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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
After really enjoying The Witch Hunter, I was disappointed to find myself underwhelmed by The King Slayer. This was a much grimmer book than its predecessor, which made sense plot-wise but left me missing the elements I enjoyed most from book 1. The King Slayer wasn’t the follow-up I was hoping for, but it wasn’t a bad book.
Goddammit book, you were so good up until the end. And I don't mean what HAPPENED at the end - I was for once not unhappy with a chick not choosing PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER. Elizabeth has seen some shit. Elizabeth has done some shit. Elizabeth wants to stay somewhere with her friends and rebuild some shit without dealing with any more assholes than she has to. I can dig it. Also the end wasn't based around her sacrificing her power or anything, which helped.
But the writing, guys. The writing.
Most of the book was pretty well written: I didn't even mind the first person present tense. Do you know how hard it is to make me like first person present tense? I'm pretty sure this is the third series on the list of books in first person present tense that I like. The last few chapters developed Overdramatic Prose syndrome with a heaping dose of Fragments For EMPHASIS disease. Fragments should be used for emphasis, don't get me wrong, but as I mentioned in a status update they should not be used every page.
I still liked this though.
But the writing, guys. The writing.
Most of the book was pretty well written: I didn't even mind the first person present tense. Do you know how hard it is to make me like first person present tense? I'm pretty sure this is the third series on the list of books in first person present tense that I like. The last few chapters developed Overdramatic Prose syndrome with a heaping dose of Fragments For EMPHASIS disease. Fragments should be used for emphasis, don't get me wrong, but as I mentioned in a status update they should not be used every page.
I still liked this though.
Bookstagram: emm_enchanted
"Disappointing" is the only word that comes to mind after finishing this duology.
The covers and description was what attracted me to this series. Elizabeth Grey is the best witch hunter in Anglia, but when she is accused of being a witch herself and sentenced to death, salvation comes from the exact same people that she has condemned to death.
When I first read the summary, I pictured a fierce woman in her 20s, filled with determination and the strength to stand up for what is right. Instead, Elizabeth is a 16 year old girl pining for a guy, barely able to complete a task satisfactorily.
I have never disliked a protagonist so much. She has a contradicting personality. On one hand she believes that burning witches is right and on the other hand, she is found using witch's herbs which makes her a hypocrite. She is apparently the best witch hunter which seems a little farfetched due to her age, and the idea of someone so young sending people to be killed doesn't sit well with me. Her loyalty to a person who is vile to her and constant judgement and hatred of people who have been nothing but kind is annoying. Her selfishness in doing what she wants without considering the consequences and how it affects others was abhorrent.
The first half of book 1 was the most difficult to get through, but the plot seemed to have potential, so I kept going. There were other characters who were quite good, but were completely sidelined.
The romance was bland, with crush and lust nicely packaged to look like love, but it didn't work. The descriptions of the characters, situations and surroundings were well written but didn't do much for the story.
Things did pick up at the end of book 1 and beginning of book 2, but then again it got boring after a point.
What truly disturbed me was how badly the topic of rape was handled.
I was relieved when I finished the series. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the entertaining interactions between some of the characters.
"Disappointing" is the only word that comes to mind after finishing this duology.
The covers and description was what attracted me to this series. Elizabeth Grey is the best witch hunter in Anglia, but when she is accused of being a witch herself and sentenced to death, salvation comes from the exact same people that she has condemned to death.
When I first read the summary, I pictured a fierce woman in her 20s, filled with determination and the strength to stand up for what is right. Instead, Elizabeth is a 16 year old girl pining for a guy, barely able to complete a task satisfactorily.
I have never disliked a protagonist so much. She has a contradicting personality. On one hand she believes that burning witches is right and on the other hand, she is found using witch's herbs which makes her a hypocrite. She is apparently the best witch hunter which seems a little farfetched due to her age, and the idea of someone so young sending people to be killed doesn't sit well with me. Her loyalty to a person who is vile to her and constant judgement and hatred of people who have been nothing but kind is annoying. Her selfishness in doing what she wants without considering the consequences and how it affects others was abhorrent.
The first half of book 1 was the most difficult to get through, but the plot seemed to have potential, so I kept going. There were other characters who were quite good, but were completely sidelined.
The romance was bland, with crush and lust nicely packaged to look like love, but it didn't work. The descriptions of the characters, situations and surroundings were well written but didn't do much for the story.
Things did pick up at the end of book 1 and beginning of book 2, but then again it got boring after a point.
What truly disturbed me was how badly the topic of rape was handled.
I was relieved when I finished the series. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was because of the entertaining interactions between some of the characters.
My god, I absolutely loved The King Slayer. With a sequel you never quite know what you're getting. It can be either really great or turn out disappointing. This book definitely exceeded my expectations.
One thing showing that this book was just as good as its predecessor was how fast I read it. It took me less than two days. It was so hard to stop reading, so addictive!
