Matt Archer: Monster Hunter

We all know by now how found I am of stories that have monsters in them so it's no surprise that I enjoyed this book by Kendra C. Higley. I thought that this first book in the Matt Archer series had a lot of potential, and as far as first books in a series goes I thought it was very well laid out. I love monster stories so I loved reading about the monsters that had taken up residence in his backyard and that awesomely mystical knife that he had to fight them with. What I liked most about the book though besides the characters was the plot of the book itself. I was surprised by the strength it had. While it's the first book in a series I also think that the book has the weight to stand on it's own equally well. The book brought to mind the television show Supernatural in a lot of ways but still Monster Hunter maintained its own uniqueness. I haven't read many books like it and I think that that's rather a shame since it was so well written. There is a great sense of mystery and adventure to this novel that I think I would have enjoyed very much if I were the age of Matt when I read it but in any case I enjoyed it even now. Overall, I thought this was a wonderfully written book with a great main character. I really came to like Matt and I enjoyed going on the monster hunts with him so I can't wait to read the next book in the series so I can get back to going on the hunts with him. I would recommend this book to those who like young adult fictions with monsters in it and fans of the television show Supernatural since the book reminded me very much of it. I enjoyed the book immensely and I hope anyone who reads it enjoys it as much as I did. *I received a complementary copy of this book in exchange for my FREE and HONEST review.

I just can't get over just how awesome of a read this is!!! Genre: YA Urban Fantasy My Review: I absolutely loved Matt Archer from the get go!!! He's such a likable character! I loved the "voice" of the first person narrative, endearing Matt to me immediately. All the characters are very well developed; not one felt flat in the least. The family dynamics, the average-teen-high-school issues, the friendships all felt so real. I was amazed at the high level of believability considering the subject matter (I read urban fantasy all the time, but when a high school boy gets to be a part of a Navy Seal team, you've got to be a great author to get that sense of "sure that could happen"). The action is quick-paced, abundant and so much fun!!! I can't get over just how awesome of a read this book is; I can't wait for more!!! And luckily for us all, there is more! There's a short story that comes after this and book 2, Matt Archer: Blade's Edge is due out in January! Yay for more good books!!! Cover Art: I really like this cover! I think it is fitting for the target audience and makes you want to see what's inside. The title is also very grabbing; you don't really need to read the synopsis to know this is going to be an awesome read. *Disclosure of Material Connection: I am a member of Reading Addiction Blog Tours and a copy of this book was provided to me by the author. Although payment may have been received by Reading Addiction Blog Tours, no payment was received by me in exchange for this review. There was no obligation to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are entirely my own and may not necessarily agree with those of the author, publisher, publicist, or readers of this review. This disclosure is in accordance with the Federal Trade Commision’s 16 CFR, Part 255, Guides Concerning Use of Endorcements and Testimonials in Advertising*

Matt Archer: Monster Hunter was an all around great book! I was hooked from the very beginning. Not only did it have a good storyline, but it was also fast paced and it had just enough action. I adored the main character, Matt Archer. He was so cute and funny! I really liked that this story was told from his point of view. It has been awhile since I have read a novel that was told from a male's pov and I had forgotten how much I liked reading those kind of stories. It's always a great change of pace. I was really impressed with this novel. I thought it was well written and was just a really fun read. Kendra C. Highley has a new fan, I will definitely be checking out more of her work!

"Matt Archer Monster Hunter" is a fast paced, full of action story that keeps you turning the pages. Kendra's plot flows smoothly in this YA novel with characters that are realistic and believable. I found myself relating to the main character (Matt Archer) which is rare. Now I can't wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended for all YA and not so YA readers. *5 Stars* This review is based on a complimentary copy which was provided for an honest review.

