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A review by pepe_pepe
Witch Hunter by Virginia Boecker
4.0
I'm not exactly sure why there are two different titles depending on the edition - some say The Witch Hunter and others say Witch Hunter - though the series name is The Witch Hunter. The edition I read had the title Witch Hunter.
4.25 stars
First off, I want to say that this is a really good debut YA fantasy book and that I enjoyed reading it a lot. Though it started off a little slow and a bit confusingly, I eventually caught on and thought that it improved page by page.
Characters:
- Elizabeth Grey
Because of the hardships she's been through, the reader can tell Elizabeth has had to grow up earlier than she should have to, as well as because of the setting of the story. Elizabeth is sixteen, yet she is quite independent and brave, as she has to be, because her job as a witch hunter requires her to capture and/or kill witches and wizards on a daily basis. She's grown up without her parents, whom died when she was twelve from a magical plague, and her only close friend is fellow witch hunter Caleb, who she's had a crush on ever since she met him. However, for reasons that are explained later, Elizabeth is caught with witches' herbs and accused of witchcraft, which is a crime in society. Lord Blackwell, the supervisor of all of the witch hunters, sends her to jail to await her death. Though Caleb promises to break her out, Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and most wanted wizard arrives first and frees her. The conditions of the prison cells are bad, and Elizabeth's health takes a toll. She faints and only comes to at the safe house for witches and wizards where her adventures and self-discovery start.
Elizabeth is the main character and narrator of the story. Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of the past and what influenced her to be the person she is now. Though we get some flashbacks, I didn't connect with the MC as much as I would've liked to, especially at the beginning of the novel. I'm not sure if the story could have been better enhanced, perhaps, if it had another POV, but I felt I was missing something with the MC. She didn't feel convincing enough to me. She is also stated as the best witch hunter of all time, which I found hard to believe. Yes, she's been trained and can fight and is pretty strong for a sixteen-year-old, but we aren't told what is so remarkable about her. All other witch hunters can do that. I think that this piece of information might have been included so as to give Elizabeth more reason to be shocked when she believes Blackwell has betrayed her (she looks up to him because she trained under him to be a witch hunter from twelve years old). I didn't think that was necessary. However, as I neared the end of the story, at the climax where there was the most action and suspense, I felt all of the MC's emotions as if I was her and was right there where she was and I was rooting for her and all of the other characters.
- John Rayleigh
John is a teenager too; he's around the same age as Elizabeth, if not older. He is the love interest in the story to, of course, Elizabeth. He is the type of wizard/witch who has healing powers and is the healer in the group. He is said to be a really good healer, and I could see that from the several times he had to heal everyone. John is the more reserved, quiet one in the group and I liked that about him. I thought at first Caleb was the love interest, and then after that I thought George (down below) was the one, but I had no idea why I kept jumping to conclusions. John is the last one out of the three that Elizabeth meets. I really liked their relationship; John wasn't at all cliche and seemed to be a really nice and considerate person. And when. However, again, I didn't feel it like I wanted to. I hope their relationship is developed further in the sequel.
- George (I forgot his last name)
George is mainly like a jester. I don't actually know what he does but I don't think he has any magical powers. He is a spy and a Reformist (those who support the witches and wizards). George is the funny one out of the group and is the main source of humor in the book. He is also quite flamboyant and dramatic and wears colourful clothes.
I found George okay; he felt like both an integral yet quite unnecessary character. He doesn't play much of a role in the story.
- Caleb Pace
Elizabeth's childhood friend and crush. I think Caleb was written quite well, and portrayed as the ambitious, impressionable witch hunter that he is. I didn't like him though, but I think that that was the whole point in the end.
- Blackwell
Again, I thought he was a well written antagonist.
- Nicholas Perevil
I want to see more of his character in the sequel, as he is very important, yet he wasn't explored as much as I would have liked.
These aren't all the characters, just the main ones.
Pacing:
As I said earlier, I though it was quite slow at the beginning, though it starts off with a fighting scene. I thought it was an interesting way to introduce the readers to the characters and the world, but it took me a while to figure out what was happening, so good intentions but not-as-good execution there. The rest of the novel's pacing was quite good though, especially the last fifty or so pages; there was a lot of action and suspense, like I said earlier.
Setting:
So I didn't actually realise until many pages later, but this book is set in England in 1580 or something. Historical settings are definitely not my thing (exception: TID), and for me to have overlooked this, was lucky. I probably wouldn't have picked this up if I'd known it was set all the way back then, but I'm glad I did. I actually liked the setting and the time, so maybe I'll pick up more books set in this time and place in the future. I liked that I could figure out what place this book is set in; it is never explicitly stated so giving the reader a chance to find out things by themselves was cool. The way the setting is introduced and the magic system is seamlessly written into that time was the reason why I didn't find it glaringly obvious, so kudos to the author.
Ending & Climax:
The ending was great and quite satisfying but I felt like the stuff that happened in the climax went a little too... quick. Not rushed, per se, but just a little too fast. After 350 pages of introductions, world-building, fighting and plans, for the book to end in just 50 pages like that... Anyway, I thought it was a bit easy in the end for the characters, but I don't really mind because a) the characters deserved a good ending -for now- and b) I'm sure it'll get tougher in the sequel. I just thought it could have dragged for a little longer. But really, I just wanted more.
Most things are wrapped up neatly by the end of the novel, but some strings are left hanging for the next novel, of course, namely, all the antagonists who are still out there causing havoc. I would also like to see more magic, both the background of it and how it works as well as more instances of it being used, because I think it is a really great concept which could enhance the story even more if it is delved deeper into. I am very excited for what the sequel holds - with a name like The King Slayer, it's got to be good, right?
