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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Well I was hoping this would somehow redeem Witch Hunter, but it didn't yeah pretty disappointing sequel and seeing as how I didn't care for anyone in the first book well what happened in King Slayer didn't really change anything. And well these books had so much potential and well that went down the drain sadly, and yeah there's a reason I don't read much historical fiction it can be really well or be really terrible and this duology fell flat despite the magical elements begin there and the whole hunter teaming up with the most unlikely people which of course causes a huge botch up as a result and this book just builds on that and I wound up not caring.
The end.
A summery for The King Slayer:
Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches, wizards, pirates, and healers she now calls her friends.
Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.
The end.
A summery for The King Slayer:
Former witch hunter Elizabeth Grey is hiding within the magically protected village of Harrow, evading the price put on her head by Lord Blackwell, the usurper king of Anglia. Their last encounter left Blackwell ruined, but his thirst for power grows stronger every day. He's readying for a war against those who would resist his rule--namely Elizabeth and the witches, wizards, pirates, and healers she now calls her friends.
Having lost her stigma, a magical source of protection and healing, Elizabeth's strength is tested both physically and emotionally. War always means sacrifice, and as the lines between good and evil blur once more, Elizabeth must decide just how far she'll go to save those she loves.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
More like 2.5 stars.
I wanted to love this book, like I did the first one. I went into it really excited. But it fell so flat for me. More than half the book was slow-paced, and very dry. Nothing happened. I kept waiting and waiting for it to get good....but it just didnt. Even when it started to pick up the pace, it basically was too quick and really rushed past the climax. Which I didn't even understand that well, honestly.
Even the characters were annoying to me in this book. Elizabeth was very dull in this book. It felt like she never could decide what to do, and then she'd make a wrong decision that lead to nothing but chaos. And not the good kind. I didnt like John at all in this one. His personality was completely different, and he was arrogant, at least when he was in the book. He wasnt there half the time. The only character I really loved was Shuyler. His scenes were what kept me going, and he is the only reason I am giving this book a 2.5 rating.
Overall, I am so disappointed. And I'll probably pretend I never read this book and just leave it at the first one.
I wanted to love this book, like I did the first one. I went into it really excited. But it fell so flat for me. More than half the book was slow-paced, and very dry. Nothing happened. I kept waiting and waiting for it to get good....but it just didnt. Even when it started to pick up the pace, it basically was too quick and really rushed past the climax. Which I didn't even understand that well, honestly.
Even the characters were annoying to me in this book. Elizabeth was very dull in this book. It felt like she never could decide what to do, and then she'd make a wrong decision that lead to nothing but chaos. And not the good kind. I didnt like John at all in this one. His personality was completely different, and he was arrogant, at least when he was in the book. He wasnt there half the time. The only character I really loved was Shuyler. His scenes were what kept me going, and he is the only reason I am giving this book a 2.5 rating.
Overall, I am so disappointed. And I'll probably pretend I never read this book and just leave it at the first one.
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
You can also find this review on Tea Books and Fun.
I loved The Witch Hunter when I read it last year, so of course, I was really excited about its sequel and devoured it when I got my hands on it. I wasn’t disappointed and I would highly recommend you to read this duology.
Elizabeth evolved so much during this book, I was really impressed with her. In the first book, we discovered that there was a reason witch hunters were so badass, but in the second book, Elizabeth is more of a human again. Because of that, she had to work so much to be strong again, I liked to see how strong-willed she was. Moreover, she had to make tough decisions and clearly showed that she didn’t need other people to tell her what to do, or to protect her.
The secondary characters were still great in this one, I really need this novella about Schuyler, you know? There is so much mystery about this past, so I just need it now. I wasn’t expecting to see so much of Malcolm during the story, but it was quite interesting to see, because of the past he had with Elizabeth. Virginia Boecker also introduced new characters I enjoyed and helped picture a bigger part of this world.
The plot was more complex in The King Slayer than in The Witch Hunter, because it was more war-driven and I enjoyed it seeing everyone training, getting on missions and then fighting on the battlefield. However, I have to admit that I struggled a little at the beginning of the novel, because I had a hard time remembering who was who and what was going on. I would advise you to read the books back to back or reread the first one before diving into this one, because the author doesn’t talk that much about what happened before. The pacing of the story was a bit slow at first, but it picked up and I couldn’t stop reading 100 pages into it.
