A fantastic fantasy novel!

I had such a fun time reading this. Monsters, gods, enemies to lovers....

A great read for this fall.

Let me tell y’all, I was hooked from the very start here.

The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo is a beautiful, character-driven story that had me turning all 380 pages very quickly.

I don’t even know where to start here. The characters are so loveable and Atia, our protagonist, quickly grew on me. I loved to see how her relationships developed and how she went through her life, no matter the hardships.

Additionally, I was absolutely swooning over Silas. Their dynamic was wonderful and kept me on the edge of my seat more than once.
But the romance wasn’t the only thing standing out to me – the found family trope in this was so< well done.

I often can’t really connect with side characters but I loved these a lot! I started to care for them so quickly and they topped off the book perfectly.

The world is just a fascinating one. It’s a mixture of Greek mythology, monsters and your familiar dark fantasy, but it works so well together. This setting made for a lot of great scenes, action-packed or suspenseful.

Also the cover?? I want to put that up on my wall and look at it every day.

Please give this one a try when you can! I enjoyed it so so much and I really wish there would be a continuation of sorts but so far, I think it will be a stand-alone 😵‍💫

A huge thanks to the author Alexandra Christo, the publisher and Netgalley as well as the Colored Pages Book Tour team that provided me with an Advanced Reader Copy!

The Night Hunt is the newest standalone by Alexandra Christo. I first read To Kill a Kingdom and loved it, so I was excited to see a new release. This story follows Atia, the villainous monster who feeds on fear called Nefas, and Silas, the Herald, who is sent to punish Atia for her misdeeds. The writing draws inspiration from Greek mythology and Christo makes it her own. The two end up on a journey as Atia is on a mission to avenge the death of her parents and Silas is trying to get his memories back. Since these are pivotal motivation, I wish the novel spent more time on building the foundation. As this is a standalone novel, there are answers in this novel, but I just wanted more. The two join to kill a God, which is a great goal in the story as it gives an interesting and simple plot.

I love quest tales, so I am glad that Christo wrote another one. While Kingdom was also a quest of some kind, this one was a new take on the concept. I did find some similarities between the two stories for the events and characters, so I do not know if this is just between these two stories or Christo’s style. It is a style that I enjoy, so it did not affect my enjoyment, but just something that felt familiar. This story does stand on its own, which is great, and I felt the pacing was well done. This novel is currently a standalone, however, I do wonder if there is a small chance it could expand into a series. To Kill a Kingdom started as a standalone and then became part of The Hundred Kingdoms series after the release of the second novel, Princess of Souls.

As a quest novel, there are some elements that were too convenient as the characters needed to get from point to point. These elements did make sense for this story and the writing itself was very enjoyable. There is the mystery of each character involved, too, which kept me interested throughout reading. The story does lag a bit in the middle, which works usually in novels of this genre; however, I think there needed to be a bit more in this section just to keep the reader hooked. I did put this novel down a few times, but I was still invested to pick it up again. There was a lot of potential with the characters and although they were enjoyable, I do wish some of them were explored in greater detail. Overall, I think Christo did a great job with this story and I cannot wait to read more from her in the future.

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Feiwel Friends, for the opportunity to read this enjoyable novel. The opinions expressed are completely my own.**

While my reading slump tried, it did not succeed with this book! It took me a while to read and get into but once I committed to it, it did not disappoint! I loved the found family, and enemies to lovers tropes in this book. Some of my favorite quotes from the book
Chapter 15:
“Humans are weak-willed and petty. They find joy in awful things and anger in joyful things. They’re impossible”
Chapter 20:
“Pastries and murder, what’s not to love?” (I laughed so hard at this)
Chapter 22:
“What darkness births around us can only be defeated by the lights we conjure inside of ourselves”
Chapter 27:
Where there is darkness, there are also stars”

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

The Night Hunt follows Atia, the last of the Nefas, a monster species that feeds on fear, as she accidentally breaks a sacred law and has a curse placed on her that takes away her immortality. She reluctantly allies with Silas, a Herald whose identity was stripped away by the Gods, when he offers her a deal: he’ll help her fight the Gods that are hunting her if she helps him restore his humanity. All they need to do is destroy three powerful creatures: a vampire, a banshee, and one of the very Gods that created them.

