The Great Hunt audiobook

Fast paced with beautiful writing and filled with romance, fantasy, action, and magic. This was such an enjoyable read!I should probably include a disclaimer where I let you know I have never read the Grimm Brothers’ story “The Singing Bone,” so I had no prior experience with the tale that inspired the author to write The Great Hunt. This may have made the story feel a bit more fresh than it may have for someone who really knows the original story. I’ll be reading the original later today since Wendy Higgins so kindly provides it on her website.Princess Aerity lives in the kingdom of Lochlanach, one of the several kingdoms within Eurona. There is a great beast that has been terrorizing the towns within the kingdom. It’s proving to be impossible to kill. The king’s own soldiers are failing leading to his desperation. Though the king has always believed in love, he issues a proclamation that whichever hunter- in all the lands of Eurona- kills the beast gets to marry his eldest daughter, Princess Aerity. She understands that this is what is best for the kingdom, but before long sets her eyes on one of the hunters, Paxton Seabolt, who appears to want nothing to do with her.Paxton has dark secrets and doesn’t particularly care for the royal family. He only cares about killing the beast to protect his family. It has nothing to do with the proclamation. What is he hiding? And what happens if he kills the beast? What if he doesn’t? The romance is a very slow-burning one. By the end of the book, you are dying for more. Seriously. I think the big romance fans may be a little disappointed, but am hoping the sequel more than makes up for that.Oh..and there are also Lashed Ones who have the ability to use magic, but magic is outlawed throughout all of Eurona. The laws are older, but there is an assumption that Lashed are all dangerous and are hated and feared by most unlashed because of this. This leads to a lot of discrimination and clear conflict. I am really excited to see where this part of the storyline goes. It’s one of my favorite aspects of the book.The narration is done in third person. There are several different perspectives we are given throughout, though the story is mainly told from Aerity and Paxton’s. I enjoyed the addition POVs for additional insight into the story. They also help to set up parts of the plot. The world-building was phenomenal and felt natural. It didn’t feel like all the information was just thrown at us making for a boring story. There was a lot of it, yet it fit into the plot naturally. The Great Hunt is only the first of a two book duology leaving us with a pretty bad cliffhanger. I thought it was the proper time for the story to end and am really looking forward to book two. In terms of the story, you have a general idea of where book two is going, but have absolutely no idea how any of it will play out. I can’t even begin to tell you how excited that makes me!If you are a fan of fantasy or fairytale retellings, I highly recommend you read this. You won’t regret it!I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review via edelweiss.

