects, yet in others, it failed. But it was still a great story for me. I wish I had been more invested in the story and the characters to fully appreciate the story in its entirety. I'm still going to read the next one for sure!

I received an eARC from the publisher for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.This review was originally posted on Latte Nights Reviews.

Megan Lowe

I really, really, really enjoyed this book! It’s been on my TBR for ages (I initially thought ever the brave was the first book, and is what got my attention!).
I absolutely loved the mix of fantasy and romance here, they’re my two favourite genres and they’re blended perfectly here!
I liked Britta. She’s smart, she’s brave, but she’s still feminine.
I flittered with Cohen, which I think was the author’s point. 
Lief is also a great character as well.
One thing I would say is the events are not very complex, but in a way, I kind of like that. 
I’m a little annoyed this book isn’t available on kindle, so I’ll have to wait to read the rest of the series, but it is one I’ll continue with!

I read this as part of the ultimate reading challenge November book; a book that’s been on your TBR for a long time.

With King Aodren insisting on making her a noblewoman in exchange for saving him, Britta reluctantly agrees, but she soon is tasked with rescuing the kingdom once more from an enemy that has Channeler powers like herself.

Ever the Brave

I’ve wanted to read this book for years. I finally managed to get around to it and I found it a little disappointing. I loved Ever the Hunted and thought this would be similarly great, but it fell so short.
Everything happened in such a rush and the action was so simple and kind of childish when described.
I didn’t feel much for the characters at all, although a good job was done to refresh the reader as they went.
The end redeemed things for me slightly, at least enough that I want to read the last book, but I don’t have high hopes unfortunately.

Laura Kehoe

Originally published on The Book Unicorn

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a copy of this in exchange for a review!

I really wanted to love Ever the Hunted. The description was awesome and I’ve heard positive reviews from other people. I mean, it sounded like the kind of book I would 100% get on board with and love. Unfortunately, this book ended up being just…eh.

This book is filled with familiar tropes and reads similarly to a lot of other YA fantasy books out there. Now, don’t get me wrong, I have no problem with tropes. There’s a reason you see these themes in so many books. Sometimes they work beautifully. But this was not one of those times.

I mean, the characters. Honestly, that was the biggest issue for me. Britta drove me bonkers. I mean, the girl is supposed to be this savvy, powerful person who’s skills at tracking are among the best in the country. And I did see evidence of her tracking skills, I’ll admit that. But as far as intelligence and common sense go…ugh. I lost count of the number of times I had to stop reading and roll my eyes at something she did. It was just wayyyy too much for my taste.

And Cohen. Not a huge fan of him either. He was just so controlling. And again with a lack of intelligence. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: common sense goes a looonnnnggg way, people.

But this book wasn’t all bad. I thought the actual plot and premise was really interesting. Sometimes the pacing was weird and I could do with a little less telling the reader exactly what they should think about a character. Overall though, I didn’t have too many problems with the story itself. If I had liked the characters better, I think I could have enjoyed this book a lot more than I did.

Lila Harrison

This review was originally posted on The Bookkeepers' Secrets
So…This book and I had a …tumultuous…relationship. Though I eventually pulled through to the end, there were multiple sections of the book where I just wanted to DNF it. The book was very touch and go in terms of being interesting and was filled with fantasy tropes and clichés. To make it worse, I abhorred the audiobook narrator’s voice. So. Where to begin?

Let’s talk about the characters first. I really didn’t feel any connection to them. They were bland, uncompelling, and watery. Britta doesn’t really have any defining personality traits to make her stand out. Like, I can’t think of any adjective for her other than…bland. Nothing stood out about her. The same goes for every other character. The only standout trait about Cohen, the love interest and the boy who Britta’s “hunting,” is his over-protectiveness when it comes to Britta. Which is not exactly a shining trait to be recognized by, in my opinion. Inat was the clichéd “wizened, old witch in the woods” and also—you guessed it—had no personality traits that jumped out at you, other than having a vague “wise woman” air about her.

In truth, I think this lack of characterization was what really made the book fall flat. The plot—which I’ll get more into in a minute—fell flat because the characters were so emotionally untethered from it, lacking depth and intense motive. The relationships lacked oomph because the characters were so vanilla that you ended up why on earth someone would be interested in someone so boring. For me, I need that emotional connection to at least one character because it gets me invested in wanting to know what happens to them. Instead, I found myself asking “Who cares?” And that? That spells doom for a book when it comes to the chances I’ll want to continue on.

So enough about the characters. Maybe you’re the type of reader who can take bland characters, so long as there’s a good plot. Well don’t hold your breath for this one then. The book switches courses so many times, that the plot completely falls apart. It is due to this that it starts to feel like the characters are just running around for no reason. It’s like “First we have to do this!–Never mind, let’s do that!–Oh, no, wait, let’s do this other thing!” This made me feel like there was no point. Summerill attempts to tie it all together in the end, but it just feels like she’s slapping a Band-Aid on a gaping wound.