Read if you like:
💜 St@bby FMC
💜 Mythical creatures and curses
💜 Dual POV
💜 Grumpy x grumpy
💜 Found family

I overall enjoy Alexandra Christo books; they’re always adventurous and fun, with a good dash of morally grey and romance. I do find a similar problem in her books though, that is there’s not enough detail for the intricate story and it makes it hard for me to get pulled in by the plot or characters. The Night Hunt had an enjoyable plot and I adored the four main characters but it just seemed a bit rushed. I think the book could have been a good 50 pages longer and it would’ve added a lot to the development. I think also the actual content of the book seemed to be upper YA but the writing style seemed more lower YA. I think to sum up, the idea of the book is great, the execution just fell a little flat. That being said, it was still a fun, fast, YA fantasy standalone so I’d still recommend to pick it up if you’re in the mood for an easy enjoyable read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Wrath of the Gods

Alexandra Christo weaves a tale of perilous gods, and monsters in the dark in The Night Hunt. After the brutal death of her parents Atia is left alone, on the run, and hiding who she really is. Atia is a Nefa, a monster who feeds on fear. Thriving on chaos and illusion, hiding in darkness to avoid being noticed by the gods. Atia’s tentative friendship with Sapphir, the rouge vampire, breaks the most important rule. Don’t kill humans. Catching the attention of Silas, a Herald of the dead, who must serve the gods until his fate is decided. Silas wants his freedom, and is more than willing to use Atia to get it. Together they will kill monsters and gods to end their curse.

“You can’t forget yourself if you have a name.”

Atia keeps moving from kingdom to kingdom, hoping to avoid attention from the humans she feeds from. She keeps every part of who she is a secret, trying to protect herself from the pain of her parent’s death. Until she becomes angry, pessimistic, and sarcastic as she protects herself from her own fear. The fear that she really is a monster. Her battle with survivor’s guilt, loneliness, self-esteem, and an unfair world is relatable. Though it is her willingness to stand up and face these struggles that, in the end, make her more than the label “monster”. As well as learning to trust her friends to help her.

“We all have a bit of monster in us. But we all have a bit of something else too.”

Tristan Berrow, the human scholar, and Atia’s friend, brings a more lighthearted perspective in an otherwise sad story. Alexandra Christo shares all the fun monster lore through his curiosity, and fascination with finding the truth. Though Atia knows monsters from experience, she cannot see the wonderful things about herself or others as Tristan does. And yes, they meet a lot of wonderfully dark mythical creatures.

“Find your loophole.”

Silas unlike most Heralds, is aware how long and monotonous his service to the gods is. He wonders who he was before becoming a servant of the gods, to repay misdeeds he cannot remember. He sees Atia as a thrilling opportunity to finally change things. He also sees Atia as the wonderful and rare creature she is. As he tries to show her that her abilities are gifts, not a curse the gods believe they are.

“Where there is darkness, there are also stars.”

Alexandra Christo does a great job introducing interesting characters, with complicated pasts. Though this dark fantasy is still Young Adult, it is somewhat graphic. The enemies-to-lovers romance is not the primary focus of this story, but Atia and Silas make a compelling couple. It is an adventure quest full of monster lore, and dark secrets. As Atia and Silas ask themselves, what being a monster truly means.

Atia is so much more than a monster, and Silas is so much more than a herald. I truly loved the messages that were embedded in this book. The fact that the past can stay where it belongs and you can move forward with friends, with love. I'm loving the found family vibes here as well, and the pure support between characters. I also really loved the Greek mythology woven into different areas, and how the characters were familiar yet unique. I'm so happy to have read this one.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book.

This was a really solid book! I had only ever read To Kill a Kingdom and the characters/plot felt a lot more flushed out in The Night Hunt, I could really see the authors growth. I did have trouble imagining the setting of the story? The File keeper and Silas felt a lot more modern when compared to the other characters, that could easily be my fault as a reader but it did take me out of the story any time I thought about it too much. The twist! I really didn't expect Silas to have that dark secret and history! Any book that has some form of found family will always make me love the book so much more and seeing how Atia grows as a character the more the group grows was really sweet.

A great premise that ended up being just fine. The world building felt more plot-convenient than fully-formed and the quipping felt forced although I really enjoyed how friendships developed. I didn't buy the romance and I'm not a big fan of intense age gaps, though I know others don't mind as much. I had hoped this would be a perfect escapist fantasy, but I just don't see myself remembering it far past reading.

The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo follows Atia, a monster who feeds on fear, and Silas, a Herald who carries messages from the Gods and ferries the dead as punishment for a past he can’t remember.

Atia is the last monster of her kind, a Nefas, and wants to avenge her family by taking on the Gods that destroyed them. Silas wants to break his curse of eternity, restore his humanity, and remember who he once was. They each have something they both need, and only by working together will they achieve their goals.

I thoroughly enjoyed this read. The plot is fast-paced and I was engaged the entire time. Our main characters were well-developed, and our side characters added depth to the storyline.

