Reviewed by Sarina
TITLE: Hunter and Hunted
SERIES: The Shifters #4
AUTHOR: M.D. Grimm
PUBLISHER: Dreamspinner Press
LENGTH: 172 pages
RELEASE DATE: December 05, 2012
BLURB:
Orphan Hunter Landon craves a family who will love him unconditionally. When he’s adopted by the Knights, an organization dedicated to destroying shifters, Hunter is grateful, but their ideology never sits right. Finally, on a rite of passage during which he’s supposed to kill his first shifter, Hunter discovers the truth: he meets Glenn Lightfoot, a deer shifter, and asks a lot of questions.
Glenn hates the Knights and worries about the safety of his herd with one in their midst. After all, the Knights have hurt his family before. On the other hand, this is his chance to convert an enemy, and some instinct tells him Hunter won’t betray him.
Soon Hunter sees the Knights for the monsters they are. When his time is up, he leaves the herd to protect Glenn. But Glenn is determined not to lose the man he has come to love and respect to the Knights’ cruel campaign.
REVIEW:
Finally we are starting to get somewhere in regards to the knights! In the previous book, there was a little bit of information gleaned, kind of a teaser, really, that just whet my appetite for more so when I found out that this book would actually feature a knight I was completely pumped and ready to learn more.
Abandoned at the age of three, Hunter is an orphan that at the ripe age of thirteen is becoming disillusioned with the way things work. When he’s finally adopted, Hunter is thrilled but instead of the loving family he’s always dreamed of, he finds himself being indoctrinated into the Knights, an organization whose sole purpose is to hunt down and kill shifters. Filled with doubts, Hunter nevertheless goes off to complete his rite of passage, to find and kill a shifter, but when face to face with one he finds he can’t do it. Determined to learn for himself what the truth is, Hunter strikes up a conversation with the shifter instead and finds his entire world tilted on its axis.
So, I have mixed feelings about this one. Like I said before, I was totally looking forward to getting into this one but unlike the previous stories, I didn’t find myself gripped by the beginning. Honestly, the first half of the story was a bit lackluster in terms of having my attention caught and held; I did like it in an abstract ‘I really enjoy this series and the story isn’t bad but its not great’ sort of way. (If that makes sense.) Honestly, I think most of my issue was the way Hunter and Glenn’s relationship developed; I just didn’t find it that believable and the connection between the two was lacking for me. It wasn’t until Hunter had met Glenn’s family and had the vision about them that I really found myself interested in the story. I finally had that feeling of ‘This! This is what I was waiting for!’ From that part on through the end of the book I was invested in the story to a much greater degree than I was the beginning. The overall series plot involving the Knights and the Agency was moved forward and I was thrilled to see Poe again. The enigma that is the Knights’ boss was also ramped up a little and I really enjoyed how everything that happened at the end has opened up numerous possibilities for the rest of the series.
I liked the book enough to continue with the series though I would say its probably my least favorite of the ones I’ve read so far; the second half is what really brought it home for me in terms of enjoyment. If you’ve read the series up to this point, and like it, I’d recommend giving this one a read for the series plot advancement for sure but keep in mind that you may not be as thrilled with what you have to read to get there.
RATING: 
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