Friday, June 5, 2015

Review: The Witch Hunter

THE WITCH HUNTER
The Witch Hunter #1
Virginia Boecker
Paranormal Young Adult
368 pages
Little, Brown BFYR
Available Now
Source: ALA

THE STORY (from Goodreads)
Your greatest enemy isn't what you fight, but what you fear.

Elizabeth Grey is one of the king's best witch hunters, devoted to rooting out witchcraft and doling out justice. But when she's accused of being a witch herself, Elizabeth is arrested and sentenced to burn at the stake.

Salvation comes from a man she thought was her enemy. Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and dangerous wizard in the kingdom, offers her a deal: he will save her from execution if she can break the deadly curse that's been laid upon him.

But Nicholas and his followers know nothing of Elizabeth's witch hunting past--if they find out, the stake will be the least of her worries. And as she's thrust into the magical world of witches, ghosts, pirates, and one all-too-handsome healer, Elizabeth is forced to redefine her ideas of right and wrong, of friends and enemies, and of love and hate.

Virginia Boecker weaves a riveting tale of magic, betrayal, and sacrifice in this unforgettable fantasy debut.



MY THOUGHTS
The Witch Hunter captivates from beginning to end, a young woman forced to examine her every action past and present through the lens of those she dooms to the pyre, and we can do nothing but watch along with her in horrified fascination as what was so clear before becomes distorted beyond all recognition. While what Elizabeth has faced prior to our meeting her and what she must come to terms with about the part she's played in the persecution of innumerable witches is certainly dark, this story is beautifully laced with both humor and hope, a stellar cast of secondary characters and a surprisingly dry wit from Elizabeth herself making sure our heads stay above a steadily rising tide of shadows and magic.

Elizabeth is a perfect blend of strengths and weaknesses, a bit of a badass with fists and weapons (and quite frankly, absinthe consumption) who has a nearly incapacitating and utterly heart-wrenching fear of being alone. Her fear is more than understandable given the death of her parents at a young age, and we find our hearts completely ripped from our chests in the opening chapters as her best and only friend in the world fails her in every way. From that moment on Elizabeth holds our emotional stability in her hands, poised on the edge with every page turned as we wait to see what's in store for her next.

It would have been easy for Elizabeth's fear of abandonment to lead to a romance where the desire to belong and the need for companionship are mistaken for love, intense feelings developing quickly in someone who's never been allowed control over her life. Instead though, we're given a gorgeously subtle romance between Elizabeth and a certain healer, with time taken to examine how she's feeling and the way it differs from everything she's experienced up until that point. While a declaration of love from John at the end does test the boundaries of believability slightly given her previous profession, a return declaration from Elizabeth is withheld, and it's clear she has every intention of exploring how she feels in the next installment.

The romance is secondary to the action however, and Ms. Boecker ensures we're taken on a thrill ride that starts on page one and doesn't give us a moment's rest until we close the back cover. We're left at a logical place, this first installment wrapping up in satisfying fashion so we don't feel as though we've been forced to pause in the middle of the action, but we also have a clear path forward and a dark storm on the waiting for us on the horizon of book two. Overall, The Witch Hunter is not to be missed.

Rating: 4/5


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This book was sent to me by the publisher free of charge for the purpose of a review
I received no other compensation and the above is my honest opinion.

If you haven't had a chance yet, be sure and check out my interview with Virginia and enter for a chance to win!

23 comments:

  1. Oh I'm glad to see you had a great time with this one as I have to read it too... I'm just a bit late with all my ebooks it's terrible, with my books as well in fact...

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  2. Always with the with hunting, stupid hunting witches peeps, lol

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  3. I've got this one on my wishlist, Jenny. I like the sound of that romance since Elizabeth explores her feelings first and am glad that the book doesn't end on a major cliffhanger.

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  4. I see such different opinions about this book among my friends. Looks like this book that readers will love or will hate. Glad you were in the first category. Great review, Jenny.