This was a true enemies-to-lovers storyline with dual POV, and while this is a YA dark(ish) romantic fantasy, the writing did not feel immature. The story has lots of adventure, emotion, and tells a fantastic tale of rewriting your own destiny. The relationship that developed between Atia and Silas was adorable and was wonderful to read.

You’ll enjoy The Night Hunt if you enjoy:
❁ Quests
❁ Enemies to Lovers
❁ Found family
❁ Meddling Gods
❁ Banter

The Night Hunt releases 10/10/2023!

Star Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 / ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice Rating:
0 / 🌶🌶🌶🌶🌶

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC.

I had a lot of fun with The Night Hunt. Atia is a new favorite character, I just loved how much she loved who she is, a Nefas that feeds on the fears of humans. I loved her slow-burn romance with Silas, and her friendship with Tristan and Cillian. I really enjoyed all the action scenes when they fought the Vampires,Banshees and the epic final battle with the Gods had me on the edge of my seat! I loved the big reveal we get about one of the members of our group towards the end, and for whatever reason I really liked the Keeper of the Files. Every interaction our characters had with him made me chuckle. I loved our little found family that were unwittingly on a journey not only to change their own fates, but also change the world for the better where the treatment of Monsters are concerend.

Alexandra Christo has perfected the art of YA fantasy with THE NIGHT HUNT, a gorgeous and gripping tale of a world ruled by gods, where monsters and humans coexist and nothing is as it seems.

Atia is the last of her kind, a monster that feeds on fear itself. She has spent years on the run from the gods who killed her parents, but mysteriously let her go free. Atia’s been on her own for a long, long time, always careful not to draw the gods’ attention in case they decide to finish the job. Everything changes once she crosses paths with Silas, a Herald who should exist solely to serve those very gods, but is hiding secrets of his own.

The two powerful beings begrudgingly pair up in a quest where they plan to help one another get what they want most. Atia craves the restoration of her powers, which were stolen from her in a moment of weakness, while Silas desires nothing more than his missing memories. It’s a journey which has them traveling across kingdoms and realms, up against impossible odds, aided by a monster-obsessed human scholar and a part-time banshee.

I loved the world-building here. The plot is spun around characters that were so likable, and the budding romantic relationships were lovely additions that succeed at keeping a reader engaged. I would have appreciated a little more dimension to Tristan and Cillian, who we spend so much time with but don’t really ever get to know beyond the roles they contribute to a group dynamic that still largely focuses on Atia and Silas.

I also found myself not sold on the reasons given to explain why Tristan and Cillian continuously risk their lives and go up against incredible foes for a quest that isn't theirs; on behalf of, in Cillian’s case, strangers he initially doesn't know. If Christo had just devoted a few more pages to concrete relationship-building between the two, time to build out their attachments to Atia and Silas, or at least a few extra paragraphs fleshing out the backstories fueling them, I don't think I'd be questioning character motivations like I am.

That aside, I adored THE NIGHT HUNT. It’s a standalone with a fantastic message about the need to challenge our preconceptions surrounding right vs wrong and good vs evil, which is delivered in a rather wholesome story that I’m convinced will have mass appeal (I could definitely see this being adapted to a movie). With hints of both Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson series and Vanessa Len’s Only a Monster trilogy, this book is for anyone who craves a good fantasy centered on morally grey characters and a touch of romance.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group for an ARC. All opinions my own.

The Night Hunt follows Atia, a Nefas—a monster who feeds on fear. Trying to stay under the radar of the gods, she never stays in one place long...until a Herald of the gods finds and curses her. To break the curse, she’ll need to team up with him and some other unlikely heroes.

A thrilling, fast-paced, and fun standalone YA fantasy with fan fave tropes such as enemies to lovers, forbidden romance, monsters and gods, and more.

4/5 📖

Thank you @netgalley and Macmillian Children's Publishing Group for the ARC!

Atia is the last of her kind, feeding from the fears of others, until one night, it goes too far, killing her prey. Cursed by the Gods for it, she has no choice but to accept Silas's help, a messenger that ferries the dead as punishment for something he can't remember, as they go to break her curse and help him remember who he was.

I liked the dual POV because the book makes you want to know more about Silas and Atia. I liked their lingering stares and how the tension kept building until they gave in to
their feelings 💕

Also, can we talk about the cover? It's reason enough for me to buy a physical copy. It's so beautiful!

