The Hunger

"A fun, supernatural twist on the Donner Party tragedy. I wish there was more detail towards the end and less so in the beginning parts of the trip, but it was still a good read. It started off a bit slow but for about the last third of the book I found it quite hard to put down."

"Great pageturner! It had me on the edge of my seat but also dreading the ending of each chapter!"

"Haunting and tragic "

"I just finished this book, not my favorite. Nothing happened in most of the story, but there were bits of excitement sprinkled in. I feel like if you are interested in a spooky historical thought-provoking read instead of a horror story this would be perfect. It was a creative way to describe the possible horrors that the Donnor party could have experienced on their trip in 1846, but to me, it just wasn't scary enough, and it was very boring until around page 300."

""He told her of a hunger that lodged not in his stomach, but his blood, an excavating hunger that festered like an unclean wound." (148)<br/><br/>2.5⭐<br/><br/>The story of The Hunger is a fascinating concept, and I have been so excited for this book for months. As you can tell from my rating, this book was pretty hyped, and I ended up disappointed. <br/><br/>The Hunger is a slow-burn story, but the sense of dread that carries out from the beginning is so well done. I was expectantly waiting for it all to come together in the end, but the book became more and more disjointed and confusing. There were too many characters, and it was hard to keep track of everyone. I think I would have had a better time with the book if there would have been more focus on fewer characters, and everyone else was left to the background. The chronology also got complicated - more flashbacks started popping up as the book went on, and it all became sort of convoluted. In the end, I was left with many more questions than answers. <br/><br/>The sense of unsettling anticipation began to fade for me during the second half or the book when I realized the focus was being removed from potential creepiness and put onto other things - mainly romance. Characters started falling in love, and I was just ready for them to eat each other. <br/><br/>I think Alma Katsu had a lot of good ideas, but it just wasn't a very cohesive story in the end. I was happy to hear in her afterword that she took the time to get a sensitivity reader, and that shows that she cares about her projects & the people who will be reading them. <br/><br/>The Hunger will be great for the right reader - if you like historical fiction with a bit of spookiness, or paranormal westerns, this book will probably be for you. I enjoyed Alma Katsu's creativity, and despite my low rating for this book, I would love to see what else she comes up with. <br/><br/>Thank you so much to Glasstown Entertainment & Alma Katsu for sending early copies to the Night Worms!"

"Kept me interested the whole way. I could not put it down. I'm no expert on the Donner Party but I do know some facts. This books lines up the facts with the fiction quite well. First book read by Alma and not my last. "

"So creepy. "

"To me, this was just okay. I kept waiting for the supernatural elements to continue and be more fleshed out; there were only a few moments scattered throughout that were generally creepy. It’s great as historical fiction, but with a weak ending that doesn’t explain enough or satisfy all the questions asked along the way, it just didn’t do it for me. Solid 6/10. "

"If you like history and thrillers, this is for you!!"

"I think you'd really like The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell"