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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
Such a good sequel to the Witch Hunter. I still really enjoyed the characters and this book definitely had more action in it than the first. The sequence of events had me gasping aloud at certain points and the end left me both sad and satisfied. 4.5/5 stars for sure.
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.
What a good YA fantasy duology. Virginia Boecker is well on the way to becoming a favorite. I can't wait to see what she does next since I'm all caught up on her novels.
ARC copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed the first book - Witch hunter - and was thrilled when I got a review copy of the sequel. However while I raced through book one, this book dragged. The pacing was uneven and at times the plot seemed directionless, with characters not acting like themselves at all. In John's case there is a reason for this but I felt it was a cheap ploy to keep him and Elizabeth apart. It certainly gets overcome quickly enough two thirds of the way through when the pair need to team up again. Part of the problem for this book was that its cast of characters was not deployed to best advantage - a shame since we have some great characters. The fact that there are new characters or characters that had only been mentioned off screen in the past turning up was also problematic. You never felt Elizabeth was where she should be. There was an irritating sense that the plot was happening elsewhere for much of the book.
I really do like Elizabeth as a character but I remember her being cleverer and more competent than this. By the time I got to the end it was more relief that she would finally get to do something right than anything else. Probably best I don't touch the ending - aside from avoiding spoilers, it was in my opinion both contrived and unnecessary and fell a bit flat. Overall I never felt that the characters were really in jeopardy. Nor did I feel that they were in anyway impassioned about anything, even each other. Combined with the weird pacing, it felt rushed and as if the author wasn't interested in her own story.
Then there is the problem of Malcolm. Everyone recall book one? Elizabeth Grey imprisoned as a witch for being found with herbs to prevent pregnancy? Herbs she needed because when she was fifteen the King (Malcolm) selected her as his mistress? Yep THAT Malcolm. Suddenly he's joined the side of the rebels. Let's unpack this a bit. As an indolent, selfish and stupid puppet king, he forces Elizabeth into becoming his mistress. Due to her class - she was a servant before she became a witch hunter - she literally cannot refuse him. When she's found with illegal substances that would not be necessary if he had just left her alone, does he step in to get her released from prison? Does he hell. He leaves her to burn. Perhaps at this point we can just agree to a definition of rape. If consent is not given then it's not sex, it's rape. It doesn't matter if she was coerced into a semblance of willingness. It doesn't matter if he didn't beat her or violently assault her. He wanted sex, she didn't, he made her go through with it anyway because he held all the power so it was rape. Now I get why you may not want to explore that too much in a fantasy novel that is supposed to be about something else. Drop the word rape on the table and it becomes about that huge, hard hitting word. But to back peddle in book two implying that Elizabeth could have said no but was too young and frightened to realise, that Malcolm did care about her but was too selfish to think of her feelings, needs or desires, to have Fifer suggest that she expected Malcolm to be crueller, more of a brute and perhaps it hadn't been as bad for Elizabeth as she'd thought... All of that is a slap in the face. Rape gets minimised enough. If you insist on using it as an MCs backstory have the balls to follow through on it, not minimise it yourself. It insults the readers intelligence and sends a very toxic message: firstly that Elizabeth was in some way complicit in her own repeated sexual assault and second that it wasn't that bad and the onus is on the victim to bring understanding to the perpetrator and then forgive him. There is so much wrong with that, I genuinely don't know where to start. Suffice to say that this entire issue was enough for me to knock off a star. I appreciate that what I'm going to say now is personal opinion but I am sick to death of the message that victims and survivors MUST forgive their abusers. No. No absolutely not. Forgiveness is personal and it is not a necessary part of moving past abuse. Acceptance is but that is something entirely different. Healing of this kind NEEDS to take place at the survivors pace not society's. Are we supposed to thing that some distance and danger have given Elizabeth perspective? Why should she gain perspective but not Malcolm? Not Fifer even? And locking the 'unpleasant' queen away, letting her die of neglect and starvation in prison, off screen because she was forgotten - lame and cowardly. I'm so disappointed that this book is perpetuating what can easily be perceived as victim blaming and 'girl in a refrigerator' mentality. Why is it that so many YA books - especially SFF - seem to be trumpeting this message? To give credit where it's due, Malcolm does accept accountability for his actions by the end of the book, even if he is not punished.