4.25 stars
First off, I want to say that this is a really good debut YA fantasy book and that I enjoyed reading it a lot. Though it started off a little slow and a bit confusingly, I eventually caught on and thought that it improved page by page.
Characters:
- Elizabeth Grey
Because of the hardships she's been through, the reader can tell Elizabeth has had to grow up earlier than she should have to, as well as because of the setting of the story. Elizabeth is sixteen, yet she is quite independent and brave, as she has to be, because her job as a witch hunter requires her to capture and/or kill witches and wizards on a daily basis. She's grown up without her parents, whom died when she was twelve from a magical plague, and her only close friend is fellow witch hunter Caleb, who she's had a crush on ever since she met him. However, for reasons that are explained later, Elizabeth is caught with witches' herbs and accused of witchcraft, which is a crime in society. Lord Blackwell, the supervisor of all of the witch hunters, sends her to jail to await her death. Though Caleb promises to break her out, Nicholas Perevil, the most powerful and most wanted wizard arrives first and frees her. The conditions of the prison cells are bad, and Elizabeth's health takes a toll. She faints and only comes to at the safe house for witches and wizards where her adventures and self-discovery start.
Elizabeth is the main character and narrator of the story. Throughout the novel, we get glimpses of the past and what influenced her to be the person she is now. Though we get some flashbacks, I didn't connect with the MC as much as I would've liked to, especially at the beginning of the novel. I'm not sure if the story could have been better enhanced, perhaps, if it had another POV, but I felt I was missing something with the MC. She didn't feel convincing enough to me. She is also stated as the best witch hunter of all time, which I found hard to believe. Yes, she's been trained and can fight and is pretty strong for a sixteen-year-old, but we aren't told what is so remarkable about her. All other witch hunters can do that. I think that this piece of information might have been included so as to give Elizabeth more reason to be shocked when she believes Blackwell has betrayed her (she looks up to him because she trained under him to be a witch hunter from twelve years old). I didn't think that was necessary. However, as I neared the end of the story, at the climax where there was the most action and suspense, I felt all of the MC's emotions as if I was her and was right there where she was and I was rooting for her and all of the other characters.
- John Rayleigh
John is a teenager too; he's around the same age as Elizabeth, if not older. He is the love interest in the story to, of course, Elizabeth. He is the type of wizard/witch who has healing powers and is the healer in the group. He is said to be a really good healer, and I could see that from the several times he had to heal everyone. John is the more reserved, quiet one in the group and I liked that about him. I thought at first Caleb was the love interest, and then after that I thought George (down below) was the one, but I had no idea why I kept jumping to conclusions. John is the last one out of the three that Elizabeth meets. I really liked their relationship; John wasn't at all cliche and seemed to be a really nice and considerate person. And when
Spoiler
he got stabbed, I almost died - well, not really, but you know what I mean- George (I forgot his last name)
George is mainly like a jester. I don't actually know what he does but I don't think he has any magical powers. He is a spy and a Reformist (those who support the witches and wizards). George is the funny one out of the group and is the main source of humor in the book. He is also quite flamboyant and dramatic and wears colourful clothes.
I found George okay; he felt like both an integral yet quite unnecessary character. He doesn't play much of a role in the story.
- Caleb Pace
Elizabeth's childhood friend and crush. I think Caleb was written quite well, and portrayed as the ambitious, impressionable witch hunter that he is. I didn't like him though, but I think that that was the whole point in the end.
Spoiler
He's a bad guy, and I have a sneaking suspicion he didn't actually die.- Blackwell
Again, I thought he was a well written antagonist.
Spoiler
He's SO evil. I wonder if the author really likes or is just good at writing all her villians.- Nicholas Perevil
I want to see more of his character in the sequel, as he is very important, yet he wasn't explored as much as I would have liked.
These aren't all the characters, just the main ones.
Pacing:
As I said earlier, I though it was quite slow at the beginning, though it starts off with a fighting scene. I thought it was an interesting way to introduce the readers to the characters and the world, but it took me a while to figure out what was happening, so good intentions but not-as-good execution there. The rest of the novel's pacing was quite good though, especially the last fifty or so pages; there was a lot of action and suspense, like I said earlier.
Setting:
So I didn't actually realise until many pages later, but this book is set in England in 1580 or something. Historical settings are definitely not my thing (exception: TID), and for me to have overlooked this, was lucky. I probably wouldn't have picked this up if I'd known it was set all the way back then, but I'm glad I did. I actually liked the setting and the time, so maybe I'll pick up more books set in this time and place in the future. I liked that I could figure out what place this book is set in; it is never explicitly stated so giving the reader a chance to find out things by themselves was cool. The way the setting is introduced and the magic system is seamlessly written into that time was the reason why I didn't find it glaringly obvious, so kudos to the author.
Ending & Climax:
The ending was great and quite satisfying but I felt like the stuff that happened in the climax went a little too... quick. Not rushed, per se, but just a little too fast. After 350 pages of introductions, world-building, fighting and plans, for the book to end in just 50 pages like that... Anyway, I thought it was a bit easy in the end for the characters, but I don't really mind because a) the characters deserved a good ending -for now- and b) I'm sure it'll get tougher in the sequel. I just thought it could have dragged for a little longer. But really, I just wanted more.
Most things are wrapped up neatly by the end of the novel, but some strings are left hanging for the next novel, of course, namely, all the antagonists who are still out there causing havoc. I would also like to see more magic, both the background of it and how it works as well as more instances of it being used, because I think it is a really great concept which could enhance the story even more if it is delved deeper into. I am very excited for what the sequel holds - with a name like The King Slayer, it's got to be good, right?