Such a great book... SO good... until the ending. I don't know if I want to be lenient (because I know there will be a sequel) or harsh (because that ending gutted me).***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***The Great Hunt by Wendy HigginsBook One of Eurona DuologyPublisher: HarperTeenPublication Date: March 8, 2016Rating: 4 starsSource: eARC from EdelweissSummary (from Goodreads):Kill the beast. Win the girl.A strange beast stirs fear in the kingdom of Lochlanach, terrorizing towns with its brutality and hunger. In an act of desperation, a proclamation is sent to all of Eurona—kill the creature and win the ultimate prize: the daughter of King Lochson’s hand in marriage.Princess Aerity understands her duty to the kingdom though it pains her to imagine marrying a stranger. It would be foolish to set her sights on any particular man in the great hunt, but when a brooding local hunter, Paxton Seabolt, catches her attention, there’s no denying the unspoken lure between them…or his mysterious resentment.Paxton is not keen on marriage. Nor does he care much for spoiled royals and their arcane laws. He’s determined to keep his focus on the task at hand—ridding the kingdom of the beast and protecting his family—yet Princess Aerity continues to challenge his notions with her unpredictability and charm. But as past secrets collide with present desires, dire choices threaten everything Paxton holds dear.Inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ tale, “The Singing Bone,” New York Times bestselling author Wendy Higgins delivers a dark fantasy filled with rugged hunters, romantic tension, outlawed magic, and a princess willing to risk all to save her people.What I Liked:This is my first Wendy Higgins book, so I can't compare this one to her Sweet series, or her self-published novel. I can say that I was pretty pleased with this book, despite its crushing ending. (Sorry! It gutted me though.) What is holding me together (and making me not rate this book down) is the fact that this is book one of two, and I'm almost 90% confident in Higgins not to steer me wrong in terms of certain... things. I'm taking a leap of faith, I suppose.Lochlanach is under attack, by a strange and dangerous beast that has been attacking at night, ripping soldiers and villagers to shreds. The king is desperate; with his oldest daughter's reluctant permission, he issues a proclamation that whichever hunter kills the beast will have his daughter's hand in marriage. Aerity always wanted to marry for love, but she knows the safety of her kingdom is more important. But she can't help falling for Paxton Seabolt, a mysterious, grumpy, brooding hunter who is bent on killing the beast to protect his family and Lochlanach (i.e. not for her). Paxton isn't all that he seems, but then, neither is the beast, or what is really going on in Lochlanach.I've never read "The Singing Bone", but I have a huge copy of the works of the Grimm Brothers so I will definitely be reading it when I get the chance! I love fairy tale retellings, and I'm sure Higgins did a beautiful job of twisting the tale into her own story.I thought the world-building was well-written! I love how this book starts - in a horrifying, eye-opening way. A true hook, in my opinion. I also really like how important family is, in this book! The king has three kids (Aerity, Vixie, Donny), and his two younger sisters have an army of kids as well. The oldest cousin is Wyneth, who is one year older than Aerity, and whose betrothed was killed by the beast. Wyneth has been in mourning, but clear how much Aerity and Wyneth love each other and are best friends as well as cousins. Their friendship is so strong, throughout the book!This book is written in third-person limited, so we get Aerity's third-person POV, and Paxton's. I liked Aerity, though at first I didn't really connect with her. She's a good person and a selfless princess. I love how much she cares about her family, and her kingdom. I liked Paxton almost immediately - grumpy, silent, and somewhat moody heroes are my favorite. Especially the ones who are noble and yet have something to hide! Paxton is a fierce hunter and a selfless, brave man. He and his younger brother, Tiern, enter the Hunt, but both are more concerned with killing the best than marrying the princess.I have seen a lot of people struggle with the pacing, or the writing, but I personally didn't have any trouble reading this book. I'll admit, the beginning, after the first scene but before the hunters gathered for the Hunt, I had to muscle through a bit. But once the Hunt was called, I was zipping through this book.The romance is so sweet! It's the slow-burn type, and kind of hate-to-love, which are two of my favorite tropes in romances. I say "kind of" hate-to-love because the attraction is instant, for both Aerity and Paxton, but Paxton is doing everything he can to avoid Aerity, and Aerity is convinced that Paxton does not like her. Nevertheless, I liked the romance; no love triangle, and it's a pretty straightforward romance, at least until the ending. You'll see my thoughts on the ending in the next section.The climax of this book something that I both dreaded and looked forward to - and I got exactly what I was expecting. Higgins ups the ante, and she sets up a bigger picture for book two really well. Of course, I abhorred the ending (you'll understand why - vaguely - in the next section), but Higgins did a good job of writing the ending. The ending makes sense, even if I hated it. What I Did Not Like:Okay fine, I hated the ending. It's a huge cliffhanger, in terms of several different aspects. The Hunt has just gotten super complicated (trust me, this is VAGUE), a new player has entered the game, and the romance... oh my heart. Just thinking about the proclamation, and the whole premise of this book - you can probably figure out why I hate this ending in terms of the romance. If this book ended with all of the OTHER cliffhanger aspects MINUS what happened in terms of the romance, then I would give this book five stars, hands down. But it's getting 3.5 stars - which I am willing to round up to 4 stars - because of that cliffhanger.Would I Recommend It:Despite the cliffhanger, I enjoyed the entire book. It's one of those cases in which I LOVED the book up until the ending. What's keeping me strong is that I'm pretty sure Higgins loves a good HEA, and she wouldn't have spent so much time in those two specific characters' heads otherwise... right?Maybe wait until book two publishes, to binge-read the series. Man, I love duologies. Though the wait is still the same, for the next book, it's only one book to wait for!Rating:3.5 stars -> rounded up to 4 stars. I'm hoping that there will be a good ending to the series! I think I trust Higgins with this HEA but... I'm pretty anxious now! Still, she has guaranteed at least one person who can't wait for the sequel, because of the ending of this book!

