Review: Go Hunt Me by Kelly Devos

Author: Kelly Devos

Publisher: Razorbill

Publication Date: June 2022

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

I was looking forward to Go Hunt Me,  It looked like it would be a fun YA horror set in a creepy mansion in Romania.  That is what I wanted, but that isn't what I got. I was fairly disappointed with this one.  I mean, I was entertained enough to finish it, but it had a lot more going against it.  In the pros column, I did like the creepy atmosphere.  

The characters were annoying.  And that is saying a lot because we only get one point of view from Alex.  I'm not sure that worked for me.  I had no sympathy for anyone in the friend group and never found myself rooting for anyone to survive.  You really have to suspend a lot of disbelief in this one. The 2 twists were predictable and I called them very early on.  This reminded me of a cheesy film produced by a college film student, only in book form.  It's not awful, but it's not great.