The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2) by Stacey Kade {REVIEW}

Book Title: The Hunt (Project Paper Doll #2)
Author: Stacey Kade
Genre: Young Adult, Science Fiction, Romance
Publication Date: April 22nd 2014
                                   by Disney-Hyperion


Previous Book in the Series: The Rules (Project Paper Doll #1)

[REVIEW COPY]

Blurb:

Ariane Tucker has finally escaped GTX, the research facility that created her. While on the run, Zane Bradshaw is the only person she can trust. He knows who-and what-she is and still wants to be part of her life.
But accepting Zane's help means putting him in danger.
Dr. Jacobs, head of GTX, is not the only one hunting for Ariane. Two rival corporations have their sights set on taking down their competition. Permanently. To protect Zane and herself, Ariane needs allies. She needs the other hybrids. The hybrids who are way more alien and a lot less human. Can Ariane win them over before they turn on her? Or will she be forced to choose sides, to decide who lives and who dies?

ADD TO GOODREADS

PURCHASE/PRE-ORDER:

My Review: 5 out of 5 stars

My Review and Rant:

This book is way awesomer than The Rules. And since I really enjoyed that one, you can guess how much more I may have liked this. Well, technically, I adored this one! It is full of everything, and I mean every freaking thing! (Calm down there, girl, take it nice and easy). *tries to calm breathing*

Zane.

Since the series focuses basically on Ariane, it's probably weird to mention the guy first. But I can't ignore him. Or put him in the second place. I. Can. Not. He is possibly one of the most understanding, loving, humane and too-real-and-genuine-to-be-true heroes I have come across in all the books read so far. He is just a boy. Yes, he has pretty good looks, but that's all. He may not be "special" in the way Ariane is, but his life is no less complicated. Even before he could sort out his family issues and his inner turmoil, he finds himself liking the quiet, weird girl who used to sit in front of him in the Math class, more than he could realize. And even before he could take things the way they are supposed to go in a normal relationship, he finds himself running with Ariane, away from GTX, away from the last pieces of normal they both have. As a trained hybrid (though I hate to call her that), Ariane may not be totally freaked out by the idea. But Zane doesn't have anything to do with GTX, or Dr Jacobs, or the trials l, or anything half-alien, half-human. But he still does. Not for saving his ass, or for proving his worth to anyone, just because of Ariane. Even when Ariane tries to leave him for his own safety, he gets furious. He is afraid, of course. Uncertain as to what the future might throw in their way. But still, he seems to prefer risking his life at each step by being with Ariane over a normal, peaceful life back at home. He can't strategize the way Ariane does, doesn't have any superpowers, and in a life and death situation, he possibly won't even stand a chance against the "bad guys", and yet that doesn't stop him from jumping into every plan put forward by Ariane. If Ariane can hear thoughts, Zane can understand what she may be thinking just by looking at her. And now I would stop my Zane-rant since I realized it's becoming more like my review of Project-How-Much-I-Love-Zane-Broadshaw and it must be pissing you all already.

Ariane.

It's great to see the way Stacey Kade has portrayed Ariane. One thing that bugs me about series books that they often fail to do character justice. Like in one book we see a kickass heroine who seems unperturbed by everything happening in the world and beyond, and then in the next book she becomes a huge, gooey, emotional blob exploding everywhere and I feel nauseated seeing such pathetic death of a character. But it is wonderful to see Ariane the way she was in the first book. Ofcourse, past revelations and incidents have changed her life drastically too. But she still is herself. She keeps mentally fighting the two sides of her heredity.
She can't totally shake herself off her human feelings, though she often deliberately acts according to her more rational alien side's instincts. She loves Zane, no doubt. But she is torn between the choice of leaving him for his own safety or being with him since he is the only one, the only normality she has. She can't even let herself believe, for a very long time that is, that Zane can actually love her, even after discovering what she is. And it's not like she becomes the queen of fluttering eyelashes and blush after Zane happens. She dreams of  normal life in the future, as she used to do before, but it has now Zane in it. That never stops her from planning the way she was trained to do, which often results in her forgetting about Zane altogether at times. And that's normal, and I love her for being the weird kind of normal.

The Story. The Plot.

Fabulous. Even fabulous would be a horrible understatement. I can't even fathom the feels right now. The whole plot is a complete package. Really. The author has put just the perfect amount of everything and made an unique and mind gobbling story that makes your inside gnaw at something invisible in you to keep going on until you've finished the book and wait for the next one, though impatiently. I've always loved science fiction books, mainly because they were the first that kindled my eternally burning desire for reading in my pre-teen era (*sigh* so much for sounding intellectual). Plus the way each of these stories build up and work always amaze me. And this book, I would mark it as not only a good YA science fiction, but one of my most memorable science fiction reads ever! Thanks for making my whole month!

There is just the perfect amount of romance, and as a YA book it is never overdone. There are moments of weakness, flaws in the plans, confusions. Most striking parts are the actions and twists. It's not like there's action after every two pages. It's quite subtle and yet very successfully manages to keep you at the edge of your seats (or couch, in my case).

The Shocker.

The ending. Urrrgggh. It's quite a cliff hanger. And I am mentally blown away by the amount of twists and turns I got to see up until the very last point. I kept thinking, 'This is  may be the part where it would end...would be seeing the Acknowledgement section any moment now' (FYI I do read that part, specially all the more attentively if I'm fangirling over it, but I also dread that part since it means I am about to be pulled into the mundane world again :p). But the veryy last part...BAMM! I mean, the idea had occurred to me once or twice, but was revoked instantly by the sheer impossibility of it. But I think, nothing is impossible in this book, specially when it's planned and executed soo well by the author.

Seriously people. I know I have been recommending books a lot lately, but that may be simply because I have been in luck of reading all kinds of awesomesauce books this month. One more reason to love May (apart from the fact that it rains a lot at this time) :D But dude...like seriously, if you are, even in the slightest sense, into science fiction reads, or into human, hybrid, alien stuff, or simply looking for a blow-your-mind read, GET THIS BOOK. And then we'll talk.

And in the meantime, I'll find a corner to wail and let my feelings drown me as I wait for the third book which is yet to announced (WHYYYY!?!?)

BUY THE BOOK