Beware when a monster and God’s servant becomes an ally to complete a quest or to defeat High Gods!

Atia is a Nifas(nightmare eater) and the last of her kind, she is a monster whom Gods want to destroy and they get the chance when she accidentally kills a man to save her only friend.
Silas is a herald( servant or messenger of the Gods), he does not have memories of the past or what was his name, he just picked this name on his first task as a herald. This was his biggest curse that he didn't know about his past life.

Atia and Silas crossed the past when she killed a man which she was supposed to not, because it was against the law, set by the High Gods and Silas had to curse her.
They formed an unforeseen alliance to achieve their own goals and to free themselves from their curses!

I love the Oracle Thia so much, the storyline, the twist and turn in it. The bond between characters, chemistry. The realms or Kingdoms are divided by elements and ruled by the cousins of the Royal family who are blessed by the High Gods. I was smitten by Atis’s character, she was a badass just like Aelin from Throne of Glass!

Suspenseful , romantic, and monstrous. I could not put this book down !

Thanks to Feiwel and Friends for the ARC. All opinions are my own!

Our story centers around a Nefas , a monster that feeds on fear , who hides in the shadows to avoid the wrath of the gods. When she is cursed for saving her human friend by killing his attacker , she must join forces with a Herald ,a half banshee , and her human friend Tristan , in order to break her curse and destroy the gods that killed her kind.

I like the set up of this world with all of the different elemental kingdoms. I also like the coming together of humans and different monsters. Some examples include , oracles , vampires , banshees , half banshees half human mixes ( male in this story) , and Lykai.
This story is a found family story which is always an enjoyable experience. I love the idea that we can always build our own family.
This story has YA based romance , so nothing more than kissing or holding hands.

Overall I enjoyed this book and I love that it it has a good summed up ending. I loved these characters and I wish I could have more.

While this isn’t a direct Greek myth retelling, it is a Greek myth-inspired dark romantasy and I had a lot of fun reading it. I didn’t even know that it was inspired by Greek mythology going in but I was absolutely giddy when I found out because I’ve loved Greek mythology since I was a kid.

The Night Hunt carries an enemies to lovers vibe but it’s the sort of enemies to lovers that speaks of a natural enemies vibe: Atia is a monster and Silas is a Herald. Silas is one of those they would send after monsters like Atia if she breaks the rules. Silas is there the night she does and they forge an unlikely alliance: He’ll help her break her curse if she helps him recover his memories. They hope it’s going to be as easy as hip, hop, hooray, but since when is it ever?

I can’t really put into words why I loved this book so much except that it was a lot of fun and it felt like the best kind of dark romantasy hug. Does that make sense? I think to anyone who is a big fan of dark romantasy it might be. I don’t always rate my books based on a list of checkmarks and wax eloquent about everything from narrative prose to the quality of the sentence formations. I can only tell you I had a really bad day today and this made me feel better when I was reading it. I would read it again in a heartbeat.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: 5 Star Review/Dark Fantasy/Romantasy/Myth Retelling/Standalone/YA Fantasy/YA Romantasy/YA Fiction

The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo is a YA dark fantasy that follows Atia, a monster who feeds on fear, and the very last of her kind. Seeking revenge, she reluctantly teams up with an amnesiatic Herald in order to slay the corrupt gods that killed her family.

I was initially drawn in by the stunning cover, but the actual contents of the book left something to be desired.

For starters, the writing is extremely choppy, disjointed, and lacks any sense of using sentence length and punctuation to build up suspense and emotional impact.

Let's take a look at one section here:

The Herald peers over the body, taking a moment to assess.
Then he turns to me.
“Monster of mischief,” he says.
Like I’ve just made his day longer.
"I should leave."

Every single paragraph here is short and one sentence long, reading more like a rough first draft before a scene is later fleshed out. I'd understand if this was for a fast fighting scene or if a writer is trying to indicate various sounds, but no, the sentence lengths serve no purpose here. Instead I feel like gaps and details are missing—like actually describing the dead body the Herald is examining, which would have helped ground the readers into the scene and
paint a mental picture.