3,75 STARS!!!The kingdom is petrified with fear.This beast. It's too strong, too vicious. The man say their war cries only taunt it. My girl... I'm frightened for what's to come.HuntersPAXTONI have only one thing left to offer the man who kills this beast. I offer the hand of my oldest daughter in marriage.PRINCESS AERITYI am big fan of The Sweet Trilogy , so when I heard there will be a new book by Wendy Higgins I pressed the button without reading the plot. The Great Hunt wasn't great, but it was ok read. I wasn't fond of Aerity. Sometimes she was getting on my nerves with childish behavior. I was more interested in Wyneth and Lief's relationship then Paxton and Aerity's. I will never forget look on Lief's face when he realize that Wyneth isn't Aerity. Poor guy. Lord Alvi stood and his crystal blue eyes went straight to Wyneth. He reached for her hands and her eyes bulged. "Princess Aerity", he crooned in a low voice. Whoops. Aerity bit the inside of her lip to hide a giggle as her cousin's cheeks reddened. "No, kind sir. I am Lady Wyneth Wavecrest. This is my cousin Princess Aerity herself." Her eyes were still huge as she turned to gesture toward the princess. Was it Aerity's imagination, or had he appeared momentarily crestfallen as his eyes changed course toward her? He stepped over and gave another bow, taking Aerity's hand. When his gaze rose to her, full of brazen confidence and an easy smile, she thought she must have imagined his initial disappointment. Keep up the good work, Wendy !

The Great Hunt starts with a ferocious beast terrorizing the land of Eurona, with little options the King makes a royal decree: Whoever kills the beast will win his daughter, Princess Aerity’s hand in marriage. Hunters and villager’s from all over the kingdom travel to Eurona to compete in this competition to one day become royalty. Aerity was a likeable heroine, I never got the spoilt princess vibe from her and when she was dealt a bad hand, as in her father marrying her off to any stranger who happens to kill the beast, she takes this in her stride with her head held high. Aerity cares a lot for her family, this is evident by allowing the hunt to proceed but I loved how she showed a lot of love to the royal lashed healer, Mrs Rathbrook. The lashed are people who are capable of wielding magic, however it has been banned in Eurona, anyone who is caught with the visible signs of using their magic (lashed marks/lines on fingernails) are put to death. Aerity didn’t treat Mrs. Rathbrook with the same prejudice are those in the kingdom would, Aerity wasn’t nothing but kind and considerate. Confession: Aerity totally reminds me of Merida!I have to be honest, this book was one of my most anticipated releases but not because it was a retelling or a high fantasy book or even because it had a intriguing plot, all of this is true, but because of the words: Wendy Higgins and Romance. How I loved the Sweet Trilogy, I mean Kaidan Rowe? *Major Swoons* I don’t mind if my books are a complete romance fest, if they’re written well then you can shove that well written relationship in my face all day and I will eat it up. Maybe it was my original anticipation and excitement for this romance that somehow made me feel it was somehow…. lacking. Paxton was everything he was made to be in the synopsis, forever the brooding and rugged hunter with a deep dark secret that he can never reveal. Let’s just say that Aerity and Paxton have an interesting first encounter but I must admit there was a strong whiff of insta-love here. And if there was one thing I was looking forward to in this book it would have to be the slow burn romance that I know Wendy can write *sighs *.Paxton couldn’t care less about Aerity, he’s not entering the competition to win the girl, he wants to kill the beast thats responsible for murdering his people. On numerous occasions Paxton makes it painfully obvious that he is not interested in Aeirty, beside from physical attraction and this rejection only fuels Aeirty’s obsession with Paxton. While I enjoyed Aerity’s tenacious nature, I felt she didn’t have a lot to go on, besides Paxton’s lingering looks to actually chase him on. I originally loved this book but upon some serious reflection I must admit that it was only my previous excitement that carried me through the first half. I think it all stems down to my expectations and experience with Wendy’s work. However what I did love about this book was some of the secondary characters, for instance Paxton's little brother, Tiern was instantly likeable, I adored him from the very beginning, we also get to see a group of kickass women entering the competition and showing the men how it's done; hurrah! The Great Hunt features action, adventure for some characters, a complicated history with magic and a fantasy world that wasn’t too detailed but I must say it was a good start to the series. After a fiendish cliffhanger I'm looking forward to the next instalment despite my earlier reservations I will always be eager for more of Wendy’s work.Literary-ly Obsessed (Blog) | Twitter | Instagram

