Reid isn't sure if he's grateful to be alive. He's managed to save a small group of kids from the hunters, but only by trapping them all underground without food or water or a way out. If starvation doesn't kill them, thirst will. Still, they are out of the hunter's reach and that's something. Reid refuses to stop trying, even when the kids find out they aren't alone down there after all.
I write a lot of paranormal books for someone who is afraid of the dark. And I wonder why I have to sleep with the lights on. Sometimes life is a teenaged B horror movie and I'm the one who investigates when the scary music is playing. But the voices are calling and resistance is… Yes. I am a Star Trek geek, too. And a fan of RPG’s. With a slight coolness factor since I've been told I'm allowed to join the pops.
INITIAL NOTE: I'm not giving this a star rating yet. I'm going to wait for the rest of the series, then come back and see how it affects my perception. As it stands, I'm torn -- for the actual writing, I'd give this a solid 4; for characterisation & my enjoyment, I'd give it a 2. Hence, waiting.
The technical aspects of the writing in this are solid, like with RUN -- the pacing is excellent, the tension is high, and the combat scenes are written with precision. Ms. Larsen definitely knows how to drive a reader through an action story, and I commend the book for that.
In addition, I felt that the author had finally become comfortable with Reid's voice; it comes through much more strongly in the narration than in RUN, which seemed a little experimental to me. I got a much stronger sense of who Reid is and how his thoughts work this time around.
Unfortunately, as you can see if you check my status updates, I found Reid to be an entirely unlikeable character in HIDE, and it definitely coloured my enjoyment of the book. I spent the entire time screaming at him, hating everything he said, did, or thought, and wishing he would die. As you might imagine, it made enjoying the book difficult.
I found Reid selfish, hypocritical, misogynistic, racist, whiny, and entirely un-self aware.
Without giving away plot details, I'll just say that Reid's personal choices in this novel really grated on me. He constantly accuses the others of betraying him, but I thought he gave them just cause to do what they did. In an important scene where Marcus (the antagonist; we know this because he hits little girls, and also he's Hispanic with a grudge against white people who are better than he is, according to Reid) supposedly shows his true colours, I found myself agreeing entirely with Marcus. When Leila "betrays" Reid, I agreed with her, too. Every time Reid felt sorry for himself for situations of his own making, I wanted to kick him.
If Reid had been wrong, even once -- if a character who had challenged him or called him on his behaviour had not returned in contrition to take back what they said later, after he'd been proved right -- I might have dealt with it. But Reid's behaviour went unchecked, and his own self-vindication continued.
The issues I had with the first novel -- lack of backstory or revelatory information, the non-characterization of female characters -- are still present, but everything was overshadowed by how much I disliked Reid. This book didn't have a Drew character to balance things out, which is an unfortunate lack I think. Milo tried, but he didn't have enough screen time. Cole, sort of a proto-Drew, didn't do the trick as he served just to validate Reid's opinions. Leila didn't improve either, which upset me, as I can see the series will be developing a romance after all; I'd hoped she would do something, but she seemed to lack even more agency than last time. Right now she feels like a straw character for Reid to project his feelings onto.
I'm not giving this a star rating, however, because there's something in the novel (a spoiler) that makes me think this all might be intentional. That Reid's devolution from a confused, sympathetic kid to a passive-aggressive, bullying whiner is plot-generated and plot-relevant. I'm willing to take that chance, so I'm holding off until I read the next books in the series. I'm not convinced that the switch in Reid's character was intentional, but I'm not convinced it wasn't, either. Basically, there's plenty of time to turn this all around.
I do think this series would be stronger as a single novel, but I've been thinking that about a lot of YA series lately, so that's mostly an afterthought.
I freely admit that I have issues with Reid's sort of protagonist, so this could be a personal reaction colouring my view of the novel. As reading is such a subjective experience, I HIGHLY recommend would-be readers take my review with a grain of salt. In short, don't let this review convince you NOT to buy the book; instead, buy it and see for yourself. Looking at other reviews, I'm clearly in the minority. ;)
My expectations after reading the first book (Run) began to dwindle after reading this one. It got worse as I progressed through the rest. The whole thing is basically another Hunger Games without the celebrity-level glory.
Reid decides that he is sick of running. The mine is deep and there has to be a way out. This place is his ticket to freedom. Above all, it’s much safer. But Reid has to change his plan. And once again, running becomes his only option.
After I finished reading Run, I was obsessed with getting the sequel. The first book was so well-written it left me speechless and begging for more. And Hide didn’t disappoint me at all.
I have to say, I had some doubts about the action. Why? Because the first book was a real roller coaster and I was afraid the second one won’t have a balance between the story line and the depth needed for the characters. Although I saw this happen with many great book series, the first chapters from Hide managed to melt away my worries. It’s rare to see a sequel just as good as the first book and the writer did a wonderful job.
