The Prey - Andrew Fukuda

★★★★★

Read : March 2014

"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."

Gene, Sissy and a small group of friends have escaped from the compound they had been trapped within and set out on their own into 'The Vast.' But they didn't leave alone and their enemies are becoming much smarter and much stronger with each day that passes. Gene and his friends reach the safety of a small village, full of smiles, song and plentiful food...but have they really reached the safe haven they believe it to be..?

They Prey is the second instalment in a series by Fukuda and sequel to 'The Hunt.' Those that have read and enjoyed the first book will fall head-first into this one and find themselves submerged in Gene's terrifying world again. For those that haven't, quite a lot is explained by Fukuda of previous events, but the terminology is something you will pick up along the way. Taking into consideration that this is a part of a series, I think the book stands very well on it's own but maybe a bit more of a recap of the previous book would be handy for those that haven't had the chance to read 'The Hunt' or read it sometime ago.

The Prey took me a couple of chapters to get into but once I'd fallen into the story and the characters it was impossible to pull myself out again, it gripped me through the rest of the pages until the very last word. Fukuda's character's are relateable and believable and I shared my terror with them throughout the chapters.

The last vampire novel I read, Uprising by Scott G Mariani, depicted vampires as a superior, sexy and toughened lot. This novel came from an entirely different angle, that of a group of petrified teenagers running for their lives from these hideous monsters who, throughout the majority of the book, don't appear in the traditional image of a vampire that we envisage in the slightest...which is just brilliant. I found myself frequently forgetting that they were vampires of human appearance as Fukuda described his grotesque, savage, blood-crazed but scarily intelligent beasts. I enjoyed it, it was original..I hadn't read anything with vampires such as this before.

The further you got into the book the more of a gripping, tense read it became. It was a page-turning horror that had me completely spellbound and unable to put it down; each page was filled with fear, survival and a distinct 'end of the world' feeling.

I would most definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys the paranormal, young adult and/or horror genres. It was a fantastic read and I am greatly looking forward to reading Fukuda's next instalment of his series, The Trap.