The Ninth Scripture: The Hunt

by D. Wolfsbane

Cuest is a world at war where men are conscripted when they come of age and women are sent to nurtures to birth more soldiers to replace those they bury.

At the orphanage of Sector Six, Zecaar, a hopeful pessimist, is saved from her numbing fate and taken to Talcom Academy because she has something the others do not—she has the talent. As she cultivates her telepathic and telekinetic abilities amid sanctioned fights, discrimination, hidden agendas, and desperate acts, events spin out of control until Zecaar begins to ask herself—is this where I truly belong?

The Hunt is the first installment in The Ninth Scripture trilogy and is a fast-paced adventure of one teenager’s journey to find meaning in a world gone mad, where choice challenges fate, perception eclipses truth, and the twisting path is haunted by the ghosts it creates.

400 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 27, 2019

Reviews

[Ms. CAN Lit · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a world dominated by a war between two powers, a teenage orphan named Zecaar gets the chance to escape her dismal fate in a breeding colony to develop her "Talent" - a mix of telepathy and telekinesis - in an elite school called Talcom. She faces challenges relating to who she is (one of only two females at the school, a lower-class orphan) as well as her abilities (she quickly outshines older students). However, her strength scares her, and she isn't sure whether she can control her new-found power, and if it is even worth it to try.

While it would be easy to assume that this is a Harry Potter-esque, school-based story, you'd be sorely mistaken. Zecaar's journey only begins at Talcom and goes so much further with a truly epic scope as Zecaar journeys to unlock the secrets of her past.

D. Wolfsbane's skill at world-building shines strongly in all of the different settings of this novel. Specific details are given naturally and the strangeness of the different technologies and languages are approached gradually, so that the reader never feels overwhelmed. It is almost as if the reader is a traveler, seeing familiar and unfamiliar things uncovered to them as they explore the text. This is a common issue I see with Fantasy and Sci-Fi; it is almost as if the author is trying to shock you with how many different words and confusing exchanges they can throw you into. But D. Wolfsbane does the exact opposite as she lures you into feeling at home on her world of Cuest.

For the full review, including notes to teach this book in a classroom, see mscanlit.blogspot.com

[Lindsay]

I will most definitely come back to this one, but I just don’t have time over the holidays.

[Billy Buttons · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘A gripping YA plot packed full of compelling characters. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

[Danny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book introduces you to fascinating fantasy worlds and characters. Through the characters’ adventures, you come to love Zecaar, Rasay, Haley, Catz, and Seenak as they learn about their world, their values and their capabilities while challenging the world they have inherited from their forefathers.
The settings are well developed as are the characters. After the first few chapters introducing the characters and their world, the story soon picks up and takes on unexpected twists and turns making you want to continue reading until the very end.
I thoroughly enjoyed this author’s first book and am looking forward to the next book in the trilogy.