Book Description
Her protector becomes her hunter.
Seven days.
That’s how long the humans selected for the Hunt must survive. On the island, the demons are set loose to hunt them down and indulge in their darkest desires with no rules to stop them.
Vhaena never thought her town would turn on her, but when she’s voted as a sacrifice for the demons’ annual tradition, she’s forced into a nightmare designed to kill her. Alone and betrayed, she’s prepared to do anything to survive. What she isn’t prepared for is him.
Daemon, her brother’s best friend and her forbidden obsession—a demon hiding among them.
Loyal to his vow to protect her but cursed by the darkness clawing at his soul, Daemon walks a blurring line between protector and predator. His vow demands her safety, but his hunger demands her ruin.
On an island meant to unleash the monsters hidden within, Vhaena and Daemon must decide which is stronger—duty or desire.
This dark romantasy standalone is perfect for fans of forbidden love, deadly survival, and the kind of devotion that burns even in the ruins of hell.
My Review
Daemon is a demon and he fights it. He knows exactly what he is, but he doesn't let his demon out because he struggles with his demonic side. He makes a promise to Vhaena's brother to keep her safe, he wants to be what she needs to keep her safe, but he also wants to be with her if that were only possible. Humans don't know who the demons among them are, and he would never tell her and put her in danger. Only male demons are born so they have to take human females as wives and only then can they tell them they are demons. If a human finds out, they are killed, as well as the demon who let a human find out. The laws are strict.
I figured a demon who is conflicted with himself would bring on the darkness a little bit and that's what I was looking forward to. I seem to have a small obsession with demons right now. You just know there's going to be some darkness when dealing with a demon and some spice. He gave me that and more. Plus, he wears a mask during The Hunt, and I was 100% here for that.
The town Vhaena lived in was horrible and the people were so mean, I felt so bad for her. She was dealing with so much. And demons hid in plain sight among the humans. Demons required each town to vote for one woman to be sacrificed to The Hunt each year. During The Hunt, the human women are given a head start to hide, then the demons are let loose to stalk, rape, torture and kill the women. There are no rules to stop them from doing whatever they want to the women. It was brutal, I'm not going to sugar coat that at all. This book is not going to be for everyone.
I just knew where this was going since the townspeople already hated Vhaena, so when she was voted to be the sacrifice, I saw that coming. Daemon knew he had to keep his oath to Vhaena's brother and keep her safe but he had no idea how he was going to do that during The Hunt since he was a demon and his demon side was pulling at him all the time to let him out.
It was interesting to learn about why the demons have The Hunt and more about them and their hierarchy culture. Each demon has their own gifts too, so we learn more of why everyone turned on Vhaena so totally and who was behind it, during The Hunt. There were a couple of shocking twists during this book, one scene in particular that made me gasp in shock. I never saw it coming and it was brutal.
The Hunt brings Vhaena and Daemon closer together as he tries to keep her safe for 7 days while The Hunt goes on. If they can make it until the end, she gets to go home. We learn a lot more about demons during this time as they get to know each other more and it was interesting to see the great world building this author made for this story.
I read this book in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. It was just that good.
I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.
Disclosure: I was given and e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
