The Beginnings

by Nadja Losbohm

Ada Pearce is an average young woman. She is 5’4” tall, overweight, and doesn’t play sports of any kind. Shortly after her 21st birthday a mysterious priest informs her of her destiny as a huntress. Ada doesn’t believe that story at first, but when she finds out that creatures of the night threaten the human population, she accepts her destiny, gives up her former life, and moves into the secret rooms of St. Mary’s Church, which had been built hundreds of years ago, and begins her training.

In flashbacks, the protagonist herself tells her story, beginning with her first meeting with the enigmatic and unapproachable priest, through her first year of training and her secret life, to the problems she encounters on her first hunt, and the issues which crop up when a priest and a woman live together…

The Huntress – The Beginnings: a charming mixture of science-fiction, fantasy romance and humor.

152 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 2013

Reviews

[Nada Sobhi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I got free copy of The Huntress: The Beginnings from the author in exchange for an honest review.

The Huntress: The Beginnings by Nadja Losbohm is the first instalment in The Huntress series. Originally published in German, the novella (around 150 pages) is about Ada, whose life is turned around when she is told that she is destined to become a Huntress.

Ada Pearce is an overweight ordinary woman, who hates sports. Helping a neighbour, she enters St. Mary's Church and is told that she has to leave her life and everything behind her to become a Huntress.
There, her trainer and only companion is Father Michael, whom we learn does not age like normal people and has his life tied to being inside the church.

Narrated in the first person from Ada's perspective, the novella opens with Ada telling the reader that she is pregnant and is going to meet with a reporter (Dan Meyers) to tell the world her story and get them to realise that there are monsters on the streets that they need to be careful of. Although Father Michael originally opposes the idea, he understands Ada's need to keep people safe.
"So, when I can't make my rounds, who else is there to protect all those people from what's lurking in the dark?"

A Hunter or Huntress comes along once every fifty years. With Ada's pregnancy, there will be several months of Huntress-free streets, making it a monster-playground.
The prologue is after Ada discovers her role as a Huntress. As the novella moves forward, she tells the reader how that happens.
"My name is Ada Pearce, I'm twenty-four years old and I'm a vampire and monster hunter."

The Huntress: The Beginnings is based on flashbacks as Ada tells the reporter her story. Some flashbacks are stories told to the reader and not the reporter owing to their sensitivity or simply because they are too private to be shared. Because of the flashbacks, there isn't a fixed pace for the novel.
Although the narration is from Ada's perspective, we get glimpses into Father Michael's life – after he learns to trust her – and how he has struggled over the years to become the man he is today.

We also see Ada progress from one who curses all the time to someone who begins to respect the institution she is in and the man in charge of it. At several points at the beginning of the novella, Father Michael warns her that if she continues to curse, he will throw her out. Her interests and concerns also change and she learns acceptance (among other things).
She also learns to see past Father Michael's rough exterior and the walls he has put around himself over the years.

Ada is fairly sarcastic, adding comic relief from time to time. Moreover, her interactions and situations with Father Michael, a man who has only trained Hunters for centuries, are quite funny.
"The Father had no idea about matters of a female nature."
I particularly enjoyed those parts of the flashbacks, which show Father Michael's 'human' side and how time affects people who live in closed places (kind of like being with a grandparent).

"Everything about his face seemed to be crying out with pain. His black eyes shone wet as horrible images of events in his past raged behind the veil of tears."

The Huntress is also a romance novella. From the beginning, we are told who the father of Ada's baby is, which should not come as a shock to readers since the couple lives together.

"Every time you go out there in the dark, I die anew," he whispered. "I die with fear. I die with worry. I feel helpless every time I stay behind. I can't help you, can't protect you when you need it."

I like the use of fairy-tale and other references in the novella. Father Michael tells Ada that she resembles Snow White, and that he finds the seven dwarfs to be scary.

Although, I haven't read the original Grimm Fairy Tales, there are several references in The Huntress, which have encouraged me to consider reading the originals.
"Where do you think the authors of such books…got their ideas from? There's always a grain of truth in every legend." Ada tells the reporter in their first meeting.

The novella is not devoid of monster-hunting. Although, apart from vampires, we do not get the names of monsters, we are given description details of each. Personally, I wished there were more details in the fighting, still a pregnant woman everything a not pregnant one can.
"Why weren't there any good-looking, nice-smelling monsters? I suddenly found myself wondering."

The novella falls under the young adult genre and has no adult content, with the exception of minor insinuations.
The first instalment in the series, The Huntress: The Beginnings is an enjoyable read. It sets the ground for the next three books as well as Ada's and Father Michael's world.