I really loved book one but I can't recommend this one based on the issues I've mentioned. Boecker's voice and writing is as usual, clear and accessible.
I really enjoyed the first book - Witch hunter - and was thrilled when I got a review copy of the sequel. However while I raced through book one, this book dragged. The pacing was uneven and at times the plot seemed directionless, with characters not acting like themselves at all. In John's case there is a reason for this but I felt it was a cheap ploy to keep him and Elizabeth apart. It certainly gets overcome quickly enough two thirds of the way through when the pair need to team up again. Part of the problem for this book was that its cast of characters was not deployed to best advantage - a shame since we have some great characters. The fact that there are new characters or characters that had only been mentioned off screen in the past turning up was also problematic. You never felt Elizabeth was where she should be. There was an irritating sense that the plot was happening elsewhere for much of the book.
I really do like Elizabeth as a character but I remember her being cleverer and more competent than this. By the time I got to the end it was more relief that she would finally get to do something right than anything else. Probably best I don't touch the ending - aside from avoiding spoilers, it was in my opinion both contrived and unnecessary and fell a bit flat. Overall I never felt that the characters were really in jeopardy. Nor did I feel that they were in anyway impassioned about anything, even each other. Combined with the weird pacing, it felt rushed and as if the author wasn't interested in her own story.
Then there is the problem of Malcolm. Everyone recall book one? Elizabeth Grey imprisoned as a witch for being found with herbs to prevent pregnancy? Herbs she needed because when she was fifteen the King (Malcolm) selected her as his mistress? Yep THAT Malcolm. Suddenly he's joined the side of the rebels. Let's unpack this a bit. As an indolent, selfish and stupid puppet king, he forces Elizabeth into becoming his mistress. Due to her class - she was a servant before she became a witch hunter - she literally cannot refuse him. When she's found with illegal substances that would not be necessary if he had just left her alone, does he step in to get her released from prison? Does he hell. He leaves her to burn. Perhaps at this point we can just agree to a definition of rape. If consent is not given then it's not sex, it's rape. It doesn't matter if she was coerced into a semblance of willingness. It doesn't matter if he didn't beat her or violently assault her. He wanted sex, she didn't, he made her go through with it anyway because he held all the power so it was rape. Now I get why you may not want to explore that too much in a fantasy novel that is supposed to be about something else. Drop the word rape on the table and it becomes about that huge, hard hitting word. But to back peddle in book two implying that Elizabeth could have said no but was too young and frightened to realise, that Malcolm did care about her but was too selfish to think of her feelings, needs or desires, to have Fifer suggest that she expected Malcolm to be crueller, more of a brute and perhaps it hadn't been as bad for Elizabeth as she'd thought... All of that is a slap in the face. Rape gets minimised enough. If you insist on using it as an MCs backstory have the balls to follow through on it, not minimise it yourself. It insults the readers intelligence and sends a very toxic message: firstly that Elizabeth was in some way complicit in her own repeated sexual assault and second that it wasn't that bad and the onus is on the victim to bring understanding to the perpetrator and then forgive him. There is so much wrong with that, I genuinely don't know where to start. Suffice to say that this entire issue was enough for me to knock off a star. I appreciate that what I'm going to say now is personal opinion but I am sick to death of the message that victims and survivors MUST forgive their abusers. No. No absolutely not. Forgiveness is personal and it is not a necessary part of moving past abuse. Acceptance is but that is something entirely different. Healing of this kind NEEDS to take place at the survivors pace not society's. Are we supposed to thing that some distance and danger have given Elizabeth perspective? Why should she gain perspective but not Malcolm? Not Fifer even? And locking the 'unpleasant' queen away, letting her die of neglect and starvation in prison, off screen because she was forgotten - lame and cowardly. I'm so disappointed that this book is perpetuating what can easily be perceived as victim blaming and 'girl in a refrigerator' mentality. Why is it that so many YA books - especially SFF - seem to be trumpeting this message? To give credit where it's due, Malcolm does accept accountability for his actions by the end of the book, even if he is not punished.
