Elena and Clayton are being stalked by a young pup eager to test his strength against the legendary pack werewolf. Word of Clayton’s injury is getting around, much to his chagrin, but will it be enough for a younger man to defeat him?
The Hunter and The Hunted contains two novellas. At this point, I am only reviewing the first, Stalked, because I have not yet had a chance to read Eve’s story. Neither of these novellas is designed as a stand-alone — they are intended for fans of Kelley Armstrong’s novels to enjoy a bit more time with their favorite characters.
As far as Stalked went, I could have skipped it. Elena and Clayton were on their “honeymoon” (even though they never got married) in St. Louis, which, apparently, is the most boring place in the world. And I admit, as a native of St. Louis, I was a bit miffed at the idea. I was also miffed at the total lack of research that went into the setting. At one point, the pair was running in a park in wolf form, but the park was not named. It was also apparently empty, which meant it was not Forrest Park, which is the only sizable park in the city limits. It’s also a pretty neat place, in case anyone is visiting. There are a handful of better zoos in the nation, but not many, and none of them are free.
Meanwhile, Elena and Clayton were running through some kind of park…maybe outside the city limits…but I’m kind of drawing a blank on where in the burbs, even, a werewolf could run around unnoticed. You’d have to go outside the county to the countryside, at which point there is a ton of camping within a few hours of the city, especially to the south and east. Beautiful country, even if I do say so myself (hey, that’s where I set my Cassie Scot series), and plenty of opportunities for a careful werewolf to have fun.
As far as the city goes….woohoo, you went to the arch. It makes for a beautiful skyline, doesn’t it?
At one point in the novella the pair apparently went out to eat at a fancy restaurant that was recommended in a guidebook. (Maybe reference a guidebook and give it a name?) The restaurant was described incredibly blandly, like a judgmental stereotype of fancy restaurants. Something about tiny portions and needing reservations. And I just found myself thinking, “Where did you go?” If you’re in St. Louis and you want to get a taste for the place, you should eat on The Hill — the Italian section of town. But they couldn’t have eaten there, because no way you’re going home hungry, even if you are a wolf!
So…back to the book: All in all, I’d say I was very distracted by the way they kept dissing my city. It didn’t help that the tension was so thin it couldn’t hold my attention. I never, at any point, even for a second, believed they were in any danger at all.
If you enjoyed Elena and Clayton’s novels by kelley Armstrong, I still think you can take a miss on this one, but if you’re a huge fan and just want to spend more time with the pair…sure, why not?
Rating: 2/5
Title: Stalked (part of The Hunter and The Hunted)
Author: Kelley Armstrong
ISBN: 139781101593424
Published June 12, 2012
I received this book through Net Galley in exchange for a review. I was not obligated to review the book, and my opinions are my own.