Rose Egal

The Sevenfold Hunters by Rose Egal is a novel with a little bit of everything. It is set in a boarding school for those who like that trope. The boarding school happens to be training future alien hunters, complete with cool equipment for those who want their science fiction or spy novels. The aliens, who inhabit human bodies, survive by drinking humans’ blood, making them more vampiric, appealing to the fantasy lovers out there. While it may not look like this mash-up doesn’t work, I am here to tell you that it does. It works so well that I could not stop The Sevenfold Hunters and mourned when I finished it.

What makes The Sevenfold Hunters work is the cast of characters. We see the novel unfold through two main characters, both of whom appeal to readers for varying reasons. Abyan is strong and intelligent, a born leader. She knows how to get the best out of her team and leads by example. When we meet her, however, past traumas begin to affect her, causing erratic behavior that is not normal and becomes downright dangerous to her team.

Meanwhile, Artemis is Abyan’s exact opposite. She is not strong, and she is not that intelligent compared to the rest of her team. We see the two women struggle and search for answers and cannot help but feel their pain and confusion as we try to put together the clues they uncover.

What we find through their research is not anything I expected. Their discoveries became one big game-changer in how I viewed the entire story and the team’s place. Ms. Egal makes sure to leave plenty of questions unanswered but not too many as to create a frustrating cliffhanger. Instead, I can only sit, wait, and think of potential answers until there is news of a second book. Please don’t make us wait long!… (altro)