Book Review: The Hunger

THE HUNGER | Alma Katsu
03.06.2018 | G.P. Putnam’s Sons
Rating: 4/5 stars

Tamsen Donner must be a witch. That’s the only logical explanation for the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the pioneers to the brink of madness. They can’t escape the feeling that they’re being watched. Someone is stalking them. While this ill-fated group struggles to survive in the treacherous mountain conditions, evil begins to grow all around them. As members of the party start to disappear, they begin to wonder what is really waiting for them in the mountains.

THE HUNGER is my first read from Alma Katsu, who has been one of my most anticipated authors to check out, and I was extremely impressed! The Donner Party is a real group of pioneers who set out across America. They faced real dangers and met a disastrous fate. Katsu was able to take this real story and craft it into a unique work of fiction.

Fans of atmospheric reads will immediately be sucked into THE HUNGER. This story is driven forward by the changing climate that the pioneers must traverse to reach their final California destination. They truly face it all, ranging from scorching heat to blizzard conditions. Each change in climate drives a series of responses from the pioneers causing tension and controversy. 

As if the environmental changes weren’t enough for the pioneers to have to deal with, they must also face whatever is stalking them along their journey. I love the tension that Katsu is able to build with this unknown force. What is watching them? Is it another group of people or something otherworldly? That sense of mystery linked with strange happenings truly kept my attention the entire way through the story. I desperately needed to know what was happening! 

THE HUNGER definitely keeps to a slower pace, but the events throughout the story are enough to propel interest and keep the reader on the edge of their seat with what new horror will strike the Donner Party.

This book is available to buy from: Amazon | Book Depository

Disclosure: What Jess Reads is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This in no way influences my opinion of the above book.