Of course, all of this wasn’t helped by the fact that the audiobook narrator, Helen Johns, had the most annoying voice! Her voice was squeaky and high pitched and those qualities were magnified by when she read particularly emotional passages. She read with a good amount of feeling and an even pace, but that was overshadowed by the actual sound of her voice. If you want to read Ever The Hunted, I wouldn’t recommend the audiobook, unfortunately.

So, all in all, Ever The Hunted was not a hit with me, unfortunately. If you’re looking for something fluffy and light, though, this might be something you like. Ya never know!

Chrissy

Ever the Hunted is a fantasy novel about Britta who recently lost her father and is trying to survive now on her own when one day, one of her actions for survival causes her to get caught by the king's guards and put in the dungeons. They offer her a deal to gain her freedom all she has to do is track down her father's murder, it should be simple since her father was the kings best tracker, he trained her as well. So why is she so hesitant to accept? Because the all evidence points to Cohen, her best friend, training partner, and boy she's been in love with for years. She has to trade his life for hers. 
Pretty cliche plot but not every story's plot is 100% original so I went into this with zero expectations. Well maybe a few, only because Peruseproject really likes this series. I unfortunately found this mediocre. An average three star rating or a high two. The plot was too simple. The different plans the characters from are to simple. It doesn't seem very thought out. As if it's that simple to do. Every time a new plan was brought up i just found myself thinking, thats it? I would have liked more depth and complications. It just seemed like all of the roadblocks that Britta came across were pretty obvious. 
There is a character who shows kindness to Britta and sometimes some of the things he said to her didn't make much sense and i assumed that we would get more from him, learn more about him and what made him show her such kindness but there was nothing more to it. Now I know that it's a good thing to have someone just be a kind person but some of the things he said to her seemed like he knew her or about her prior to when the story beginning and i wanted more development with that.
The whole time I was reading this my main thought was, something big will happen at the end that will entice me to want to pick up the next book. There was a bit to the ending set up to make someone want to read the next book, but I saw it coming before I read it so for me it was not enough, not a big enough “cliffhanger” if you will, to say yes I’ll give the next book a try. 
Maybe I’m just didn't enjoy Britta enough to care about what she will do in the next book.

Nickie Mohler

Britta is alone in the world. She used to track and hunt with her father and his apprentice Cohen, but her father is dead, and Cohen left. She knows she is about to lose her home as well since she has no legal right to it according to the laws of the land. Her only chance for survival is to hunt food and trade it for shelter. Caught hunting in The Ever Woods, Britta now faces the noose for poaching. Until she is offered a choice. Hang, or track the only friend she's ever had and turn him in. I really liked this book. Britta and Cohen are great, and I look forward to the next one. I received a copy of this book from Net Galley.

Alexis 

I Enjoyed this book, but it wasn't the best book I've ever read. I think this is suppose to be a duology, that being said im completely content with it being a stand alone book. I'm not all that curious of what's going to happen next. overall though like i said it was a good book, and honestly i love the cover!

Stephanie Haynes

Heather Killeen

Oh my goodness this book was so good! I love the writer's prose like descriptions and whirlwind of emotions between Cohen and Britta. AND THE PLOT TWISTS! It was such a fun adventure, cool powers, an interesting world and intense with enemies constantly closing in on them! I can't wait to read the next one!

Wren Hardwick

This was such a slow burn of a book. Literally 70% of the book was travelling and trying to get from point A and point B. Little Easter-Eggs were thrown here and there and it kept you trying to put things together but the puzzle doesn’t fit until the last 30%.

I went into this knowing that it was a girl who loved to do archery and who braided her hair and loved to be in the woods and blah blah blah... sounds like a knock off of The Hunger Games, right? Because that was what I was thinking going into it. 



Thankfully, the story was absolutely nothing like that and had some unique elements to it; however, it does feel like a lot of books in its general genre.

There’s some division between two kingdoms: one accepts people who have supernatural abilities and one does not. Our heroine’s, Britta, dad has died in the beginning; she is all alone and trying to survive off the land (which is against the law to take from the kingdom). In exchange for her freedom and her father’s land, she has to hunt down her father’s killer (because it turns out he was actually murdered) Plot Twist: it was her childhood friend who is also someone she has had a major crush on.

There are a lot of secrets in this book. Britta is in the dark with all of them, so in turn, so were we. The book is slow, but it doesn’t bore you (which is new to me). I was reading more and I did roll my eyes at some things, but I am very eager to know what is going to happen from this point on. This whole book felt like a set-up book. It felt like it was getting everything in place for us to get our hearts pierced in the rest of the series. 

---

Slow but steady! I liked it and I will continue on with the series! It was just really-slow coming if that makes sense. RTC!! 

- - - 

Oh she wears a braid. Didn’t see that coming... 

