Helpful Score: 1
What a far-out tale! We all know the tragic fate of the Donner Party, and that alone is incredible reading. Throwing a supernatural slant into their daily troubles makes this a good pick for when you're craving just a little something more to give you the willies. This one had me looking over my shoulder more than once and staring hard at shadows. Strange happenings, bad decisions and deteriorating partnerships create the ideal setting for spooky legends to run amuck in your head. Supernatural aside, the characterizations, although fictionalized, bring the ill-fated pioneers to life. I simply could not get enough. Hooked from the get-go all the way to the end. 4 stars.
Helpful Score: 1
I have mixed feelings on this one. It was an interesting story and I liked the paranormal take on this fictional account but there were some things I didn't like. I imagine these people, going through what they did, would cause a lot of strife among each other but it seemed so excessive that it was hard to like any of the characters because they were all jerks. I did end up liking some of the characters but there was no love lost when and if anything happened to them. The background stories were a nice addition but sometimes a bit too much. There just wasn't enough action to make it exciting for me. Too much angst and backdrop. It was enough to keep me interested and finish the story.
I thought this was an interesting take on the story of the ill-fated Donner Party. I grew up in Utah and the Donner Party was part of Utah History taught in Junior High School. I always thought the actual historical story of the party was horrific in itself with the party resorting to cannibalism to survive when their party was bogged down in the Sierra because of an early snowfall. The Donner Party crossed what is now Utah south of the Great Salt Lake about a year before Brigham Young arrived there and established Salt Lake City.
Anyway, I thought the story of various members of the party as described in the novel were quite fascinating. The interactions and conflicts between various groups was well-portrayed although I'm not sure how much of it was based on fact. The author included back stories for many of the party that included many secrets and showed why they had decided to go west rather than stay in the comfort of their eastern homes. Then Katsu throws in an element of horror as people start to disappear along the trail and lurking shadows seem to be responsible for this. So what exactly is happening here?
Well, overall I did enjoy this but I do agree that the actual story of the Donner Party was horrific enough without the added horror element included here. I'll probably seek out a nonfiction account of the story to see how The Hunger compared to the realities of the tragedy.
Anyway, I thought the story of various members of the party as described in the novel were quite fascinating. The interactions and conflicts between various groups was well-portrayed although I'm not sure how much of it was based on fact. The author included back stories for many of the party that included many secrets and showed why they had decided to go west rather than stay in the comfort of their eastern homes. Then Katsu throws in an element of horror as people start to disappear along the trail and lurking shadows seem to be responsible for this. So what exactly is happening here?
Well, overall I did enjoy this but I do agree that the actual story of the Donner Party was horrific enough without the added horror element included here. I'll probably seek out a nonfiction account of the story to see how The Hunger compared to the realities of the tragedy.
It's hard to review this without giving away the end. Obviously, it's about the Donner party, so you know it isn't going to be rainbows and sunshine. Still, I found this to be a very unsatisfying read. The last third of the book feels rushed and unpolished. There are so many instances where characters do things that make no sense at all, or have some critical bit of information which they keep to themselves without an explanation as to WHY they wouldn't speak up. And when it's all said and done, there just isn't not much of a payoff for the reader. I was excited to read this one, but in the end, very disappointed.