On top of that, the worldbuilding feels thoughtless and lazy. Places are haphazardly named generic things like "Earth Kingdom" and "Fire Kingdom" without building in an elemental magic system along the lines of Avatar the Last Air Bender. Since the monsters and mythology of this world are Greek and Celtic inspired, it would have made more cohesive sense for that to have influenced the names of locations as well.

Honestly, this book falls short from what I’d expect from a professionally published book and I feel like it would have benefited greatly from more technical and developmental editing.

This book had such an exciting premise that it drew me in right away - the beautiful cover was a help as well. While I did enjoy the story, I found this book pretty lacking. I really wished that this had been drawn out more to get the full effect of the story and its characters.

Atia and Silas were both characters that I liked and I wish that we had more time to develop their personalities and their relationship.

I also wished to get more from our side characters that just seemed add to create more than just the two going back and forth.

Overall, this was fine but rather predictable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Atia is the last of her kind - a monster that feeds on fear and nightmares. She hides among the mortals, and when she is cursed to extinction for protecting one, she makes a deal to save herself. Silas is a messenger for the gods and in charge of escorting souls into the After; as such, he has a duty to put a curse on Atia for breaking the rules. However, both of them have a common enemy: the Gods. Atia's family was killed by the Gods, and Silas is being punished for a crime he can't even remember. The two grudgingly unite to break each others' curses.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to finish this book before the publish date. However, this seems like the perfect book to read during spooky season, so I'm looking forward to finishing it.

thank you so much to the publisher, netgalley and colored pages blog tours for gifting me an early copy in exchange for an honest review!!

at last i have read a book by Alexandra Christo and I'm IN LOVE 😍😍😍
i looved the world she created, with all its gods and story and drama, it's what makes me adore books like this. the best part is definitely the found family aspect, how they were repeating that they were not alone anymore, that they could do everything together, it melted my heart 😭😭 the dual POV was perfect for this, knowing how both MCs were starting to feel towards each other was just amazing and really enjoyable. and finally i've read a book with a bloodthirsty MC who really does it and is not afraid of being murderous, plus the guy being so in love with her that he is like "yeah, murder everyone, i will help you out" 😂😂
there weren't many twists but i didn't care at all. the magic and monsters and action-packed scenes did everything for me. it's a really easy fantasy to get into and it madee me smile a lot and forget about my issues, so that's why it has a soft spot in my heart 💜

A big thanks to Netgalley and MacMillian for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think it's safe to say that I'm not the biggest fan of Alexandra Christo, but I'm still going to read her works if they're interesting enough.

The Night Hunt by Alexandra Christo is a YA fantasy about Atia, who is a monster that feeds on fear. As the last of her kind, she hides in the shadows of the world to escape the wrath of the unpredictable Gods. Silas is a Herald, carrying messages and ferrying the dead as punishment for a past he can’t remember. Stripped of his true name, he yearns to recover his identity. Atia would never dream of allying with someone like him, but when she breaks a sacred law and the Gods send monsters to hunt her, Silas offers an irresistible deal: he’ll help avenge her family and take on the Gods who now hunt her, if she helps him break his curse and restore his humanity. All they need to do is kill three powerful creatures: a vampire, a banshee, and one of the very Gods who destroyed both their lives. Only together can they finally rewrite their destinies.

I had high hopes for this book, given it was a Christo book with MONSTERS! But this book fell a bit flat. The worldbuilding was hard to get into and the characters were annoying at times. Plus the writing style just didn't match the intentions of this book. Which was a huge let down.

atia is a monster who feeds on fear. silas is a herald who’s forgotten his true identity. when atia breaks a sacred law, silas should help take her down…but instead, he strikes a deal to help her take down the gods who killed her family and are keeping silas’s identity from him.

i really liked the worldbuilding in this. all the different creatures were interesting to read about, especially the heralds. i loved the characters as well! there were even some side characters who stole my heart🫶 this was my second book by alexandra christo and i really want to read the rest of her backlist!