📚 Forbidden Romance
📚 Enemies to Lovers
📚 Forced Proximity
📚 Monsters, Gods, and Curses
📚 YA Fantasy

I started the spooky season off with the perfect monster read! Atia is a monster who feeds on fear, and as the last of her kind, she spends her time wandering the world alone. Silas on the other hand works for the gods and has been stripped of who he was to pay for past mistakes he can’t remember. When given a chance to change their fates these two team up and go on an adventure that will make them truly decide what they want. This is such a great YA read that is coming out at the perfect time to add to your October tbr list! Make sure you mark October 10th on your calendar so you don’t miss out!

Thank you @macmillanusa and @netgalley for the early copy. 🎃

I think the premise of this was really interesting, but there was it was so heavy in dialogue and so light in world building detail that it didn't hit right for me.

Atia is the last of the Nefas, a monster that feeds on fear. Silas is a Herald, a messenger of the fickle gods, who cannot remember his past though he desperately wants to know who he once was. They are enemies by nature, which is why an alliance between them is dangerous and deadly. Silas promises to help Atia avenge her family and fight against the gods who have cursed her, if she helps him discover his history and return his humanity. It will require them to face a vampire, a banshee, and the gods themselves. But soon, their quest turns into something more, something that could shape their world forever...

I was extremely excited when I saw this book on Netgalley. I have enjoyed every one of of Alexandra Christo's books that I've read, and the synopsis of this book along with the gorgeous cover (U.S. edition, the U.K. edition is meh) I was sold. I would say that the beginning of this book drags a little, but it's worth it in the end. 4 stars.

This book mixes some mythology with fantastical monsters. The human world is split into five kingdoms and Atia has traveled them for years, feeding on fear and hiding from vengeful gods that play as though fate is a game. When Atia is cursed for breaking a rule the gods have put upon monsters, she begins a quest to break her curse, renew her powers, and fight against the gods. Alongside her is Silas, a Herald who has never fit in with his peers--thoughtless messengers who simply do as they are told and nothing more. They'll be joined by a rag-tag group to help on their adventure, which solidifies the found-family focus of this fantasy adventure novel.

And while I really enjoyed the second half of the book, I would be remiss if I didn't say that the beginning is a bit of a slow start. Dual-narrated by the first-person viewpoints of Atia and Silas, there is a little bit of tonal monotony across their viewpoints, and they aren't always super distinguishable from one another. The first steps of the adventure also skip through days and weeks as the characters move from one goal to another, but once their quest becomes something more than just their personal goals, it became much more interesting and well-paced.

This is definitely a book I would recommend for those who like a standalone romantasy-adventure. Just don't give up too soon; the later chapters are where the real adventure begins.


Posted to Goodreads on October 3, 2023.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Night Hunt is another intriguing YA fantasy romance from Alexandra Christo. It’s a fun blend of dark and cozy, taking inspiration from Greek mythology while still being an original story. I loved the mix of gods and monsters, banshees and vampires.
The characters are pretty fun, and while they’re not the strongest aspect, they’re serviceable for what the narrative needs. Atia is a heroine after my own heart, being unapologetically herself. I love the way her hunger for others’ fear is explored, and how that’s counterbalanced with her moral code. Silas is a great counterpart for her, being a Herald forced into a hundred years of servitude to determine his fate after death, which is an interesting counterpoint to Atia losing her immortality due to being cursed. With them coming together as reluctant allies to accomplish the common goal of killing a god, I enjoyed seeing their bond grow and the walls come down between them.
There’s a pretty solid supporting cast as well, and while they’re not as well-developed, I enjoyed their relationships with one another, and the found-family vibes that develop throughout.
The quest plot makes for a pretty fast-paced narrative, complemented by a slow-burn romance. There’s a great balance of fun action bits and the more introspective romance moments, keeping the story well-balanced throughout.
This is a fun, fast read, and I’d recommend it to readers of fantasy romance, or those looking for something somewhat spooky-season adjacent, but not scary.

A quick & enjoyable YA fantasy involving monsters, quests, curses, mythology, and conspiracies. I loved the dual POV between Atia and Silas and I thought their romance was believable despite the book being on the shorter side. It was really fun to follow their quest to break their respective curses and to meet all kinds of monsters along the way. I adored the found family aspect and the character development was well done. I was actually shocked by one of the reveals which is always good. Alexandra is great at writing standalones and if you enjoyed her other books, you’ll like this one as well!

Thank you to Macmillan for the ARC!

The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo is everything I love in books on paper but not so much in execution. This is my third book by this author I have read and my third three star book by her. There is nothing inherently wrong with this author’s books. I just don’t really care one way or the other. Even though they seem amazing from the synopsis.

This wasn’t very dark like the synopsis says and I just did not connect with the characters at all, especially Silas. I am glad I read this because I know for sure this author isn’t the author for me. I think if I was a teen, I would absolutely love this book. I just don’t think it translates well to an adult audience.