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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I was drawn to this book because of the witch hunters aspect. I was not disappointed. Set long long ago, in the 1500's, we find Elizabeth Grey. She has had a very hard life that we learn more and more about through the book. We meet her as a young adult, a full fledged, lethal Hunter of all those doing magic. Magic is outlawed in this Kingdom, the penalty is death. Elizabeth is going though a few changes, and when you find out why, it is shocking. When things go down very badly, she is found with herbs in her pocket, and is commended to be burnt at the stake for being that which she has been hunting.
As the plot moves forward, and the more it moves forward the more things are reveled. I liked Veda, the seer among several others. The characters are very realistic and though the over all plot feels predicable at times, it is the DETAILS that kept me very interested in this book. John as well as Fifer, George, and many others were interesting. The ending was solid, but left room for another book in the series, though this one stands alone just fine.
My copy came from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more.
As the plot moves forward, and the more it moves forward the more things are reveled. I liked Veda, the seer among several others. The characters are very realistic and though the over all plot feels predicable at times, it is the DETAILS that kept me very interested in this book. John as well as Fifer, George, and many others were interesting. The ending was solid, but left room for another book in the series, though this one stands alone just fine.
My copy came from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and nothing more.
This book was one of the new talked about books that was supposed to super popular this year. As I started reading this book(pages into it), I wasn't too enthralled with it, I thought I would just read a little bit and then go on to another book....boy, was I wrong! I couldn't put this book down!! I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book and couldn't wait to read it. The characters were strong, and honestly thought I knew how all of this was going to end, and was very surprised!!
Really enjoyed the writing style of the author, the plot was fantastic, and the characters were easy to enjoy or dislike, it was fabulous. I loved John, George, Elizabeth, Peter....thought I liked Caleb, man, this book was crazy good. I thought for sure there was going to be this love triangle that was utterly predictable, and man, it threw me for a curve, it was awesome. It was dark and had plot twists that I didn't know how they were going to get out of. Plus I really thought I knew where the plot was going! I was on the edge of my seat at times and hoping it would/could work out!?! Really surprised me, but really enjoyed this book!
Loved this book!! Would HIGHLY recommend!!
Thanks to Netgalley for the awesome ARC!!
Really enjoyed the writing style of the author, the plot was fantastic, and the characters were easy to enjoy or dislike, it was fabulous. I loved John, George, Elizabeth, Peter....thought I liked Caleb, man, this book was crazy good. I thought for sure there was going to be this love triangle that was utterly predictable, and man, it threw me for a curve, it was awesome. It was dark and had plot twists that I didn't know how they were going to get out of. Plus I really thought I knew where the plot was going! I was on the edge of my seat at times and hoping it would/could work out!?! Really surprised me, but really enjoyed this book!
Loved this book!! Would HIGHLY recommend!!
Thanks to Netgalley for the awesome ARC!!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Pleasant light novel, perfect for a lazy afternoon. I liked it, bot not quite enough to read the next part in the series - if I somehow come across it, then I'll probably read it, but I won't go looking for it.
I actually really liked this! It wasn't all that special, but I wasn't expecting to like this so that's nice. I found the book at the dollar tree actually lol
It's a fantasy, but it is also a historical fiction because of the time period it's in. It is kind of like Clockwork angel by Cassandra Clare in that way or The glittering court series. These books are really entertaining honestly, because it has the fun fantasy part of the book while also giving you a historical vibe. I'll probably read the sequel eventually.
It's a fantasy, but it is also a historical fiction because of the time period it's in. It is kind of like Clockwork angel by Cassandra Clare in that way or The glittering court series. These books are really entertaining honestly, because it has the fun fantasy part of the book while also giving you a historical vibe. I'll probably read the sequel eventually.
I liked this book more than I thought I would!! I think the writing could've been a little better, but the story and the characters made up for any drawbacks. I can't wait to read the sequel!
2.5 stars out of 5.0 stars
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It went by pretty quickly and there's an interesting cast of characters. Nothing super special about it. My big issue with it is there's this "relationship" she has with the king that is essentially how she gets in trouble and does not seem to be at all consensual, but it's just kind of glossed over. There's no trauma or anything from it. Maybe I was reading into things too much, but it bothered me that she just kind of brushed it off. At the most she was just embarrassed she had to resort to what amounted to birth control. I didn't like that at all.
I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. It went by pretty quickly and there's an interesting cast of characters. Nothing super special about it. My big issue with it is there's this "relationship" she has with the king that is essentially how she gets in trouble and does not seem to be at all consensual, but it's just kind of glossed over. There's no trauma or anything from it. Maybe I was reading into things too much, but it bothered me that she just kind of brushed it off. At the most she was just embarrassed she had to resort to what amounted to birth control. I didn't like that at all.
This book was a surprise, and a pleasant surprise at that. This fast-paced read really pulled me in and was a book that I did not want to put down. I was kind of sad for it to end. According to the author page a Witch Hunter #2 is coming and there is a novella about John coming Aug. 11 (yay!) so I am happy to see that more will be coming and now I must go pre-buy that novella!