What I liked best about Hide is that it manages to create a realistic bond with Run. Reid’s best friend, Drew, is dead, but he’s not gone. He remains in Reid’s heart and mind. And Reid doesn’t try to fool himself by thinking that Drew’s death didn’t leave a scar. He knows that this event changed him and he feels changed.
For me, Hide sent a beautiful message. At first, I didn’t understand why Reid was overlooking so many stabs in the back from the kids around him and why he still wanted to save everyone. Then I realized it was because of Drew. Protecting others, feeling responsible for others, that was Reid’s way of avoiding to re-live his best friend’s death. It was his way of showing that he understands now the importance of someone’s life, whether that someone is a friend or an enemy.
While RUN, the first book in The Hunted series, takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of fear and survival, HIDE pulls the pace back a little, and not necessarily for the best. Reid and his troupe are tired of running, tired of being the prey, tired of being taunted by the Hunters. The next best thing is to hide. Patti Larsen takes Reid and his band of followers on another spine-tingling, tension filled journey that will have you at the edge of your seats, screaming with frustration when you reach the end, foaming at the mouth for FIGHT, the next hit of this amazing series.
I really enjoyed Hide, part two of "The Hunted" series. Picking up right where Run left off, with Reid and the rest of the kids in the mine. I particularly enjoy the character conflicts, and how the need for survival causes the kids to make decisions on the fly. This one was hard to put down, and I am already reading the third book!
Brilliant sequel to RUN. Riveting, suspenseful, engaging and terrifying. Reid and his friends have stayed alive long enough to evade their predators. Now they must hide, and plan. But can they hide from inhuman hunters who are bred to kill? Are they really safe, or is it all a trap?
With fully fleshed out characters, well-written prose and a plot that keeps you guessing, this series is a MUST READ!
The heart-pounding chase of Run has come to an end as Reid and his friends find a hiding place. But are they safe enough? Or are they just trapped?
The second book in "The Hunted" series takes you on a roller-coaster of emotion. Patti Larsen's writing pulls you apart and then puts you back together again. Your heart will swell, your eyes will well with emotion.
Just as good as the first of the series. Exciting, tense, and terrifying. The mine was enough to drive me mad as I am so able to put myself into this group of kids. I love when a book can do that, and make me think of it when I not reading it. My favorite part is that the kids are so conflicted between survival of the fittest mentality vs. compassion and humanity. Excellent story, already started the next of the series, and can't wait to see where these kids end up.
Compulsively readable, as I want to know what happens next. But the writing is truly awful, the characters flat as pancakes: the girls weak, sobbing ninnies, the boys vascillating between brutish and whimpering messes. I try to feel compassion for them, but their whining just goes on and on to the point I stop caring and begin to skim...a very bad sign for me as a reader. Still, I bought the next one and will continue hoping the payoff is worth it.
If you are into constant horrifying, unbelievable happenings then you will like this book. There is nothing uplifting, inspiring or character building that would make me want to recommend this book. As soon as I realized that this tragic tale goes on for two more books I decided to stop and cut my losses. The first was different so interesting but to try to keep it up for four books...well, it is too much.
Continuing the story of Reid and his rag tag team of misfits who follow behind, the Hunters continue to torment and scare! Except this time, add in scary little black furry things and you have a new mini-villian. And EW! Liked the sequel to Run and also read this quickly. Yes, fault can be found (as with any book) but overall, I like where it takes me. Twists and turns and lots of gruesome activity. I do like characters overall and look forward to finding out what is next.
I enjoyed this series it had plenty of excitement and suspense to keep me interested. I would reccomend this for older teens because of the violence and bloodshed. There is one incident of underage drinking, much blood, death, violence against children, betrayal and loss. I would say you should know the sensitivity of your child before allowing them to read this below age 15.
Terrifying, harrowing... the author does such an excellent job of building the suspense, making me care about the characters. I rooted for them to push, struggle, fight, succeed. I hurt for their losses and fears. This is the kind of book that keeps me coming back for more.
In book two of the trilogy Reid and his friends are trapped in a mine. Their first issue is to get out of the mine with no food or water at their disposal. Then, they find that the hunters have found them underground. Can Reid escape the deadly game of cat and mouse?
This series is a fast but heart pounding read. You can't stop rooting for these kids and celebrating their victories and crying at their losses. The end of Book 2 is filled with a new hope, new determination.
It was a great book and I cannot wait till I read the third one in its series. It was suspenseful, exciting, and terrifying. The characters were all close to your heart and I could feel their pain and hope. I would recommend it to those not faint of heart.
I finished the second book in the series by Patti Larsen called Hide. It was as amazing as the first book and no less thrilling. Full steam ahead as I go to the next book called Fight.