Should the following instalments be translated into English I look forward to reading them. In the meantime, I'm content with Ada, her journey and her transformation.

[Jaysen True Blood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent read. Like monsters? Like Monster hunters? Like immortal-like mentors? This is the book for you. I loved every minute of this book.

With wry humor and irony, Nadja Losbohm takes you on a harrowing journey as the main character tells her story to a less than scrupulous journalist and wins his respect. A tale of forbidden love underscores this wonderful adventure.

[Meggies Fussnoten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ada Pearce ist eine junge Frau, die eigentlich nur ein Paket bei ihrem Nachbarn abholen will und kurz darauf in die gefahrvolle Welt voller dunkler Kreaturen gezogen wird. Denn sie ist eine Jägerin, deren Schicksal es ist, die Menschen vor diesen Kreaturen zu beschützen. Ihr neues Leben beginnt damit, dass sie in die unterirdischen Räume einer Kirche zieht und eine einjährige Ausbildung absolvieren muss.
Als es notwendig ist, ihr Leben der Öffentlichkeit zugänglich zu machen, kontaktiert Ada einen Journalisten, der sie interviewen soll. Dabei erzählt Ada in Rückblicken ihr Leben.

Dieses Buch ist eine Mischung aus „ uffy – The Vampire Slayer“ und „Interview mit einem Vampir“ - und doch wieder ganz anders. Mit Witz, Charme und einer gehörigen Portion (Selbst)Sarkasmus wird in Rückblicken die Geschichte von Ada erzählt, ihre Probleme erörtert und ihr Zukunftsängste geschildert.

Zu Anfang erfährt man zunächst gar nichts über Ada, bis sie sich mit einem Journalisten trifft und diesem ihr Leben schildert. Sie erzählt, wie es dazu kam, dass die Jägerin wurde und warum.

Es hat Spaß gemacht, die Anfänge von Ada's Jägerinnen-Schicksal mitzuerleben. Auch wenn ich erst leicht verwirrt war, war es dann doch interessant, ihren Werdegang kennenzulernen. Mit jedem neuen Kapitel lernt man Ada und ihren Beschützer, Pater Michael näher kennen.

Actionszenen gibt es nur ganz wenige, steht doch eher im Mittelpunkt, wie es denn zu all dem kam. Dies war mal eine interessante Erzählweise. Ich gehe von aus, dass in den Folgebänden dann mehr auf die Kämpfe mit den dunklen Kreaturen eingegangen wird.

Die Autorin schildert Ada als schlagfertige Person, die sich nicht so leicht den Wind aus den Segeln nehmen lässt. Jedoch merkt man auch, dass es bei Ada innerlich gar nicht so aussieht, wie sie sich äußerlich gibt. Und dies führt zu einigen Verwirrungen.

Ich bin gespannt, wie die Autorin diese Reihe weiterführen möchte. Zur Zeit kann ich mir gar nichts vorstellen, weil es sich bei „Die Anfänge“ wirklich nur um den Rückblick auf eben diese Anfänge von Ada dreht.

Mir hat der Schreibstil besonders gut gefallen. Wenn ich schon auf den ersten Seiten des Buches schmunzeln oder – wie hier – lachen muss, ist es schon um mich geschehen.

Fazit:
Kleine Sachen, die das Buch nicht perfekt gemacht haben, geben etwas Abzug. Allerdings bekommt es eine uneingeschränkte Leseempfehlung meinerseits.

[Melanie P. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Huntress
By Nadja Losbohm
(Four Stars)

I won a copy of this book several months ago and wasn’t sure what to expect from it. I was pleasantly surprised. This book has it all…monsters, conflict, romance and friendship. Ada has had a difficult life. In this first installment to the series we do not find out exactly what has happened to her, only that it led her to her destiny. She is a huntress and her calling in life is to eradicate monsters and vampires before they can harm the humans. To help her achieve this goal, she finds herself under the care of an ancient priest.

This is where the story gets interesting. Ada is instantly attracted to the not so charming and extremely stoic mentor, but Father Michael’s is obviously off limits…or is he? Huntress and mentor are forced to live together, first while the priest teaches Ada how to fight and then out of necessity. To make matters even more interesting, Ada decides to enlist the help of a local journalist. This story is a fun and intriguing introduction to what I’m sure will prove to be an entertaining and adventurous series. I would definitely recommend it to others. However, to date only book 1 is available in English and it does leave the reader wanting more. I truly hope Ms. Losbohm decides to translate the remaining installments in the near future. I look forward to learning how the story of Ada and Michael progresses and how they overcome what seems like an insurmountable obstacle in the near future.

Melanie P. Smith