3.5 I really enjoyed this one. You do have to have patience and not mind if the main character isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Elizabeth is supposedly one of the best witch hunters in all the land. She's actually a bit of a goof and she messes up plenty.
She uses some herbs to prevent pregnancy from the king raping her. She gets caught with the herbs on her person and all practices linked to witchcraft are prohibited in her country. She ends up on death row, but is rescued by a wizard.
This journey was predictable, but was a lot of fun. If you want a fantasy-lite with some witches, this is a solid pick
Elizabeth is supposedly one of the best witch hunters in all the land. She's actually a bit of a goof and she messes up plenty.
She uses some herbs to prevent pregnancy from the king raping her. She gets caught with the herbs on her person and all practices linked to witchcraft are prohibited in her country. She ends up on death row, but is rescued by a wizard.
This journey was predictable, but was a lot of fun. If you want a fantasy-lite with some witches, this is a solid pick
Despite the not-at-all-accurate comparisons to GoT and Graceling, I had low expectations going in and nothing in the book raised them, so I was never disappointed...yay?
This is very similar to a bad pnr I just read, Demonica, but with witches. And less sex. An annoying puffed-up hunter of the supernatural is taken ahold of by who should be ha enemy, and the people she works for turn out to be even shadier than she thought. She falls in love with a boring would-be enemy and they have a dumb romance. And a predictable identity twist occurs.
I do sorta like the book’s Johanna Mason who totally hates the protagonist and would personally be fine with her death. But alas like Johanna Fifer learns to tolerate the protagonist.
Also, why do so many authors insist on writing in the present tense? Most of you do it for no discernible reason. Just saying.
This is very similar to a bad pnr I just read, Demonica, but with witches. And less sex. An annoying puffed-up hunter of the supernatural is taken ahold of by who should be ha enemy, and the people she works for turn out to be even shadier than she thought. She falls in love with a boring would-be enemy and they have a dumb romance. And a predictable identity twist occurs.
I do sorta like the book’s Johanna Mason who totally hates the protagonist and would personally be fine with her death. But alas like Johanna Fifer learns to tolerate the protagonist.
Also, why do so many authors insist on writing in the present tense? Most of you do it for no discernible reason. Just saying.
Spells, familiars, potions, herbs: It’s all illegal now. There was a time when those things were tolerated, encouraged even. Magic was seen as helpful – once. Then the plague came. Started by magic, spread by magic, we were almost destroyed by magic. We warned them to stop, but they didn’t stop.
The Witch Hunter is a historical fantasy set in 1558. In this alternate history magic started a plague and years ago the king allowed his uncle to persecute those who continued to practice magic. Blackwell, the Inquisitor, has outlined laws for those that practice magic and uses his witch hunters to enforce them. Elizabeth Grey is a witch hunter, one of the best. When she is caught carrying herbs that are banned, Elizabeth is branded a witch and sentenced to death. Only a mysterious visitor to her cell on the eve of her execution saves her, and transforms everything she thought she new about magic.
Nicholas Perevil, a powerful wizard and leader of the Reformists, rescues Elizabeth from prison. The Reformists are a group that support magic and want to change the laws in the kingdom that prevent those with the gift from practicing. For most of her life Elizabeth has been taught to revile magic, and coming into contact with Nicholas is her one chance to redeem herself in the eyes of Blackwell and get her sentence lifted. However, Nicholas forces Elizabeth to question everything that she thought was true, winning her over to the Reformists side. The question becomes whether or not Elizabeth can help the Reformists and keep her life.
I really liked the concept behind The Witch Hunter; however, after finishing the book, I have mixed feelings about it. The premise of an alternate history was well constructed and executed effectively and it came across as original. The plot was fast paced and full of action, it kept me turning the pages. But ultimately there is something holding me back from giving this one a five star review. Personally, I felt that the secondary characters (John, George, Fifer etc.) were a little one dimensional, and I think I was expecting more from them because they become so important to who Elizabeth became by the end of the book.
Elizabeth was a complex, contradictory character. On one hand she is a tough, strong young woman. As a witch hunter she has killed and she is more than capable of taking care of herself. However, this does not mean that Elizabeth is invulnerable, in fact, early on readers are show that Elizabeth is just as vulnerable as any other young woman. It was this contradiction that bothered me. From the start, we are told that Elizabeth has been making mistakes in her duties as a witch hunter, and only when she’s caught with herbs to prevent pregnancy are readers made aware of why she has not been herself. The king has been ordering her to his bedchamber after midnight. It’s disheartening to read about someone that could kill the king with her thumb being made submissive in this way. At the same time, I read this as wholly realistic; of course a person can be strong and vulnerable. But what I have a hard time with it the instances where Elizabeth seems to have sympathy for the king, Malcolm. This really bothered me when I was reading The Witch Hunter. I read it as Elizabeth having sympathy with her abuser and it made me deeply uncomfortable.
Considering Elizabeth’s past relationship with the king, I also found the budding romance to be a little strange. Elizabeth seems to be able to put her past behind her almost too easily after find the perfect young man. Of course this is complicated when he realizes that she’s a witch hunter, the same kind of person that burned his mother and sister. But true love overcomes all, and it’s that simplicity that I just find really hard to believe. Yes, it’s nice to have closure in the first book of a series, but I just think the romance plot was a little too neat and tidy when you look at the prime character’s past.
