I was really excited to read Ever the Hunted when I learned that Sarah J Maas liked it because I’m a bit of a Maas fangirl right now. Unfortunately, I don’t think that this book lived up to the hype.
Synopsis: Britta is left to fend for herself when her father is murdered and her best friend leaves to work for the king. Her mother left when she was a baby, and the townsfolk aren’t exactly friendly neighbours. Desperate for food, Britta goes hunting in the king’s woods even though she knows she could be hanged for poaching. But when she gets caught she is presented with the opportunity to avenge her father’s death by hunting down his killer. The problem is that the killer might be the one person in the world she thought she could trust… the best friend who never came back.
This book had so much potential, but it just felt way too simple. Britta sees everything in black and white and really only thinks of her own feelings. She never takes into consideration that people may have completely justified reasons for their actions. She assumes the worst of everyone because she doesn’t understand the whole picture, making her seem like a spoiled brat about 99% of the time. I was getting so tired of her whining and irrational anger by the end of the book.
In the beginning it felt like I was reading ACOTAR-lite because the stories start in such a similar way, but once Britta sets out to find her father’s killer things got a bit more interesting. The pacing is really quick, which is one of the redeeming qualities of the story. I never felt like things were dragging on, but this left little room for character development and world building. Everything just felt too simple, even when things were supposed to be hard.
I honestly wish I could like this book more, because it wasn’t all that bad, but I doubt that I’ll be reading more in this series. I just couldn’t get over how easy certain things were resolved in this story. This would be great for YA fans who like a simple fantasy story that moves quickly, but don’t go looking for depth in these pages.
LC rating: 
(it was okay, but I probably won’t be reading more)
*I received an advanced reader copy of this book from Indigo Books & Music Inc. in exchange for an honest review*
The Literary Counsellor 
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