Run(The Hunted #1) - Dirty Maid Adventures

Run(The Hunted #1)
by Patti Larsen
There's been an explosion of dystopian YA since THE HUNGER GAMES made the bestseller lists, and RUN is no
exception, but I think it holds its own. It reads a bit like an homage to several books (people have listed LORD OF
THE FLIES, THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME, etc.) but manages to keep enough of itself to be original, I think.
RUN has a lot of action -- there's really no down-time, so the book feels shorter than it is. This is not a bad thing!
In an era of books like THE DEATHLY HALLOWS, which spend ages walking and talking and doing nothing, it's
refreshing to find a book that starts in high gear and doesn't slow down. I felt caught up with Reid, and wanted to
keep reading.
The very nature of this book is such that it leaves the reader with a lot of questions. Why Reid (and later others)?
Who is hunting him? Where is his sister? Few of these questions were actually answered in the course of the book,
as we have no outside POV to provide things Reid doesn't know. It makes sense not to reveal them, with such a
close POV, but when I reached the end and realized I didn't know any more than when I started, I did wonder how
long this is going to drag out.
Some people may take issue with the amount of violence in a book marketed to younger readers, but I don't think
it's a problem. The first instance of violence is definitely startling, but I don't think it descends into gore-porn at all.
Instead, it provides a very effective shock to the reader, showing us that this is not just going to be an academic
exercise. We're going to feel everything Reid feels- Ms. Larsen does this very well. While I winced at a few of the
gory scenes, I didn't find them excessive or exploitative in the least.
I did have a problem with the portrayal of female characters in this book- since dystopian YA is so proliferated
with strong, competent female characters, it was jarring to come across a book where the only thing that girls do
is die or cry a lot (or both). Reid's favourite adjectives for girls are "frail", "weak", "fragile", etc., and I kept expecting
someone to prove him wrong, but no one did. None of the girls he meets have any agency. The character Leila has
with strong, competent female characters, it was jarring to come across a book where the only thing that girls do
is die or cry a lot (or both). Reid's favourite adjectives for girls are "frail", "weak", "fragile", etc., and I kept expecting
someone to prove him wrong, but no one did. None of the girls he meets have any agency. The character Leila has
one moment of steel (pointed out by Reid as surprising), and one moment of badassery that (in my opinion) gets
overshadowed by the fact that she's sobbing the whole time and sobs for a while after. Her dominant feature for
me, when I try to think of her, is crying. Given that Milo's is sarcasm and Drew's is intelligence and unflappability, I
found this extremely disappointing. I wanted her to DO something, be useful. Sadly, she really wasn't.
Part of this could be because Reid's character is a slight misogynist, and that colours the narrative. He refers to his
sister as weak and fragile constantly, when the only instance we see of her in the actual story is of her rescuing
him from foster care, after fighting a year-long legal battle, and intending to support him. The actual story shows
us nothing weak or fragile about her, so it could just be his own opinion. This is strengthened by the fact that he
says the same about his mother, while constantly praising his father's strength and intelligence. Whatever
happened in Reid's past that made him dismiss women, I don't know. I hope it comes out in further books and
that he gets called on it, or at least that a female character does something competent at some point.
As a side note for Reid's narration: the book is in very close third person, my favourite POV, but I don't think it
utilizes it fully. For a book that's entirely in one person's head, I don't think Reid has a strong enough voice to pull
it off. Occasionally we get glimpses of what his voice sounds like, and it shines through, but it's not enough to give
me a full cohesive feeling of him. Part of this is because he's fighting for his life and naturally disassociating, but
I'd like to see a little more of Reid in his narration.
I do applaud the book for NOT having a romance. It would have been entirely unrealistic for Reid and Leila to get
together, but that doesn't stop so many other authors. When she was introduced, I actually groaned out loud- but
when they didn't get together -- and didn't even hint at it -- I felt like cheering instead. Take note, authors: we
don't need romance every step of the way.
I would like to say that I am pleased and surprised by the character of Drew. He fits the "chubby, smart boy"
stereotype, and I wasn't expecting much from him, but I'm happy to be wrong! He's intelligent, funny (but not
inappropriately so), and, perhaps most surprisingly, shrugs off others' bullying of him without letting it get
through to him or crying silent tears of pain. He's a strong, interesting character, and I loved him.
