** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Copy received through Netgalley

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Forward the Hunt, by Lotus Oakes
★★★★☆
131 Pages
POV: 3rd person, one character POV
Content Warning: mentions of violence, stoning, public shaming by status


When I started this story, I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about it. There was an undefinable something that didn't suck me in and keep me hooked into the story as much as I had hoped, after reading the blurb. But, once Star appeared, that changed.

I think the biggest problem was that I didn't like Richard, right from the start – he was condescending, arrogant, and treated Haruki like a servant who couldn't help but be stupid. One of those kindly condescending people who think their kindness to someone 'unworthy' is some kind of heroic deed. But, once it got into the Hunt, and Star made his appearance, I saw more of Haruki's real personality, compared to the slightly weak, younger, naive person he was when he was around Richard. He treated himself like a subservient lacky whenever Richard was around and I wasn't sure I was going to like him, if that continued. Luckily, he was much more feisty and independent once he began the Hunt and had the freedom to move away from Richard and spent more time with Star.

However, I do have to say that the romance is a bit lacking. There is a slow-build of companionship between Haruki and Star right from the first, but I never really felt it grow into love. I could see the chemistry between them and their bantering was great, but when it came to the end of the story, it felt like they hadn't really crested that tide of understanding their feelings for each other, yet. Like they were still in that uncertain stage of 'I like you' and 'I like you, too' but not really ready to commit to anything. Except, they do and it didn't feel quite right.

The world building was good. I would have liked a little more, to explain the why and how the Hunt had come about, what the constant stream of dragon scales were being used for after the Hunt, and why the dragons were ranked as chess pieces. That didn't really make sense to me. And I wasn't overly fond of the whole idea of the Hunt in the first place – I'm not a fan of fox-hunting either, and this felt very similar – but I really didn't feel comfortable with it once I found out that the entire kingdom is aware that dragons are sentient beings. The Queen even announces at the feast that they're just like humans, when it comes to their thinking. It felt more tainted after that, and I felt really uncomfortable with the idea of the Hunt from then on.

Overall, while I really liked the story, there were a few niggles that meant I couldn't give it the full 5* treatment. I liked Haruki and Star, especially when they were together; I liked their slow growing relationship. I would have liked more romance, more bonding on page and more of them moving beyond that companionship that started it all off. I didn't like Richard or the idea of the Hunt, but they were both well used and plotted throughout the story. I loved the writing style, though I wasn't initially fond of the use of modern speech in a clearly historical/fantasy setting. The love triangle was a good plot twist and helped move things into the right position. In the end, it was my overall enjoyment of the story and the relationship between Haruki and Star that made me give it 4*. I'd be interested to read more about this world, or a continuation of their story.

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Favourite Quotes

“And now everything breaks.”

You know, I wasn't sure about this one, a human falling for a dragon that his people hunt? How will our main character see the dragon as anything but an animal? But I was pleasantly surprised in how the author arranged both their introduction, the main character's background and family history, and the story of how the hunts began in the first place.

Overall quite fabulously done. My favorite thus far from this author.

Haruki has always wanted to participate in the Great Hunt, a hunt where he would kill a dragon and thereby cement his place in the world. Except, when he finds a dragon Haruki instead saves it and brings it home.

I am struggling to find something nice to say about this story because I just didn't like it. I guess I could say the world building was interesting. The society built around the prestige of what type of dragon you kill was horrifying, but it was unique and clearly well thought out. The barest hints of the dragon society also had potential to be very interesting, but it never really went anywhere.

Mostly this story made me feel very uncomfortable. From the city residents killing sentient dragons for selfish reasons to the awkward romance between Haruki--who came across as a young child despite the fact that he repeated over and over again that he was an adult--and a many hundred year old dragon, it all made me unhappy to read.

I loved this story, because it had a lot to say about some vert serious issues, without overwhelming the reader. It has a lot to say about immigration and how it affects the children in a very realistic way that I very appreciated as a child of an immigrant. It shows how abusive manipulation, even seemingly positive, affects people and their self-worth. And it’s all done with care.

Haruki was a wonderful main character- strong-willed but kind, torn between his family and the country he lives in. But when his loyalties are truly tested, he does what is right. Star the dragon was funny and charming, teasing and flirting with Haruki, but never crossing his boundaries. I enjoyed their romance a lot.

While I liked the overall idea and story, I had several problems with this book:
- The style in the beginning was weird. At first I wasn't sure if maybe I was just having a bad day - my English is pretty good but it's not my native language and some days my brain just refuses to comprehend it - but after I finished the novel I went back to the beginning and still had the same feeling. During the first quarter of the book there were a bunch of phrases that just felt off and I had lots of difficulty to get into the story because the writing didn't really develop any kind of 'flow' until later.
- I would have wished for a bit more back story on the whole dragon society thing. Who are those masters? Do dragons grow with age or why are there small ones and big ones? Stuff like that. A lot was hinted at, some was told outright but I still felt like large chunks were missing

Still, I liked the story, I liked the characters, and I really enjoyed the growth of the protagonist and the kind of journey of self discovery and realisation he had to go through.