3.5*
This book was so fun! The beginning was probably the best part for me, I was really interested in the world and characters. Over the course of this book however, I started to get bored. The ending was not what I was hoping for and it dampened my enjoyment of it. Overall this is a great YA with a great story.

I adored this very unique YA fantasy!

Atia (a fear monster, cursed for killing a human) and Silas (a Herald who claims the souls of the dead, stripped of his human memories) are an unlikely pair that team up to bring the Gods down, restore Atia's powers and Silas' memories while falling for each other, and uncover mysteries along the way.

Atia and Silas were such well developed characters and I loved how the author blended Greek mythology with her own creative spins on it to build a fascinating fantasy world.

I thought the plot was clever with some reveals thatvwere surprising and the pace was very good. I had a hard time putting it down but especially towards the last 30% of the book.

Our characters really shine here as well, full of complexities and a dash of snark very fitting for the YA scene.

And The romance was both believable and swoony. Really enjoyed this fresh and fast paced fantasy romance!

4 stars

The cover of this book is stunning and I love the different hues of purple in this cover! I really enjoyed the found family aspect to this book and the dark fantasy genre to this book was great! There is romance in this book but no spice because it is the YA genre. My other favorite aspect of the book was that it was very adventurous and the world building with the adventures made the overall book enjoyable!


Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publisher for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"There is darkness in me, I repeat."

"Look around Atia..."Where there is darkness, there are also stars."

Sometimes you just need a book about a monstrous girl who feed on the fears of other to survive.

AND, then you might need a little romance as she teams up with her enemy/hindrance to defeat corrupt gods and fulfill a bargain that will give each what they have been long looking for.

Throw in a band of misfits, creatures a plenty, a grand adventure and a curse breaking quest and you have yourself a solid standalone that will give plenty of fun to keep you entertained.

Its always a treat to read a book and feel like you haven't read something like it before. The Night Hunt contains elements of mythology as it goes back and forth between Atia and Silas' POVs. I enjoyed Atia as a main character. She's tough as nails but also just has this sweet center that is desperate for belonging and love which is refreshing and relatable.

The pacing is great and even though the overall themes are somewhat dark, there is more focus on the sweeter themes of friendship, lasting love, choosing your own family, and finding your destiny. This was a great standalone and I really wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to someone looking for a fast fun read.

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends, and Netgalley for the ARCs. This is an honest review.

This is a dark YA fantasy that weaves together elements of the corruption of Gods and monsters that lurk in the shadows. This is a journey of self-discovery and redemption. At its heart, the story revolves around Atia, an enigmatic monster and the last of her kind, and Silas, a Herald of the Gods burdened with a mysterious past that is a secret even to him.

I enjoyed the world-building and the character development; the complex relationships and the enduring struggle between the divine and the monstrous were highlights. The characters, particularly Atia and Silas, are well crafted with depth and nuance, each grappling with their own inner demons and haunted pasts. The addition of a human scholar and a half-banshee add fun secondary characters and create a vibrant ensemble that forms a heartwarming found-family dynamic. Though they mostly fall into that state rather than allowing it to grow more naturally; as a result, it seems far more contrived than I anticipated.

While the premise of the story holds great promise, I found the pacing a bit rushed, with conflicts resolved too swiftly, occasionally impacting the depth of emotional engagement. Additionally, the quite contemporary dialogue, while relatable in some instances, may at times feel out of place, momentarily detracting from the overall immersion in a fantastical world.

Nevertheless, "The Night Hunt" boasts an intriguing exploration of the themes of identity and belonging, and plays with themes of good versus evil. The corruption of the Gods serves as a captivating backdrop. This is entertaining, as long as one doesn't mind younger-trending YA fantasy.

Let's start with a round of applause for this cover. How freaking gorgeous!!!! And then the main character? She is exactly what I needed her to be. The best kind of girl boss. The story was so entertaining as well. All around a wonderful book!

It’s a book about monsters, but it’s a nice cozy read. I love Atia’s found family. I love Atia and Silas’ match. Both anti-heroes. How they’re both hesitant to acknowledge their feelings for each other. The twist was done well. The world building is somewhat vague, but the dialogues and plot are good. Alexandra also describes their inner thoughts quite well.

