Elite & Apex (Hunter, #2-3) by Mercedes Lackey

Narrated by Amy Landon

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Joy wants nothing more than to live and Hunt in Apex City without a target on her back. But a dangerous new mission assigned by her uncle, the city's Prefect, may make that impossible.

In addition to her new duties as one of the Elite, Joy is covertly running patrols in the abandoned tunnels and storm sewers under Apex Central. With her large pack of magical hounds, she can fight the monsters breaking through the barriers with the strength of three hunters. Her new assignment takes a dark turn when she finds a body in the sewers: a Psimon with no apparent injury or cause of death.

Reporting the incident makes Joy the uncomfortable object of PsiCorp's scrutiny—the organization appears more interested in keeping her quiet than investigating. With her old enemy Ace still active in Hunts and the appearance of a Folk Mage who seems to have a particular interest in her, Joy realizes that the Apex conspiracy she uncovered before her Elite trials is anything but gone.

As the body count rises, she has no choice but to seek answers. Joy dives into the mysterious bowels of the city, uncovering secrets with far-reaching consequences for PsiCorp... and all of Apex City. 

“Learn the wisdom of the Hound. Always rest, eat, and play when you can, because the universe conspires to keep you from doing any of these things nearly as often as you would like.”

I was so excited to continue this series! At the start, the thorough descriptions of creatures and places seemed a little redundant. I had already become familiar with most of them after reading the first book. However, I do realize this extra information would have been nice had I waited a year or more to read the next one.

The attacks on Apex are becoming more and more frequent, and there are too few Hunter's to handle the overwhelming forces of the Othersiders. They also seem more organized and driven, so their attempts to break the barriers are more effective. The Folk play a larger role in the second book, and I really liked learning more about them. They are essentially faeries, but with their own twist. Speaking of The Folk, *highlight to view spoiler» I knew it! My earlier prediction (mentioned in my review of the first book) was correct! He does play a larger role, and he seems to only have good intentions.

♡

Narrated by Amy Landon

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Being a member of the Elite Hunter Command imperils Joy in more ways than one. In their latest clash with Othersiders, the army of monsters nearly wiped them out. Apex City is safe . . . for now. But within the city barriers, Joy must wage a different kind of war.

The corrupt and powerful PsiCorps is determined to usurp the Hunters as chief defenders of Apex City and Joy is now squarely in their crosshairs. Unused to playing political games, she has very few people she can truly trust—not even Josh, her first friend in Apex City, who broke up with her when it became too dangerous for a Psimon to be dating a Hunter.

Then Josh comes to Joy for help. He fears that Abigail Drift, the head of PsiCorps, will soon use him in her twisted experiments designed to empower PsiCorps and render Hunters superfluous—a scheme that’s already killed off dozens of Psimons. Joy manages to smuggle Josh to safety, but he cannot evade Drift forever . . .

As Joy faces ever more powerful Othersiders, she is helped by the most surprising ally imaginable—the same Folk Mage she once met in battle on the train to Apex City. But can Joy trust the most cunning and treacherous of all Othersiders?

𑁋

I really fell in love with this story and the characters. They are all very unique and it's set in a world similar to our own. I also enjoyed the familiarity of the lore and mythology, and their intricate explanations were captivating. I recognized most of them, but others (like Knockers) were new to me.

The magical elements were a nice addition to the story. Opening portals and having Hounds aid people in battle was fascinating. The fact that those Hounds were also Otherworlders that could wield their own magic, only added to the excitement. Joy's relationship with her Hounds was beautiful and endearing. If my dogs could talk and breathe fire, I think life would be a lot more exciting.

The audiobooks are long, so I'm sure the books are hefty, but I would still recommend you get all of them at once. If you read the first one, you're not going to want to stop!