What really stood out for me about Elizabeth’s character was her ability to change her way of thinking. She has been aggressively trained to hate witchcraft. She doesn’t understand why witches continue to practice it:
It’s really interesting to see Elizabeth change her views on magic. It’s easy to see how Elizabeth was be convinced to become a witch hunter, and I think the author does a great job of showing the reader that Elizabeth has a genuine change in perspective by the end of The Witch Hunter. This transformation is the strongest character development of the story.
Ultimately, The Witch Hunter is a promising start to a series. It’s not without it’s flaws, but the world is interesting and I can see this one appealing to fans of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass and Kristen Cashore’s Graceling. While there are some aspects that I question about the book, I do have to remind myself that this is only the first book, and because of that not everything is revealed right away. Quite possibly the questions that I have will be answered in the next installment, so of course, I will be back for more.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.
The Witch Hunter is a historical fantasy set in 1558. In this alternate history magic started a plague and years ago the king allowed his uncle to persecute those who continued to practice magic. Blackwell, the Inquisitor, has outlined laws for those that practice magic and uses his witch hunters to enforce them. Elizabeth Grey is a witch hunter, one of the best. When she is caught carrying herbs that are banned, Elizabeth is branded a witch and sentenced to death. Only a mysterious visitor to her cell on the eve of her execution saves her, and transforms everything she thought she new about magic.
Nicholas Perevil, a powerful wizard and leader of the Reformists, rescues Elizabeth from prison. The Reformists are a group that support magic and want to change the laws in the kingdom that prevent those with the gift from practicing. For most of her life Elizabeth has been taught to revile magic, and coming into contact with Nicholas is her one chance to redeem herself in the eyes of Blackwell and get her sentence lifted. However, Nicholas forces Elizabeth to question everything that she thought was true, winning her over to the Reformists side. The question becomes whether or not Elizabeth can help the Reformists and keep her life.
I really liked the concept behind The Witch Hunter; however, after finishing the book, I have mixed feelings about it. The premise of an alternate history was well constructed and executed effectively and it came across as original. The plot was fast paced and full of action, it kept me turning the pages. But ultimately there is something holding me back from giving this one a five star review. Personally, I felt that the secondary characters (John, George, Fifer etc.) were a little one dimensional, and I think I was expecting more from them because they become so important to who Elizabeth became by the end of the book.
Elizabeth was a complex, contradictory character. On one hand she is a tough, strong young woman. As a witch hunter she has killed and she is more than capable of taking care of herself. However, this does not mean that Elizabeth is invulnerable, in fact, early on readers are show that Elizabeth is just as vulnerable as any other young woman. It was this contradiction that bothered me. From the start, we are told that Elizabeth has been making mistakes in her duties as a witch hunter, and only when she’s caught with herbs to prevent pregnancy are readers made aware of why she has not been herself. The king has been ordering her to his bedchamber after midnight. It’s disheartening to read about someone that could kill the king with her thumb being made submissive in this way. At the same time, I read this as wholly realistic; of course a person can be strong and vulnerable. But what I have a hard time with it the instances where Elizabeth seems to have sympathy for the king, Malcolm. This really bothered me when I was reading The Witch Hunter. I read it as Elizabeth having sympathy with her abuser and it made me deeply uncomfortable.
Considering Elizabeth’s past relationship with the king, I also found the budding romance to be a little strange. Elizabeth seems to be able to put her past behind her almost too easily after find the perfect young man. Of course this is complicated when he realizes that she’s a witch hunter, the same kind of person that burned his mother and sister. But true love overcomes all, and it’s that simplicity that I just find really hard to believe. Yes, it’s nice to have closure in the first book of a series, but I just think the romance plot was a little too neat and tidy when you look at the prime character’s past.
What really stood out for me about Elizabeth’s character was her ability to change her way of thinking. She has been aggressively trained to hate witchcraft. She doesn’t understand why witches continue to practice it:
“You say Nicholas is trying to help people. But all he’s doing is helping them into the pyre.” John’s eyes narrow, but I go on. “Magic is against the law. You know this. Your lives depend on not doing it, yet you keep on. It seems to me that if he really wanted to help you, he’d make you stop."
It’s really interesting to see Elizabeth change her views on magic. It’s easy to see how Elizabeth was be convinced to become a witch hunter, and I think the author does a great job of showing the reader that Elizabeth has a genuine change in perspective by the end of The Witch Hunter. This transformation is the strongest character development of the story.
Ultimately, The Witch Hunter is a promising start to a series. It’s not without it’s flaws, but the world is interesting and I can see this one appealing to fans of Sarah J. Maas’ Throne of Glass and Kristen Cashore’s Graceling. While there are some aspects that I question about the book, I do have to remind myself that this is only the first book, and because of that not everything is revealed right away. Quite possibly the questions that I have will be answered in the next installment, so of course, I will be back for more.
Originally reviewed at The Book Adventures.
*Review copy provided by the publisher via Edelweiss.