The cover of The Night Hunt is so beautiful that I was tempted to buy a finished copy even though I didn’t particularly enjoy this one. I was initially really hooked by the potential of world-building and characters. Unfortunately, the initial intrigue was not enough to sustain the story and I quickly grew bored.

The Night Hunt introduces a dark YA fantasy world filled with monsters and corrupt gods. The two main characters—Atia and Silas—are brooding, unapologetic badasses and I enjoyed their perspectives. There are parts of this book that I enjoyed and overall it was an engaging, quick read. However, the plot felt incredibly generic and wasn't properly fleshed out. The quest the characters go on quickly loses its appeal because the characters never face significant obstacles and are able to move through the different tasks unreasonably quickly. This short timeline also makes both the found family and the romance feel forced. The two non-POV main characters were incredibly shallow and only served as the comic relief and the walking encyclopedia of world-building. The dialogue between these characters was painfully corny and filled with cliche, tropey lines. The four characters really did not click together and I was honestly rolling my eyes at some of the heartfelt lines towards the end.

I was initially drawn to The Night Hunt because of the vibes of the cover. I was looking for a dark story with the nightmare, demon monster the cover features. And yet Atia spends over 80% of the book as a human. Though the quest is motivated by the loss of her monster form, it could have easily been traded for another generic quest plot. Despite being stuck in her human form Atia is still unnaturally strong and easily able to defeat the monsters she faces. This directly contradicts her initial reaction to the curse and essentially makes her Nefas form irrelevant. The wasted potential of Atia’s identity as a Nefas was incredibly disappointing.

Though it started off strong, The Night Hunt fails to capitalize on its interesting potential making it a forgettable read.

My first book by Alexandra Christo and I really enjoyed it. It’s a female monster who eats fear and a cursed guy who falls in love with her. This book has simple world-building with a great storyline that will have readers hooked. It’s action-packed that makes this book so hard to put down. The characters are fun but a bit underdeveloped and their connection with each other would have been better. The romance is cute but the story is better. However, if you love Greek mythology with action and morally grey characters, then this book is for you.

*this e-arc was sent to me by the publisher to give an honest review in return*

The Night Hunt
By: Alexandra Christo

⭐5⭐

“We are both trapped in a lie and desperate to escape it. A girl, who wishes to become a monster again. And a monster, who wishes to become human again.”

The Night Hunt is a dark fantasy romance that tells the story of a monster and a Gods-cursed boy who must work together to defeat their curses. Atia is a Nefas, a nightmare creator who feeds on fear, and has been cursed after scaring a man to death by accident. By committing this murder, she has been cursed by the Gods. Having her powers and immortality taken from her, she isn’t sure what to do. Atia is the last of her kind and she had nowhere to turn. That is, until Silas arrives at the scene of the crime.

Silas is a Herald, a transporter of the dead and messages of the Gods. Silas does not remember his past but is being forced to serve a century as a Herald as punishment for it. He seeks to remember his past and his name, but in order to do that, he needs Atia’s help.

Atia and Silas are forced to work together as an unlikely pair, picking up some friends along the way as well that help them in their quest. Atia seeks to regain her immortality and power, but throughout the journey, Atia begins to wonder if living a solitary existence is something that she wants to continue doing or if somehow, she has created a family of her own after the devastating murder of her parents. Silas wishes to restore his memories and to regain his name, but he wonders if he’ll ever be able to live without Atia. She is nothing like the monster that he thought that she was.

Tropes:
Found family, enemies to lovers, lost powers, epic quest


Below are some of my highlight quotes while reading!
(P.S. - I had NO idea I had this many but looking back at them, I’m not surprised at all!)

“Once upon a time, a man died. Many men, actually. They’re prone to it, after all, because humans are fragile things and tend to fade with the stars. The important thing isn’t really the man, but what killed him and what happened after.”

“She was Atia. The Last of the Nefas. And the Gods did not like it.”

“Existing, but never doing anything so bold as living.”

“She’s a creature of night and shadow. A thing that wears humanity like a mask to lull her prey in close.”