The ending wasn't so much of an ending as it was a "ha ha, guess you'll have to buy book two! :D", which kind of
annoys me, but I already have book 2 so I suppose I'll survive. If it does it again at the end of HIDE, though, I'm
going to be cranky. Ramping up tension is one thing, but manipulating the readers can only go so far. -)
Overall, I enjoyed this- I just wished some of the characters were a little more realized, and that a few more
questions had been answered. It feels like half a book, rather than the first in a series. Luckily it was a quick read
(about an hour) so I can move on to the next.
(Yikes, tl-dr, sorry!)|Představte si, že se probudíte svázaní v dodávce, aniž byste věděli, jak jste se do ní dostali,
hlava pulzující bolestí z drogového opojení, končetiny jako z gumy. Dva chlápci vás vesele vyhodí v noci uprostřed
lesa a s úsměvem vás upozorní, že byste měli začít běžet. Vykuchaná mrtvola dítěte na nedalekém stromě a
nepříliš vzdálené nelidské vytí vás přesvědčí, že tohle opravdu nebude stezka odvahy na letním táboře.
Celkem příjemná jednohubka. Až mě překvapilo, jak jsem se do příběhu dokázala začíst, první polovinu knihy jsem
občas i zapomínala dýchat, jak napínavá byla. V druhé se to už trošku zhoršilo. I když nic, co bych nečekala, když
jsem se na začátku dozvěděla, že je hlavnímu hrdinovi sotva 16... kdo kdy četl jakékoliv YA už asi tuší, o čem
mluvím. :D
Knihu jsem si stáhla zdarma v rámci Amazon bargains už před pár měsíci, takže jsem si nepamatovala vůbec nic, a
šla do čtení bez předsudků. Velké mínus je, že jde o první díl ze čtyř a je vidět, že vyprávění autorka velmi uměle
natahuje. Ve finále se totiž děj o moc dopředu nedostane a vám je jasné, že další díly budou stoprocentní fillery.
Pro mě plus, pro autorku trošku mínus, je vhodné pojmenování všech dílů, protože po přečtení prvního mám
celkem slušnou představu, co se bude dít v těch dalších. Jakožto zvědavá osoba si možná koupím poslední díl,
abych věděla, jak to s Reidem a ostatními skončí.
Takže co od Run můžete čekat? Přesně to, co slibuje název – spousta běhání, k tomu slušně budované napětí
Takže co od Run můžete čekat? Přesně to, co slibuje název – spousta běhání, k tomu slušně budované napětí
(hlavně první půlku nedoporučuju slabým povahám, už vůbec ne v noci), nějaká ta YA klišé, vraždění teenagerů,
nějaký ten útok na city a samozřejmě otevřený konec. Když od knihy nebudete předem nic moc čekat, dokáže vás
určitě překvapit stejně mile jako mě.|Heart-pounding....
Pulse-racing...
Blood-pumping...
Nerves-Jumping....
Stomach-churning....
Nail-biting....
Teeth-clenching....
You will look over your shoulder.
You will tense at every sound.
You will wonder when they will get you.
Step into Reid's shoes and you will be turning the pages as fast as the hunted can run.
Imagine your worst nightmare...release the monsters of dreamland horrors....and you will also want to RUN!
Patti Larsen has created a world that will disturb you, haunt you and change you. As she literally asks you to jump
into her character's shoes, you will be faced with a world where everything you ever knew just got spun on its
head and spat you out.
The conflicts are finely crafted and taut with tension. The voice will cut you with emotion.
For fans of The Hunger Games Trilogy, get your hands on this story. You will not be disappointed.
You will not be able to forget these characters.
You will not be able to put this book down but you will not want this story to end.|I was there in the dark with
Reid, scared to look in case I saw a dead mangled kid, or worse, a hunter. My heart banged against my ribs harder
than was comfortable. I imagined sounds, saw ominous shadows in the post-midnight dark of my room. Reid
didn't stop running, I didn't stop reading. I devoured Run in one sitting and thought of little else for days but
when I'd be able to get my hands on Hide. If you liked The Hunger Games, Run could be your favorite book of the
summer.|Reid thinks he's finally safe and back with his sister, but not all is what it seems. When he is dumped in a
dark forest and chased by hunters, only one question matters. Can he run fast enough to stay alive?
This is a brilliant YA paranormal thriller by one of my favorite authors. Her prose and storytelling is brilliant and
this entire series kept me riveted! A must read for anyone who doesn't mind the darker side of YA.