The Prey

By Author / Illustrator

Andrew Fukuda

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

11+

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9780857075451

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

15-08-2013

Synopsis

For Gene and the remaining humans - or hepers - death is just a heartbeat away. On the run and hunted by society, they must find a way to survive in The Vast... and avoid the hungry predators tracking them in the dark. But they're not the only things following Gene. He's haunted by the girl he left behind and his burgeoning feelings for Sissy, the human girl at his side.

When they discover a refuge of exiled humans living high in the mountains, Gene and his friends think they're finally safe. Led by a group of intensely secretive elders, the civilisation begins to raise more questions than answers. A strict code of behaviour is the rule, harsh punishments are meted out, young men are nowhere to be found - and Gene begins to wonder if the world they've entered is just as evil as the one they left behind. As life at the refuge grows more perilous, he and Sissy only grow closer. In an increasingly violent world, all they have is each other . . . if they can only stay alive.

Reviews

I really enjoyed The Hunt, the first book in this series in which Gene and his small group of humans manage to escape the pursuit of the terrifying vampires. It was gripping, fast paced and full of vampire action - real vampires, not the soppy sort everyone falls in love with. So I was looking forward to the sequel, The Prey, hoping that I wouldn't be disappointed. The Prey opens with the pursuit continuing, with a few more vampire attacks to reset the scene. Soon, however, the plot starts to develop as the children reach The Mission, a human settlement which they initially see as a paradise in the mountains, with freedom, singing and plenty to eat. The more the children learn about the Mission and the Elders who run it, the more sinister it appears; why are there no boys or old people, why are so many of the girls pregnant and what is the meaning of the crosses branded onto their arms? Eventually their stay at the Mission comes to an abrupt and violent end; the tension builds as the children need to flee for their lives once more. Who do you trust when lives depend on it? Each of our heroes has to decide if sacrificing themselves to help others is the correct thing to do, or should they try to save themselves at all costs knowing that they somehow hold the key to beating the vampire scourge once and for all. 322 pages/ Ages 12+