This past week, I’ve been sunk into a book a little bit out of my realm: The Hunter’s Daughter, by M.F. Lorson, and I’m so glad I took the plunge; it’s a great book that steers clear of your traditional YA shenanigans in favor of a raw, real story.
Here’s the official blurb:
In the rodeo town of Pendleton, Oregon 17 year old Maura lives with her 8 year old sister and single father Mike. When Mike’s diabetes threatens to take his foot he decides to spend his final steps hunting in the Blue Mountains; leaving his children to fend for themselves.
Meanwhile, back at home Maura’s elderly alcoholic neighbor takes in his teenage grandson Alex. Before long Maura finds herself falling in love while navigating nearly 30 days entirely unsupervised. Though nothing about Maura’s summer has been easy it becomes far more challenging when Mike’s return date comes and goes with no sign of her father. Determined to bring Mike home she and Alex venture into the wilderness in search of the only real parent she has ever known. Maura has never doubted her father’s love but the deteriorating state of his health and the mental conflict that accompanies it has her wondering what she’ll do if it turns out she’s looking for a man who doesn’t want to be found.
The Hunter’s Daughter is intended for readers ages 12 and up and will appeal to those who enjoy teen realistic fiction in the vein of Sarah Dessen, Huntley Fitzpatrick and Simone Elkeles.
Of course y’all know I tend to swim in the waters of Fantasy Fiction when it comes to YA, but The Hunter’s Daughter was a refreshing leap from that norm.
I really enjoyed the writing style of the novel, and the difference between characters (and their chapters) were obvious- this is something that tends to get muddied when writing different Point of Views, but Lorson navigated them well!
From his first chapter, I really liked Alex’s attitude; he was self-depreciating, witty, and funny, without being the cookie cutter YA-Male-Character. Maura is, thankfully, written the same way; she manages to come off as wiser-than-her years without losing her realism or depth of character, and neither of them desperately loses themselves to their quietly-budding romance. They seem like real kids, navigating a Summer- and difficult moment in life- together.
Oh, and the ENDING HURT MY FEELINGS. Ungh.
Overall, I definitely recommend The Hunter’s Daughter- it’s a story whose unique premise can capture the attention of readers across many genres. This book gets a 4 out of 5! Woohoo! You can grab a copy of The Hunter’s Daughter on Amazon, where it’s also a part of the Kindle Unlimited program. You can drop by Lorson’s Official Site to catch up on other books available, or head on over to Facebook!
Melody Klink 