Review: The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2) by Stacey Kade

The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2) by Stacey Kade

Publication Date: April 22, 2014
Page Count: 368
Published by: Disney Hyperion
Source: eArc received from publisher in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who—and what—she is and still wants to be part of her life. But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger. Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

Oh my goodness. That ending? Just about killed me. My heart hurts now. I think... I think I may need a tissue. {sniff}

I found The Hunt to be a very entertaining read. I had such high hopes for this after I enjoyed The Rules so much, so I'm glad I wasn't disappointed. I love the direction the plot takes us, and I thought Zane and Ariane showed great character development. The story sort of rolled along and the majority of the action took place right at the end. Even though it felt a little slow at times, there were enough twists and turns to keep me thoroughly engrossed in the story. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

Zane and Ariane spend the whole book on the run and not knowing who they can trust as they attempt to figure out what to do next. New characters were introduced, and at times it was a little overwhelming keeping all of the players straight and trying to figure out the good versus evil. When Zane and Ariane finally connect with the new alien/human hybrids, we got more insight into how varied they can be in their humanness. The differences were noticeable immediately, and it left Ariane questioning her own genetic makeup and wondering what her future holds.

The Hunt is told in alternating POVs that I enjoyed because I liked being inside both of their heads. I was really able to see that Zane and Ariane think very differently and react to situations in their own way, and I liked getting to witness this first hand. It was also really easy to 'get' their emotional connection and understand why they bonded so easily.

I love, love, love Zane. He's so sweet and caring, and will do absolutely anything to protect Ariane. I loved seeing him having doubts about his ability to help Ariane, and I think it proved how much he cared about her and wanted to keep her safe. Ariane really struggles with her alien side, and Zane is the only one who treats Ariane like a normal human. I really felt a lot of sympathy for Ariane. After being betrayed by her father, she only has Zane to rely on. She knows that he shouldn't be with her because it puts him in danger, but she desperately needs someone on her side. I adore Zane and Ariane as a couple, and I've become fond of their sweet romance.

I enjoyed this book so much, and while I'm looking forward to reading the third book, I'm also worried about what's going to happen to Zane, and wondering where the heck this story is headed!

My rating: 4 of 5 stars