The Hunger

Alma Katsu

Mar 2018 · Sold by Penguin

About this ebook

"Supernatural suspense at its finest...The best thing about The Hunger is that it will scare the pants off you."--The New York Times Book Review

"Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark."--Stephen King

A tense and gripping reimagining of one of America's most fascinating historical moments: the Donner Party with a supernatural twist.

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

That is the only way to explain 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 isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy...or the feelings that someone--or something--is stalking them. Whether it's a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.

As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains...and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.

Effortlessly combining the supernatural and the historical, The Hunger is an eerie, thrilling look at the volatility of human nature, pushed to its breaking point.

Ratings and reviews

Don't waste your time or money. Not a suspenseful mystery, a paranormal horror or historical significant piece of literature. I'm extremely disappointed I spent $9 and 2 days of my life on this novel. Half of the characters storylines were never even concluded.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ The Hunger was much slower than I anticipated. There are many characters. The story is continuously switching from each of their point of views. I personally like the switching from character to character but it can be hard to follow for some. I did not consider this to be as nerve wrecking as I assumed it would be. Despite that I still loved the story. There were a lot of historical accuracies which made everything feel more real. I also enjoyed the deep level of writing which a lot of favorable quotes were born. A definite thumbs up from me! #thehunger #almakatsu #bookstagram #bookreview #4star #lallahbookreview #readinginlallahland

My review only applies to the first 3 chapters. Google refuses to download the rest of the book. Send me the entire book that was purchased and I may review again.

About the author

Alma Katsu is the author of The Taker, The Reckoning, and The Descent. She has been a signature reviewer for Publishers Weekly and a contributor to The Huffington Post. She is a graduate of the Master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. Prior to the publication of her first novel, Katsu had a long career as a senior intelligence analyst for several US agencies and is currently a senior analyst for a think tank. She lives outside of Washington, DC, with her husband.