I really loved book one but I can't recommend this one based on the issues I've mentioned. Boecker's voice and writing is as usual, clear and accessible.
This is the second in the Witch Hunter duology, and I am sad to see this story end. I'm a little in love with everyone and, while I think it had a great ending...I wasn't ready.
It's hard to discuss this book without spoiling anything. (Suffice to say: if you haven't read this or The Witch Hunter, you need to. They're two incredibly fun books.) They'd also make a really fun movie series (or TV series! I'm not picky!).
I don't read very many non-contemp YAs anymore, and this book (and its predecessor) makes me think I should change that. (Feel free to leave recommendations in the comments!)
It's hard to discuss this book without spoiling anything. (Suffice to say: if you haven't read this or The Witch Hunter, you need to. They're two incredibly fun books.) They'd also make a really fun movie series (or TV series! I'm not picky!).
I don't read very many non-contemp YAs anymore, and this book (and its predecessor) makes me think I should change that. (Feel free to leave recommendations in the comments!)
What this series has done wonderfully is cut out all the mundane, drawn-out bits that can make me a pissed off reader. You know the plot devices that will push the story forward in the most annoying way? Well, The King Slayer is the second and last book, thus making this a duology. Which means there isn't the time for all the crap. Instead, the story and characters move forward quickly and I loved it. The world is not overly complex, There's magic in a historical type fantasy world. And after the events of The Witch Hunter Elizabeth, John and the gang are left to start building a revolution. The bad guys don't give them much time to do so. Elizabeth's only problem isn't Harrow being attacked; there's the fact that the residents aren't so accepting and trusting of an ex-witch hunter. Even with John and Nick's backing. The biggest problem, though? Apparently saving John's life is coming at an even biggest cost than expected. It's taking a toll on their relationship, both are feeling resentment, keeping secrets well wanting to be the one that saves the other from certain death. It's really quite dramatic, but in a good and feeling way. The hardest part was seeing John's nice and sweet personality take an 180. Elizabeth had to some things that were near impossible, like the possibility of losing John's love. But I agreed that she had to do them to try and save his life. I saw their struggles and fall out as a side effect of the dark war looming. And although I wanted an immediate reconciliation it was more realistic how their relationship had to learn to trust again. Don't worry there's still some swoon because John. The characters are certainly what this series does best. From Fifer, Schuyler, Nick, Peter the Pirate, George and a few new faces in The King Slayer they're all fantastic and add so much to the story.
Although I didn't find the series to be totally original at its core, the good magicians trying to overthrow the evil magicians(or those that oppose magic), the elements, like the marks the witch hunters received and how that spiraled out to create a bigger plot point then I expected. Which in turn lead to an intense conflict and a few jaw dropping moments amongst all the magically fighting.
I truly enjoyed this finale. It wrapped everything up in a most satisfying way. There were some predictable moments and some that shocked me, which I believe is on point for a good finale. The King Slayer is fun and magical and a real treat for anyone looking for a quick character filled series with witches.
Although I didn't find the series to be totally original at its core, the good magicians trying to overthrow the evil magicians(or those that oppose magic), the elements, like the marks the witch hunters received and how that spiraled out to create a bigger plot point then I expected. Which in turn lead to an intense conflict and a few jaw dropping moments amongst all the magically fighting.
I truly enjoyed this finale. It wrapped everything up in a most satisfying way. There were some predictable moments and some that shocked me, which I believe is on point for a good finale. The King Slayer is fun and magical and a real treat for anyone looking for a quick character filled series with witches.
I just can't believe it's over. I spent the whole year thinking about this book and how could possibly end and yeah, I cried. A lot.
This sequel was so much better than the first one and I just want to sleep a little, you know? My heart needs some rest.
It was sooo good!
{Review to come}