Rating: 
Summary: Solid fantasy in a rich setting.
Review: A bit slow to start, while introducing the main characters and setting, it picks up after the first 100 or so pages. If that seems like a lot, I will add that it's worth sticking with. Once the supporting cast (Evayne, Kallandras, and the wild girl, for those who have read it) is brought in, it becomes much more interesting. Mystery and intrigue develop and many questions are raised that have me looking forward to reading the second volume. (Be warned: the story is *not* self-contained, and HUNTER'S DEATH will not simply be a sequel.)
Rating:
Summary: A good book with a lot of promise.
Review: A rare find but a good one. I think this is a very good fantasy novel which introduces you to some very interesting characters. Eagerly awaiting the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Mediocre page-turner
Review: Hunter's Oath offers some very positive features - the world development is solid, the plot is very intriguing and the characters have personality. West's prose, though, isn't that great, and repetition of themes is very common, leading to a lack of understatement. There are some good surprises (well, they surprised me), especially concerning the nature of one of the more mysterious characters. Even as I got a bit hooked, I kept having the feeling that this could have been written a bit better. The book was good enough though that it intrigued me and I likely will hunt down the second book in the duology to satisfy my interest in the characters and their futures. In other words, moderately recommended - about the quality of your average fantasy novel.
Rating: 
Summary: A phenomenal experience for all readers
Review: I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. Words cannot describe what an awesome experience the series "Sacred Hunt" has been for me. When I first heard of "Hunter's Oath", it was from a friend when we were discussing books and RPGs. She suggested it to me, with the words, "You'll love this." Man, how right on the button she was. Yet so far away, b/c I didn't just love it... it has become one of the best books I've ever read in my life (and I've easilly read hundreds). The book stars a young common boy Stephen. When he was a child, he was hunted by a man named Soredon, Lord Elseth, and his huntbrother Norn. Stephen's destiny was chosen long before his birth to where he would become the huntbrother, the tie that binds the Hunter Lords with humanity, to Gilliam of Elseth. They were only eight years old when they took their oath to become huntbrothers, Stephen and Gilliam were. Yet it was an oath they took, that they obey until their deaths, to obey the rules of the Hunter God of Breodanir. The Hunter God of Breodanier fills the woods with game and keeps hunting active throughout the year, but one day of every year in the King's City, all Hunter Lords and huntbrothers must gather for the Sacred Hunt- a day in which the Hunter God of Breodanir hunts a Hunter Lord or a huntbrother. It is by the sacrifice of one that Breodanir survives to face another year. Gilliam and Stephen were bound into this fate when they took their oath, and it would be for the rest of their lives that they abide by it unless they wish to lose all titles of nobility and a scar that can never be removed from the Elseth name. Yet other strange happenings keep occuring. A lost and forbidden art, demon summoning, seems to be ressurected. Somehow, it points at Gilliam and Stephen, and leads them on a path that their destinies have brought them to. If this rating were sections rated out of 10, I give its plot a 10, its story a 10, its characters a 10 (for even the enemies you find yourself deeply hating and getting creeped out by the thought of them), its description and depth a 10, and its character development a 10. I DARE you to read this book and not fall in love with Stephen or at least one of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: A phenomenal experience for all readers
Review: I cannot say enough how much I loved this book. Words cannot describe what an awesome experience the series "Sacred Hunt" has been for me. When I first heard of "Hunter's Oath", it was from a friend when we were discussing books and RPGs. She suggested it to me, with the words, "You'll love this." Man, how right on the button she was. Yet so far away, b/c I didn't just love it... it has become one of the best books I've ever read in my life (and I've easilly read hundreds). The book stars a young common boy Stephen. When he was a child, he was hunted by a man named Soredon, Lord Elseth, and his huntbrother Norn. Stephen's destiny was chosen long before his birth to where he would become the huntbrother, the tie that binds the Hunter Lords with humanity, to Gilliam of Elseth. They were only eight years old when they took their oath to become huntbrothers, Stephen and Gilliam were. Yet it was an oath they took, that they obey until their deaths, to obey the rules of the Hunter God of Breodanir. The Hunter God of Breodanier fills the woods with game and keeps hunting active throughout the year, but one day of every year in the King's City, all Hunter Lords and huntbrothers must gather for the Sacred Hunt- a day in which the Hunter God of Breodanir hunts a Hunter Lord or a huntbrother. It is by the sacrifice of one that Breodanir survives to face another year. Gilliam and Stephen were bound into this fate when they took their oath, and it would be for the rest of their lives that they abide by it unless they wish to lose all titles of nobility and a scar that can never be removed from the Elseth name. Yet other strange happenings keep occuring. A lost and forbidden art, demon summoning, seems to be ressurected. Somehow, it points at Gilliam and Stephen, and leads them on a path that their destinies have brought them to. If this rating were sections rated out of 10, I give its plot a 10, its story a 10, its characters a 10 (for even the enemies you find yourself deeply hating and getting creeped out by the thought of them), its description and depth a 10, and its character development a 10. I DARE you to read this book and not fall in love with Stephen or at least one of the characters.
Rating:
Summary: Hunter's Oath
Review: I couldn't put this book down! The characters were lifelike, I felt like I got to know them and the story was just great in its creativity. West has an amazing eye for detail. However, the reason I only decided it was worth 3 stars, was because West's editor, apparently, doensn't have an eye for detail. Half of the time, there would be a description of a character or scene without an explanation of what was actually happening. It's not the author's fault -- an extensive read-through would have solved this problem. (Also, I didn't realize it had a sequel and was panicked when it just ended without really ending!) Even so, if you're interested in fantasy, I'd reccommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: interesting, easy to read, wanted to know more
Review: i found this book compelling in that it kept my attention and made me want to read more about the characters. i have read the follow up book Hunters Death and am now reading The Broken Crown which continues the story but adds new characters as well.the only problem i had with the book was the curse words uttered by gillam and stephen during a fight scene. i found it odd that the author would use contemporary 1990 curse words in a fantasy novel set in imaginary time. it didnt ring true and broke my concentration as i read. this is truly a book that i could recommend to my children to read as it lacks the sex and x-rated language so prevelent today. i appreciate the fact that the author proves a good book can be written without those elements deemed "necessary" by so many today. it was a good book and i recommend it highly.
Rating: 
Summary: very mediocre
Review: I picked this up because it looked like it was a new angle for a fantasy novel. However, the first time I tried to read it I never got past chapter three because it lacked depth, and the continually changing viewpoint made it tedious to read. I picked it up again last week however, and slogged my way through the entire thing. I was unable to reach any rapport with the characters except possibly for Evayne, and her role mostly raises questions. All of the other characters are two-dimensional and indecipherable. The book raises lots of questions it doesn't answer, particularly with regard to the Hunter/Huntbrother relationship and the customs and conventions of their homeland. Another major question mark is Evayne and her role. She promises to bring interest and empathy into the novel, but doesn't live up to that promise. I do not recommend this book unless you want to fail to enjoy empathy with under-developed characters in a circular plot that goes nowhere and ends in a cliffhanger.
Rating:
Summary: A little Complicated, but interesting
Review: I read both the books in the duology. West has a writing style that is a little hard to read sometimes, but I thought the story was compelling. I finished the book wondering who all the charaters were (Evayne, Kallandras, etc.) and what happened in their past. I'd like to see her write something specifically about the other characters that she introduced in the story, something that would answer all the questions. If she does can so this effectively, I'd call it a good series. If the mysteries are NEVER revealed, I'd call it a mediocre one. The ending (of the series) was NOT what I expected.
Rating:
Summary: these books made me a michelle west fan!
Review: In the Hunter's Oath and Death books, Ms. West constructs a very rich, multi-faceted universe. It is an ambitious project and she pulls it off extremely well. It does get a bit of a slow start, but that is to be expected when creating an entire world from scratch. It isn't your typical "adolescent male finds something magical, finds a princess, defeats an evil wizard, and lives happily ever after", nor are there any elves or dwarves capering or glowering about the landscape. Unlike many fantasy novels which are so predictable you only have to skim, there is more art to her work. She creates a complex scenario without baffling us, she pits good against evil without pontificating, and most important of all, she doesn't condescend to us by making *everybody* live happily ever after. These books made me a confirmed Michelle West fan, and once you finish and love these, you'll want to start on the Sun Sword series which takes this world even farther (a sequel series, not a series of sequels).
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