In this book everything is different for Elizabeth Grey. She doesn't have her stigma anymore so she's more vulnerable than ever. The people in Harrow are suspicious of her because of her past as a witch hunter. Luckily she still has John. Although, because he has Elizabeth's stigma he is unmistakably changing into someone she doesn't recognize anymore. And more than that, war is coming with Blackwell and sacrifices are needed.
How I love Elizabeth. She is practically the epitome of a heroine. She had a tragic past but can kick some serious ass and is willing to sacrifice herself for her friends if needed. I also have learned to love John. I wasn't a fan of him and Elizabeth in the last book but that all has changed in this one. I really love him now, even though for the better part of the book he was changing a lot. And I especially love his and Elizabeth relationship. Just... *swoon*
The secondary characters were also all so so great. Peter, Fifer, Schuyler and some of the new characters made me smile. I even enjoyed the part where Blackwell, even as he was, came in. Gotta love an evil villain. I just wish we had seen more of George. I love him to bits and pieces but he wasn't much in this book. Of course he was doing something important but still...
The end sure was an explosive one. The battle at the end definitely left a great impression with me. It was super epic! The story does keep being suspensful until the very end and I was really anxious because I wasn't sure it would end well, to be honest. But in the end, I'm very pleased with how the story turned out and which characters survived.
As much as I loved the first book, I loved The King Slayer even more. It was suspenseful full of surprising twists, with a bit of swoony romance. It definitely was a great ending to this duology.
One thing showing that this book was just as good as its predecessor was how fast I read it. It took me less than two days. It was so hard to stop reading, so addictive!
In this book everything is different for Elizabeth Grey. She doesn't have her stigma anymore so she's more vulnerable than ever. The people in Harrow are suspicious of her because of her past as a witch hunter. Luckily she still has John. Although, because he has Elizabeth's stigma he is unmistakably changing into someone she doesn't recognize anymore. And more than that, war is coming with Blackwell and sacrifices are needed.
How I love Elizabeth. She is practically the epitome of a heroine. She had a tragic past but can kick some serious ass and is willing to sacrifice herself for her friends if needed. I also have learned to love John. I wasn't a fan of him and Elizabeth in the last book but that all has changed in this one. I really love him now, even though for the better part of the book he was changing a lot. And I especially love his and Elizabeth relationship. Just... *swoon*
The secondary characters were also all so so great. Peter, Fifer, Schuyler and some of the new characters made me smile. I even enjoyed the part where Blackwell, even as he was, came in. Gotta love an evil villain. I just wish we had seen more of George. I love him to bits and pieces but he wasn't much in this book. Of course he was doing something important but still...
The end sure was an explosive one. The battle at the end definitely left a great impression with me. It was super epic! The story does keep being suspensful until the very end and I was really anxious because I wasn't sure it would end well, to be honest. But in the end, I'm very pleased with how the story turned out and which characters survived.
As much as I loved the first book, I loved The King Slayer even more. It was suspenseful full of surprising twists, with a bit of swoony romance. It definitely was a great ending to this duology.
I really loved this sequel to The Witch Hunter!! It had everything I want in a fantasy novel: magic, swords, betrayal, poisons. Plus, all the characters I adored! I really need more books set in this world. OK, Virginia? :)
I did it. I finally did it!!
I finished!
so it doesn't look like this is a triology, because this ended on a pretty finite note. I can't see any story that could be drawn form it, which gained it half a star. this series needed to end and you could tell by the writing and plot these books had no where to go. like the author just got bored and lost with the plot. I really enjoyed the first one and crashed and burned with this second one. mybe it was the YA asspect, maybe the poor high fantasy angle, but it just wasn't working for me at all :/ sad but true. I'm glad to be done with them.
I finished!
so it doesn't look like this is a triology, because this ended on a pretty finite note. I can't see any story that could be drawn form it, which gained it half a star. this series needed to end and you could tell by the writing and plot these books had no where to go. like the author just got bored and lost with the plot. I really enjoyed the first one and crashed and burned with this second one. mybe it was the YA asspect, maybe the poor high fantasy angle, but it just wasn't working for me at all :/ sad but true. I'm glad to be done with them.
Brilliant
The last few chapters gave me so much anxiety. I loved it! A truly satisfying finish to a brilliant story
The last few chapters gave me so much anxiety. I loved it! A truly satisfying finish to a brilliant story
This is the second book in the series and it was pretty similar to the first book. I liked the characters pretty good and their reactions to things (even if I thought Elizabeth did some not-very-well-thought-out things…). I liked the additional characters that we got to meet and the conflict between Elizabeth and John was interesting. But again, the pacing of the plot was kind of weird. All of the sudden they were in battle and then the actual battle lasts like two chapters. I felt like since the whole book was leading up to this huge event, it should have taken more time and had more weight in the book. In the end it felt like the battle really didn’t even matter. The actual conclusion of the book was also pretty strange and I didn’t really understand exactly what happened. It seemed like the author maybe needed the book to end a certain way so she just kind of made it happen even if it left the readers a little confused. In the end it was just a little anticlimactic because of how confused I was.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Note: I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes