MulticulturalJunkie

Actual Rating: 4.75

Not sure why, but my review disappeared! Seeing as how I have to rewrite it, it may not be as extensive...

Gee, what can I say, that hasn't already been said about "I Hunt Killers?" "I hunt Killers" is a painfully entertaining, yet disturbing look at humanity at it's deepest, ugliest form of evil. I Hunt Killers follows the exploits of Jasper"Jazz" Dent. But he's not a conventional teenage boy. Jazz was raised and groomed by the one of the most notorious serial killers the United States has ever seen. Because of this, to prove that he's nothing like his father, he hunts and analyzes serial killers to hopefully bring them to justice. But secretly, is he just like his father? Waiting for the right moment to pop?

As far as I could see, there weren't any plot holes. The pacing was excellent. The writing never let you be one step ahead, but follow through the way anyone below the genius of a mastermind might process. It never revealed any more or any less of what you needed to see, which painfully left me to often turn the page until about 2 am in the morning! Consistency was also a plus. Jazz's thoughts and ideas and intelligence was so intricate and well thought out. He caught on to things many of us could never catch onto. Following the plot through his head, I always wanted more, but was at times afraid to see what I would find.

The world building was amazing. Im not just referring to the "setting." But the idea of what it's like to be in the head of a serial killer...has me a bit on the edge of what this author is really like. He cant be who he says he is, and he must be "blending in." I fear for his wife, his children, any stranger that may cross his path. Hell, if I even think I see his ass, Im hauling in the other direction. I couldn't predict a thing. My mind just doesn't work that fast.

Jasper himself? He's relatable and unreliable at the same time. He is dealing with such difficult things, and that we can all relate to. He had his own demons, and own fires to extinguish within him, and that definitely makes me "want" to understand and relate. But he's very dark, and he's not afraid to admit it. He's also manipulative, cynical, at times has a type of apathy he cant exactly change. He's an anti-hero you root for, but fear at the same time.

Details about the past worked well with the present. Jazz often heard his father's voice, as he was often dealing with the fear it would one day be his own. Details about Jazz's past are yet to be revealed, but with that, things you learn about his past coincide with the present. I just wanted to figure him out, but I don't think that 100% possible. There was a lot of inner conflict that Jazz himself dealt with. He tried not to let it rule him ,which he was good at, since he'd been taught well. But he needed friends. He needed people to make him see that he needed to be human. And that was often a struggle.

The outer conflict was always well done. Dealing with a serial killer is not easy. Im so glad this is not my life XD I haven't read many other books like this, but Im sure there are many. But there are many other things that make this book so unique.

There aren't many complaints about editing. It meets an industry standard, which is good, otherwise it would've been much more difficult to follow. The language isn't too choppy, but Howie at times used specific slang, and I wasn't sure why. It's told third person, which probably makes sense, considering it wasn't always from Jazz's perspective. I usually prefer first person, but I don't think I want to be that much in a person's head. The dialogue was blended well with the action, so no complaints there.

Diversity was a win. There weren't a ton of diverse characters, but the book choose to make a black girl one of the main ones. For individuals who say it shouldn't matter, to you it probably wouldn't. Most likely it doesn't matter because you see your image. Probably often. The author must have a black girlfriend or dated interracially. This couldn't have merely been research! Being in an interracial relationship, I kind of deal with the things Jazz and Connie did. Im funny about my hair, a bit headstrong in comparison to girls of his own race. So it was just weird to see me on the page. I don't get to very often. She was believable. But mind you, there is no universal "black" experience. Many girls can relate to her, and many girls may not. Race would probably have little to do with either route.

And I loved how Jazz really...just adored her. Im sorry to any reader who is an Olivia Pope fan, but at the end of the day, she is still a mistress. I want to see more interracial couples who aren't doing anything explicit to be with someone outside of their race. Relationships have enough problems. So it's nice to just see a IR couple just be. And not be some taboo thing that's still so forbidden. I loved Howie as well, but he's not explicitly written a certain race. Yet...but being hemophiliac does make him a minority. And he wasn't some wimp. He dove into action, even though he really wasn't ready or stable enough for it.He was extremely brave, and being disabled, we need to see more disabled characters written this way.

The title suits the book. I may not have picked it up based on the title alone though. When I saw a girl on twitter tweet about grinning ear to ear that Jazz's girlfriend was black(who was not black btw)I bought it off of that. But I like the title. And the cover. It's plain, but I don't think it should be too extravagant, because the story tells itself without a crazy cover. The colors are a great choice though! Character names suit the characters well. I wont say they're uncommon, but I cant say I've ever met a Howie, a Jasper or a Connie. Maybe it's a small world, but the names suit the characters, and they were unique enough to stand out from conventional names. My only REAL complaint were the character descriptions. Jasper didn't describe himself, but his fear to look in the mirror made me assume he looked just like DEAR OLD DAD. Connie wasn't described by color, which I suppose is good because it shouldn't matter. But when it's not explicit, most assume that the only attractive black women are fair skinned. So to soothe my insecurities I would've liked to see a color. Howie? His height is well known, but his slang leads one to believe he <i>could<i> be African American. My sister has since read the sequel before I even opened this book, and he is in deed white. So that was kind of a fail for me. But i loved Howie :)

Overall, Im glad I finished it, but apart of me may just pick up its sequel. Guess there goes sleep for the week.