The Great Hunt by Wendy HigginsEurona Duology book 1. YA fantasy. Retelling. Cliffhanger. The kingdom of Lochlanach is being terrorized by a wild beast. It’s huge, strong and hungry. Arrows are repelled by its hide and the kingdom hunters are decimated. In an effort to defeat the beast, an award is promised: whoever can successfully defeat the beast will win the hand of the princess. Aerity knows her duty to the kingdom and doesn’t complain that she will be the prize to the winner. I admired her strength and fortitude. And even though she is attracted to Paxton, she knows it’s ultimately not her choice. I won’t spoil it but found it a bit sad in the end for multiple characters. But then the cliffhanger hits and suddenly I’m listening to the second book immediately which is highly unusual for me. 🎧 I listened to an audiobook version narrated by Saskia Maarleveld. The performance was excellent with many different clear voices for characters. The timing and emotions were spot on and electrifying. I listened to this mostly at my usual 1.2 with a small bit at 1.4.

Absolutely, positively Higgins' best book to date. It has everything you want from one of her stories plus a whole new world, a smexy love interest, and action galore! I loved, loved, loved this book!

This was... exhilarating. I'm not one to get excited about fantasy romance, or paranormal romance - or most of types of romance, really. I tend to approach books that revolve around love and romantic relationships with a healthy dose of skepticism and distance. I really do, because most of them end up disappointing me. And I'm even more picky when it comes to fantasy books - I'm usually either bored out of my wits by the heavy world-building and overwhelmingly huge cast of characters, or very unimpressed with how the world is set up. That being said, Wendy Higgins' The Great Hunt strikes just the right balance for me. The world she created comes with a pretty large cast of characters (and it only grows bigger and more diverse as the story progresses), and yes, I was a bit intimidated by that at the beginning of the story, but I think Wendy did a great job introducing them all, and making them perfectly distinguishable and unique. The way the story is set up, we first get to know the royal family and the family of Paxton Seabolt, and only later on are we introduced to the Lashed and hunters from all the other kingdoms. The history of the lands, the connections between all the kingdoms and the conflict between the Lashed and the Unlashed make this is a devourable and exciting story. The world-building is incredibly rich, flavorful and complex, but it's spread-out throughout the book and offered to us in small, easy-to-digest doses, so even though there is a lot to take in, you don't feel overwhelmed or lost. There are 5 kingdoms in this story (Lochlanach, Ascomanni, Toresta, Zorfina and Kalor) and they are all very different from one another. Our heroine, the strawberry-blond Aerity, comes from Lochlanach. The royal family of Lochlanach is rather large and difficult to keep track of, but thankfully there is a list of all the royals you can refer to if you ever get confused (it's placed right before the first chapter). Moving on to the plot line... When a terrifying beast starts terrorizing the lands of Lochlanach, the king is forced to seek help from other kingdoms. The beast's unnatural strength and unquenchable thirst for blood has people running for their lives. No one wants to face the beast, and so the king sees no other choice but to offer a worthy reward for killing the beast - his daughter's hand in marriage. Aerity isn't thrilled with the prospect of marrying a complete stranger, but she's a reasonable girl and she puts the kingdom before herself. Paxton Seabolt and his younger brother, Tiern are both skilled hunters. They join the great hunt not for the glory, or the princess' hand in marriage, but for the monetary reward - to help provide for their family. In truth, Paxton couldn't care less about the spoiled royal lass. He holds the royal family in contempt for reasons only known to himself. He does not trust them, nor does he wants anything to do with them. And being romantically involved with one of them is the last thing on his mind. Paxton's cold and distant demeanor, however, does nothing to deter Princess Aerity. She simply can't fight the undeniable attraction she feels for the rough and mysterious hunter. She's drawn to him much like a moth is drawn to a flame, and considering Paxton's dark secrets, she is bound to get burned. What will happen if Paxton kills the beast? And what will happen if he doesn't? I never thought I would ever use this phrase in my review, but dang, I totally ship these two. Forgive me, I do not know how else to describe just how much I love the idea of Paxton and Aerity together. The chemistry between them made me blush - and that is something I haven't experienced in a very long time. Paxton is a dark and brooding type of hero, while Aerity is caring and dedicated, pure and hopeful, thoughtful and brave. They are attracted to each other, but their feelings develop over time. This isn't another case of ridiculous insta-love, this is a slow-burning romance at its best. And it totally made me swoon! The Great Haunt is a truly fantastic book. It's filled with romance, magic, political conflicts, revenge, betrayals, sacrifices and secrets. You can expect the usual Wendy Higgins awesomeness from it - and by that I mean plenty of subtle yet excruciating sexual tension and kisses that feel like coming up for air when you're almost drowning - but you can also expect more - a breathtaking, well-developed universe, a diverse cast of wonderful characters and an interesting conflict at the heart of it all. I can't flipping wait for the next book!

I fell in love with Higgins writing after her very first book and that love only grew as she series did so it was without the slightest hesitation that I picked this up and dove right in.I was hooked and sucked right into the very heart of the story after the very first chapter. A horrible beast, hell bent on devouring those around it, how could I not be? And while there were some slower moments after that riveting introduction, I still left this was a good feeling and a satisfaction that Higgins had pulled off yet another fabulous book and what promises to be a riveting series. The pages are filled to the brim with all the best things about fantasy, love, action, adventure, danger, and forbidden magic and secrets around every bend. And while I wasn't familiar with the tale that this retold, it was still a wonderfully done and beautifully written and one that ended up being every bit as hard to put down as it was good. This is a series that needs to be read, loved, and watched. *ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.*

I'm not much of a fantasy reader. I like books rooted in realism and plausibility, and fantasy in general simply doesn't do that. Yet, I found myself hooked by the premise of The Great Hunt and was curious enough to give it a try. And I am so glad I did because this is a thrilling and entertaining fantasy, with superb characterization and a satisfying dash of romance.A strange beast is prowling the kingdom of Lochlanach, devouring and killing villagers left and right. In a state of frenzy, with no other options available, the King makes a proclamation: the person who kills the beast will be awarded his daughter, Princess Aerity's, hand in marriage.Aerity narrates the story, and her characterization is both impressive and realistic. Despite the awful circumstances she's thrown into - being forced into a marriage to a man she's never met - she keeps her chin up and is willing to make the sacrifice, seeing that it's for the good of the kingdom.Aerity is fierce and witty, intelligent and capable. She may not be the stereotypical kickass heroine that's so common in YA fantasy, but the sacrifices she makes out of loyalty to her kingdom is more than enough to make me to want to root for her. The romance comes in the form of the brooding Paxton Seabolt, one of the hunters who comes to compete in the contest for Aerity's hand in marriage. The romance between Paxton and Aerity is beautifully written, and filled with tons of emotion and an extreme amount of swoon.The ending I wasn't completely sold by, and there is a tad bit of info-dumping here and there; but everything else is virtually perfect. I cannot wait to see what Higgins has in mind for the sequel.