- - - 

I hope this isn’t a typical “I’m an introvert girl who loves archery and I’m unexpectedly going to change the world” type of book.

Manon van Heumen

Yes! Finally here's the sequel to Ever the Hunted. And I loved it! The writing style appeals to me, and I simply loved how the storyline advanced.

Milana Marie Waller

CAUTION: if you enjoyed this book, do not continue reading this review.

 Seeds and STARS, this book BLOWS. 

 Unfortunately, I myself as well as many others (as I have assumed by other reviews) have been deceived by the beautiful cover. YES, this book will be a very beautiful addition to my library. However, suffering through each mindless page with terrible language (ex: Seeds and Stars) and dry romance was perfect TORTURE. I don’t see how anyone could enjoy this book with a nonexistent, terribly written plot. If you have checked this book out from the library because it looked good, you better not start it or to will probably end up lighting it on fire instead of returning it. And if you personally own it, DO NOT SELL IT FOR ANOTHER HUMAN TO EXPERIENCE THE MISERY. To make sure that this book will be illegible, I suggest you fly into the middle of a Antarctica , light this book on fire, spit on it, and shoot it out of a cannon into a glacier for the people of the future to discover and destroy. Thankyou for reading! I’m sure this review was much better than this book🤩!

Kaylee Z

It has been a handful of years since I read Ever the Hunted and, even though I purchased both books at the same time, it has taken me just as long to pick up the sequel. Granted, my reading tastes have changed and I don’t find myself drawn to Young Adult anymore but I still wanted to finish this duology. 

I wish that I had a lot to say about Ever the Brave but the truth is it was just a solid middle of the road read for me. I didn’t love it but it also did not have any major glaring issues to me. I appreciated how conflicted Britta was and how she was forced to question her feelings to find what is valid and what is simply because she is magically pulled one way over the other or if it is even a mixture of the two. 

I went into this one without fully remembering all of the events of the first book and that worried me at first but Summerill was able to effectively sprinkle in details of events past to get me back up to date without feeling like an info dump or detracting from this new part of the developing over-arching story.

There was additional hesitation on my part thinking that there would be a very stereotypical love triangle and I guess there was but it was written in a way that I haven’t seen often. The conflict is so evident between the characters both mentally and physically but, while you will likely root for one over the other, you can see the appeal in both instances. 

Beyond the romance, Ever the Brave is really about Britta’s journey to self-acceptance. Her powers have been both a blessing and a curse for her (very cliche I know but there’s no other way to say it lol), she learns more about her past, she has no one she can trust to teach her how to use her powers to their greatest benefit… essentially her life is in transition and she can only fully rely on herself. It was great to see Britta grow in this book.

We do flit between the POVs of Britta, Cohen and Aodren which is helpful in terms of figuring out the scope of the story - particularly with Cohen’s side of things. Aodren’s chapters more or less revolve around him trying to figure out his feelings towards Britta and very little to do with his kingly duties to the point that I forgot he was one aside from the fact that he lives exceedingly well. Cohen is really the one taking the most chances and getting the most done during his travel and the people that he meets. Britta is conflicted over a number of things but has a very natural progression of development.

Overall, I’m glad that I finished the duology but I don’t think I have a need to read the off-shoot novel, Once a King, to follow Aodren’s story further.

Erifili G

Ever The Hunted was such a fun read, and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes dystopian fiction, romance & female heroines! 

There isn't much that I can say to describe it without spoiling anything, but basically the story follows Britta, a young bounty hunter, on her journey to find her father's murderer while traveling between two kingdoms that are almost at war. 
This journey is as much an emotional rollercoaster for Britta as it is for the reader, as she discovers many secrets about her life that were kept hidden from her for years by everyone she trusted. I loved Britta & Cohen, the main characters, and their relationship and character development were really interesting to see, but what I loved more were some of the secondary characters!

Then, there are all the gorgeous scenes in the woods and forests, in both kingdoms, that stunned me and made me feel that whole magical forest atmosphere. There were some forest/tree metaphors that I really loved since forests are my aesthetic, and they're all very quotable but I don't wanna spoil!! Erin really knows how to write a beautiful place and present it through Britta's unique narrative voice. Britta wasn't just another cheesy, girly narrator as the ones we often see in these types of books lately; she had her priorities straight but she cared so much for others that she often forgot to look after herself. 

Anyway, I really hope that you guys are gonna read this because I can't wait to discuss this with people and see what everyone thinks! Ever The Hunted was a great first book and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the Clash of Kingdoms series is going to be. 

**Thanks to Erin Summerill and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of Ever The Hunted in exchange for an honest review.**

Liz Griffin

I hate being harsh with book reviews, because I know it would gut me to see something I worked on be eviscerated. But honestly... I didn’t enjoy this one. Too many tropes and “big reveals” that were really just misunderstandings or obvious plot points being withheld from the main character.

Audrey Bunten &
Ever the Hunted by Erin Summerill

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