The Hunt
Caprian 2
C.C. Lea’s The Hunt: Caprian 2 continues the story of Kyle, first introduced in The Lost: Caprian 1. Kyle heads an extended clan of weres, shape shifters, kinetics, telepaths, healers, and seers.
The book’s prologue is set in twelth-century France, where Vampyr Samuel Vardan provides a young woman, Elizabeth, with the gift of eternal life so that she can seek revenge on those who harmed her. The remainder of the story takes place currently in various locations in the United States and Canada. Kyle, his family, and associates join forces to rebuild their families and households destroyed over the centuries by the likes of Samuel.
The story is a bewildering jumble of characters and events that are never fully developed, frustrating the reader who is trying to understand the relationships, struggles, and battles between good (as represented by people with special powers living on Caprian Island) and evil (in the persona of Vampyr Vardan). It may be necessary to read Lea’s first book in the Caprian series to fully understand what is happening in The Hunt.
Lea introduces the twleve main characters living on the island in the first chapter. Most are given just a brief mention of their special powers, but with very little description of their physical characteristics. This leaves the characters rather flat, colorless, and difficult to follow. Additional characters are introduced later in the book, but they too are only briefly described and their relationship to the story is not always clear. The Vampyr Vardan and his ward, Elizabeth, are very much in the background, making it difficult to understand who is in charge on the dark side of the story.
There are potential story lines never fully developed, such as the Catholic Church’s support of vampyr’s hunting weres. Also, physical battles between the good and evil forces are brief in description and the action is confusing. More detail of the struggles—physical, mental, and emotional—between the two sides would have enhanced Lea’s tale.
Lea does good work with the two primary characters, Robyn and Kyle. Their powers and strengths are clear, as is the internal conflict they often feel about using those special skills. The two characters’ relationships with others in the book is understandable and believable. The author struggles a bit with Robyn’s love interests, but the feelings created are genuine. Lea seems comfortable with the technical aspects of writing (grammar, punctuation) and in her use of dialogue. With better character development and plot explanation, there is potential for future Caprian books to be successful.
Reviewed by
Mary Crawford
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