A fantastic read! Did I enjoy this book: I loved this book. I read every free chance I had and could not put my Nook down until I finished it. The first 30 pages had me wondering if this book was too geared towards the younger crowd of boys, the last half had me convinced that it would appeal to everyone. All I could say when I finished was "wow" and "holy crap"! This book had enough action to keep me completely engrossed. There were parts where my adrenaline was pumping, where I laughed out loud, where I got excited and frightened and exhausted. Matt Archer: Monster Hunter is a well-written book that puts you in the action. Matt Archer is your ordinary ninth grader...not big, not athletic, kind of quiet. But his life sure changes after a camping trip with his uncle. He is a character you want to succeed. You want Matt to get the girl of his dreams. You want him to take out the bullies that have bothered him for most of his school years. You want him to be a monster hunter. You want him to be safe and remain a kid in some respects. I think everyone would root for this kid...no one reading Matt Archer: Monster Hunter would want this kid to fail. The remaining cast of characters fill out this book quite nicely. Mike is Matt's uncle and helps show Matt the ropes of monster hunting. Mamie is Matt's overprotective, older sister who proves to be quite an asset. Brent is Matt's older brother. The two do not seem to have much in common but they are brothers and there for each other. Will is Matt's best friend and fierce ally. He is indispensable to Matt and his hunting missions. Would I recommend it: I would recommend this book. I can't wait for my kids to be old enough to read it. Will I read it again: I probably won't read this book again but I will definitely read the next book in this series, Matt Archer: Monster Summer, which is a short story. I hope there are more books about Matt Archer.

Awesome, good read! Scary and suspenseful, can't wait for the sequel!!!

This was a GREAT BOOK . It was an easy read and ALL ages will like it cant wait for the sequel

Matt Archer is a great book. It is not slow, good length, and plenty of action. It is similar to the book I am Number Four in the fighting monsters/aliens department. Once again Matt Archer is an amazing book that I would recommend to all my friends. -Joseph

This book is fabulous. Matt is fabulous, Uncle Mike is fabulous, Mamie is fabulous, Will is fabulous, the knife is fabulous. The whole dang thing is fabulous. So fabulous, in fact, that I'm having a very hard time putting my feelings about it into real words, so I'm just going to keep typing whatever comes into my mind and hope that it makes some sort of sense to somebody out there. Okay, here I go. Probably my favorite part about this book was how believable all of the characters were. It's really hard to write teenagers, especially young ones, and make them sound their age without seeming ridiculous. Yeah, I guess you could say that some kids aren't exactly the brightest yet, but they're not all that way. I personally know of many underage individuals who are much more mature than their "adult" counterparts. Not that I think that Matt is like a 40-year-old man in a 14-year-old's body, but just because he's young, doesn't mean he's stupid. He makes his mistakes just like everybody else does, but he's also very responsible. Very few people, his age or not, would be willing to set aside nearly everything they want in life in order to protect what others need. It's a very mature decision to make, and I think that Matt was very willing to make it without ever acting selfishly. Still, he's a 14-year-old boy, not Mahatma Gandhi. Too often, I think that authors overstep this sort of "maturity line" in young characters because they're too afraid of making them seem weak. If you offer a teenage boy a ride in a Special Forces aircraft, he's not going to sit and contemplate the deeper meaning of it all, or do an extensive background check on the pilot to see how safe he is first. No, he's going to think it's freaking AWESOME, jump right in, and wait until he's able to tell all of his friends about how cool it was. And that's exactly what Matt did. You know, until he threw up. Minor detail. Matt did end up growing up a lot throughout this first book, though. I didn't really notice it until he started reflecting on it himself after someone brought it up to him, and that really impressed me. I was shocked by how much he had changed and matured in such a short time, and I was even more surprised that I really hadn't noticed it that much. There was never a time when I stopped to think that something he did was way too out of character, yet that character kept changing all of the time. If anything at all, I have to give Kendra a whole lot of credit for that alone. Luckily, it wasn't just that about this book that impressed me. I also really liked how descriptive yet fast-paced and dialogue-filled the novel was. I was always given enough information to envision what I needed, yet I never felt like a certain scene dragged on for way too long. The monsters were pretty great, too. I really liked that they adapted so quickly and were actually pretty smart. They came up with their own plans to win fights too, and they certainly mastered the area of smack-talk. No villains (or his/her minions) are complete without it. Taylor