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  5. I am so glad you liked this one, Jenny, because I have been dying to get my hands on a copy. I really like the premise and Elizabeth sounds like an interesting character. I also love that you say there's a lot of action! Thanks for the great review!

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  6. Oh I'm so glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny. I've been waffling with this one, to be honest. Witches are typically not my cup of tea, but I'm glad it's something I could enjoy. Suspenseful, well wrapped up ending and precursor to the second book sounds fantastic, indeed!

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  7. Oh this sounds really good...I've been debating this one but I'm def. going to add it to my wishlist!

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  8. So many people have loved this Jenny and the fact that you did as well, really makes me want to read it. I think I'm going to have to break down and visit Amazon soon and grab this.
    Wonderful review!

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  9. I shan't mss it then :) I have a feeling I'll love this quite a bit. Great review, Jenny, thanks! Enjoy your weekend :)

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  10. I usually tend to enjoy books where the romance is secondary so this one sounds like it is for me. I am so adding this one to my wishlist!

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  11. "Instead though, we're given a gorgeously subtle romance between Elizabeth and a certain healer, with time taken to examine how she's feeling and the way it differs from everything she's experienced up until that point."

    Okay then. I was totally undecided on whether I should request this for review (UK release date is a bit late), but I'm sending an email as soon as I finish writing this comment. With a romance like you described, I'm pretty much in. Thanks, Jenny! Also, stop writing so gorgeously, you're giving me an inferiority complex.

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  12. I finished this one just recently and I have to agree with you on pretty much all of your thoughts! I love that the romance didn't take over the plot, and that Elizabeth withholds her emotions so that readers are excited for the second book. Even though this story has a pretty dark subject matter in terms of witch hunting, it was still so light and fun! So glad you enjoyed this one, Jenny! Superb review, as always. :)

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  13. I've read a few mixed reviews for this one so far but i'm still unbelievably tempted to pick this one up. If only for the amazing female that you've painted Jenny. I love one that's perfect blend of many things. And she's a bit of a badass? Yup, she sounds like my kind of girl. I don't mind my romance being secondary either, as long as i'm still able to like it and connect with it on some type of level. Lovely review Jenny!

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  14. I was afraid to request this one NG after reading a slew of fantastic reads in a row. I was afraid that the comparison on the blurb would not match the actual book. I'm glad that is not the case. I'll be sure to check this one out and order it for my teens. I think they are going to love this one!

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  15. Ooooh, now that I've read your review I'm even more intrigued about the book and happy that I managed to snag an ARC of this one at BEA!! Soon, I'll read it!!

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  16. This doesn't sound like my typical "thing", but I really want to read this!

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  17. Absinthe consumption! That stuff can mess you up. This sounds like a good one, though!

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  18. I'm not a big fan of the cover of this one, so I don't think I gave the description a proper read before...but the premise/storyline sounds really cool! Elizabeth sounds like my kind of protagonist and I'm glad to hear there's some dry humour in it to balance things out. Your review does a really nice job of painting a picture of what this book is like, thanks! :)

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  19. I was hesitant about this one, afraid of disappointment, but the fact that the romance is secondary has me kind of excited to read this.

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  20. Flawed main character with a lot of introspection? YES. This is actually the first review I've read for this novel and I'm a lotta bit excited now! :) I'm happy that the romance plays second fiddle to the actual plot, it sounds like Elizabeth has a lot of growing to do, and I hate when the male leads make the females leads "better."

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  21. I love how awesomely fast paced this sounds. I have had my eye on it for a long while and just need to fit it in. I have seen some great reviews. Thank you for your informative review. Nicely done.

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  22. I bookmarked this as soon as it went up Jenny^^ I couldn't wait to see how you made out with this one, considering my love for witches! I LOVE that you had such a good time with this one and how the action and excitement was at the forefront :D Elizabeth certainly sounds like my kind of protagonist too! I can't wait to dig in!

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  23. I have a copy of this book and am looking forward to read it myself! I do have some trouble with witch books usually because there are just so few of them I like. But I have high hopes for this one, and I like the sound of the main character, Elizabeth!

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