I still wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance at the beginning of the book, even if the characters were cute together, but I liked that the author never made it evolve in a love triangle. Indeed, the main couple had big problems, which prevented them to be together toward the middle of the book, but it actually made sense. It wasn’t a problem of communication for once, which was quite refreshing. I actually warmed up to them during the book, because they went through so much and deserved to be together at the end.
The magic aspect of this duology was explained in depth during The King Slayer, because we ignored so much of it after The Witch Hunter, and it was so interesting. You could definitely see there was so much foreshadowing that led to understand the magic system. Boecker also explored more of the magical world politics and a betrayal quite surprised me. I was deeply in love with the alternate history aspect of the novel, just like in the first one, I liked how similar it was to England but yet, it wasn’t? Moreover, the ending of The King Slayer was pretty epic, heart-breaking at times, and I had enough closure to be satisfied.
Overall, I was satisfied with this conclusion and you should read this duology if you haven’t yet. Those books are some of the best witches/wizards books I’ve read in a while, so if you want to get back to them, do yourself a favour. I’m so excited to read what Virginia Boecker has in store next, because I need more alternate history in my life (I love, love, love it!).
I loved The Witch Hunter when I read it last year, so of course, I was really excited about its sequel and devoured it when I got my hands on it. I wasn’t disappointed and I would highly recommend you to read this duology.
Elizabeth evolved so much during this book, I was really impressed with her. In the first book, we discovered that there was a reason witch hunters were so badass, but in the second book, Elizabeth is more of a human again. Because of that, she had to work so much to be strong again, I liked to see how strong-willed she was. Moreover, she had to make tough decisions and clearly showed that she didn’t need other people to tell her what to do, or to protect her.
The secondary characters were still great in this one, I really need this novella about Schuyler, you know? There is so much mystery about this past, so I just need it now. I wasn’t expecting to see so much of Malcolm during the story, but it was quite interesting to see, because of the past he had with Elizabeth. Virginia Boecker also introduced new characters I enjoyed and helped picture a bigger part of this world.
The plot was more complex in The King Slayer than in The Witch Hunter, because it was more war-driven and I enjoyed it seeing everyone training, getting on missions and then fighting on the battlefield. However, I have to admit that I struggled a little at the beginning of the novel, because I had a hard time remembering who was who and what was going on. I would advise you to read the books back to back or reread the first one before diving into this one, because the author doesn’t talk that much about what happened before. The pacing of the story was a bit slow at first, but it picked up and I couldn’t stop reading 100 pages into it.
I still wasn’t the biggest fan of the romance at the beginning of the book, even if the characters were cute together, but I liked that the author never made it evolve in a love triangle. Indeed, the main couple had big problems, which prevented them to be together toward the middle of the book, but it actually made sense. It wasn’t a problem of communication for once, which was quite refreshing. I actually warmed up to them during the book, because they went through so much and deserved to be together at the end.
The magic aspect of this duology was explained in depth during The King Slayer, because we ignored so much of it after The Witch Hunter, and it was so interesting. You could definitely see there was so much foreshadowing that led to understand the magic system. Boecker also explored more of the magical world politics and a betrayal quite surprised me. I was deeply in love with the alternate history aspect of the novel, just like in the first one, I liked how similar it was to England but yet, it wasn’t? Moreover, the ending of The King Slayer was pretty epic, heart-breaking at times, and I had enough closure to be satisfied.
Overall, I was satisfied with this conclusion and you should read this duology if you haven’t yet. Those books are some of the best witches/wizards books I’ve read in a while, so if you want to get back to them, do yourself a favour. I’m so excited to read what Virginia Boecker has in store next, because I need more alternate history in my life (I love, love, love it!).
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
After really loving the first book, this conclusion ended up a small disappointment. I felt like, beside the one story line, there was not much else going on. The first half of the book was incredibly slow and barely anything happened. The pacing felt completely off, compared to the first book. The second half was infinitely better and I recognized the characters I’ve grew to love again. I really wished it would have been stronger.