One of the best books I read this summer was The Hunt, by Andrew Fukuda. In this thrilling fantasy where the world is ruled by vampires with an unsatisfied desire for blood , a young teenage boy named Gene lives in disguise, hiding the fact that he is really one of the few remaining humans left on earth. When he is chosen to hunt and devour some of the last remaining humans on earth, a chance others would die for, he has no choice but to make an an impossible decision: should he lose his integrity and life-long rules by eating his own kind, or reveal who he really is and risk facing death?

There are many things I learned from this book, but by far the most valuable was that, above all, family should be a person’s main priority. Gene’s father, bitten by vampires, disappears in order to protect Gene from others who will follow the scent of blood and track him down. When Gene realizes there may be a chance that his father is still alive, he will do anything to find and save him, even if it means sacrificing himself.

The second most important thing I learned was to trust your friends, because without working together it is hard to accomplish anything. Gene’s vampire competitors in the Hunt all want blood, and with every action they take, others are suspicious it is only done to get a better chance at getting to the humans first. Friendships are torn apart, enemies are made, and death is evident even before the Hunt has started. When Gene manages to interact with the humans he is supposed to be hunting later, they do not trust him at all, and, without his help, the Hunt and their death is almost inevitable.

Another message I learned from The Hunt was that risks are worth taking if they are for a cause you believe in. All of Gene’s actions throughout the book symbolize his wish to help his kind from the hunger of the vampires and lead to the eventual goal of finding his father. Throughout the book, he is always inches away from being discovered as a human, and still he constantly tries to help others while risking the one thing he’s been hiding his whole life.

The fourth lesson I learned was to be careful what you do, because you never know who is watching. A major turn in the events of the book happens because Gene assumes the vampires are not around, only to discover a hole in the wall of his dormitory, perfect for spying. Since Gene, unlike real vampires, can stand in direct sunlight without suffering, he is able to stroll around town during daytime, when everyone else is asleep. However, an accidental flick of somebody’s curtain could reveal his secret and the sunlight would not stop other vampires from attacking.

The final lesson that The Hunt taught me was to trust your instincts, because in the end, that’s what saves you. Those who wait too long to make decisions are the ones left behind and devoured, and split-second decisions save Gene from death more than once. Near the end of the book, Gene tries to help the humans escape with an idea based only on his natural instinct, and his plan would have succeeded had the humans trusted him.

Overall, The Hunt was an amazing story that kept me hanging on to every word. Although it was often gruesome and in a fantasy genre, it was packed with life-lessons and morals. The Hunt was definitely an enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the sequel!