Review--Go Hunt Me by Kelly deVos

 

For Dracula lovers and fans of Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets, this spine-tingling thriller follows seven horror buffs as their dream trip to a remote Romanian castle turns into a nightmare when they begin to be killed one by one.

Alex Rush is ready for the trip of a lifetime.

She and her friends have made some creepily awesome films together throughout high school, so with only a few months left before they go their separate ways for college, they’re determined to make the best one yet: an epic short film that reimagines the story of Dracula, filmed on location at a remote castle in Romania.

But when they get there, it’s not quite the majestic setting they planned for. Menacing weapons line the walls, the twisted halls are easy to get lost in, and with no connection to the outside world, the group is unexpectedly off the grid. After just a few hours spent under its roof, Alex and her friends have no trouble imagining how this dark, terrifying castle inspired one of the most enduring horror novels of all time.

Only soon they no longer have to use their imaginations to understand the location’s terrifying history—just as they get the film’s first shot rolling, one of Alex’s friends disappears, and she’s nearly certain she saw a cloaked stranger lurking in the shadows. As more members of the group begin to meet an untimely demise, Alex is desperate to stop the bloodshed, even if it means facing a monster she never thought would be let loose.

 

I finally picked up Kelly deVos’ Go Hunt Me prepared for a chilling thriller with a vampiric twist and that’s exactly what I got! Although I was nowhere near prepared for the ending. It was positively chilling.

Alex and her friends all have dreams of making it big in Hollywood. Some want to write, some want to act, but Alex dreams of being a director. When her dream college waitlists her, she’s determined to revamp (no pun intended!) her admissions movie and with the help of a famous movie director, Catrinel Bloom, her dreams are about to come true. 

Her friends helped create a Go Fund Me page to earn money to help give Alex more funds for her movie. Catrinel helps to promote it even. Then when a sizable donation is made, it seems almost too good to be true. The seven teens then find themselves going to Dracula’s castle that is owned by Catrinel’s family.

But things, naturally, start to go horribly wrong. Firstly, the money that was donated vanishes from the Go Fund Me account, sending Alex’s friends into a frenzy. But then strange things start to happen in the castle. Shadowy figures are seen running about the grounds. And then the first teen is found dead. 

This book was all sorts of twisted and strange. The book is told from Alex’s point of view as she tells a police officer in Romania what happened. The events at the castle were clearly deadly and it’s pretty much hunted that Alex was the only survivor. 

The mystery that unravels was definitely strange. A serial killer is supposedly on the loose in Romania, one who kills because he enjoys it. There’s no rhyme or reason to how he chooses his victims and apparently the castle was once one of his hideouts. 

I’ll admit, the story had a very morose tone throughout. I was wondering what was the point? There are more questions than answers at the end, but little things start to make you wonder. The final chapter was where the answers laid, thankfully! I would’ve lost my mind if it wasn’t there!

The character development was done pretty well considering there were seven main characters. I mean we don’t get any of their perspectives but seeing them through Alex’s eyes was pretty telling. They were all pretty different from one another in some ways but they were still friends who had similar interests and dreams. 

There was a hint of romance in this one as Alex’s boyfriend was in her group as well. But the story doesn’t put much focus on the romance because it’s not meant to be integral to the story. 

Overall, I did find this to be an intriguing story. It’s not without flaws, but honestly everything makes sense in the end! I guess the bits of confusion I initially had held me back from enjoying it from the get-go as it does take to about the halfway point for the teens to go to Romania. Which that seemed a little far-fetched to me as well, but I try to suspend the typical realistic situations when reading. 

It’s still a very twisted story with a mind-boggling mystery that will leave you guessing until the very end! If you’re looking for a twisted mystery with a brush of paranormal then this is the read for you!!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars