Anticipated release April 2024
K. Aagard’s debut, The Hunter, is a welcome addition to the fantasy universe of tales.
A third POV, character driven, adult fantasy with flavors of found family (of sorts), coming of age/self-discovery, friendship, sacrifices and betrayal.
The medium magic system employed is intriguing with significant consequences for the magic user. The consequences play a crucial role throughout the narrative and its climax.
Aagard’s trio of main characters are the fuel of a read that is fun, engaging and emotional. My heart strings were plucked at several intense junctures of the narrative.
Strider is a man with nothing left to live for. After a decades-long pursuit of revenge he has avenged the murder of his loved ones. Left with a wound that would be fatal if he so chooses, it is tempting, in death he believes he will find the peace he desperately craves.
Greer, his companion and brother in life’s journey has other ideas. Greer sets out to give Strider the purpose and will to live. But Greer being a dire wolf makes it an interesting challenge. Setting his sights on Addy, a less than competent beggar and thief, as the key to saving his brother, he gets to work.
Aagard quickly provides the inciting incident that sets the path of the narrative and introduces the personality types and drivers of the three main characters in the opening pages. A hard, deadly predator of a man paired with a an equally deadly but obviously good-hearted dire wolf are quickly enmeshed with a teen desperate to return home. A teen that who obviously, to Strider, is not who she makes herself out to be.
Strider doesn’t trust himself to care while Addy doesn’t trust anyone but herself and strangely, Greer. You will love Greer, he steals the show.
With the MCs embarking on an arduous journey, hunted, with little trust in each other, and too many secrets the author deftly explores relationships, character weaknesses & strengths and the challenges they face in becoming something more than who we meet in the opening pages. Throughout this process I found myself becoming attached to and rooting for the characters to make what I thought to be the right choices. Delightfully, Aagard didn’t always see it my way keeping me on my toes. I felt like I knew where we were going but damned if I knew how we were going to get there or what we were going to find when we did.
World building is on point with obvious care and detail devoted to its creation. The opening pages present a well-crafted map to set the stage. Throughout the narrative a society of several races with a tumultuous, bloody and bitter history are introduced providing color, grounding, motivations, and beliefs that heavily influence the social, political, and power dynamics.
While this is a chonky 600 plus page book it is wonderfully chonky. The read was swift and over too soon. Aagard sustains and varies the rhythm in most all the right places. Do NOT let the page and word count put you off.
I highly recommend The Hunter. Congratulations are in order for a wonderful debut.
I am looking forward to getting my hands on book two and possibly a googly eyed copy of book one. The author is also the cover artist. Having developed the initial concept art as a rough sketch she painstakingly built upon it over time with care and passion. Not taking herself too seriously, Aagard produced and shared a well-received version of the cover art on social media where the wolves have googly eyes. It is simply outstanding.