“If it wasn’t for my immortality, I’d probably die of boredom.”

“You can’t forget yourself if you have a name.”

“People like you are why monsters like me exist.”

“The Nefas isa sight to behold. I have seen many monsters in my time, but never miracles. And the sight of her feels oddly miraculous.”

“She should look monstrous, but she doesn’t. She looks awful and beautiful. She looks sad.”

“That damn tie pin-wielding meddler.”

“In all my years torturing humans with their greatest fears, parading the streets with stark white hair and pretending to be a host of fanciful things–from seers, to rare shell collectors–I don’t think I’ve ever been called dramatic. Even murdering someone didn’t earn me the title.”

“It reminds me I’m more than what they made me to be, and to never accept a fate I’ve been given by someone else.”

“Death is such a messy, unsightly business. I’ll be glad when I have nothing more to do with it.”

“How can a person be so deadly and yet so beautiful?”

“We are both trapped in a lie and desperate to escape it. A girl, who wishes to become a monster again. And a monster, who wishes to become human again.”

“She is so determined to be heard, to be seen, to not be erased like so many of us have been. A monster of nightmares, trying to keep all the stars inside herself from burning out. And she is beautiful for it. Because of it. In spite of it.”

“I can see now how the Nefas were too dangerous–too illusionary–to keep in Oksenya. That smile could conquer worlds. Or destroy them.”

“Humans were things to be kept at a distance. True friends gave you something to lose and I’d lost too much already. But Tristan is my friend in a way Sapphir was never capable of and I really don’t want him to die.”

“‘Knowledge is a weapon,’ Tristan tells her earnestly. ‘It’s the truest power we can know. Through books, we’re made wiser by those who came before us.’”

“In a world of such wonder, who would choose to reject love, of all things?”

“We might not be with others exactly like us, but it doesn’t mean we’re alone. Not anymore. Family isn’t only about blood, but something far more rare and sacred. A bond forged in choice.”

“‘Part of me wants to kill you myself,’ she says. ‘But the other part wants to save you even more. Please don’t make me rethink the decision.’”

“I was desperate to leave behind this life in favor of one I don’t remember, because I assumed it had to be better. No dark creatures and darker nights. But how could I be so blind as to not see what wonders the darkness brought? What stars and warm nights. Atia is a miracle where there were only ever horrors before.”

“Two lives lived and neither of them could compare to the time I’ve spent by her side.”

“She is a monster and a miracle. A thing of light and shadows. Without her, the world does not make sense.”

She is a monster who feeds on fear, the last of her kind and he is the messenger of the gods, cursed to forget his past, when their paths cross it will lead to a journey to kill monsters, gods, break curses, and face betrayals and the possibility of an impossible romance. Atia is a Nefas, a monster who feeds on fears and can conjure nightmares. She is the last of her kind, having watched her mother and father be killed, she wanders in the shadows trying to escape the wrath of the unpredictable gods. There is only one rule the Gods have for monsters: do not kill a human, and by breaking that rule you will be punished. Silas is a Herald, a messenger of the Gods, people become messengers when they are deemed unworthy of moving on or for having sinned and the only way to escape is by breaking the curse on you. Silas yearns to be free, he has no memory of his past and knows the only way to break his curse is to trap Atia into helping do it. When Atia accidentally kills a human to protect her friend, Silas curses her as his duty from the Gods, but offers her a side bargain: he will help her regain her powers through her quest to kill a vampire, a banshee, and a god and in return she will help free him from being a Herald. Atia and Silas should be natural enemies, but they can't help but feel drawn together, both lonely people enduring, and yet they see something in each other that they never expected. Can they free themselves from their curse before the Gods hunt both of them down? This one was a really unique story, I loved the lore behind the monsters and I enjoyed learning about Atia. The romance was actually really sweet and seeing how much Atia and Silas cared for one another and got under each other's skin was great. Overall, I really enjoyed this read and think if you enjoy stories about monsters, breaking curses, and unlikely romances through journeys, give this one a go!

*Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, Feiwel & Friends for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*