Hunted by Megan Spooner

Author: Megan Spooner
Publisher: HarperTeen
Date of publication: March 2017

Beauty knows the Beast’s forest in her bones—and in her blood. Though she grew up with the city’s highest aristocrats, far from her father’s old lodge, she knows that the forest holds secrets and that her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering them. 

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman. But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. 

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange Beast back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin or salvation. Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

I have always loved Beauty and the Beast, so I was looking forward to this retelling.  In Hunted, Yeva has lived a privileged life. When her father loses everything in a business deal,  she and her family must move to the family cabin deep in the woods.  This is the place that Yeva feels most at home.  Her father slowly goes crazy and disappears one day into the woods.  Yeva takes it upon herself to go find him.

I did enjoy the book. I liked Yeva and the Beast characters.  Yeva was a strong female lead and was a good match for the Beast. The Beast was interesting and did have some layers. Their tie together did drag at times , however.  I will say that I was hoping for more of a twist to the story.  But the retelling pretty much follows the story line of most adaptations of Beauty and the Beast.  There isn't really much new here.  There are even a few magical creatures thrown in to the mix.  One aspect of the story that I did enjoy a lot was the mythology behind how the Beast came to be.  That story was a little different and did set Yeva up for a few interesting tests.  This is a stand alone with a satisfying HEA.   I would recommend it to any YA fantasy enthusiast.