Ahhhh, The Great Hunt. Was it good? Yes... but not "sell out my family to the White Queen" good.Look, I won't bore y'all with a long-ass review, aye. But I will share some of my thoughts on this book.THE PREMISE:It was fun! Nothing original, though. It's your generic "princess's kingdom is under attack by something evil and a bunch of dudes/commoners come to her rescue and save the kingdom" type of book.Now, I'd be a complete liar if I didn't tell you all that I. Am. Trash. For. Tropes.™ (hmm, that would make for a really cool read-a-thon). It's got your typical forbidden love trope, and I loved every minute of it. You see, Princess Aerity comes from a kingdom where the Lashed--people with magic abilities--aren't allowed to practice magic and are actually looked down upon for possessing such abilities. Even if it means using magic to save lives, it's against the law. The only one allowed to practice magic for healing purposes is the kingdom's royal healer. Many are also prejudice against the Lashed because one bad apple many years ago ruined it for them all. With a kingdom falling apart, and with a beast attacking the royal lands, the King is left with "no other choice" but to sacrifice his own daughter through a proclamation. “Aerity…” Her father paused as if the words he was forming pained him. “I must ask you to sacrifice the promise of love for the sake of our kingdom.” THE CHARACTERS:There were quite a few, which was probably my only real issue with this book. Too many POVs for a duology--but who knows, maybe the author is planning on doing a spin-off series? I just found that a lot of characters were introduced and that was that. Not much background information. Not a whole lot of character development either. Even the MCs' personalities were quite bland.THE ROMANCE:Princess Aerity, pretty much the entire book:Aside from the main ship, there were a few side love boats... if ya know what I mean.OVERALL:Just an average read. I don't feel bad about reading this duology, though. So if you're just looking for a filler book to read in-between those really long, mentally draining ones, then I'd say give this a go, aye.3.5 starrrrzzzz

You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight I really enjoyed this one!It started off a bit iffy for me, for two reasons: One, the idea of the "big scary monster" was kind of strange for me, and two, I felt like all the women were giving off a "damsel in distress" vibe. But as the book got going, I realized that I was curious about the monster, and while society may have seen the female characters as weak, and they did have to keep appearances, in no way were these women anything but strong. When the hunt first starts, there are no women involved. And it was making me mad. But then women showed up and they were the actual best. So like, in your face, all of the rest of society!There's romantic drama involved, which I feel like you'll either love or hate, depending on how you feel about romance, and that hopeless, desperate sort of thing. I love it, so it worked for me. This quote kind of sums it up:"All around her were the constant reminders of what each of them could not have."The hunt was intense, and grueling. Aerity was brave and selfless as the main character. In fact, all the women in her family were completely amazing. Speaking of, the family element was huge during this one too, so there's another win. All the characters went through a lot of development too, as they had to deal with the external and internal beasts.Bottom Line: Once I got into it, I got really into it. I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel!*Copy provided by publisher for review**Quotes taken from uncorrected proof, subject to change.

UPDATED VERSION: Beautiful plot and a nice romance, but there are issues. (also there will not be quotes or anything like that because I had to return the book to the library quickly)Aerity is a great character that throughout both of the books, she had a great character arc, which is amazing. She was a great character, but her thoughts on love was....misguided I guess? Here is some background:The kingdom of Lochland has been terrorized by a monster. They found tis out because Aerity's cousin, Wyneth, and her betrothed had seen him face to face, but had killed the man. The kingdom needed many people to come and kill the beast, but they needed a ransom. Aerity became that ransom. Whoever had come and killed the beast, would win her hand in marriage.Aerity had never experienced love, or even a crush before, so obviously she was new to this whole thing.FIRST REVIEW:THIS BOOK HAS GOT ME RUNNING IN CIRCLES TRYING TO FIND THE SEQUEL. The whole story line was amazing and had so much drama and fantasy that I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. I read it in one sitting. I read a little at school, then once i got home i had a major fest until 12 in the morning and passed out and missed the school bus the next day. This book was a major hook and you should pick it up. There is a small disclaimer though and it's not a good one. The main character Aerity, Has been treating her younger siblings like trash. ALOT. I thought at first that her younger sister Vixie was 7 until they said she was 15. Like who treats their 15-year-old sister like trash? Also, the only time Aerity showed as much bravery as she had in the stupid-ass description was when she hit the no good in the head with her foot. Most of this book was about her falling over Paxton and his handsomeness. Yes, I get it he is the most handsome guy you have ever seen. Deal with it. I give this book 5 stars because I actually sometimes like a gushy little romance book with a hint of adventure sometimes when I'm in a reading slump. ( and I was) I actually think that Paxton was kinda weird in the beginning since this book drifted from 2 different perspectives (and sometimes 5). I definitely loved this little romance, even though this wasn't really taken out of the fairy tale "The Singing Bone" so ignore that whole section. Overall, amazing little story and If your a girl in a reading slump, highly recommend.

Rating: 4.5/5Review coming soon!

All images courtesy of Pinterest. I went into The Great Hunt not knowing much about the story itself. I only knew that it had princesses and a beast. That was more than enough to convince me to read the book. I'm so glad I took a chance on The Great Hunt because I enjoyed every second of the book and by the end, I was ready for more.The Great Hunt is told in third person POV with several characters telling their side of the story. I usually don't mesh well with stories with multiple POVs, but I had no such trouble with this book because I pretty much enjoyed all the characters. The main character is the Princess Aerity who for the sake of her kingdom's safety has to give up on her father's promise to allow his daughters to choose their husbands of choosing. She was put in an outrageous and tough position, but she handled it like such a pro. Aerity wasn't an outwardly fierce sort of heroine you often find in YA fantasy books, but she possessed strengths in other areas - her loyalty, determination and compassion. I loved Aerity's character more and more as the story progressed. She had such a sweet personality, and I couldn't help but root for her and want her to get that happily ever after she deserved. By the end, she also did show her bravery , which pretty much sealed the deal for me.Paxton, Aerity's love interest and a hunter who decides to join the hunt for the beast, was the perfect complement for Aerity. He was gruff, very intense and was shrouded in secrets, just the way I like my book boyfriends! It took me some time to warm up to him because of his secretive nature, but once his backstory came to light, I was head over heels in love with the boy. He, too, was in a heartbreaking position because of his secrets and along with Aerity, I was hoping for him to get the ending he deserved.The other characters were also well-fleshed out, in my opinion. I especially enjoyed the characters of Wyn, Aerity's cousin who loses the love of her life at the beginning of the book to the beast, and Vixie, her sister. The bond between these girls and their relationship was the highlight of the book for me. The support the showed each other and the love that existed between them was endearing and made my heart happy. Anytime these girls shared a scene was great scene. I also really liked Paxton's relationship with his brother, Tiern, who was the jokester of the cast, always bringing humor and happiness to the pages. They may have had very differing personalities, but there was no second guessing the love and loyalty they had for each other.The plot in The Great Hunt mostly consisted of all the hunters trying to find and kill this beast while  he went on a rampage. It wasn't the most action-packed story, but I had no trouble with the pacing. I would have wished for more world building, especially when it comes to the Lashed, people with magic who are banned from using magic through the Kingdoms, but no doubt that will be explored more in the sequel. Honestly, for me, I didn't really care that the world building wasn't as developed as it could have been because I was hooked on to Wendy Higgins' addicting writing and the epic romance.Said romance between Aerity and Paxton was the achy-good kind of romance.  It was slow, and there was a bit of antagonism at times because of Paxton pushing Aerity away and acting quite cold towards her, but I shipped it. The chemistry was there and it was smoldering! And that first kiss? Phew! Of course, they faced numerous complications with Aerity having to marry whoever kills the beast and Paxton's secrets coming in the way, but I had faith in them as a couple. I'm especially looking forward to more of them in the sequel.I doubt The Great Hunt is going to be the book for everyone because it's a very light fantasy novel and feels a lot like a fairy tale, but if you're in the mood for a sweet romance, well-crafted characters and fabulous sibling relationships, give this one a try.